1. Guidelines for Gathering Material

2. Expectations  Students are capable of independent inquiry.  Students will gather materials outside of class that deal with their personally-chosen Big Question.  This material should be drawn from the larger world of ideas and should reflect a particular student’s inquisitive spirit.

3. Possible Artifact Ideas  A poem  An article from a newspaper, magazine, or creditable blog.  A short story.  A scene from a television show or film (you will need to work with your teacher on ways to include this).  A personal writing on the subject.  A written reflection on a conversation with a friend, teacher, parent or other relative about the subject.  A novel (you will not include the entire novel in your portfolio, but will include a reflection on the novel).  A photograph.  A work of art such as a painting or sculpture.

4. Artifacts Should:  The material that you choose should be thought-provoking.  And….

5.  Cause you to think and reflect long after you have read/viewed/experienced the material.  You should be wondering about the choices made in the selection.  Why did the author write this?  What did my mother mean when she said this?  Why is the subject of that particular picture posed this way?

6.  Deal with subject of your Big Question in an interesting and unique way.  In your material, you should notice something that you have not seen said or expressed so well about your Big Question.  The piece should make you say “that’s an interesting way of looking at the issue.”

7.  Lead you to change or modify, even in a small way, your thinking about the subject.  The material should lead you to say “you know, I think I understand my Big Question a little better now.”  Please realize that this does not mean that you agree with the material.  Sometimes the things that make us form the strongest opinions about something are the things with which we most disagree.

8. Your assignment  Bring artifact #1 with you to class  Due THURSDAY, December 11  Be prepared to write about your artifacts  If it is a TV show or movie, bring the episode title or movie title and synopsis Artifact #2 due Wednesday 12/17 (next week)