Once students have written and submitted their research papers, there is a chance that some students will have to amend or make a few adjustments to the final draft in order to have it considered passing. Teachers will let those students know based on the rubric that was returned with the final paper. Any category that is in the 1-2 range in the rubric needs to be revised and resubmitted.
As far as the Project is concerned, because of the varying types of projects that the class has chosen to do, there is no “right way” for completion of the Project. The best way to help your son or daughter with this is to help them set a timeline and benchmarks for successful completion of the project. Nevertheless, the first step for all students is to secure an outside mentor to help them with their project. This mentor should be able to provide some knowledge in the field that the student does not already have, and the student needs to spend a minimum of five hours with him or her. The physical project should be based on the topic on which the student focused for his or her paper, and should be some logical expansion of that topic.
Overall, the expectation is that students should spend a minimum of 25 hours on their projects, including the five hours with the mentor. Students do not have to account for every minute that they spent working on their project, but students should document via photograph every step. It will come in handy during the slideshow when they discuss the process they underwent. Ultimately, the onus is on them to demonstrate to the teachers and audience that they did invest the required amount of time to complete their project.
The main crux of the Presentation should convey the following information:
What was your Goal? ---> How did mentor support the Goal? --->
What was your process helping you to achieve your Goal? --->
Whether or not you succeeded in achieving your Goal, what did you learn along the way?
The Presentation will be in April. The 8th Grade Team suggests that projects be completed prior to Spring Break so that students can enjoy the break instead of working on their project, and any time spent over that week should be working on and polishing the presentation.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. However, check with you son or daughter first. Chances are, the information was dispensed either verbally or through a handout in class. That is a great way to begin a dialogue with them about the status of their project.