Decades

Project Description
The Senior Project at Keystone Jr/Sr High School is a thematic, interdisciplinary project that will require students to demonstrate their knowledge on a selected decade from American History. Students will acquire this knowledge by doing intensive research. The results of this research must be demonstrated through an individual research paper, an oral presentation utilizing PowerPoint in a presentation and finally the group presentation of the entire Decade. The projects will be conducted in a cooperative learning, group and individual activity environment. A panel of teachers will assess the presentations and other components of this project. The student must complete all three components and have a combined average of seventy percent to meet the Senior Project graduation requirements.

Project Objectives
Students will select a decade from American History as the focus of their research. Within that context, the students will demonstrate the ability to:

1. research the social/cultural, political, economic, scientific, technological, and health issues of the selected decade. The students will consider America as a whole in the research but will include local (Clarion County), and global issues as well,

2. access a minimum of seven sources of information other than a general encyclopedia, including, but not limited to, on-line search engines, CD ROM, periodicals, and newspapers, etc.,

3. conduct a minimum of one oral interview with someone with information on the selected decade,

4. follow acceptable research methodology through accurate recording and documentation of their findings, the students will submit a works cited page in the MLA style of documentation,

5. work in a cooperative group setting - i.e., establish role responsibilities, deadlines for various components and method of presentation,

6. identify significant health and health related medical and social issues of the decade selected (i.e. - polio, aides, the philosophy of the sixties, etc.),

7. develop a PowerPoint presentation on an important person from the decade.(see rubric)

8. research an event that had a major impact/influence on American from designated decade and produce a research paper.(see rubric)

9. keep daily journals to record all research activities, in-class work, and any other work completed for the final presentation,

10. develop an oral presentation(33-35 min.) that will accurately reflect appropriate standards of research and presentation skills, a portion of which will include a multi-media presentation.