Day 7 - Presenting Your Work

Congratulations!  You're ready to start the final phase of what has been a challenging, complicated, and hopefully rewarding project.  Already I have learned a lot from each of your projects, and I can't wait to hear what you have to say about what you've learned!

Today you will be starting (if you haven't already) and signing up for your final presentation. Scientists are constantly presenting and sharing their work to learn from each other.  In this last phase of the project you will be doing the same thing: sharing and learning from your peers.

Presentation Directions

Presentations will be no longer than 5 minutes long for individuals and 10 minutes long for partners.  In this last phase of the project you will be using google slides to create a presentation which you will give at the front of the class on the Promethean board.  Follow the instructions below to begin working on your presentation.  

1. Navigate to Google Drive
2. Select create/new
3. Select Google Slides/ Presentation on the drop down menu
4. Give your new Presentation a title in the top left hand corner
5. Share presentation with Ms. Killeen using the button in the top right hand corner (hkilleen@hssd.k12.ms.us)
6. Begin creating your own presentation.  

Presentations MUST include:

• 1 slide for each section of your report (Introduction, Background Information, Human and Environmental Issues, etc.)
• At least 1 image per slide (you may have more)
• At least one chart, graph, or diagram throughout the whole presentation (you may create or draw this yourself)
• DO NOT copy and paste your final draft onto your presentation, use only the most important information
• Be ready for questions after the presentations and your listeners will be able to earn points on their own presentations for asking questions.  

See the rubric for grading structure. Good Luck!

Day 6 - Finalizing your Drafts

Today you will use the edits provided by your peers, Ms. Killeen, and even YOURSELF to improve and finalize your draft.  Hey!  remember seeing the cycle below?  Look how far you've come in the last week.

While correcting your own work be honest with yourself about whether or not you have met the requirements of the rubric and the blog posts.  Have you researched every question?  Have you met the length requirement(2-3 pages)?  Have you put ALL research in your own words (not just changing or switching a few words around)? The more honest you are with yourself and with your peers while editing your draft the better your final paper is likely to be.  

When and if you feel your draft has been edited fully see Ms. Killeen.  

Day 5 - Editing Your Draft

Peer-Editing

Rough draft research summaries were due on Monday, but many students received an extension due to testing constraints.  ALL students should have a completed rough draft shared with me as of today.  As such, today we will be spending some time peer editing our rough drafts.  Here's what you should be doing today:

1. Find a partner.  
2. Either swap computers or share your rough draft with your partner so that you can read each other's draft research summaries
3. Carefully read each others' summaries, and complete the Peer Editing Form.
4. Use the completed peer editing form to make your own draft better. 
5. Turn in peer editing form to Ms. Killeen. 

Please check the tracker by clicking here to see if there's anything you still have missing.  A red box will appear by your name if you have not completed one of the tasks from the previous days.

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Due Dates

Some students have expressed concerns over the changes in the due dates.  Below is a schedule so that you can plan accordingly.

Monday 11 - Rough draft due 
Wednesday 13 - Peer Edits due
Friday 15 - Final Draft due (Senior informal presentations due this day)
Friday 15 - Start work on Presentations
Tuesday 19-21 - Presentations
Friday 22 - End of Year Celebration

For reference, the administration has made it mandatory that final presentations be given the  21st-22nd.

Day 4 - Completing Your Research Summary Draft

Today you will need to complete the Rough Draft of your Research Summary document.  Whether you chose to complete Option 1 (Traditional Research Summary) or Option 2 (Public Health Advisory), you will need a complete rough draft today.  You're time is on the clock!  Get started NOW.

Look at the instructions for Day 3 for more information about what you need to do to start and finish your rough draft.  Make sure that you START A NEW DOCUMENT FOR YOUR ROUGH DRAFT, do not write your rough draft at the bottom of your research document.  

Day 3 - Turning Research Into Writing

Catalyst

Review the FULL project rubric by clicking on this link here.  Notice that your background research is a part of your final grade for this project.  Also, check the Final Project tracker here to see how you are progressing.

Today's Challenge

Today you will be finishing up your research by completing your Background Research document and beginning work on drafting your Research Summary.  Remember that the specific requirements for the background research can be found in the instructions for Day 1 and Day 2.  Your background research MUST include the following:

1. All questions answered completely (see Day 2)
2. All sources cited
3. At least 4 reputable sources are cited in the document (you will likely have more by the time you are finished)
4. All questions are answered in YOUR OWN words and are NOT COPIED FROM WEB PAGES!

Once you have finished your Background Research let me know, I will confirm you are ready to move on.  

Please see the directions for the Research Summary below.  Congratulations you're ready to begin pulling your thoughts together and writing a REAL SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PAPER!

You will have two choice in writing your paper.  Choose your own adventure!  You can either follow the Traditional Research Summary route or you can create a Public Health Advisory (this option is recommended for students who have found that their topic presents significant health risk to human or the environment).  Explore both options below and choose the option that makes the most sense for you!

Option 1: Traditional Research Summary

First, you will need to create and share a new document on your google drive (If you are working with a partner, only one of you needs to create the document - share with each other).  Title the document using this format: Your Name(s)_Research SummaryDRAFT - The Science of ....

Creating your rough draft will likely take more that on class period, and may require additional research on your part.  By the end of the day you should have started your rough draft by creating a new document and sharing it with me (hkilleen@hssd.k12.ms.us) the same way you shared the Research document. Your Rough Draft should be 2-3 pages of text, if you include images it can be slightly longer.

Below is the **OFFICIAL** template for your google document (your document MUST be in this same format).

Title

Introduction

Include the following in paragraph form:

• Explain your ...
• Explain why you chose your ...
• How is your life affected by your ...

Background Information

In this section you will research the 'science' involved in or relating to your ...

How is it made? Where is it made? How does it work? Etc.  Do this in paragraph form. 

Composition of ...

• Determine the main components in your ...  Record them in this section, a bulleted list is fine.
• Include the chemical composition of the components if needed using the subscript button if needed (ex. C2H5OH)
• If you do MORE researchCopy and paste the url (web address) of every site you get information from into your "Resources" section.

Main Chemicals, Compounds, or Components:

• Create a section in your rough DRAFT titled "Main Chemicals, Components and Compounds of ... (fill in your ...)"  This section may not be in bullet point form.  
• For this section we will focus on two main components and/or ingredients of your ...
• Research the two main components in great detail so that you can TEACH us about these components.
• Focus on the following for this portion of your report (for each component):

1. How
2. What
3. When
4. Why
5. Where

Effects on Human & Environmental Health

Include the following information in paragraph form.  

1. What are health and safety issues with your chosen theme?
2. How could the thing/material/product be improved upon?  Make a suggestion and support your suggestion with research. 

Resources

Include ALL resources you use throughout this project (and I mean ALL of them).  So, if you are researching what the molecular composition of "Little Tree Air Fresheners" and you find some information that may be useful to your project, copy the url and paste it into this section; also write a brief description of the source and what information was useful on the page.

  

     For example:

1. http://www.little-trees.com/us/

• Little Trees Air Freshener official company website
• Information about products they sell
• Company background information

      2.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_oil

• Composition of Pine Oil
• Pine oil used to make pine scented air fresheners and cleaning supplies
• etc

About the Author

1. Picture of you and your ... (don't forget this!)
2. Write a short bio about yourself in third person:

• ex. Joe Schmoe is a senior at Billings Senior High School. He enjoys learning about how chemistry plays a role in daily life and will attend Montana State University next year explore his interests in science.  He is on the Honor Roll, Dean's List and has lettered in Band, Football and Rocket Science and is a 3 time AA State Champion Foosball Player.

Option 2: Public Health Advisory

A public health advisory is a written poster or flyer that is produced by companies and government organizations to alert citizens about potential health and safety issues presented by certain products, materials, or things.  Explore some example public health advisories by clicking on the link here.

Public health advisories are one of the ways that communities become aware of possible threats to their well-being.  After researching your topic if you feel that your product/material could cause health problems in your community or in the environment then this may be a good option for you.

If you choose to create a public health advisory you will need to create a new google document (Title: Your Name(s)_Public Health Advisory - The Science of ...) and share it with me (and your partner if you have one).  Alternatively you can get a piece of poster paper and hand draw your health advisory.  CAREFUL:  if you choose to do a poster you will still be expected to complete all part of the template below.

Below is the OFFICIAL** template for a public health advisory.  Your public health advisory MUST have the following components to receive full credit.  

Title

Background Information

• What is the basic information about your material?  
• Where do people find it and how does it get into the community?

Composition

• Determine the main components in your ...  Record them in this section, a bulleted list is fine.
• Include the chemical composition of the components if needed using the subscript button if needed (ex. C2H5OH)
• If you do MORE researchCopy and paste the url (web address) of every site you get information from into your "Resources" section.

Production

• How is it made?
• Where does it come from?

Human & Environmental Health Concerns

• What are health and safety issues with your chosen theme?  Does it harm humans or the environment in any way?  Consider how the thing is made, is the process of making it harmful?  What might people in your community (school, family, friend group, church, etc.) need to know about this product? 
• How could the thing/material/product be improved upon?  Make a suggestion and support your suggestion with research. 

Visual Aids

Your health advisory must gain the attention of passing citizens.  Find or create images that support the information you are presenting.  You may use images from the internet, but you must cite your sources in your resources section. 

Resources

Include ALL resources you use throughout this project (and I mean ALL of them) either on the back of your poster or on a separate page from your health advisory google doc.  So, if you are researching what the molecular composition of "Little Tree Air Fresheners" and you find some information that may be useful to your project, copy the url and paste it into this section; also write a brief description of the source and what information was useful on the page.

  

     For example:

1. http://www.little-trees.com/us/

• Little Trees Air Freshener official company website
• Information about products they sell
• Company background information

      2.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_oil

• Composition of Pine Oil
• Pine oil used to make pine scented air fresheners and cleaning supplies
• etc

Day 2 - Digging Into Research

Today your challenge is to begin really digging into the research on your chosen theme.  To do this you will be adding to the Background Research document that you created yesterday (remember this document can be found by logging in to your google/gmail account and accessing your drive).

A Note About Research and the Research Process

WHY are we doing this?  WHY can't we just make a powerpoint or write the essay?! A few students asked this question yesterday.  Whenever you begin researching a new topic there are a few stages.  Stage 1 is research, this is when you will collect all the information you can on your chosen topic, gather your thoughts, and prepare to write.  Stage 2 is planning and drafting, this is where you take your gathered thoughts and research and craft them into a coherent (logical, consistent, and reasoned) essay and/or presentation.  Stage 3 is to revise and edit that draft.  Finally, stage 4 is to proofread and present your work as a final draft.

We are currently in stage 1 of this process: research and data collection.  You will notice that I have not given you the exact prompt that you will be writing about or presenting about, this is to make sure that you do NOT skip stage 1.  Great research = a great final paper.  

Today's Task

The questions that you will need to research can be found below, but can also be found in the task assignment for Day 1 (scroll down).

The following information needs to be included in your background research document.  You may organize the information however works best for you.  

Some suggestions:  use bullet points, a numbered list to answer each question, or use paragraph indentation to separate each source/question.  

1. What is it? Learn everything about it?
2. What is it made of? Does it have a food label?
3. What chemicals are in it?
4. What are the chemical reactions involved or needed?
5. List all of the components of your theme (everything it is made of [ex. sucrose, lactose, polyvinyl-chloride, etc])
6. If you chose a ... that has multiple parts then you might need to make separate sections for each part (example: The Chemistry of Skateboards: make headings under "The Composition of Skateboards" for each of the 'parts' of the skateboard: Board; Trucks; Wheels; etc? Under each heading include the composition of each 'part')
7. What are health and safety issues with your chosen theme?  Does it harm humans or the environment in any way?  Consider how the thing is made, is the process of making it harmful?  What might people in your community (school, family, friend group, church, etc.) need to know about this product? 
8. How could the thing/material/product be improved upon?  Make a suggestion and support your suggestion with research. 

Day 1 - Research your theme

Step 1: Brainstorming

1. Brainstorm possible themes. You need to choose one today, but if you decide to change it later on you may do so, BUT you will have to go back and redo any sections you have completed so they match your new ...

• Look through past projects by clicking on this link: http://www.chemistryislife.com/-themes
• Securing your theme (follow these instructions to make sure you are the first to chose your theme)
• Click here to open a spreadsheet
• Add your class period, name, and chosen theme
• You may not change/erase other people's themes and you may NOT choose the same theme as another person. First come, first serve

2.  Make sure that you have turned in your brainstorming slip to me if you have not already.  

Step 2: Starting your rough draft

1. You will be creating an online document to store your research.  This will allow you to continue your research from anywhere in the school, or from home.   
2.  Go to www.google.com.  In the top right hand corner hit the "Sign In" button.  If you have a google account you can sign in using your username and password, if you do not have a google account you will need to create an account.  (All you need is your name, and birthdate).   
3.  Once you have logged in to your google account find the small grid icon in the top right hand corner of the page.  Select it and find the icon that says "Drive".  Select this icon.   
4.  Google Drive allows you to create, share, and publish documents online.  Select the "Create" icon on the left hand side on the screen and select "Document" from the drop down menu.  This will open up a new window where you will type and save your document.  
5.  Title your document by changing the title at the top of the page from "Untitled Document" to  "Your Name_Background Research - The Science of ...".  As you type your project from what you research online it will automatically save!!!! NEAT!   
6.  Select share at the top right hand corner of the screen.  In the box that says "Invite People" copy and paste my email address:  hkilleen@hssd.k12.ms.us  This will allow me to see how your work is going and to help you out no matter where you are working from.  Make sure you do this step otherwise you will not receive a grade.  

-Step 3: Researching your ... 

**DO NOT COPY/PASTE ANYTHING FROM THE INTERNET! YOU MUST WRITE IT IN YOUR OWN WORDS!**

• Open up your background research document.
• This is where you will keep all of the resources you use while researching your topic.
• Copy/paste the URL (page address...ex. www.google.com/rabbits) for every website and webpage you use in your research
• Include a DETAILED description of all important information you found at that website below the URL. (make bulleted lists)
• You will continue to add resources to this section throughout the entire project. 
• Keep detailed records of all your resources and the information you get from each because you will need these later when you create your final report in your Bibliography section**
• Minimum requirement - 4 different, reputable resources
• Cannot list Google as a source; Wikipedia is OK in most cases.

• Background Research - things to include

1. What is it? Learn everything about it.
2. What is it made of? Does it have a food label?
3. What chemicals are in it?
4. What are the chemical reactions involved or needed?
5. List all of the components of your theme (everything it is made of [ex. sucrose, lactose, polyvinyl-chloride, etc]) 
• If you chose a ... that has multiple parts then you might need to make separate sections for each part (example: The Chemistry of Skateboards: make headings under "The Composition of Skateboards" for each of the 'parts' of the skateboard: Board; Trucks; Wheels; etc? Under each heading include the composition of each 'part').
6. What are health and safety issues with your chosen theme?  Does it harm humans or the environment in any way?  Consider how the thing is made, is the process of making it harmful?  What might people in your community (school, family, friend group, church, etc.) need to know about this product?  
7. How could the thing/material/product be improved upon?  Make a suggestion and support your suggestion with research.