LHS CLASS OF 2010 Graduation Research Project

Requirement for Graduation Starting with the 2007 – 2008 academic year, all seniors have been required to successfully complete the Graduation Research Project (GRP). This will be the third class to complete the GRP. With an honest effort each student will have a successful project.

GRP Goals Show what the student has learned in 13 years of education Explore their own interest Demonstrate research/writing skills Give an effective oral presentation Get community involved in education Prepare for post-high school work

Requirements for Completion of the GRP There are four key components to this project: –The Paper –The Project –The Portfolio –The Presentation

GRP Advisors/Coordinator The GRP Advisors are your students seminar teachers: –Mr. Rick Bigham –Mr. Brian Burns –Mrs. Melissa Garrison –Mr. Gary Griffin –Mrs. Jenna Jones –Mrs. Sandi Roark –Mrs. Bernadette Stevens –And Mrs. Roark is the GRP Coordinator

Advisor Responsibilities Established guidelines to assist students. Offer suggestions for projects. Remind students of deadlines and requirements. Answer questions about the process. Approve or disapprove the proposal. Discuss needed revisions. Check progress of every component at each milestone.

GRP Timeline Project Proposal April 23, 2009 Written Document November 19, 2009 Portfolio February 25, 2010 Oral Presentation April 7, 2010

Time Commitment A minimum of ten hours of independent work on a project is required. This does not include travel time, thinking time, writing the paper, or time spent practicing the presentation. All work will need to be completed outside the regular classroom.

Mentor Expectations Mentor of expertise –Community volunteer –Faculty member –Appropriate knowledge/expertise –NOT a family member –Not the student’s GRP advisor Minimum of 3 contacts with the mentor

Subjects/Topics for Developing This Project Students will choose their topic. The topic needs to be challenging and interesting to the student on a personal level. Students will choose something that offers the opportunity for personal growth and will hold their interest for several months.

Options for the Written Part of the Project 1.Research Paper 2.Resource Digest 3.Technical Paper

Option 1 – Research Paper The required length of the body of the paper will be a minimum of 6 pages. Typed, double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font. A cover page and formal outlines. A well-developed thesis statement should appear in the first paragraph of the paper. All work is expected to be unique to the student; plagiarism will result in no credit for the senior project. A minimum of four sources will be cited in the paper, at least one will be a primary source.

Option 2 – Resource Digest A minimum of six (6) article summaries is required. Include a minimum of two (2) of the following three (3) types of sources: –Periodicals –Professional journals –Internet sites appropriate to the topic Copies of annotated articles will be included with the digest. Must be submitted in a formal, typed format.

Option 3 – Technical Document To help readers solve problems, to convey a specific message professionally, to apply knowledge and skills in real-life situations. Technical writing entails research and therefore employs appropriate citations. –Is professional in appearance. –Uses design (graphics) to increase readability. Works Cited – minimum of four (4) independent sources which may include periodicals, professional journals, interviews, and/or internet sites. ONE MUST BE A PRIMARY SOURCE.

What is a Primary Source? A primary source is an original source. –Observe an event to get firsthand information. –Survey or interview people to gather and tabulate their responses. –Do experiments to understand cause-and- effect relationships. –Analyze original documents, such as the Constitution.

What is a Secondary Source? A secondary source is not an original source. It contains information other people have gathered and interpreted. –Read a magazine article. –Refer to an encyclopedia. –Consult a nonfiction book. –Watch a documentary on television. –Visit a Web site.

Grading of the Written Documents The entire LHS teaching staff will be involved in grading the paper portion of the project. Each paper will be read and assessed by two individual staff members. Advisors will not assess their own seminar students work.

The Portfolio Students are required to keep a portfolio which is a collection of work associated with the project. –Cover Page –Table of Contents –Updated Résumé –Parent Forms –Activity Log –Visual Documentation –Final Copy of the Written Document –Completed Mentor Materials –Reflection Piece

Projects Demonstrates chosen project Goes beyond school curriculum A learning stretch for the student 10 hours of independent project work (does not include writing the paper) Set goals, monitor progress, meet deadlines May NOT receive pay for work/product

Presentation of the Project The presentation should last from 5 to 15 minutes. A question and answer period of up to 5 minutes will follow the formal presentation. The judging panel will consist of a LHS staff member, the mentor, and a member of the community. A junior class member will observe. Dress to make a positive impression.

Questions? Please contact the student’s GRP Advisor or Sandi Roark with additional questions you have. My contact information is: LHS: