Capstone Cohort 2022-2023 Virtual Showcase

Greetings!

Welcome to my capstone page! I have been interested in American history and law ever since I learned about Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in elementary school. During my years at MFS, I have discovered and developed a keen interest in constitutional law. I also enjoy engaging myself with civic education. I decided to combine these overlapping interests and design a 38-day high school curriculum. Throughout this journey, I have strengthened my constitutional and pedagogical knowledge. I sincerely hope that you learn something new or interesting as you browse through my project.

Best,

Shay

Framing

I started my project by creating a "Reference Frame" that answered these basic questions: Who, What, Why, When, Where, and How.

After conducting some initial research, I decided to utilize The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation by Jonathan Hennessey and Aaron McConnell to ground the curriculum. Students sometimes find it intimidating and confusing to read the text of the Constitution cover to cover with no context. The graphic novel provides that context in a format which, as I discovered through pedagogical research, often increases student engagement with and retention of the novel's material. For more information on my background research and a full bibliography that contains citations for all of the resources I used during this project, see my Research Report. Below: My (very rough) notes on the graphic novel.

Copy of "United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation" Notes

Rough Draft

I produced a fairly in-depth rough draft of my curriculum. The document to the right demonstrates the typical changes that a lesson plan underwent through my rough draft and revision processes. The goals of this rough draft were not to create thorough explanations and perfect writing conventions; rather, they were to organize my ideas and resources in chronological order and to build out the outline of the curriculum.

Rough Draft and Revision Processes

Final Product

Copy of Final Product

My final curriculum is displayed to the left and linked here. As I assembled my research and ideas, I reflected on the importance of my project goal: to introduce high school students to the Constitution by focusing on its modern-day applications. As questions surrounding the current status and future of American democracy only grow more urgent, it is essential that students are familiar with the Constitution's provisions, especially as the high schoolers of today transition into the voters of tomorrow.

My Capstone Journey

I was very productive with my capstone project during the spring semester of 11th Grade. I completed all of my research and most of my rough draft before summer started. I used summer to turn my rough draft into a final product. The fall semester of 12th Grade was significantly more demanding than I was expecting, and I was glad that I dedicated a lot of time to my project last year.

I hope to use the knowledge I gained over the past year to strengthen my interest in the law and engage others in my community with the democratic process. Though I opted not to teach this curriculum as an MFS minor course, I will still utilize it to support my civic engagement efforts in the future as I pursue a career in history and law.

To any students considering a capstone project, I would highly recommend taking the time at the beginning of your process to create a detailed timeline that includes helpful self-imposed deadlines and allows you to monitor your progress. Choose a topic that interests you. Above all, have fun, and enjoy the opportunity to pursue rigorous but exciting scholarly inquiry.

Header photo and all other photos of Constitution: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the MFS Librarians, who were very helpful with my search for books on the Constitution. I would not have even noticed the graphic novels section without their assistance. I would also like to thank my advisor, Mr. Thomson, who has sustained my interest in American and history and law during my time at MFS. As my advisor, he was always willing to talk about a question I had or issue I faced during our weekly meetings. At the same time, he encouraged me to act as the driving force behind my project and pushed me to develop my time management and independent research skills, which are both essential tools in college and beyond.

Questions? Feel free to contact me at shayaoconnor@gmail.com.