Senior Project Remind sign-up

Sign up for Senior Project Remind messages by texting @shiersp19 to 81010.

This is required by 3/1 and is worth 50 points.  

It's Senior Project Time!

It’s my favorite time of the year: it's Senior Project Time!  

The project is broken down into multiple components: Annotated Bibliography, Research Essay, Digital Presentation and Presentation Board, In-Class Presentation, and Presentation Fair.  All due dates and work days are listed on the assignment calendar already, to help you as you work.  Remember that I take due dates and deadlines very seriously, so it is important that you keep track of what is due when and plan accordingly.

On the right side of the page is a set of Senior Project links, including: 

• a list of topics chosen by my students
• a detailed overview of the ENTIRE project
• the letter that was sent home about the Senior Project
• a checklist/due date list with everything you are expected to do, with point values for all assignments
• the late work cover sheet that is required to be included with anything turned in after due dates
• folders of information and handouts specific to the Annotated Bibliography, Research Essay, and Presentations

Many of the materials included here will be given out in class, but you are responsible for making sure you have everything you need, so these links and folders are to help you as you work.  If you plan on using any of the templates provided here as a basis for your work, you will need to make a copy before you can make any edits.

Once you create your Annotated Bibliography, Outline, Research Essay, and Digital Presentation, you will share each of these with me for points.  Before you do, you will need to name your documents using the following format: Last name Hour Item.  So, my annotated bibliography would be called "Shier 2 Annotated Bibliography."  My essay would be "Shier 2 Research Essay."  My presentation would be "Shier 2 Media Presentation."  Points will be lost for misnamed files.

I know this seems like a lot of work, and it is, but I'll be working with you every step of the way, and I have absolute faith that you can do this.  Good luck and DON’T PANIC!!!

Doing Research through Clinton-Macomb Public Library

To begin:

Go to cmpl.org.  If you have a login/library card number, click on “My Account” and log in.  This will give you access to everything on the library site.  If you don’t have a login, you can still use many of the library services, including most research databases.

To do research:

Click on “Research.”  Under “Advanced Research Databases,” use the drop-down to choose the database you want to search based on the topic you are searching.  Once you pick a database, remember to search using KEYWORDS, not sentences - you will get a better result that way.

"Explora for High School," “MeL” (Michigan eLibrary) and “ERIC” are good for scholarly sources like academic journals.  “InfoTrac Student Edition” and “Britannica School - High” are good for magazines and newspapers, as well as academic journals.  There are many, many databases to choose from, but they should all give you good, reputable, scholarly sources that you can use for your research and Senior Project essay.

Once you open an article from any of the CMPL databases, you will find a toolbar on the right side of the page to help you.  Tools include citations, the ability to print or download articles, and the ability to highlight text and save notes about your highlighted sections.

If you need to pick a topic (also helpful for researching):

On the Research tab, use the drop-down and pick “Opposing Viewpoints.”  Once there, click on “Browse Issues.”  This brings you to a list of possible topics.  Clicking on any of these will bring you to a dedicated page of information, sources, and links about that topic.  

OR

On “Opposing Viewpoints.”  Once there, click on "Advanced Search," then click on “Topic Finder.”  This brings you to a search box that then gives you a chart (wheel or tiles) of increasingly narrowed topics related to the broad topic you search for.  Clicking on any of these will bring up a list of articles that could work for your research.

"Great Gatsby" vocabulary worksheets and quiz

For "The Great Gatsby," you will need to complete vocabulary worksheets that go along with the various chapters, as well as a vocabulary quiz on words from the book.  All of these assignments are due by 11:59 PM on Friday, February 22.

Right now the worksheets and the quiz are accessible via the 12th Eng LA II course page on Schoology.  In order to access it, you need to go to clintondale.schoology.com and log in by choosing your school email from the list.  Once there, you can enter your class's page and the worksheets and quiz are there for you to complete.

If you are not able to access the class Schoology page, you need to let me know as soon as possible so alternative access can be arranged.  If you do not contact me about access issues, I will assume that you can get into the page to complete the assignment and you will be graded accordingly.

Starting "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Our final novel this year is "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  This is a short one, only nine chapters, but it's a great story.  And yes, we will watch the movie adaptation after we finish.  I would not recommend watching it beforehand, though - it's a good adaptation, but not close enough to help you on any of the assignments we'll be doing in conjunction with the reading.

We will primarily be reading in class, but you should use the information from the list of links on the right to help you if you miss or need to catch up.  This should be your first stop with any questions.

As we read, you will be working on two long-term assignments: one deals with F. Scott Fitzgerald's extensive use of symbolism in the novel, and one deals with the advanced vocabulary that appears in the novel.  We will discuss both in class, but information about these two can be found in the "Gatsby Handouts and Worksheets" folder at right.  Be aware that due to the snow days, you will have very limited class time to work on these, so manage your time wisely.

Also available is an ebook of the novel, a set of links to the audiobook version, and a pair of videos that walk you through the story, the setting, and the themes of the novel ("LCC: Gatsby Part 1" and "LCC: Gatsby Part 2").   We will talk about most of this in class, but you may want to watch these videos for yourself, especially if you are confused by anything we read in the novel.

Lastly, be aware that we will be wrapping up "The Great Gatsby" differently.  For the other novels we read, you wrote an essay or completed a project about what we read, but for this one, you will be taking a quiz based on the reading.  Be prepared - the quiz is scheduled for February 15.

"Brave New World" Final Project

Even though we haven't quite finished the novel, now is a good time to start thinking about which of the ten project options you would like to work on.  The complete list of options, as well as the rubrics I will be using for grading, are in the "BNW Handouts and Assignments" folder on the right side of the page.  

You will need to make a decision and report your project choice to me by the end of class on Thursday, January 10.  There will be limited class time available for working on this project, but you may need to do some out-of-class work in order to finish on time.

Your completed project and accompanying Works Cited page are due by 2:45 on Friday, January 18, regardless of whether you have chosen to do a written (and printed) essay or digital project.  Late work will not be accepted after 2:45 on Tuesday, January 22.

Requirements by project type:
Essay (# 1, 3, 4, 9) - 3 to 5 pages plus Works Cited
Digital Presentation (# 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) - 10 slides plus Works Cited
Annotated List (# 2, 6) - 10 items plus Works Cited
Video (# 7) - 2-3 minute video plus Works Cited

Good luck!

Senior Sweats Update

Senior Sweats for Class of 2019 are available for ordering online, here: CHS Class 2019 Senior Sweats.

Orders must be placed by January 18, and shipping is free (you will pick up your orders from Mr. Ferzo or Mrs. Kasom.)