THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA
CONSTITUTION HIGH SCHOOL
18 S. 7th Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106
Dr. Thomas Davidson
TELEPHONE (215) 315-7130
PRINCIPAL
September 2015
Dear Parent, Guardian or Interested Mentor:
This year your senior student will be completing the Multidisciplinary/Service Learning Project to fulfill the
state requirement for graduation. This “Senior Project,” which combines fieldwork and academic instruction, provides
your student with an opportunity to demonstrate his/her unique talents. The Senior Project will incorporate World
History and this year’s National History Day theme. Students must choose a topic that relates to both the NHD theme
and World History.
The components of the Senior Project include: writing a research paper, creating a National History
project, competing in the School-wide NHD event, completing field work, compiling a portfolio, and delivering a
formal oral presentation.
In most cases, seniors will complete the project under the direction of the World History teacher. If your
student is not rostered to World History class this year, alternative arrangements can be made. Your encouragement is
extremely important. It is critical that you review the Senior Project Packet materials. Please check to ensure that
he/she is meeting every deadline.
This is truly an exciting educational experience. As the weeks progress, seniors will be receiving materials
related to the project. Please join us in supporting your senior on the journey toward accomplishing this goal.
Sincerely,
Dr. Thomas Davidson
Principal
Carl Ackerman
World History
AP United States History
Francine Gold
World History
Historiography
SENIOR PROJECT PARENT LETTER RETURN SLIP
DATE DUE: SEPTEMBER 11, 2015
I have read and reviewed all the information in this letter regarding the Senior Project graduation requirement. My student and I
are committed to the successful completion of the Senior Project task by following all guidelines, completing all the components,
and meeting all deadlines.
STUDENT SIGNATURE ___________________________________
DATE _____________
STUDENT NAME (PRINT) _________________________________
CONTACT: _________________________
PARENT SIGNATURE ___________________________________
DATE _____________
PARENT NAME (PRINT) __________________________________
CONTACT: __________________________
Constitution High School
Senior Project Packet
Selecting a Topic
Take time to select a topic thoughtfully.
Does this subject really interest you? This project gives you the opportunity to select and design a major
portion of your academic work. Choosing a subject of genuine interest will make the work interesting and
valuable to you.
Does this topic connect to the NHD theme and World History? Read over the NHD theme sheet. The theme
sheet will be posted on the school’s website: http://webgui.phila.k12.pa.us/schools/c/constitution. Make sure
your topic relates to world history.
Are mentors and ample sources of information readily available? Material for your research should be
obtainable. Most important, community members and experts in the field are essential resources, City and county
libraries complement our limited high school resources. College, university, and state libraries expand your
capability to retrieve data.
Can a personally meaningful and challenging project be developed from this topic? Whether you create a
product, present a performance, or perform a service you need to feel that the work you do is meaningful and
challenging to you.
Is the topic, along with the related project, one that you would want to present to an audience? You must be
willing to share your work with your teacher and with other students.
Can you focus the topic? It is better to have a focused topic that is fully developed than a broad topic that cannot
be adequately covered in a paper of the length required for this assignment.
Does this topic offer a challenge? If you are conducting real research you will discover new material-new facts,
new ideas, new opinions, new insights. Above all, you should select a topic that will allow you to go beyond your
current base of knowledge, ideas, opinions and insights.
Has the topic been agreed upon by the student, parent, and teacher? It is important that your teacher, parents,
and others involved in the project understand the expectations and plans for your project. Parents sign your
project proposal to acknowledge their understanding of the project. To facilitate this communication, you will
complete a formal project proposal describing where and from whom the research will be collected, what the
paper might cover, and what kind of project the topic might generate.
Note:
Fieldwork must include a minimum of 16 hours outside the school day. This excludes the research portion of
the Senior Paper, but it would include anything leading up to the completion of the project such as conducting
interviews, visiting archives, and working with community groups. In addition, you must keep an accurate and
detailed log to record progress from start to finish. Expect ongoing spot checks of the fieldwork log.
Topic/Thesis/Project-Product Samples
When choosing a senior project topic, refrain from selecting a topic that you think will be “easy.” Many seniors
upon reflection, especially after seeing the topics of other students during the Senior Project presentations, regret
having taken the “easy” path. As you are choosing your topic, keep in mind that you are not just writing a report.
You must also do field work that relates to the topic. Here are examples of acceptable projects:
Example #1
Topic: Christopher Columbus and the Columbian Exchange
Thesis Statement: Christopher Columbus’ voyage to America ushered in an era of great exchanges between the
New and Old Worlds including plants, animals, diseases, and technology, that forever changed the world.
Project/Products: Participate in a community program focused on cultural exchange in which people come
together to share their cultural histories with one another. (Create a float and march in the Puerto Rican Day
parade).
Example #2
Topic: Viktor Frankl and the Holocaust
Thesis Statement: Viktor Frankl used his experience as a Jewish prisoner in a German concentration camp
during WWII to explore how individuals can survive such horrific conditions.
Project/Products: Interview an expert who works in the field of psychology and psychiatry. Participate in a
workshop on mental health. Volunteer to work with mentally disabled individuals.
Example #3
Topic: Turkey and the Armenian Genocide
Thesis Statement: The Armenian genocide was an encounter in which the Turkish government set in motion a
plan to expel and terminate Armenians living in the Ottoman empire.
Project/Product: Volunteer with a community organization that promotes world peace. Learn about the
struggles of immigrants to the U.S. and volunteer with a community organization that works to protect their
rights. Raise awareness about current genocides.
Plagiarism and How to Avoid It
Definition
To plagiarize is to present another person’s words or ideas as if they were your own. It is a form of stealing and is an
extremely serious offense, which can result in failure of a course or loss of credit for an assignment. It can be
intentional or unintentional, but either way, it is still considered an offense.
Guidelines to Avoid Plagiarism
1. Always give credit to the source of ideas and words that are not your own.
2.Document these sources accurately and completely (see “Documentation”)
3.If you quote someone else, put the quoted material in quotation marks.
4.If you use someone else’s ideas, tell whose ideas they are.
5.If you summarize or paraphrase someone else’s words tell where you obtained the idea and the author of that idea.
Taking Notes and Avoiding Plagiarism
1. Record the correct documentation as you take the notes (see “Taking Notes”).
2. Be sure to include the source and all necessary information as you take the notes. Having to go back after you have
finished with a source will add a great deal of extra time and effort, perhaps causing you to plagiarize.
3.Be consistent in your style of note taking. Creating an annotated bibliography and using a system like research
reports or note cards will help you avoid plagiarizing because you will know the source of your information.
Project Proposal
Student Name
Street Address
Philadelphia, PA 191__
September 11, 2015
World History Teacher’s Name
Constitution High School
18 S. 7th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Dear Mr. /Mrs. /Ms.____,
Paragraph 1 – Introduction
Describe the general area of interest for your Senior Project.
Explain why you chose this overall area of interest.
Describe what you already know or have done which will help you with your knowledge base.
State your topic for your Senior Project.
Explain how your topic connects to this year’s NHD theme and World History.
Indicate what your learning stretch will be.
Make sure you capitalized Senior Project.
Paragraph 2 – Research paper
Begin with a transitional sentence (For my research paper…) and identify the topic on which your research
will focus.
Write a thesis statement and put it in bold print.
Identify some of the subtopics you might include in order to prove your thesis.
Identify some of the resources you plan to use (library, mentor, other community resources, internet,
manuals, etc.)
Paragraph 3 - Activity
Begin with a transitional sentence (For my activity…) and identify what you will be doing for your activity.
Explain the relationship of your research paper to your activity
Describe the activity in specific terms.
What Is It – Who’s involved – Potential cost (and how you will pay for it)
Potential time (Will you need time off? If so, how much and when?)
Possible resources (financial, mentor, multimedia laboratory, outside training, etc.)
Paragraph 4 – Understanding of Plagiarism
Explain what is plagiarism is
Explain why it is important to avoid plagiarizing
Explain what the repercussions of such an act would be
Sincerely,
(Cursive Signature)
Your Name Typed