Course Overview
The Senior Project is an independent, semester-long inquiry into a topic of a student’s choosing, which requires the student to thoughtfully engage in the inquiry process. Through this process, students will develop knowledge, skills, and understanding of a topic or an issue they have chosen, and use various resources, skills, and strategies to contribute something meaningful to the larger community.
Strands
Work-Habits
The Work-Habits strand assesses how well students pace themselves while working through the inquiry process of their senior project. At the beginning of the project, students will set goals and create their own grading rubric by which their work will be judged at the end of the semester. Students will meet regularly with their advisor to report on their progress, develop plans for moving past road-blocks and to discuss future steps that will help them work towards the goals of their senior project. The grade for this strand will be based on a combination of those meetings and thoughtful completion of three written pieces throughout the semester in which they reflect on the process they went through to complete their senior project.
Comprehension
The Comprehension strand assesses the quality of the information or skills presented in the senior project. Students are expected to demonstrate significant growth in understanding and proficiency in skills related to their topic. Students can build the content of their project by conducting research, and interviews, performing experiments, practicing skills. Students will then take their content and synthesize the content they have generated into a piece of their own work as a contribution to the community. The grade in this strand will be determined by how well students demonstrate growth of knowledge and creativity through the work of their project.
The Execution strand assesses how well students present the work of their senior project. In order for the project to make a meaningful contribution to the community, the results must be shared in a way that is easily accessible to a general audience. All projects will have a component that is shared with the community in a public manner. This may be done during senior project presentation week or another time prior to that. Execution also encompasses the polish and care taken in preparing all work that is presented to the community. The grade in this strand will be determined by how well students share their growth with the community.
The Exploration strand assesses the quality of investment and experimentation of the acquisition of information and application of ideas into a project. Students are expected to go out of their way to find a diversity of sources and experiences to help them better understand their topic. The final project should be something which deeply explores the subject, and shows a willingness to experiment, and a personal investment in the process.