In order to give students guidelines, or paths, to follow for the types of 8th Grade Projects that we would like to see, we have introduced eight types of projects as a starting point. By no means are these the only categories, and different types of projects will be considered on a case-by-case basis. You can also combine different categories if what you have in mind does not exactly fit into what you see below.
The Eight Categories for the 8th Grade Project:
1. Thesis – A thesis is a statement which presents and argues a position and whose truth is decided by the student’s research or investigation. The student will build an argument deciding the truth of the thesis by reflecting upon and explaining what they have studied. A project may typically go beyond this to offer reasoned criticism and alternatives. It may just as properly be an attempt to investigate a particular problem or issue in a manner that provides the audience with a clear sense both of the questions involved and their significance. Students will have to work with an outside mentor in order to help them appropriately test their thesis.
Types of Projects:
These projects typically delve deeper into an historical event or an historical figure, but will focus on one aspect. These types of projects can also be based on a point that the student wants to make about a certain aspect of history, culture, society, sports, or art.
Presentation:
• If a student chooses this style of project, he or she will present his or her findings on the day of the presentation using the information they gained in their paper as a springboard.
• There will be a slideshow and thorough presentation of what that student has found through his or her research.
• There should be evidence of additional research and thesis testing during the presentation.
2. Hypothesis – For the purposes of the 8th Grade Project, a hypothesis is an unconfirmed explanation for a phenomenon, observation, or scientific problem that can be tested by further investigation. A hypothesis is then proven or disproven by using the scientific method, a process that students at Seabury Hall have and will continue to use for the tenure of their education here. Ultimately, a student will need to demonstrate skills of analysis and synthesis with the investigation, and the student is expected to bring to light interrelationships within his or her new understanding. Students will have to work with a mentor to ensure the validity of the project.
Types of Projects:
These projects will be, for the most part, science driven. If you choose to take on a project in this category, you should additionally plan to submit it in the Maui County Science Fair in addition to the presentation in April.
Presentation:
• Students will have to strictly follow the scientific method in conducting an experiment to determine the validity of the hypothesis.
• Students must have a logical sample size and the experiment has to be vetted by the 8th Grade Science teacher.
• Students must be able to clearly present the experiment preformed and their findings during their presentation.
3. Product – This type of project requires a student to create something and have a physical representation of that project on the day of his or her presentation. This style of project will require students to work with an outside mentor to learn or build upon a skill that that mentor has. The student will have to demonstrate the new learning based on their interaction with the mentor and the product that they produce.
Types of Projects:
These projects require students to have some physical product that they have produced with their outside mentor. Obviously, the product that we expect the student to produce depends on the scope of the project and will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Presentation:
• Students are responsible for finding their own mentor, and will be responsible for spending a minimum of 5 hours with that mentor, and ultimately 25 hours on the finished product.
• Students will be responsible for presenting the accrued information that they have researched, the physical item itself, and an explanation of what they have learned through the process of their project.
4. Externship – An externship is defined as a training program in a workplace, especially one offered to students as a course of study. There are two main differences between an internship and an externship. First, an internship is more like on-the-job training, where an externship requires more interview and discussion than an internship. Secondly, an internship assumes that the participant has a certain skill set entering the program, where an externship may not. If a student chooses this style of project, they will have a deep knowledge of the topic going into the work with a mentor based on the research that he or she has done. However, ultimately the student will gain a wealth of new learning based on the work that they do with the mentor.
Types of Project:
This type of project will ultimately require a student to shadow one professional in the field of his or her interest. Please know that all of the time that you are going to put into this project will be spent with an outside mentor who you will shadow.
Presentation:
• Students will present the day-to-day expectations of the field in which he or she is interested and any interesting findings that he or she has discovered through this process.
• Students will have had to spend time with their mentor on several different meetings.
5. Performance – A student who chooses this path will have researched and developed an understanding of the medium that will be performed. While this style of project does allow students to research a medium in which they already have a base knowledge, the goal of this project should be to give the student a chance to delve more deeply into a topic and generate new learning. A performance can be no longer than TWO minutes of a presentation. Students will have to have worked with an outside mentor to help their performance be as tight as possible.
Types of Projects:
These types of projects are for students interested in the performing arts.
Presentations:
• Students will perform music, a scene from play that they have written, or a dance performance.
• Students must be able to describe the new learning that they have acquired through this process.
• Students who are performing dance must explain the choreography and why the dance moves were chosen for that piece.
• During the presentation, it is possible to present a carefully edited video, only if the presentation cannot physically be done at the time of the presentation.
6. Gallery – When an artist presents their work, they generally show it in a gallery format. If a student chooses this type of presentation, they will have to produce physical representations of the work. The scope and breadth of the gallery will depend wholly on the medium that the artist chooses. For example, if a student chooses photography as their medium, then clearly that student will have to be much more extensive examples of his or her work versus a medium such as painting, which requires a much larger time investment per piece. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis. It would also be in a student’s best interest to connect with representatives from Art With Heart on campus to show and sell some pieces for charity, or to become a middle school Art With Heart liaison.
Types of Projects:
This project is designated for students who are interested in visual or fine art.
Presentation:
• Students will present his or her art in a gallery form, and will have to have physical representations of his or her work, not just in a slideshow.
• Any project using photography will require the student to show that he or she knows how a camera works, including, but not limited to: aperture, lighting, shutter speed, and composition.
• Students will have to choose a site, set up a gallery showing, and present the work prior to the presentation so that audiences will be given time to walk up to and get a close view of the work.
7. Film – Similar to a gallery or performance type of presentation, students are expected to create a 10-12 minute film. If the film is a fictional piece, students have to create a script, storyboard the film, find appropriate cast and location, and shoot and direct the film. A student can have a production crew if necessary. If the film is non-fiction or documentary, students must also create a script and storyboard and acquire all the shots themselves, remembering that even documentaries tell a story. Students must have a vision for their work. Regardless of the film that students produce, they have to work with a professional who knows the editing process and can work with the student on the final production of the film.
Types of Projects:
This project is designated for students who wish to produce a film, either fictional or documentary.
Presentation:
• Students can either present a 2-minute or less clip of their film or a 2-minute or less “preview” of the film they created, with the understanding that they will be presenting the whole film to their classmates at a later date.
• Students should be able to communicate the new learning that has been gained through this process, and emphasize some of the techniques they have learned from both the professional and the director(s) they have studied.
• Additionally, like the photographers in the gallery category, the student will have to show that he or she knows how a camera works, including, but not limited to: aperture, lighting, shutter speed, and composition.
8. Call to Action – Our society faces many social, political, and environmental problems today. Whether the problems exist in the microcosm of Seabury Hall, the macrocosm of the planet earth, or somewhere in between, students will be expected to recognize a problem, research the root causes of the problem, and present a viable solution for said problem. It is important to know that the student does not necessarily have to solve the problem, but only come up with a possible resolution. For example, if the student researches “world hunger,” they do not have to solve “world hunger,” but rather has to come up with a viable and implementable solution to the problem and present this solution to someone in power.
Types of Projects:
Since this type of project identifies a problem in the world, the student must discover a plausible solution to that problem.
Presentation:
In addition to discussing the problem and solution during the presentation phase of the project, a student who chooses this type of project will also have had to present in proposal form his or her solution to a person in power or attempted to implement their plan in the community.