Capstone Final Reflection

            I designed this research project in my College Composition course after studying multiple theories of the best way to teach writing at an introductory collegiate level. Before the course, I had not considered that there may be academic research into the most effective techniques for the teaching of writing. Through the course, I learned that a myriad of theories exist, many of which contradict one another in their rationale, but most of which stress the importance of metacognitive reflection of one’s writing process.

            In “Researched Writing,” Rebecca Moore Howard and Sandra Jamieson argue that the traditional research paper may not be sustainable for modern first-year composition courses (Tate 231).  They discuss a new cultural tendency to believe that research writing is a “meaningless” activity and offer alternatives to the traditional research paper in an effort to enhance engagement in the research process among first year college students. They claim that many writing instructors fail to explain the why of their assignments, which made me think more deeply about my own rationale for assignment creation.

            I created the unit after considering Moore Howard and Jamieson’s evaluation of the problem with research writing and their explanation of best practices in teaching student research. It was originally intended to be used for a freshman composition course, but I realized I was facing the same hurdles in teaching researched writing in my high school courses as I was reading about in the literature about college writing.

The canned curriculum that our school district purchased only two years ago had worked well during distance learning, when all assignments needed to be posted online and all content needed to be intellectually accessible for students who were learning from home. When we all came back together in person though, I realized that the curriculum was cold. It only offered short excerpts from obscure literature, with which students found difficult to engage. Though the canned writing assignments covered all the necessary standards, they were dry, and students found them to be incredibly boring. Disengagement in the content I was putting in front of my kids was at an all-time high at the end of first semester during the 2021-2022 school year. My honors students were more grades-focused than learning-focused. I even had a student admit that sometimes he “forgot that school was supposed to be about learning,” which spoke volumes. I knew that what students craved was a more meaningful learning experience, but with 36 students in a typical class, I felt very limited in what I could do.

I also felt limited by the district’s requirement I collaborate with colleagues who taught the same courses as I to create “common assessments,” meaning all assessments for a particular class had to be the same, regardless of who taught it. I hated this requirement. Individual teachers have unique strengths, and requiring they teach the exact same content and deliver identical assessments does not make much sense to me. It stymies creativity and feels professionally patronizing. Kathleen Blake Yancey agrees in her chapter titled “Attempting the Impossible: Designing a First-Year Composition Course” when she states, “There’s a theory that each discipline has its own signature pedagogy. My theory is that each instructor has his or her own signature pedagogy, too—a way of teaching that distinguishes their instruction” (Coxwell-Teague 330). Having the freedom to be creative in the way I do my job has always been one of my favorite parts about teaching, but I felt that had been taken away by my district, leaving me with job that anyone with access to our curriculum software could do regardless of their education level and/or experience. I was not feeling respected for my expertise. Kids wondered why they had to do certain assignments, and sometimes I did not have a good answer for them. That bothered me deeply.

Over Christmas break, I had an epiphany: why not use the syllabus I had created for a hypothetical college course for my honors sophomore class? Many of them would be moving up to college-level classes through the PSEO program the following year and would need some solid practice with college-level writing and MLA formatting to prepare them for the higher-level coursework. Teaching the class like a college course would also prepare them for the less-structured environment they would undoubtedly experience there. Plus, I had already done the work of creating a syllabus of which I was proud.

I modeled my syllabus for State University of Buffalo’s ENG 101: Writing I course designed by its director of its composition program, Alexander Reid. His course contains four major writing assignments that introduce students to non-“paper” sources and compositions. It also includes space for informal writing and communication among students through a reflective blog and interactive discussion posts (Coxwell-Teague 203-210). My unit contained five main writing assignments in the preparation phase of research: one project proposal and four reviews which focused on finding four different kinds of sources (documentary, podcast, interview, and book) and reviewing them in short, MLA-formatted papers. I also required weekly reflections that were designed to be more informal and allow students to write about their own writing.

For the final project, I graded four components: the project itself, the presentation of said project, an MLA-formatted works cited page, and a final reflection. Because students were allowed to present their research in whatever mode they wanted (I had also been inspired by Jody Shipka’s “Beyond Text and Talk: A Multimodal Approach to First-Year Composition”), I needed a way to grade all project components that was fair to everyone and gave credit where credit was due. This is why I chose to compose my rubrics with Asao B Inoue’s labor-based grading practices in mind. In “A Grade-Less Writing Course That Focuses on Labor and Assessing,” Inoue argues that students should be given credit for the labor or work they put into creating a final result, which will look different for each individual (Coxwell-Teague 73). This idea fit perfectly with my personal philosophy that most writing rubrics were critical in nature and focused more on what a student did incorrectly than highlighting what they did well. Because I wanted students to learn how to use MLA formatting appropriately, most of the rubrics contained a section that assessed students’ implementation of it, but the majority of their grade focused on whether or not they had put in the work to research their topic thoroughly. I wanted to assess their learning rather than critique the form of their final writing.

It was a hit. When students felt like the pressure to be perfect in their writing had been removed, they ran with the project and did delve deeply into topics they found interesting. The results of their research were incredible. Students spent more time and put in more effort to learn about something they loved and/or wanted to know more about than they ever would have done for a topic I had given them. Many of the smaller components of the preparation phase were turned in late, but the project was also meant to teach students about time management in an unstructured environment, and many students commented on what they learned about themselves in that regard in their final reflection.

I have been overwhelmingly happy with the results of the project. Students achieved the objectives that I had set forth for them at the beginning of the project:

·       Write documents in Modern Language Association (MLA) formatting

·       Compose a Works Cited page in MLA formatting

·       Be able to evaluate sources for research

·       Have a broader understanding of how to find information on a selected topic

·       Explore a topic of their choosing that they maybe have not had the opportunity to in the past

·       Create a project that demonstrates the cumulation of the knowledge gained through their research

·       Learn to grapple with what to do when there is not necessarily a “right” answer

·       Manage unstructured work time in order to complete tasks by given deadlines

·       Be more prepared for college-level research writing

·       Have a meaningful learning experience

            In their final reflections, every single student recommended I utilize the unit in future classes. Many of them stated that it was the best assignment they had had in high school and noted how they will take what they have learned and apply it to future coursework. I am proud of my creation and proud of my students. I could not be happier with how it all turned out.

 

 

Works Cited

Coxwell-Teague, Deborah, and Ronald F. Lunsford, editors. First-Year Composition: From

Theory to Practice. Anderson, SC, Parlor Press LLC, 2014.

Tate, Gary, et al., editors. A Guide to Composition Pedagogies. 2nd ed., Oxford, Oxford

University Press, 2014.

Final Student Reflections

 Student 1: Making Macaroons

Reflection

To start, I’m thankful that my teacher helped us make a project that connected us to a certain topic because in all honesty I never in million years felt a strong connection with a research project. When I first presented my project, I felt confident because I had every piece of information that I needed to have a successful presentation.

After I finish the whole project, I felt a sense of relief, that I was finally done with quarter 3 of this school year and there is more to come for quarter 4, hopefully, I end the year on a positive note. I did love the idea of the project, I think it shows how much interest on your topic and there are going to be obstacles that you would want to get done along the way but in the end, it is worth it.

The most difficult part of my research project would be the work cited and just trying to organize everything together to know where everything is. In my opinion, when it came to the point of citing the sources there was so much to cite and sometimes, I just got lost to the point where I started to question myself, for example, I would say “Wait didn’t I already cite that source”, that’s where organization came into the picture. One tip for the next incoming class is that they should stay organized because it will truly help them along their research journey.

 

What I learned during my project was learning new techniques and new ways to recreate macarons, in fact, my macarons finally came out the way I wanted them to, if it wasn’t for the research project, I wouldn’t have a better outcome if I decided to make macrons on a random day.

 In general, I learned some more information on the background of a macaron, what caught my eye was where they originated from, originally, I thought they came from France but that was not true. I learned more details and they were so specific since I thought I knew everything about a macaron.

Something I learned about myself through this process was that I always stayed on point, and I focused more on getting it done since I like getting things done, I have always told myself if I start a project or a worksheet, I need to make that my priority and finish it on that day. I also expanded more on my vocabulary more during this project.

I would recommend this project for the incoming honors language art classes because there is something about this project that brought me closer to my topic, for example, I now want to make more macarons because the process of it is so entertaining. I think this project was also interesting by listening to my classmate’s research projects, some even made me giggle because normally school is boring its not something to have fun but when the class puts something fun to learn about it can change the whole perspective of what school should look like, It should be fun and not boring.  It is also better to do something fun and something that you love doing. In conclusion, I would rate this project assignment a 10/10, and if I were to do this all over again on a different topic I would for the fun of it.

Student 2: The Fermi Paradox

Final Reflection

            When the research project was first presented, I was both excited and nervous. I feel like the idea of thoroughly researching an interesting topic was great, but it was hard for me to come up with a topic. After the first week, I was still deciding between two topics, and I had not yet decided by the next week. I knew I needed to be confirming my topic soon, but I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. Later, I found a TV series which was based off a book series that I had read. Since a book component was part of the research project, and I was also interested in the topic of the book, which was on the Fermi Paradox, I decided to drop the two original topics and start researching the Fermi Paradox. Also, the idea of presenting in front of the whole class made me fairly nervous as well. However, by the end of the project, I found that researching the topic was still very fun and interesting, even if I did take a little long to determine the topic. Presenting in front of the class was also not as bad as I expected it to be.

            The most difficult part of the research project is firstly deciding the topic, and after deciding the topic it was getting information. As I have mentioned int the previous paragraph, it was difficult for me to come up with a topic, because I had quite a few things I was interested in. After deciding the topic was going to be on the Fermi Paradox, the hard part was getting information. Or rather, it was sorting through the information, not getting it. There was a lot of information for such an ambiguous topic, which I was grateful for. However, many of the websites I could find were not the most reliable, and sometimes I found two different interpretations of the same theory in different sources. The best I could do was determine which one had the most information supporting it, or seemed less like it had no evidence, and use that for my project.

            I’ve learned a lot about the Fermi Paradox. Because of the book series, the Three-Body Problem, I was already introduced to it. I knew what it was, and I knew a few theories like the Dark Forest, which was introduced in the book, as well as the Zoo Scenario and the Shadow Biosphere theories. But there was so much I didn’t know, which included the Drake Equation, some terms related to the Fermi Paradox (like the Kardashev Scale), as well as the Fermi Paradox’s connection to multiple other fields of study, including biology, astrology, astrobiology, physics, and chemistry. It was really interesting seeing the different theories and what field of study they tied into. I also learned to consider the biases or limits that constrain humanity’s search for extraterrestrial life. Here, I learned the term “modernity bias,” as well as learning that our local group has a cosmic horizon beyond us that we will likely never leave.

            I’ve learned that researching is a lot about being able to sift through vast amounts of information to what you deem important to your project/paper. I’m admittedly not the best at seeing the main point in a large amount of information, but I feel this project has led me to become better at it, as it introduces different forms of information besides websites, and many of these different forms of information, like the documentary, already have relatively well-condensed information (at least for my topic). Comparing what I had already found to the documentary and podcasts really helped me to be able to delete unnecessary information, as well as compare what different sources say about the same topic.

What I’ve learned about myself is that I tend to have bursts of inspiration, which leads me to get a lot done. For example, finishing the assignments for the project like the podcast review or book review the week before, and turning it in after. Sometimes, I feel that it was hard for me to find information, and so the information for my project would remain the same for days.

Finally, I’d definitely recommend the project for future honors classes. Though the project did have challenging aspects to it, I feel that these challenges are exactly what people will need to face as they get older, and are a great learning experience. It also gives one a feeling of accomplishment when they finish the project despite all these challenges. In addition, at least for me, I think that the project is also really fun. Since the topic is of your choosing, and so you’re more likely to be interested in it, the project feels less like a chore but more like an actual fun project on something you’re passionate about.

Student 3: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES)

Student 3 has not turned in the Final Reflection.

Final Research Paper or Project: Student Work

 Student 1: Making Macaroons

This student presented with the aid of a Canva-created media project. She also served us the macaroons that she learned how to make through her research! You can see her project here.

Student 2: The Fermi Paradox

Student 3: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES)

Impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences

            Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, have many impacts, both physically and mentally. They not only affect our mental well-being, but also our physical health. Adverse Childhood Experiences are more common than you would think, 67% of the world’s population has at least one ACE. The first study on Adverse Childhood Experiences was done in 1995.

ACEs tie into trauma. “Trauma is too much too soon, too much for too long, or too little for too long.” These experiences also result in the diminishment life opportunities such as education, jobs, and income status.

There are eight domains when dealing with Adverse Childhood Experiences. Emotional Abuse; Physical Abuse; Sexual Abuse; Incarcerated Household Members; Mother Treated Violently; Parental Separation or Divorce; Substance Abuse in Household; and Mental Illness in Household.

            Adverse Childhood Experiences create stress responses. These stress responses stay active due to the traumatic experiences. These stress responses are created in an area of the brain called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which sends out what we would call fight or flight signals. MRI’s have also shown that Adverse Childhood Experiences cause measurable differences in the amygdala, where our fear response comes from.

            ACEs can cause social, emotional, and cognitive impairments. They inhibit the prefrontal cortex, which is necessary for impulse control and executive function. The prefrontal cortex is also critical for learning.

            It has been proven that you are much more likely to develop life threatening diseases at some point in your life if you have ACEs. Having a score of four or more, you are 2.5x more likely to develop Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), or hepatitis; depression is 4.5x more likely; with a score of just four ACEs, suicide becomes 12x more likely. With a score of seven, you have a triple lifetime risk of developing lung cancer, ischemic heart disease becomes 3.5x more likely. Along with health risks later in life, there is a twenty-year difference in life expectancy for someone who has Adverse Childhood Experiences compared to someone who does not.

             Along with ACEs comes higher rates of injury and mental health concerns (anxiety, depression, suicide, ptsd), maternal health issues, infectious diseases, chronic diseases (cancer, diabetes), and risky behaviors (drinking, smoking).

            According to the podcast I listened to, the body does not know the difference between physical and emotional wounds. So, when you get hurt, physically or emotionally, your body goes into self-protection, it becomes defensive, trying to protect itself. When there is defensiveness in the body, it causes inflammation. Many health complications, such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and weight gain are all constantly fueled by the inflammation response in our bodies.

I interviewed two separate people, one person with a relatively high score, and another with a lower score. Both persons will be kept anonymous for privacy. I first had each person answer a series of ten questions, the ACEs test. The questions include the following: Did a parent or other adult in the household often or very often: Swear at you, insult you, put you down, or humiliate you? Or act in a way that made you afraid that you might be physically hurt? Did a parent or other adult in the household often or very often: Push, grab, slap, or throw something at you? Or ever hit you so hard that you had marks or were injured? Did an adult or person at least 5 years older than you ever: Touch or fondle you or have you touch their body in a sexual way? Or attempt or actually have any kind of intercourse with you? Did you often or very often feel that: No one in your family loved you or thought you were important or special? Or your family did not look out for each other, feel close to each other, or support each other? Did you often or very often feel that: You did not have enough to eat, had to wear dirty clothes, and had no one to protect you? Or your parents were too high or drunk to take care of you or take you to the doctor if you needed it? Were your parents ever separated or divorced? Was your mother or stepmother often or very often: pushed, grabbed, slapped, or had something thrown at her? Or sometimes, often or very often: kicked, bitten, hit with a fist, or hit with something hard? Ever repeatedly hit over at least over a few minutes or threatened with a gun or knife? Did you love with anyone who was a problem drinker or alcoholic, or used street drugs? Was a household member depressed or mentally ill, or did a household member attempt suicide? Did a household member go to prison?

I then had them answer five other reflection questions about their experiences. These questions include the following: Have you heard of Adverse Childhood Experiences before? -If so, where? Did you know before taking the test that you had any ACEs? How do you think these experiences have impacted you? -Physically and/or mentally? How would you describe having ACEs to a person who has none? Would you like to add anything else about Adverse Childhood Experiences?

The first person I interviewed, had a score of eight after taking the ACEs test. They answered yes to all of the questions except two and ten.

            They had heard of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Austin High Schools child development and working with young children’s classes. They also already knew before taking this test that they had adverse childhood experiences.

When asked how they personally feel their ACE’s have affected them, physically and/or mentally, they responded saying that “It has affected me to the point where I cannot do certain things and it just messes with my brain.” (1).

They said they would describe having ACE’s as “being in constant fear of doing something wrong,” They also said it is also “just knowing that your best isn’t going to be enough.” (1).

            When taking the Adverse Childhood Experiences test, interviewee 2 had an ACE’s score of 4, some were unable to say for sure. They answered yes to 1, 4, 8, and 9. Question 4 they said that sometimes they had money-based problems and were sometimes short on food, but that they still felt taken care of.

            Interviewee 2 has also previously heard of ACEs in the child development class at AHS. They also knew beforehand of their ACEs score.

            When asked how they think their ACEs have impacted physically and/or mentally, they responded, “I think that I am a lot more aware of mental issues and abuse related issues because of the test.” (2) “I think I am a stronger and more aware person.”

            If they were to describe having ACEs to someone who has none, they would describe it as “Having a different view on life because of the things you go through.” (2) “Things that are harder to understand and empathize with without going through them.”

            Interviewee 2 wanted to add, “I think that the ACEs test is really important and worth educating yourself on because at the end of the day everyone deserves peace and if taking the test is the start of finding and understanding yours, then it’s worth it.” (2)

            In conclusion, Adverse Childhood Experiences are so much more than just trauma. Everyone has their own traumatic experiences, and ACEs should be talked about so much more than they are. As was stated earlier, Adverse Childhood Experiences have tolls not only on our mental health, but our physical health too. People with ACEs need to be aware of all of the negative health consequences their experiences may cause them in the future, and what they can do to try and prevent them. 

Works Cited: Student Work

Student 1: Making Macaroons

Work Cited

Alfaro, Danilo. “Macarons vs. Macaroons: What's the Difference?” The Spruce Eats, The Spruce Eats, 13

May 2020, https://www.thespruceeats.com/difference-between-macarons-and-macaroons-435337.

Corry. “Macarons: Tips, Tricks and How to Macaronnage.” BAKE IT OFF,

http://bakeitoff.blogspot.com/2009/10/macarons-tips-tricks-and-how-to.html.

“Grace Stirs Up Success (2015).” FilmAffinity, 1 Jan. 1970,

https://www.filmaffinity.com/en/film936576.html.

“Italy Flag Wallpapers - Wallpaper Cave.” WallpaperCave, https://wallpapercave.com/italy-flag-  

wallpapers.

Jinjer. “What Is the Origin of Coconut Macaroons? ✅ [2023].” Meal Delivery Reviews, Smith Garden, 24

Oct. 2022, https://ageekoutside.com/what-is-the-origin-of-coconut-macaroons/.

Marina | Let the Baking Begin. “Coffee Macaron Recipe.” Let the Baking Begin!, 23 June 2020,

https://letthebakingbegin.com/coffee-macaron-recipe/.

Macarons Madness! Third time's a charm?. , Anti-chief , 2021, youtu.be/z50aAjO7sKA.

  Making Macarons for the First Time. , Anti-chief , 2018, youtu.be/KPq3HoBBHQs

Nelson, Suzanne. Macarons at Midnight. Scholastic Inc., 2018.

“Printed Macaroons.” The Little Wedding Company, 13 Mar.

2019,https://www.thelittleweddingcompany.co.uk/product/printed-macaroons.

á-9980. “Macarons Au Chocolat Recipe.” Keyingredient,

https://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/666471368/macarons-au-chocolate 

Sargent, Annie, narrator. Episode 35 French Pastries of the north , Annie, 2014.

open.spotify.com/show/1ueO5y8aQzhdKWylra0k3f

Trying To Make MACARONS Nearly Ended Me. , Anti-chief , 2020, youtu.be/JBdBl-faAxY.

Accessed 24 Jan. 2023

Tixier, Jody, and Alexis Deboschnek. “How to Make Macarons Recipe by Tasty.” Tasty.co,

Tasty, 17 Dec. 2020, https://tasty.co/recipe/macarons.

“Visiting France Soon? Listen and Plan Your Trip with Locals!” Join Us in France TravelPodcast, 21 

            Mar. 2022, https://joinusinfrance.com/.

Student 2: The Fermi Paradox

Works Cited

Adler, Doug. “The Great Filter: A Possible Solution to the Fermi Paradox.” Astronomy.com, 20

Nov. 2020, https://astronomy.com/news/2020/11/the-great-filter-a-possible-solution-to-the-fermi-paradox.

Alderson, Ella. “Aliens: The Zoo Scenario.” Medium, Predict, 18 July 2020,

https://medium.com/predict/aliens-the-zoo-scenario-4ddf8fe8f2e1.

Ananthaswamy, Anil. “What Does Quantum Theory Actually Tell Us about Reality?” Scientific

American Blog Network, Scientific American, 3 Sept. 2018, https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/what-does-quantum-theory-actually-tell-us-about-reality/#:~:text=Collapse%20theories%20predict%20that%20when%20particles%20of%20matter,the%20double%20slit%2C%20and%20they%20still%20see%20interference.

Bonderud, Doug. “The Intersection of Technology, Innovation & Creativity.” Now. Powered by

Northrop Grumman, 21 Feb. 2023, https://now.northropgrumman.com/hiding-in-plain-sight-the-argument-for-invisible-aliens/#:~:text=The%20shadow%20biosphere%20theory%20postulates%20that%20other%20forms,operate%20in%20ways%20we%20don%E2%80%99t%20recognize%20as%20life.

Conover, Emily. “'Shadow Biosphere' Might Be Hiding Strange Life Right under Our Noses.”

Science, 14 Feb. 2015, https://www.science.org/content/article/shadow-biosphere-might-be-hiding-strange-life-right-under-our-noses.

Godier, John M., and Stephen Webb, narrator. Event Horizon, 2022. 

open.spotify.com/episode/7njAjpXzoECKQfIaQLfLM2. Accessed 15 Feb. 2023.

Godier, John Michael, director. The Growing List of Solutions to the Fermi Paradox with

Stephen Webb. YouTube, YouTube, 27 Feb. 2020,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8eklCtMbbc. Accessed 2 Feb. 2023.

Gribbin, John. “The Many-Worlds Theory, Explained.” The MIT Press Reader, 15 Apr. 2021,

https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-many-worlds-theory/.

Jasty, Kunal. “6 Mind-Bending Solutions to the Fermi Paradox.” Medium, Open Source, 7 Oct.

2015, https://medium.com/o-s/6-mind-bending-solutions-to-the-fermi-paradox-c0f32e47a0f7.

Laibacher, Philip, director. TRUE Limits of Humanity – The Final Border We Will Never Cross.

YouTube, YouTube, 11 May 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzkD5SeuwzM.

Accessed 21 Mar. 2023.

Laibacher, Philip, director. What Do Alien Civilizations Look Like? The Kardashev Scale.

YouTube, YouTube, 2 Aug. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhFK5_Nx9xY.

Accessed 21 Mar. 2023.

Liu, Cixin. The Dark Forest. Translated by Joel Martinsen, vol. 2, Head of Zeus, an AdAstra

Book, 2021.

Liu, Meicy. “Fermi Paradox.” 22 Feb. 2023.

Scharf, Caleb A. Does a Multiverse Fermi Paradox Disprove the Multiverse?, Scientific

American, 23 June 2015, https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/does-a-multiverse-fermi-paradox-disprove-the-multiverse/. Accessed 20 Mar. 2023.

Williams, Matt. “Beyond ‘Fermi's Paradox’ VII: What Is the Planetarium Hypothesis.” Universe

Today, 15 Feb. 2022, https://www.universetoday.com/147547/beyond-fermis-paradox-vii-the-planetarium-hypothesis/.

Williams, Matt. “Beyond ‘Fermi's Paradox’ VIII: What Is the Zoo Hypothesis?” Universe Today,

7 Feb. 2022, https://www.universetoday.com/147573/beyond-fermis-paradox-viii-what-is-the-zoo-hypothesis/.

Williams, Matt. “Beyond ‘Fermi's Paradox’ XV: What Is the Percolation Theory Hypothesis?”Universe 

            Today, 7 Feb. 2022, https://www.universetoday.com/148088/beyond-fermis-paradoxxv-what-is-

            the-percolation-theory-hypothesis/. 

Student 3: Adverse Childhood Experiences

Works Cited

Burke Harris, Nadine, narrator. How childhood trauma affects health acro. , 2015,    www.youtube.com/watch?v=95ovIJ3dsNk.

Gonzalez, Andrea, narrator. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Im. , 2018,       www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-8jTTIsJ7Q.

Savage, Jen, and Bridger Falkenstien, narrator. "Episode 20:Adverse Childhood Experiences." Beyond Trauma Podcast, 2021. open.spotify.com/episode/54BtaelpCR3jf3LSG3SOoI.

1, Interviewee. Personal interview. 7 Mar. 2023.      

2, Interviewee. Personal interview. 14 Mar. 2023.     

Final Project Rubrics

The final project contained four components: a research paper or other project, a presentation of the project, an MLA-formatted works cited page, and a final reflection. Each of the four components was worth 50 points for a total of 200 points for the finished product. 

I created separate rubrics for the research paper and other projects, as they naturally contain different elements to be graded. I used no rubric for the presentation points. Instead, I awarded students all 50 points if they presented their project to the class. 

Because research papers are difficult to present, I created discussion boards in Schoology that contained two students' papers. Then, I divided students among the discussion boards and required they read and comment on two papers. This way, students who chose to write research papers were still able to present their research to their classmates. 

Because I wanted students to have a good working knowledge of MLA formatting by the end of the project, I made their works cited page worth as many points as the project. I also did this with their final reflections. In future iterations of this project, I will likely revise point totals to put more weight on the project and presentation. 

Final project rubrics:

  

Post-Project Musings

 

Book Review: Student Work

 Student 1: Making Macaroons

Book Review

To start my project, I am currently working on is about macaroons, so I choose a book called “Macarons at midnight” written by Suzanne Nelson and designed by Jennifer Rinaldi and Yaffa Jaskoll. This book was released on January 1, 2015. This book was easy to access I already owned it, so it was very helpful that I did not have to waste time at the library.

This book was an amazing read from beginning to end, it felt as if I was watching a romance movie in my mind. Elise the protagonist is upset that she had to move in with her dad since her mother and stepdad had to do a six-month work assignment in Switzerland. Her stepsister Destry had to take Elise to a valentine’s day masquerade party, unfortunately, Elise felt as if she was under Destry’s shadow and left the party because she felt terrible. As she was walking, she sees a restaurant called “Swoonful of Sugar”, Elise then saw a boy drawing, the boy noticed her, and they start talking (keep in mind Elise is wearing a custom so Raj doesn’t know how she looks like) and the owner from the bakery hands them a macaroon saying, “My lovebirds”. Elsie and Raj walk out after talking and they were about to kiss but, Elsie’s dad came and ruined the moment. Elsie does not want Raj to find out who she was until she got to know Raj, so she used her friend Viv to play her part, But Elsie’s friend Kyan likes Viv and gets jealous. Raj gets tricked into thinking Viv was the girl he met that night, but it’s actually Elsie, and Raj likes Viv, so Viv slowly starts liking Raj because she never found a guy that nice before. Elsie has a problem back home not getting along with her stepsister. Elsie thinks the best thing to do is to go back home with her mother and get over Raj. But then Viv tells her that Raj needs to know the truth, but Raj plans to ask Viv for a school dance, Elsie is like well it is over now why keep trying for a guy who does not want her, and Viv does want to go with Raj. Kyan was also upset that he is not going with Vivi, so Elise ends up going with Kyan to the dance, at the dance Raji spots Elsie and takes her out to dance. Elsie was so memorized by him. Viv comes back to the dance and ruins the moment. Elsie leaves because her stepmother goes into labor and when she walks out, she sees Raji and Viv kissing (but they were not). The next day Viv tries to explain what happen, Viv likes Kyan, and they were the ones kissing that night. Viv tells Elsie to tell Raj who she really was by going back to the spot they met and so she did. Elsie tells Raj that she was the girl that he met that night and Raj leaves because he needs to do something. Elsie was sleeping, but then Raji throws stuff at her window to get her attention and Elsie meets him outside. Raji was holding a plate of macaroons, and they both eat one. Then Raji and Elsie kiss under the moonlight.

One benefit of this book was having recipes for macarons in the book, but what did not really help me is it didn’t focus on macarons it’s more like a middle school crush between friends, but I will say this the book is actually very relatable to what I have experience.

I believe that the message the author is trying to tell us is that French pastries bring people together. France is one of the most romantic places and it makes sense that even though Elsie and Raj lived in the United States it takes one person like the Bakery owner to bring two people together and fall in love with each other by a macaroon split into two.

To wrap things up, I would rate this book five stars for its climatic story, but if you’re trying to find a book about macaroons, I wouldn’t recommend this book since it doesn’t go into detail. This book was very interesting, to be honest, I did not like reading before, but this project/book changed that.

Work Cited

Nelson, Suzanne. Macarons at Midnight. Scholastic Inc., 2018.

Student 2: The Fermi Paradox

Student 2 included her Book Review in her final Power Point Presentation. See a future Student Work: Final Project post.

Student 3: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES)

Student 3 was not able to find a suitable book for her research. I allowed her to conduct a second interview in lieu of the Book Review. See Student Work: Published Interview.