Winston Wright: Process Paper
To view my process paper click the attached .pdf file!
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Matthew Ginnetti Capstone
For my capstone I decided to educate the underclassmen in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) field of astronomy. I have been apart of the Franklin’s Project S.P.A.C.E. (Scholastic Program for Astronomy and Celestial Events) team for about one year now and this project was sole centered around my involvement in the program. This was a joint capstone with students Allen Yang, and Winston Wright. Within Project S.P.A.C.E. each of us held a specific role with specific responsibilities where each of us specialized in a specific field of astronomy which we taught under class men about. Within Project S.P.A.C.E. we led mini courses where over the course of six weeks each of us instructed two different classes for about ninety minutes each. Derrick Pitts, the Cheif astronomer of the Franklin, along with other Joel L. Bloom observatory staff at the franklin mentored this project. The lack of astronomy interest and education within the United States education system is primarily why I chose to this project. Increasing the interest of astronomy to high school and middle school is one of the sole purposes of Project SPACE. Along with teaching a mini course, I also spent the year creating a prototype application for the the Franklin which educated users about the International Space Station. Below both the lesson plan and the prototype app are attached along with some photos of the class.
Click here to see application
Click here to see process paper
The Mini-course
Bibliography
The footage I used consisted of the launch sequence of the saturn V rocket. The footage is completely computer generated but I feel it gives the most realistic experience to what the launch was like in High definition. In the Documentary I morphed together apollo 13 footage with actual footage of the launch, giving the viewers an interesting experience.
--Kennedy, John. "Moon Speech." Rice University, 12 September 1962. Speech.
John F. Kennedy's moon speech at Rice College clearly shows his indepth persuasive attitude as he pushes for travel to the moon and for the development of the F-1 engines. The speech dynamically explains the benefits of NASA and what they are doing. I connect this to how the government hid NASA’s actual reason of creation. In his speech, JFK talks about the job creation and about how mankind wishes to stretch itself. NASA’s actual mission was to create a rocket powerful enough to carry the United States’ nuclear weapons.
--Dryden, Hugh. United States. Special committee on Space Technology. Special Committee on Space Technology Report. 1958. Print.
Dryden explains NASA’s actual intentions of the space race. He goes on to speak about how rockets were beneficial to both the military and scientists and how scientific instruments could be replaced with weapons.--Kennedy, John. "Moon Speech." Rice University, 12 September 1962. Speech.
John F. Kennedy's moon speech at Rice College clearly shows his indepth persuasive attitude as he pushes for travel to the moon and for the development of the F-1 engines. The speech dynamically explains the benefits of NASA and what they are doing. I connect this to how the government hid NASA’s actual reason of creation. In his speech, JFK talks about the job creation and about how mankind wishes to stretch itself. NASA’s actual mission was to create a rocket powerful enough to carry the United States’ nuclear weapons.
--Benwl, , prod. JFK - We choose to go to the Moon. Youtube, 2008. Filmstrip. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouRbkBAOGEw>.
This primary resource video was used to show the viewer and help them visualize what the narrator was talking about. This specific footage was taken of John F. Kennedys famous “We choose the moon” speech at Rice University.--CEVOrion , , prod. Saturn V - S-1C Stage Testing. Youtube, 2007. Filmstrip. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3sVuFjJlp4>.
This primary resource video was used to show the viewer and help them visualize what the narrator was talking about. This specific clip showed the static testing of the F-1 liquid fuel Engine.
--Howard, Ron, dir. Apollo 13. Universal Pictures, 1995. Film. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgHYGw9OL7c>.
The footage I used consisted of the launch sequence of the saturn V rocket. The footage is completely computer generated but I feel it gives the most realistic experience to what the launch was like in High definition. In the Documentary I morphed together apollo 13 footage with actual footage of the launch, giving the viewers an interesting experience.
Exoplanets: Teaching kids about Space! - Winston Wright Capstone
All
three of us have an interest in some branch of engineering, more
specifically aerospace engineering which is very important in
interstellar space science. We aim to gain a better/more in depth
understanding of the engineering behind space science (i,e. an in depth
look at the lunar landing module). A focus on astronomy gave us a well
rounded introduction to the different areas of student we want to pursue
after high school. In addition to astronomy we did a lesson oriented
completely on Astrobiology which offers an extremely wide variety of
sciences to be learned. We most focused on exoplanets (planets that
exist outside of our solar system) and what type of technology it would
take us to get there. We also focused on the actual term astrobiology,
which is a the study of the evolution/future of life in the universe.
While helping others who might have interest in some of the lessons we
taught, we also cultivated our own interest in the related sciences.
The mini-courses were comprised of both lectures and power-point presentations, with open discussion being the majority of the presentation. Each quarter we turned in a lesson plan to our advisor to show our topic for a certain week. Inquiry and research stem from us looking at real data from missions of the Apollo program, for example or us tracking the status of yet to be determined exoplanets by the Hubble or Kepler telescopes. Collaboration came directly from our interaction with each other and how we choose to present/teach each mini-course lesson. We also took suggestions on what topics want to be discussed the most. Presentation and reflection will both be prevalent in our end of the year presentation via keynote or powerpoint.
The mini-courses were comprised of both lectures and power-point presentations, with open discussion being the majority of the presentation. Each quarter we turned in a lesson plan to our advisor to show our topic for a certain week. Inquiry and research stem from us looking at real data from missions of the Apollo program, for example or us tracking the status of yet to be determined exoplanets by the Hubble or Kepler telescopes. Collaboration came directly from our interaction with each other and how we choose to present/teach each mini-course lesson. We also took suggestions on what topics want to be discussed the most. Presentation and reflection will both be prevalent in our end of the year presentation via keynote or powerpoint.
Annotated Bibliography
1)
http://i.space.com/images/i/000/000/467/original/earth-like-planet-100929-02.jpg?1290541923 (image)
Cook, Lynette. earth-like-planet. 2012. space.com, Ca . Web. 30 Jan 2013. <http://i.space.com/images/i/000/000/467/original/earth-like-planet-100929-02.jpg?1290541923 >.
This image helps depict the concept of exoplanets in other solar systems. In the Gliese 581 solar system there are planets that have the potential of being habitable planets. This helps explain the significance of exoplanets and how they can shape our future. Another important fact is that it illustrates the similarities between the artist depicted Gliese 581 planet and Earth. A blue ocean with green land masses. Most people think of Earth from an outside view as a blue sphere with green spots on them. Not all habitable planets have to/will look like Earth, but it would be easier for humans to adjust if the planet was Earthlike.
2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNLfNe12BKE
Barlowe, Wayne, writ. Alien Planet. 2005. Web. 30 Jan 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNLfNe12BKE >.
Alien Planet is a documentary that brilliantly explains the science behind an exoplanet. It actually is pretty futuristic especially with the artificial probes that explore a planet called Darwin IV. It really displays the biological sciences behind a different planetary system. In contrast it also helps paint a picture of how an entire solar system would have to be in order to become another Earth.
3)
http://herschel.cf.ac.uk/results/gliese-581
Gliese 581. 2011. Herschel Space Observatory, Cardiff. Web. 30 Jan 2013. <http://herschel.cf.ac.uk/results/gliese-581>.
This is an image of compiled data that has been used to make graphic of what Gliese 581 would actually look like as a solar system. It is used in my presentation to compare with the Alpha Centauri system. Gliese 581 is much different from Alpha Centauri and our own solar system because of the large amount of dust that orbits the star. These will be the two star systems that will be used for my part of the minicourse.
4)
http://www.space.com/18089-earth-size-alien-planet-alpha-centauri.html
Calçada, . Discovery! Earth-Size Alien Planet at Alpha Centauri is Closest Ever Seen. 2012. space.com, Lisbon. Web. 30 Jan 2013. <http://i.space.com/images/i/000/000/467/original/earth-like-planet-100929-02.jpg?1290541923 >.
This Image that shows an artists depiction and an enhanced image of the star Alpha Centauri. However, this doesn’t show the fact that Alpha Centauri is a binary star system. I will elaborate on this during my mini course week because the students will be split between two groups Gliese 581 and Alpha Centauri. They will have to research facts on the two star systems and which one would be better to send our first probe to. This image helps compare some of the physical differences between Alpha Centauri and Gliese 581.
5)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/ESO_-_The_Radial_Velocity_Method_%28by%29.jpg
The Radial Velocity Method . 2007. ESO , La Silla, Chile . Web. 1 Feb 2013. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/ESO_-_The_Radial_Velocity_Method_(by).jpg>.
This image helps explain the radial velocity method that is used to detect exoplanets by astronomers. The image shows the normal light that is given off by a distant star and then the light given off by a star if it was being orbited by a planet. The orbit of the planet tugs at the star making the velocity of the star dip. Astronomers can tell that the velocity is changing periodically because the light of the star will appear blue when the orbit of the planet causes the star to go further and red when the pull of the planet causes the star to shift backwards. The image pretty much shows the doppler effect in contrast to stars and their orbiting planets.
6)
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_793.html
Berry , Dana. White Dwarf Star Spiral . 2008. NASAWeb. 1 Feb 2013. <http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_793.html>.
This is a more common example of a white dwarf binary star system. I’m using this image in order to explain specifically what a binary star system is and how it is important for the study of exoplanets. White dwarf binary star systems are really no use to astronomers and space explorers because they have no relevance to colonizing planets.
7)
http://www.astrobiologia.pl/eana/esaexo.html
"EANA: ESA Exobiology." EANA: ESA Exobiology. European Astrobiology Network Association, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://www.astrobiologia.pl/eana/esaexo.html>.The ESA (Europe Space Agency) gives an introduction into what Exobiology does and what required knowledge there is to know about exobiology, beyond the word "biology". Utilizing many different ways to backtrack or unveil possible extinct life forms from other planets.
8)
http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/human_space/
Hanger , Scott. "The Future of American Spaceflight." Tulsa : 2012. <http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/human_space/>.
This source depicts the evolution of spaceflight technology and how it will be in the future. It was created in 2009 and was last updated in 2012.
9)
https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/articles/2012/10/19/the-color-of-an-exoplanet/
Scalice, Daniella . "Life in The Universe." NASA (2012): n.pag. NASA Astrobiology. Web. 1 Feb 2013. <https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/articles/2012/10/19/the-color-of-an-exoplanet/>.
This shows how the different color of exoplanets can lead to scientist discovering facts about the material content of the planets atmosphere.
10)
http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Topic:Exobiology
"Topic:Exobiology." - Wikiversity. Wikipedia, 30 June 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Topic:Exobiology>.Astrobiology is an idea that's currently in the process. Scientist around the world believe that life is or was present in millions of other planets, however through all of the extensive searching, there's only been few evidence of extra-terrestrial life out there. It's more probable to find remnants of them here on earth still awaiting to be discovered.
11)
http://cmex.ihmc.us/sitecat/sitecat2/exobiolo.htm
"Exobiology: The Search for Life on Mars." Exobiology: The Search of Life on Mars. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://cmex.ihmc.us/sitecat/sitecat2/exobiolo.htm>.Exobiologist looking for answers on how life came to be on Earth. With the belief that it all started with chemical compound on our planet at its infancy that led to self replication. However that being 4.5 billion years in the making, most of the evidence has been wiped away by erosion, therefore looking into Mars for possible evidence, a planet with a thin atmosphere and has suffered less extreme deformation to its surface.Sam Lovett-Perkins Senior Capstone: Community Involvement Club
The purpose of a Capstone project is to express them sum of
information and experiences I’ve learned from being a student at Science
Leadership Academy. I hoped to incorporate that in my project, the formation of
a service community organization called SLA: Community Involvement Club. The
reasoning behind this project is due to the personal impact that volunteer work
has had on my life and a lack of opportunity inside of SLA. I chose to take
initiative and combine my personal interest with my school community. I was
starting off of a foundation made by a previous service club, meaning club
meetings once a week to teach about global, local, and social issues; these
were in addition to monthly weekend service projects in Philadelphia. My duties
as president and coordinator involved a large amount of networking to get
speakers, presentations, finding service opportunities and create education
lessons to teach members. I also recorded member hours offering The Presidents
Volunteer Service Award for 100 hours over the course of the year. In the end I
learned a lot about the job of a coordinator and how to plan events. Through
the lessons I learned to interpret information and then find an engaging way to
share it with others. We ended the year with 4 members receiving the
Presidential Service Award and club members completing over 500 hours of
service. List of sources that I used to assist me in this project can be found here. My Process paper can be found here listing my process and how it relates to SLA core values.
Shamarlon Yates Capstone
Attached is my final draft of my alphabet book that I created.
Click HERE to view my google doc with my bibliography and process paper.
For my capstone, I learned about the local Chichewa language that is spoken in Malawi and used the knowledge I gained to create an alphabet book. After visiting the village of Jembe on my buildOn trip to Malawi, I decided to continue learning about this new language that I fell in love with. I brought my template of the book to Staples where I made two spiral books. My hope is to pass on this template to the Philadelphia buildOn so that they can mass produce these books and bring them to Malawi where they can distribute them to local schools they work with.
Manna-Symone Middlebrooks and Company Presents: Blinding Silence
My high school experience has built an intimate relationship between myself and the theater. I have learned how to use the stage and play writing to expose audiences to the untold stories that are obvious if you know where to look. For my capstone, I chose to write, direct, and produce a play that investigated American Media between 1950-1970. This period of American history is my favorite because it illustrates how disconnected a people can be from their government. Even after segregation was abolished and the Civil Rights Movement had come to an end, Americans still could not fathom the idea of a person of color being on television. Just the idea of it reflected America in a negative way and would have been disturbing to sit around and watch with the family.
Check out the links below to see all work completed for this project:
Blinding Silence is a series of scenes connected by the paradox that is America's media reflection. Audience members are first introduced to an attention deprived remote reminiscing about how her owner used to fondle her backside and her best friend, an authoritative remote tired of listening to futile conversation about last night's episode of the Bachelor. The audience is then taken on a journey behind the screen, led by the remote, cell phone, and other unconventional characters.
The entire cast of this play were students from Science Leadership Academy, most of them with little to no acting experience. Through a variety of theater games, I was able to help them feel more comfortable on stage and with each other. From the beginning of the project, I made it very clear that they were a creative team and were instrumental in creating the final product that took the stage. I took in their thoughts, feedback, and ideas fleshed out in theater games and used them to create the play. Their collaboration was essential for devising this type of work.
Check out the links below to see all work completed for this project:
Allison Patterson Capstone
For my capstone, I created a Model United Nations conference. My project was a lot different from the average MUN club because instead of sending the students to conference with already had a topic and other competitors, I created a competition inside SLA. I chose this project because I felt like it was a good way to combine my love of international relations with my love for teaching others. The end product of my capstone was 15 students that were trained in Model UN. They learned the rules of the competition as well as how to prepare for the competition. In addition, they competed in a competition held at SLA. The competition resulted in the group coming to a finalized resolution which is huge because many time the real UN doesn't even reach a resolution during a meeting. MUN teaches students to be open with their ideas and to feel free to talk in a group. These students joined this club scared to death when I told them there would be a competition at the end of the year, they left asking me if they could participate again next year.
Process Paper:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XIVl1Z_mWa8nMxP-gKAzoIQ9b9_guMkuBt3BZ7Rtslg/edit?usp=sharing
Process Paper:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XIVl1Z_mWa8nMxP-gKAzoIQ9b9_guMkuBt3BZ7Rtslg/edit?usp=sharing
Annotated Sources:
Cortellini, Mattia. "MUN for Dummies." Scribd. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
The Powerpoint, MUN for Dummies was created by Mattia Cortellini to help people understand how model UN works. When I started this project in September the powerpoint wa free to access so I copied it and saved it because I know Scribd sometimes makes you pay for Powerpoints. This Powerpoint helped me to get a firm grasp on the way model UN works. I also showed the Powerpoint to the students and it helped them to have a solid source from which to understand the rules of model UN.
Mahendraraj, Yadavan. Delegate Guide. Philadelphia: Upenn ILMUNC Jan 24-27 2013, 2013. Print.
I received this brochure from the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference. It went into detail about the rules and regulations of Model UN conferences. This is being used as a learning tool and guide for all the students. For my competition I plan on creating a brochure similar to this one. I might use the rules outlined in the Ivy league brochure making modifications when need be. For the most part the rules will remain the same.
Mahendraraj, Yadavan. Faculty Advisor Guide. Philadelphia: Upenn ILMUNC Jan 24-27 2013, 2013. Print.
The Faculty Advisor Guide was given to me at the Ivy League Model United nations conference and, just as the Delegates guide, goes into detail about the rules of conference. This brochure is being used as a learning tool to advise the students on how to dress at the conference because it has a very detailed list of what the students should and shouldn’t wear to conference. I found in my research that students are more likely to perform better and act appropriately when they are “dressed for success” therefore, this will be implemented in my conference.
Beckett, Megan, Geoffrey Borman, Jeffrey Capizzano, Danette Parsley, Steven Ross, Allen Schirm, and Jessica Taylor. "Structuring Out-of-School Time to Improve Academic Achievement." Institute of Educational Sciences. N.p., July 2009. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
Structuring Out-of-School Time to Improve Academic Achievement is a PDF document produced by the Institute of Educational Sciences. This document goes into detail about how to structure academically focus programs that are still engaging and keep the students interest. I used this guide to better understand how to keep my students engaged. On page 22 of the guide reward incentives are discussed. For my capstone I use pizza as a reward to keep the students interested because I’ve seen how rewards can lead to a better program outcome.
Ronca, Debra. "After-school Fun: Making the Most of Your Kid's Time." TLC. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
“After-school Fun: Making the Most of Your Kid's Time” is an article written by Debra Ronca for TLC. This article explores how kids should be spending their free time out of school with emphasis on after school activities. At first this article didn’t seem of much interest to me but then I read into the article more and found a lot information of how kids learn. I learned about having a routine and setting a clean plan from the start of the program. I will use these things when conducting my classes.
Sanders, Virginia. "How to Create a Fun After School Program." Yahoo! Contributor Network. N.p., 13 Aug. 2007. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
The article titled “How to Create a Fun AFter School Program” by Virginia Sanders explains how to create a program that doesn’t stress the student out but still is academically engaging. I found this article interesting because I never thought about how I would make model UN a low stress course. For me MUN is my capstone so it’s apart of my life so it will naturally be stressful at times, but for the students this is an extra course which they can drop at anytime. As a result I want MUN to be as little stress on the students as possible. This source helped me to see that in MUN the students need to be able to relax while still getting work done.
"Position Papers." United Nations Association of the USA. Unausa, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
I showed this source on the first day of class because I found it to be a very helpful source for all aspects of model UN. In regards to this page in particular I used it to advise the students on how to create position papers which are essentially just how your nation feels about a particular issue. I think the students found this site helpful because their position papers seemed thoughtful and well organized.
"Resolutions." United Nations Association of the USA. Unausa, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
This is another sources from United Nations Association of the USA but this one is on resolutions. I gave this to the students in the middle of the course after the position papers were written and the topic for conference was discussed. This source helped to explain the actual purpose of conference. In the long run I want the students to form a resolution as the United nations however, to get to that point each nation must have an idea of what resolution would benefit them the most. I used this source to advise the students on how to go about this.
Ryan. "How to Build Your Model UN Program." Best Delegate RSS. N.p., 16 Mar. 2011. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
Best Delegate is another site like United Nations Association of the USA, which specializes in how to create and host a Model UN program. I used this source to get a better idea of how to create my conference. This site goes as far as to explain why having a smaller conference is better then a large one. The site explains that when running the first conference a smaller group can be used as a learning tool to help future conferences. It helps for the chair members to gain experience and to help figure out the logistics of the conference.
Whittle, Thomas. "Kenya, Slovakia to Seal Nuclear Deal by January 2013." NZweek RSS. Xinhua Publish, 21 Nov. 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
I used this source as an example of a good article for one of my delegations. The delegation of Kenya was having difficulty finding sources that relate Kenya and nuclear power so, I showed them this source. From this article I was able to work with the delegation to create a position paper and in long term a resolution.
"Nuclear Energy Development in Kenya Faces Many Challenges." - Opinion & Analysis. N.p., 16 Nov. 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
This is another source I gave to the delegation of Kenya. I like this source because it clearly outlined the safety protocols that a going to be in place when making the nuclear weapons. My conference is going to focus on how to make safe nuclear powers so, this source was a big help to the delegation of Kenya.
Magin Wong, Amy. "Usable Knowledge: Secrets of Successful after School Programs: What Research Reveals." Usable Knowledge: Secrets of Successful after School Programs: What Research Reveals. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
This source was a study done by Amy Magin Wong at Harvard University. It basically explains how after school programs influence academic performance and lowers drug and violence rates. I used this source to get information on how to make the program better. The source explains that building a strong relationship with the students makes the program better and that tailoring the program to the needs of the students makes the program better.
Moore, LaDonna. "After School Programs by LaDonna Moore: What Makes an After School Program Successful?" After School Programs by LaDonna Moore: What Makes an After School Program Successful? University of Michigan, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
This source by LaDonna Moore from University of Michigan explains that after school programs are only successful if the students feel like there is a purpose to the program. For my program I like to start each meeting of explaining what we are going to do and setting a track so that the students feel like there is a purpose for being there.
Laboissonniere, Caitlin, "How to Make After School Programs Work: a Study of Successful After School Programs in Five States" (2009). Honors Projects Overview. Paper 22.
"How to Make After School Programs Work: a Study of Successful After School Programs in Five States" by Caitlin Laboissonniere was a study that surveyed students in 5 states all of whom are in 1 of 8 after school programs. The students in the program were categorized by whether they were successful participants in the after school program or not. I used this source as example of how afterschool programs can work for some students and not for others. The source also explains why some of the students were afterschool failures and I used that information as a learning tool for the future in my program.
American Youth Policy Forum. "Helping Youth Succeed Through Out-Of-School-Time Programs." Wallacefoundation. American Youth Policy Forum, 2006. Web.
“Helping Youth Succeed Through Out-Of-School-Time Programs” by the American Youth Policy Forum explains how to help youth succeed in an afterschool program. I found this source interesting because it explains that students in an afterschool program are more likely to attend school daily and feel more motivated inside the classroom.
Cortellini, Mattia. "MUN for Dummies." Scribd. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
The Powerpoint, MUN for Dummies was created by Mattia Cortellini to help people understand how model UN works. When I started this project in September the powerpoint wa free to access so I copied it and saved it because I know Scribd sometimes makes you pay for Powerpoints. This Powerpoint helped me to get a firm grasp on the way model UN works. I also showed the Powerpoint to the students and it helped them to have a solid source from which to understand the rules of model UN.
Mahendraraj, Yadavan. Delegate Guide. Philadelphia: Upenn ILMUNC Jan 24-27 2013, 2013. Print.
I received this brochure from the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference. It went into detail about the rules and regulations of Model UN conferences. This is being used as a learning tool and guide for all the students. For my competition I plan on creating a brochure similar to this one. I might use the rules outlined in the Ivy league brochure making modifications when need be. For the most part the rules will remain the same.
Mahendraraj, Yadavan. Faculty Advisor Guide. Philadelphia: Upenn ILMUNC Jan 24-27 2013, 2013. Print.
The Faculty Advisor Guide was given to me at the Ivy League Model United nations conference and, just as the Delegates guide, goes into detail about the rules of conference. This brochure is being used as a learning tool to advise the students on how to dress at the conference because it has a very detailed list of what the students should and shouldn’t wear to conference. I found in my research that students are more likely to perform better and act appropriately when they are “dressed for success” therefore, this will be implemented in my conference.
Beckett, Megan, Geoffrey Borman, Jeffrey Capizzano, Danette Parsley, Steven Ross, Allen Schirm, and Jessica Taylor. "Structuring Out-of-School Time to Improve Academic Achievement." Institute of Educational Sciences. N.p., July 2009. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
Structuring Out-of-School Time to Improve Academic Achievement is a PDF document produced by the Institute of Educational Sciences. This document goes into detail about how to structure academically focus programs that are still engaging and keep the students interest. I used this guide to better understand how to keep my students engaged. On page 22 of the guide reward incentives are discussed. For my capstone I use pizza as a reward to keep the students interested because I’ve seen how rewards can lead to a better program outcome.
Ronca, Debra. "After-school Fun: Making the Most of Your Kid's Time." TLC. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
“After-school Fun: Making the Most of Your Kid's Time” is an article written by Debra Ronca for TLC. This article explores how kids should be spending their free time out of school with emphasis on after school activities. At first this article didn’t seem of much interest to me but then I read into the article more and found a lot information of how kids learn. I learned about having a routine and setting a clean plan from the start of the program. I will use these things when conducting my classes.
Sanders, Virginia. "How to Create a Fun After School Program." Yahoo! Contributor Network. N.p., 13 Aug. 2007. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
The article titled “How to Create a Fun AFter School Program” by Virginia Sanders explains how to create a program that doesn’t stress the student out but still is academically engaging. I found this article interesting because I never thought about how I would make model UN a low stress course. For me MUN is my capstone so it’s apart of my life so it will naturally be stressful at times, but for the students this is an extra course which they can drop at anytime. As a result I want MUN to be as little stress on the students as possible. This source helped me to see that in MUN the students need to be able to relax while still getting work done.
"Position Papers." United Nations Association of the USA. Unausa, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
I showed this source on the first day of class because I found it to be a very helpful source for all aspects of model UN. In regards to this page in particular I used it to advise the students on how to create position papers which are essentially just how your nation feels about a particular issue. I think the students found this site helpful because their position papers seemed thoughtful and well organized.
"Resolutions." United Nations Association of the USA. Unausa, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
This is another sources from United Nations Association of the USA but this one is on resolutions. I gave this to the students in the middle of the course after the position papers were written and the topic for conference was discussed. This source helped to explain the actual purpose of conference. In the long run I want the students to form a resolution as the United nations however, to get to that point each nation must have an idea of what resolution would benefit them the most. I used this source to advise the students on how to go about this.
Ryan. "How to Build Your Model UN Program." Best Delegate RSS. N.p., 16 Mar. 2011. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
Best Delegate is another site like United Nations Association of the USA, which specializes in how to create and host a Model UN program. I used this source to get a better idea of how to create my conference. This site goes as far as to explain why having a smaller conference is better then a large one. The site explains that when running the first conference a smaller group can be used as a learning tool to help future conferences. It helps for the chair members to gain experience and to help figure out the logistics of the conference.
Whittle, Thomas. "Kenya, Slovakia to Seal Nuclear Deal by January 2013." NZweek RSS. Xinhua Publish, 21 Nov. 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
I used this source as an example of a good article for one of my delegations. The delegation of Kenya was having difficulty finding sources that relate Kenya and nuclear power so, I showed them this source. From this article I was able to work with the delegation to create a position paper and in long term a resolution.
"Nuclear Energy Development in Kenya Faces Many Challenges." - Opinion & Analysis. N.p., 16 Nov. 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
This is another source I gave to the delegation of Kenya. I like this source because it clearly outlined the safety protocols that a going to be in place when making the nuclear weapons. My conference is going to focus on how to make safe nuclear powers so, this source was a big help to the delegation of Kenya.
Magin Wong, Amy. "Usable Knowledge: Secrets of Successful after School Programs: What Research Reveals." Usable Knowledge: Secrets of Successful after School Programs: What Research Reveals. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
This source was a study done by Amy Magin Wong at Harvard University. It basically explains how after school programs influence academic performance and lowers drug and violence rates. I used this source to get information on how to make the program better. The source explains that building a strong relationship with the students makes the program better and that tailoring the program to the needs of the students makes the program better.
Moore, LaDonna. "After School Programs by LaDonna Moore: What Makes an After School Program Successful?" After School Programs by LaDonna Moore: What Makes an After School Program Successful? University of Michigan, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
This source by LaDonna Moore from University of Michigan explains that after school programs are only successful if the students feel like there is a purpose to the program. For my program I like to start each meeting of explaining what we are going to do and setting a track so that the students feel like there is a purpose for being there.
Laboissonniere, Caitlin, "How to Make After School Programs Work: a Study of Successful After School Programs in Five States" (2009). Honors Projects Overview. Paper 22.
"How to Make After School Programs Work: a Study of Successful After School Programs in Five States" by Caitlin Laboissonniere was a study that surveyed students in 5 states all of whom are in 1 of 8 after school programs. The students in the program were categorized by whether they were successful participants in the after school program or not. I used this source as example of how afterschool programs can work for some students and not for others. The source also explains why some of the students were afterschool failures and I used that information as a learning tool for the future in my program.
American Youth Policy Forum. "Helping Youth Succeed Through Out-Of-School-Time Programs." Wallacefoundation. American Youth Policy Forum, 2006. Web.
“Helping Youth Succeed Through Out-Of-School-Time Programs” by the American Youth Policy Forum explains how to help youth succeed in an afterschool program. I found this source interesting because it explains that students in an afterschool program are more likely to attend school daily and feel more motivated inside the classroom.
Sasha Sapp Capstone
Abstract:
For my capstone, I created the SLA Book Club, and and explored reading and analytical skills, community togetherness and leadership exemplification during the process. It started during a summer meeting with my mentor, Ms. Rami. We asked ourselves what our goals were, and how would set out to meet them. We ultimately came to the decision to hold monthly meetings, including snacks and drinks every time. When the school year arrived, I decided to form the book club committee which was a group of about 8 seniors who helped me with my decisions on book choices and meeting structures. I ended up starting the club in mid-October and had my very first meeting in the end of November. I skipped December (because of winter break) and carried on for January, February, and May. Each meeting was held in the cafe, and lasted about an hour. Every member either contributed a snack or a drink, giving everyone a role of some sort. The turnout for each meeting varied, and so did each discussion. We explored gender and identity, sexuality, humanity, growth, uncertainty and many other themes throughout. Thorough out this process, not only did I do something that I loved, but I tried to create another space for the readers of our schools, and bring us together. I learned what it meant to organize groups and events, and ultimately lead them. I’ve learned what it means to create a community.
Bibliography:
Process Paper:
Primary Sources:
Slezak, Ellen. The Book Group Book. 3rd Edition. Chicago: Chicago Press Review, 2000. Print.
(Slezak )
What I like about this sources is that it kind of reinforces the idea that book clubs are meant to bring people, and that’s what I want to accomplish. This source features the various accounts of everyday people and the books clubs that they manage or are a part of. It also includes many chapters of tips. One particular chapter that helped me out was a chapter about setting goals, and letting those goals serve as guidelines. For example, setting a goal for any meeting determines the way that the meeting is structured and the way that book is looked into. Depending on what one wants their meeting to project, setting goals that relate to message of the book is important.
2.
Secondary Sources:
1. Loevy, Diana. The Book Club Companion. New York: Penguin Group, 2006. Print.
(Loevy )
While a good part of this book is spent giving suggestions on specifics books, it includes several helpful sections in which it discusses group discussion basics. Here, I recieved helpful tips such as the following: 1. not expect to have all the answers, 2. establish a roundtable format that forces everyone to share their ideas at one point or another, 3. try to include some visuals of the book at the meetings, and 4. try to leave the group with a parting thought. I found that these tips are very useful for engaging all the members. It also tries to make things interesting. For the 3rd tip, I find that images definitely hold people’s attention really well.
3.
John, Lauren Zina. Running Book Discussion Groups. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., 2006. Print.
(John )
As the title suggests, this sources focuses heavily on all of the components that establish a good discussion, and one of which, includes breaking the ice. While I had given this plenty of thought beforehand, this book really gave me some great ideas for ways to ease our way into the discussion. Some of the tips included the obvious quick summary of the book, and others were more interesting. One idea was to ask all of the members to rate the book and justify their ratings. Another idea was to read reviews of the books and compare those reviews to our opinions and questioning whether or not book lived up to the reviews that it received. Overall, the importance of a successful meeting opening can help to set the course of the rest of the meeting.
4.. "1. TIPS FOR LEADING DISCUSSIONS."http://www.hrea.org/. Human Rights Education Associates. Web. 31 Jan 2013. <http://www.hrea.org/pubs/tips-discussion.html>.
("http://www.hrea.org/")
What I like about this sources is that it really gives me a feeling of leadership and ownership over my position as leader. Not only does it give tips like being prepared and ready, but it asks me to be sympathetic and understanding of each of the members. It also offers tips on things not to do, like being overbearing, and trying to swing the conversation in the way that I want it to. The club is supposed to open, meaning that it develops of their own accord. I know that I will be an open leader and still maintain a level of control over the talk.
5. "Book Club Discussion Questions and Topics."www.book-clubs-resource.com. N.p.. Web. 31 Jan 2013.
("www.book-clubs-resource.com")
Like my other sources, this sources offers insight on questions and topics to highlight at a meeting. i like particularly the topsi that they offer. It states that some of the topics should book-relevant, but it also gives topics that are universal and applicable to any conversation. I think that I enjoy those topics more because they sort of highlight, on a larger scheme of things, exactly what I am trying to achieve at each meeting. I want to have broad topics to open with anyway, to ease the members into the conversation- I feel like it would give me the more thorough conversation.
6.. "Tips For Successful Group Discussion."www.managementstudyguide.com. N.p.. Web. 31 Jan 2013.
("www.managementstudyguide.com")
This source offers more, great ideas to ensuring that one has a great discussion. One of things that it focuses on is preparedness. It constantly reminds that not only one member or the jus the leader has to be prepared, but so does everyone. I feel like this is very relevant to my club at the moment, because sometimes i feel like I am the only one who is ready to discuss the book, and I am the only with notes to share. However, I know that is not the case. I see that others in the club don’t do things things they way that I do, and they contribute in their own way.
7.Harper, Henry H. The Functions of the Book Club. Cambridge: The University Press, 1908. PDF.
Even though this is a much older book, I found that it was particularly helpful with just backing up what I want to do. The book describes what the heart of a book club is, and I agree completely. It describes that a book club is there to form a circle of people who like to explore and exchange ideas and intellect. It also says that book cubs build connections and circles amongst people of common interest. I find that this is completely applicable to what I am doing with my book and I like that this source says that same thing.
Litlovers. "Games and Icebreakers." Www.litlovers.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://www.litlovers.com/run-a-book-club/games-a-icebreakers>.
This source definitely helps with one of the harder parts of running a book club, that being actually starting the meeting. This source offered me great and creative ideas to starting each meeting, and easing ourselves into the discussion of the book. One of the creative tips that I liked was called: “Whose line is it anyway?” and in this game, the idea was to read several quotes from the book, and members would try to guess who said them. Another ice breaker was called “Extreme Make-Over” and in this game, every member would have the opportunity to redesign a character.
"Monthly Book Club Tips." Www.readinggroupguides.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://www.readinggroupguides.com/roundtable/tips.asp>.
What I like about this source is that it is creative but very functional. It offers tips for every month and it makes each meeting different and more interesting. It offered ideas for each month: some months, a different person should be leader and others, one person should lead for a given period of time. It gave certain themes for each month; so if a month had certain holidays, then the book for that month should relate to significance of that month. I like that these tips are diverse and offer something different to the table, and it could make each member excited to show up.
Watkin, Jeremy. "Book Club: Top Customer Service Articles 1/11/2012." Web log post.Www.communaticatebetter.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://communicatebetterblog.com/category/book-club/>.
What I like about this source is that it offers creative example of an activity made by an actual book club. One of the ideas was to have each member find an article or example of good customer service. I feel like this mirrors the book that they read. I also feel like it has shown a fun and creatives way to engage the community even outside of the meetings. I hope to be able to assign outside assignments to my members, and keep them engaged even outside of the meetings. I feel like that is an important way to keep the conversation going.
"Book Club Questions." Www.book-club-queen.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://www.book-club-queen.com/book-club-questions.html>.
I feel like this is one of the things that I can struggle in the most and this was very helpful. It offered a variety of questions that are good really get to heart of the book and really draw out god thinking. Some of the questions that it posed were surrounding how eel the reader could relate to the book, or whether or not they characters were realistic or not. Other questions were regarding the emotions- if any- that arose when one read the book, or whether or not it was the bore of their lives. I like that the questions are simple, yet they can sort draw out a conversation.
"Tips on Handling Difficult Situations." Www.bookbrowse.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://www.bookbrowse.com/bookclubs/advice/index.cfm/fuseaction/difficult_meetings>.
This has been a great source to really getting around those tight corners that can be found when in book clubs. One of the situations thats it was posed was the scenario in which one member of the group doesn’t speak as much as others. The way around that is to gently ask them directly what they think about a question. The difficulty is that perhaps the person is just very shy and has a hard time sharing their ideas. However, if a safe and open environment is created for them, then hopefully he or she would be more confident in sharing their ideas.
"The "Basic" Plots in Literature." Www.ipl.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://www.ipl.org/div/farq/plotFARQ.html>.
While this source isn’t particularly about book clubs, it does offer information about the basic plot lines shown in books. I felt that this source would be helpful because it can help one almost predict what they are in for, if they can identify their book with one of these categories. Some of the more obvious categories were stories that ended happily and stories that ended unhappily. There were also categories that involved (wo)man versus externals forces like nature, religion, God, and other topics. I found that this source forced me to really look at my book choices and see what I was aiming for.
Cohen, Hsin-Yi. "10 Tips For a Successful Book Club." The Reading Club. N.p., 16 Sept. 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://www.thereadingclub.co.uk/tentipssuccessfulbookclub.html>.
This sources encompassed a lot of steps that could make a book club more successful. It included things from setting book goals and thinking critically about the books that were read (during a lull in the conversation). What I like about the idea of setting a goal for the book is that it makes me want to draw something specific from the book. I see that in the long run, to would really add to the conversation. It could also be a measure of success. Thinking critically about the book would offer insight and a bit of closer to the book. I feel like this is one of the things that should be done in any meeting to get the most out of the book.
Admin. "Top 10 Dos and Don’ts of a Successful Book Club." Www.21cwoman.com. N.p., 20 June 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://www.21cwoman.com/top-10-dos-and-donts-of-a-successful-book-club/>.
What I liked about this source is that it offered helpful tips, and it also has things to avoid. One of things was to not stick to one genre. I found that to be helpful because as the leader, I want to satisfy as many needs and tastes as possible. So far, I’ve had a realistic read, a fantasy read, and a quirky realistic read. I will definitely open the doors to having more genres and maybe even more types of stories. Another good tip that this site offered was to not pick a long book. This longest book that I’ve chosen so far has been a bit over 500 pages, and I don’t think I’ll go too far over that.
Process Paper:
Literacy is one of the great accomplishments of man kind. The ability to transmit ideas, beliefs, messages, thoughts, through the use of words and pure imagination is something to be celebrated. Here at SLA, we celebrate learning, thinking, and growth. We celebrate science, music, ideas, math, engineering through clubs and events. Yet we’ve yet to dedicate a space for stories. We’ve yet to have a create an environment celebrating stories and dedicated to reading. That’s where I step in. I’ve decided to create the SLA Book Club to unify our avid readers and writers across the SLA community.
The idea began towards the end of my Junior year with my English teacher, Ms. Rami, and avid reader a book lover among us. She discussed her ideas on bringing together a community of readers and writers, and that is where is I stepped into the picture. Together, we met over the summer to discuss matters regarding our goals for club, and the plan to see it through. Beyond the influence of Ms. Rami, I decided that I wanted to do something that I normally wouldn’t, start something. I wasn’t one to step up and create an event, but I’d rather be behind the scenes giving my support to someone who, on the hand, would. I took my capstone as the opportunity to change that, and step outside of my comfort zone. I decided to use my book club not only for the community, but for my own leverage; I wanted to truly become a leader.
I’ve been able to incorporate the SLA Core Values into my capstone quite effectively:
Inquiry- I aimed to satisfy certain questions such as, How can I give back to SLA? How can I bring meaningful discussion to the table? What is the strength in book clubs? What good can they do for a community? What are the things that I intend to get out the of club? What are good ways to run a club? and time with the club has answered these questioned. I sought to not only analyze books and search for answers within them, but I questioned the effectiveness of the club.
Research- My biggest thing to research was how to run a book club in the first place. I ended up consulting numerous books from which sprang some key points that I included in my meetings. These include tactics to good discussion like having preparedness, and asking engaging questions, and sharing the spotlight. Other tactics that I learned from my researched included sharing the power. While I ultimately made the decision that I saw fit, I always engaged the members and included their input and opinions. I employed these during every meeting to demonstrate and apply my learning from my research.
Collaboration- The collaboration was on the whole was between myself, my mentor, my committee and the club itself. I combined the input of these people into my executive decisions, such as club dates, book choice, and food purchases. As previously stated, one thing that I had intended was for everyone to contribute not only their voice, but also food. Through this, everyone would have another responsibility in the club.
Presentation- Presentation was simple: the meetings themselves. Here the magic happened in which everyone came together to share their thoughts,feelings and connections made with the book. I took extensive notes and gave my own insights of course.
Reflection- I can say that this is definitely evident in the meetings themselves, and through my very frequent emails to my club members. In these two areas, I was able to get review and opinions from members and take their ideas for incorporation and betterment of the next meeting.
The initial steps to starting this capstones were always meetings. During the summer before senior years, I had meeting with my mentor, Ms. Rami. We asked ourselves what our goals were, and how would set out to meet them. We ultimately came to the decision to hold monthly meetings, including snacks and drinks every time. On the first day back to school I created an Interest Sheet, instead of a sign-up sheet because it seemed like a bigger commitment, and advertised my club during our school’s mini-club convention. After getting an estimate of my numbers, I proceeded to make an email list and send an introductory email to all of those of who showed interest. I then went to form my committee, SLA Book Club Committee, which was a group of 8 seniors whom I met with on occasion to help with logistics and coordination of meetings, and the all important book choice. After getting my first book settled, I held a introductory meeting- on October 23rd, during both lunches- to club, to see who was really interested- the turnout was about 20. I gave each a copy of the my letter giving club details, goals, and books to be read. After that, I used October to work more closely with the committee. During that month we assigned two books to choose from, set the first meeting date for November 27th. I took pictures and even made video of this meeting. I skipped a December (because of winter break) and carried on for January, February, and May. Each meeting was held in the cafe, and lasted about an hour.
Some of the biggest challenges that I faced were really within communication for the most part. As stated about, March and April were skipped- even though books were still assigned- but I ended up having a mid-May meeting to discuss those books, and even had to push my May meeting into June. The reason was simple: I feel behind in my own work. I can say that it was from not only the workload of being a senior, but also the workload of life. Regarding communication, my means was through email, which had great advantages disadvantages. People didn’t always respond as quickly as I would’ve liked, and sometimes they wouldn’t respond at all. On the other had, sending an email was definitely far easier than holding tons of mini-meetings. Aside form my personal challenges, I was able to overcome my sometimes poor reception by simple things: like approaching people directly. Another challenge that I faced revolved turnout. Like most clubs, interest can sometimes fade, and so do the numbers. I saw my numbers had not been as high as my first two meetings, but I was far from discouraged. Instead, i was touched my the consistency of those who kept coming back, and those who were always engaged. That kept my enthusiasm high. As far as making it happen, most of the money came out of my pocket, but my groups member bought snacks and drinks, contributed money for pizza. I also made use of SLA cameras and equipment for documentation of my first meeting.
While there are literally hundred of things that I could have done for my capstone, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Not only am I proud of myself for taking on such a risky position as a leader, and really putting myself out there, I’m proud of the meetings. I’m proud of the great depth that was explored in each book, and I’m proud of connections that were made. I’m proud of the ridiculous comments, and all the laughs. I’ve learned that’s its not easy to be in charge of something, and hope that people continue to show you their support- I’ve seen some members come twice, once and not at all. However, I’ve learned that taking risks can yield great rewards. I’ve seen that in the group that stuck through with me the whole way. Though, I would do some structural things differently. I would definitely employ the use of some other form of communication, rather than just email, so that everyone and myself would be on the same page. One thing that was recommended to me was to create a reading guide- though I never did it. Perhaps next time, I will give that a try. I would probably expand my range of genre even wider as well.
Overall, I believe that I’ve made a worthy attempt to better SLA, even if it were on a smaller level. To me, the success came because of those who consistently came, and consistently read, and consistently shared their ideas. That is something that makes me more proud than anything else in this entire process. So yes, I attained my goal; I’ve given some students some great books to read thorough the year, and I brought us together over food. While my mark can't necessarily be seen, it can never be taken away.
