Culminating Project: “My Rule to Live By”

Description

Building on the background students learned in Unit 1 through reading Bud, Not Buddy and the Steve Jobs speech, as well as the study of “If” in Unit 2, students will write informative essays based on one of their personal “rules to live by.” At the start of the unit, students will be presented with three relevant real-world topics (bullying, healthy habits, and environmental stewardship) with which they likely have significant personal experience. Based initially on this personal experience, students will discuss how those issues might translate into “rules to live by.” Then students will consider what it will take to truly inform others about their potential rules, given that personal experience is rarely sufficient to be a true expert on a topic. Ultimately, their “rules” will need to be informed by evidence. This emphasis on evidence will serve as the launch of a short research project.