North Miami Senior Project All project proposals are due by the end of the first grading period. Your senior project must be completed and turned into the high school principal: o Mid-term graduates due by the first Friday in December. o Standard graduates due by second Friday in March. After completion of your project, you will present a Power Point Presentation to the Senior Project Committee. o If a group of students complete their project over the summer and if they want to present in October, the principal will set up a presentation date. Failure to present and gain approval from the Senior Project committee will result in a failure to graduate. 1 P a g e
Step #1: Choose a Project and Obtain Approval Ideas for the Senior Project After selecting your senior project you must have the principal s signature as approval (Form A) to continue forward with your project. Choose one of the following 3 options to complete this component of the senior project. 1. Job Shadow/Internship The student will complete a minimum of 30 hours on the job site. It will be the student s responsibility to provide Form B as documentation of their attendance and the experiences in which they were involved. 2. Inquiry and Research The student will submit a proposal for a topic of research which interests him/her. The topic will allow the student to be creative in the design and the investigation of his/her research. The student will work with a mentor who will guide the student throughout the project. The project will include a minimum of 30 hours of work on the student s part. It will be the student s responsibility to provide Form B as documentation of their attendance and the experiences in which they were involved. Suggestions for Inquiry and Research: 1. Writing/Publishing a piece of writing 2. Scientific Experiments/Inquiry 3. Political Campaigns 4. North Miami s Green Team 5. Government positions at local, state, or national level 6. Environmental Research use of geothermal systems or windfarms for schools or towns, landfills and their impact on our environment, etc. After selecting your senior project you must have the principal s signature as approval (Form A) to continue forward with your project. 2 P a g e
3. Service Learning The student will be involved in a volunteer/community service project. The student may submit a service learning project of his/her own to be involved or be delegated into a variety of programs within the North Miami Schools or within the community at large. It will be the student s responsibility to provide Form B as documentation of their attendance and the experiences in which they were involved. The project will include a minimum of 30 hours of work on the student s part. Suggestions for Service Learning Include: 1. Work as an aide in an elementary classroom 2. Investigate environmental issues in your community 3. Organize a fund raising program 4. Build websites for local organizations 5. Work on a political campaign 6. Work with Habitat for Humanity 7. Check with your local church for projects throughout the school year 8. Check with local officials within your community for projects and needs (i.e. YMCA, Salvation Army, Humane Society, Miami County Museum, Lions Club, United Way, Helping Hands) Basic Rules for Your Senior Project 1. A student will devote a minimum of 30 hours outside the regular classroom to his/her project. (Form B will be signed by your supervisor each time you work/participate. This form must be turned into the principal upon completion of project. Your supervisor will be contacted for verification of completion.) 2. No relative may be in a direct line of responsibility for the student or for the area or department in which that student does his/her project. 3. A student may not do his/her project in the same capacity or under the same supervisor at a place where he/she has been previously or is currently employed or has volunteered. 4. A student will not be paid for his/her work. 5. Failure to comply with any of the guidelines will jeopardize successful completion of the project. 6. Any student discovered to have falsified information on any part of their project will fail the project and will be unable to graduate. 3 P a g e
After selecting your senior project you must have the principal s signature as approval (Form A) to continue forward with your project. Step #2: Collect Information and Complete Project Guidelines/Rules for Completion of the Senior Project - Be sure to serve your minimum of 30 hours. - Be sure to have your supervisor/mentor sign Form B each time you work. - Now is the time to read through the Step#3 Guidelines and Focus Questions - Talk to the people with whom you are working. *Keep your focus questions in mind to gather information/opinions from the people around you. *Broaden your understanding of the organization/business/field through these conversations. - Take pictures/videos of the process with you participating. Give us visual documentation of the process. (Be cautious with video; you will need to have the capability of editing and saving pieces of it to incorporate in your Power Point. Video should not be a large part of the presentation.) - Keep the final presentation in mind. *You will be giving a 10-20 minute presentation showing us your experience and how you have grown from it. *Read through the presentation rubric and be sure you are gathering the information needed for the presentation. *It is better to gather too much information. - Be sure to have your supervisor/mentor sign Form C at the end of your time with him/her. After selecting your senior project you must have the principal s signature as approval (Form A) to continue forward with your project. 4 P a g e
Step #3: Prepare the Presentation and Turn in On Time PowerPoint Presentation Ideas and Guidelines The presentation must include the following information: 1. All students must submit a PowerPoint presentation to the Senior Project committee. The PowerPoint will be a self-reflection of the seniors : Accomplishments Goals Experiences Facts / Data Pictures 2. Name and title of individual(s) you worked with, the name of the organization(s). 3. The PowerPoint will be presented in a professional manner. 4. Each student will dress professionally as if they are going to an interview. 5. Remember to keep an electronic copy of your presentation for yourself to practice. The remainder of your presentation should consider the following questions. Not all questions will be relevant to your experience, so do not attempt to include all of the following. Simply choose those that pertain to your experience. 1. An explanation of why you chose this particular career to explore/area of research/service project. 2. Discuss typical problems which your job entails. 3. Discuss some crisis situations you experienced. How were these problems or crises handled by you or someone at the job site? 4. Explain a typical workday for someone in the job. Discuss interactions, purposes of interactions between someone in your job and others that you contact in the course of a working day. 5. Talk about tools, equipment, and knowledge one needs in your job. 6. Discuss the interdependence of careers within the cluster of job families that you represent. (i.e., a doctor needs the information from lab technicians for tests completed on a patient, and a construction foreman needs the blue prints from the designer.) Did you have frequent contact with these people? What kind of working relationship(s) did you experience? 7. Talk about the people you serve and the need for your services. What is the approximate number of people served? Where do they live? What services are provided? 5 P a g e
PowerPoint Presentation Ideas and Guidelines (continued) 8. Discuss the different route occupationally and/or educationally that one might take to get into your particular career. 9. What would you have liked to have known about your occupation looking at it in retrospect, before entering it? 10. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of your career that a student should know before making the choice entering that career. 11. Has this experience influenced you in making decisions about your future in the work field/community service? Explain. 12. Describe the method or how you came to your decision in choosing your project. 13. What knowledge did you already possess? Was this knowledge adequate for completion for your project? How much research or investigation did you have to do to complete this project? 14. Give a timeline or explain the steps involved in completing this project. 15. Did you have to get outside assistance from others? Who were these people and how did they help you? 16. In what way is your project creative or original? 17. What was the picture in your mind of your project before you started working on it? 18. If given the opportunity, what would you do differently now that you speak from experience? 19. Beyond the project, what did you learn about yourself? 20. What specific skills or procedures did you learn and acquire? 21. Describe the negatives and positives you derived from this experience. 22. If any non-original work is in the presentation, be sure to include citations. After selecting your senior project you must have the principal s signature as approval (Form A) to continue forward with your project. 6 P a g e
Step #4: Presentation with the Committee After turning in your project, you will present your Power Point to the Senior Project Committee. The committee must approve your project to meet the graduation requirement. The committee will consist of two administrators, four teachers, and possibly some school board members. You will be notified of your presentation date after turning in your completed project to the principal. You should dress professionally the day of your presentation. Visual aids to enhance your Power Point presentation are welcome but are not required. Remember to keep an electronic copy of your presentation for yourself to practice. Even though this is a formal presentation, you need to relax. The committee wants to hear you explain your project to them and what you gained from the experience. The presentation portion will be conducted in a friendly atmosphere. After selecting your senior project you must have the principal s signature as approval (Form A) to continue forward with your project. 7 P a g e
(Form A) North Miami Senior Project (Minimum 30 Hours) Student Date Project Responsibilities: By signing this document, you are verifying that the above named student will be supervised by you and will have a minimum of 30 hours towards the completion of his/her senior project. Supervisor (Print Name) Verification Signature Approved Date: Position Contact phone number and/or email (required) Principal Signature 8 P a g e
(Form C) North Miami Senior Project (Minimum 30 Hours) Student Project Responsibilities: By signing this document, you are verifying that the above named student has completed a minimum of 30 hours towards the completion of his/her senior project. Supervisor (Print Name) Verification Signature Position Approved Date: Contact phone number and/or email (required) Principal Signature 9 P a g e
(Form B) North Miami Senior Project Hours Verification Sheet Event Date Hours Supervisor s Signature Total Hours = 10 P a g e
Project Checklist Project Approval Form (Form A) turned in to principal by the end of the first grading period Approval for the project granted Hours Verification Sheet (Form B) filled out with signatures verifying each date and the number of hours spent working on project Pictures taken documenting work experiences Interviews and conversations with appropriate people (Form C) signed verifying the completion of work time Power Point completed and saved electronically Power Point turned in electronically (e-mailed, thumb drive, CD-rom) to principal with Forms B and C Power Point presentation scheduled for. Power Point presentation complete 11 P a g e
RUBRIC FOR POWERPOINT PROJECT Slide Design: No sentences/not too many words (7 x 7 rule) Good use of color/space Slide theme used (all/most slide backgrounds the same) Graphics: Good use of clip art, pictures Used photos Other: Animations/Transitions in presentation not too many and used in a professional manner Present 10-20 slides Presentation free from errors Covered topic thoroughly Presentation time 10-20 minutes Introduction: Gained attention and interest Introduced topic clearly Established credibility (How do we know you know what you re talking about?) Body: Main points clear Main points fully supported Organization well planned Language accurate Language clear, concise Language appropriate Connectives effective Conclusion: Prepared audience for ending YES/NO 12 P a g e