Senior Capstone Proposal 2013– Glossary
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Use this glossary to clarify each section of the proposal.
If you need more clarification, refer to the online presentation, or ask Mrs. Reed via email
nesegovia@kidsrsu.org
1. What is the Topic of your Capstone? The topic is the broad concept that could be explored in
multiple ways, is engaging, and it offers numerous possibilities. Also there are specific aspects of
the topic that you will be researching and working with. Here are a couple of examples of
Topics.
Violence in America (Theme = Too broad) – Topic Domestic Violence
Anger Management (Theme=Too broad)– Topic  Managing Anger in childhood.
Themes are very broad, and you would need to choose a topic, within the theme, in order to
focus, narrow, and work with it.
2. Overview and Level of Interest Briefly describe prior beliefs and knowledge about the Theme
and the Topic. Things that you already know and have researched about the topic. Why are you
so interested in doing your Senior Capstone on this topic? Is there something that needs to be
addressed, and could benefit your community? Has this topic captured your interest for a long
time? Why? Explain your passion.
3. What is the Central Idea of your Topic? This communicates the main point and purpose. It
will also determine the kind and amount of detail your project and specially your research paper
will contain. For example: Violence in America Domestic Violence Child abuse can be
prevented
4. How many subtopics will you be researching to further develop and support your research?
As you research your topic there are many directions that you may want to take and further
research. Please state the related topics that you will be investigating to enhance your research.
For example: Decreasing Child Obesity: causes, effects, child diet and exercises, social
implications, parental involvement, and programs available. These would be subtopics to
research. Make sure that your subtopics are aligned with your topic and essential question. Some
topics could be endless to research; therefore, you must be precise. Determining your subtopics
will help you in organizing the content of your research paper.
5. Guiding questions – These direct the research and fieldwork of your topic. Brainstorm your
questions and write as many as you can. Afterwards, organize them in order of relevance and
connection. The requirement is a minimum of 25 questions. In many instances, your essential
question will be among these guiding questions. Make sure to arrive to meaningful and wellarticulated questions.
6. Essential Question (Thesis question) – This is the Central idea expressed in a thesis statement
but in the form of a question; this clearly presents the reason of your writing. The essential
question will direct every aspect of your research and fieldwork. If you need help with providing
and essential question, refer to the presentation and handout on Essential question.
Remember, “If you can Google it and find the answer, then is not an essential question”.
7. Fieldwork– Is the hands on part of the project that relates to your topic and essential question,
and it should be expressed in one bold statement. Fieldwork produces a tangible or intangible
product related to the topic. Many students would start their capstone with this step; however, the
fieldwork should be the result of the many possibilities that your research will bring. Examples of
Fieldwork would be to volunteer at place that would offer some kind of experience on the topic,
to construct a product, to explore its entrepreneurial possibilities, to generate a service, and other
similar.
Fieldwork may or may not have:
 An impact to your regional, local or school community.
 Explore career paths, or be of pure personal interest.
 Explore the entrepreneurial possibilities of a generated product or service.
With enough time, many projects could be designed to go beyond the student’s personal interests
and produce a positive impact to the community, spent time in an apprenticeship, or explore the
potential for a business.
a. Guiding activities: This is a list of the step-by-step activities that will help in creating a clear
path to accomplish your Fieldwork. Please organized them and write them in sequential order.
In this section just write a list of steps.
b. Describe what you will be doing for your fieldwork. In this section give the specifics on how
will you execute your steps in the list above. Also, describe the anticipated outcome/s and
possible roadblocks that you expect from your fieldwork. How does your fieldwork, as described
above, relates to your Capstone topic?
8. Managing your Senior Capstone time – the minimum required, but not limited time for your
fieldwork is thirty contact hours. How would you manage this time? Senior year is a busy time,
between planning for post-secondary life, academics, sports, job, social life, and family, how will
you plan your time to complete your project with the least stress?
9. Your Expert and In-school Mentors This is required for contact information and determining
your mentor’s level of expertise. Though some relatives have a high level of expertise in your
topic, they cannot act as your expert mentor; however they can offer advise.
How did you know about your expert mentor? What makes him or her a good expert mentor?
Give a brief background about his or her expertise. What are the different ways in which you plan
to communicate with him or her?
Your In-school Mentor: Provide his or her name and what would be your plan to meet with him
or her. (Meeting should happen as often as needed, with a minimum contact time of a meeting
every two weeks).
Remember:
 It is your responsibility to contact your mentors
 Meetings with both mentors are a requirement for fieldwork.
 Communication may happen via email, phone, or face-to-face meetings.
 Your In-school mentor must have revised and approved your research paper before it is
presented to Mrs. Reed.
Expert and In-school mentors are required to attend to your presentation, what arrangements
would you put in place to have your expert mentor attend your presentation?
10. Who will attend your presentation? In order to meet the standard of communication (SL.1112.4), “ Present well organized information such that listeners [an audience] can understand and
follow it.” Students must invite an audience. Parents and family, expert and in-school mentors, in
addition to fellow-students would conform an audience; however, each student should strive to
invite other different members from the regional, local, and/or school community from the ones
mentioned above. Presentations with less than 15 people in the audience will be schedule for a
later time, when the student has managed to organize his or her audience.
11. Provide two additional possible topics for Capstone. Sometimes things do not work the way
we anticipate them; therefore, it is very important to have a second topic, ready to go, just in case
things do not work as you planned them. Include your overview and level of interest for each
additional topic, why would this make a good choice?
Additional Notes:
1. Plan to document the progression of your fieldwork. Digital photos, video, or a combination of both.
This is a requirement for the evidence of your fieldwork and presentation. Also, as part of keeping an
update log of your work.
2. Be ready to report your advances on your work by posting bi-weekly updates. Students are to post an
update every Friday, whether or not they are attending the classroom.
3. The role of an expert mentor is to provide expert opinion and guidance for the Capstone project, he or
she will give feedback on the student’s follow up to his or her
recommendations, and attend the Capstone presentation. Students must arrange contact time with
their expert mentors as necessary. Document all contact time and have it signed by your expert
mentor. Students, whose expert mentors are located outside of the community, must provide reliable
evidence of contact time. Document all contact time in the log sheets provided, and include them in
your Capstone Portfolio (email and Skipe contact time is valid). Time with expert mentors counts
toward fieldwork.
4. Students must arrange contact time with their in-school mentors on a need basis or a minimum of
bi-weekly basis. The role of the in-school mentor is: to monitor and ensure students’ progress; check
his or her written work, ensuring that work is produced with quality in a timely manner; and giving
unbiased perspective about students’ work. Contact time with in-school mentors must be recorded in
the same way as in with the expert mentor.
By Nora Segovia Reed, use with credit.