Biology Cancer Research Infographics
The Biology and Honors Biology students presented their cancer infographics in an informal gallery walk. This project was important because it demonstrates that every single freshman has mastered the use of library databases and how to present their research in a visually interesting way.
Senior Research Papers
They did it! All of our seniors have completed their argumentative research papers. After going through every step of the process, from selecting their topic to the final submission, students have immersed themselves in research and writing. ELA 12 and Contemporary Communication classes wrote an argumentative paper based on a topic of their choosing. AP Lit students wrote Literary Criticism papers based on a book or short story that they read during the semester. Every senior mastered the use of database research while writing an academic paper in MLA format. They are probably tired of hearing it, but, "EVIDENCE DRIVES THE THESIS"! Congrats to these hard working seniors as this intense unit produced some great skills and some great writing.
Economics
Mr. Breedlove's economics students used research to produce a podcast on a topic of their choice. After hearing a few professional economics podcasts in class, they tried to emulate the pros by creating their own products. The podcasts required research, script writing, recording and listening to create a quality finished product. These students definitely demonstrated their digital citizenship skills as well as their understanding of various economic topics.
ELA 10
As part of their final, sophomores in Mrs. Worthington's classes furthered their understanding of issues related to All Quiet on the Western Front by choosing a topic and beginning to research. Students could choose any topic related to war and relationships. After finding 3 database articles, students selected the most helpful article to explain the importance of. In the second step of this research project, students practiced paraphrasing 3 notes from their chosen article. Students not only paraphrased important information from the article, they also explained how they knew that they did a good job of paraphrasing. Students used this information as part of their final writing for the semester.
Geography
Mr. Jones' geography students made board games as their end of the semester project. Students worked in small groups to completely design a game complete with game board, game pieces and instructions. Some students opted to design game pieces or decorations in 3D, so our 3D printers have been whirring away! They spent the entire first day of finals playing each other's games in the library! These projects turned out great!
Semester in Review
The semester started strong and busy with Mrs. Hobrock helping out in the library as a long-term sub for Ms. Pommerenke. We managed to increase the number of students using the library, win a big grant for some innovative library programming, and figure out new library software including new self-check ipads at our kiosk. Mrs. Hobrock beefed up our displays and when Mrs. Pommerenke arrived, she hit the ground running! We finished research papers with all seniors and welcomed a ton of new lessons with all of our classes beefing up literacy skills with close-read activities. One of the statistics we are most proud of is the fact that we had direct library instruction including lesson planning, implementation, and assessment with every single senior and every single freshman. That's right, we helped those teachers design, teach, and grade the student work! Our full service library is fully integrated in the curriculum at BVN and we have a lot of extra fun too! Come see what we have going on. We're happy to see you any time!