You need at least 120 points to get full credit for project work this term. You should plan on earning at least 40 points in each of the 3 units. Project work will not be letter-graded; rather you will accumulate project points based on the criteria described below. At least 40 points during the term must come from some form of written project.

I. WRITING ( must do at least 40 points in this area )

In general, as a very rough rule of thumb, well-done written work will earn from 2 to as much as 4 points per page, depending on the degree of difficulty of the effort, and the amount of preparation and research involved. Thus, a ten-page short story about an Inca girl which is well-written and organized might be worth 20 points if there is only occasional use of researched historical detail, but perhaps 40 points if it is not only well-constructed, but makes effective use of rich historical detail and shows clear evidence of significant historical research.

Some of the possibilities for written projects include:

· historical fiction
· film reviews
· book reviews
· essays
· plays
· poetry

 

2. DO OR MAKE SOMETHING.

For any topic, do or make something which brings it to life. Suggestions: write and produce a video based on historical events, characters, or settings; live performance or audio tape of a skit, song, interview, etc.; teach a class; posters or collages; drawings; paintings; sculpture; dance; music; scale models; . . . and so on. If you have some familiarity with the internet, you might want to make a website dedicated to some aspect of our study. Be inventive! Feel free to think of something not mentioned here . . . but talk to me before you get too far along.

Assigning points here gets tricky; but the very general, very rough rule-of-thumb is this: 2 points per hour, more or less.

Am I going to be standing over you with a stopwatch? Hardly; but I will, based on your description of how the project was done, plus my own estimation of research, planning and execution time involved, use hours of effort as the basis of earned points. The degree of difficulty of the effort, the depth of research involved, as well as the effectiveness of the final result, will influence point awards upwards or downwards from the rough "2 pph rule." The more detail you can provide me in advance, the more accurately I can estimate for you the point value of a project.

3. INDEPENDENT READING.

Reading which is of average difficulty, typical of high school level assignments---this would include most novels---will be counted on a 10-to-1 scale, pages to points. In other words, an historical novel of 200 pages could be worth 20 points.

Reading that is easier than grade-level, or which is only partially relevant to Latin American history, culture and geography, is counted at 15-to-1.

Reading which is at college-level or higher, challenging texts which may include primary source material, will be counted at 5-to-1. Thus, reading 200 pages of something like Bernal Diaz' History could be worth 40 points.

There are two methods for validating independent reading: you can keep a "reading log" in which you summarize the content of each chapter or 20-page section ( which ever is shorter. ) You may, instead or in addition, schedule a conference with me at which we will discuss the book you have read.

*  Some projects, obviously, are meant to be shown or presented to the class. Any project, however, should be shared with the class, in summary form. An effective class summary of your project work, including reading, should be seen as part of the project, and can earn you an additional 1 - 2 points.

*  Depending on the nature of a project, you may be able to work with a partner, even two or more. My expectations rise with partner work; make sure that 1 + 1 = 3.

*  All projects must include a WRITTEN list or explanation of research sources. Keep track of all articles, and books as you are researching. If a source is from the internet, you must include the full "URL" --- the thing that starts, "http://www . . . "

*  In general, any project, like most assignments in this class, may be re-done.

*  Plagiarism is the use of another person's words or ideas as your own. Plagiarism is a violation of TSA rules and of ethical behavior in general. If indications of plagiarism are evident, your parents/guardians, in addition to the Head of School, will be notified. Plagiarized work will not be accepted for credit, and it is the exception to the re-do option---you may NOT redo a project which is found to contain plagiarized elements.