Projects


 * Literature of Sport Mr. Greenhill **

**Group Project Relating to ** **//Playing for Keeps //**

Your first chance to take control of your education in this course will be with //Playing for Keeps//. You will be able to work on this during class time. You will have a chance to be part of a small group project with a few of your classmates. Your group will choose a topic for the project and a method of doing the project. Some guidance in the process is provided below; you will have the chance to try a modified version of a process developed at Stanford University called Design Thinking. Overall, the instructions are rather open-ended so that you have control (some autonomy) instead of just being told what to do.


 * __To choose a topic, consider the following __****: **
 * Your topic and project should address what is called the “Driving Question," which will be determined before you choose your topic. We can provide the question or decide on it together as a class. If we provide it, the “Driving Question” would be, “What do YOU think people should know about or learn from this book?” If you prefer, we could arrive at a Driving Question together as a class, instead of having the teacher dictate the Driving Question. The process of arriving at a Driving Question this way is a stronger challenge to your maturity and your sincerity as a scholar and a person. Such a question would grow out of group brainstorming about important aspects of the book. **

What in the text really grabs you so that you might say to yourself, "I can't wait to sit down and discuss this with my group and do a project about it!"? What do you connect to in the text? Is there something you love? Hate? Does something inspire you? Is there something you can very strongly relate to personally? Is there something that baffles you? Something that offends you? Something that fascinates you? Something that disturbs you? Something that amazes you or impresses you? Is there something that you think is tremendously important? Is there something in the text that is an example of a larger issue—e.g. moral, social, political, legal, educational—that you are interested in taking a closer look at? There are many possibilities. It’s your call.


 * Use the following process (it begins on the next page) to choose your topic and to figure out how to examine, learn more about, and present it: **


 * Modified Design Thinking* **


 * __(All phases below involve collaboration and teamwork __****. **** J ****) **


 * __Phase 1 __**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Define **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Decide on your topic. Use the advice above. **__<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Your topic and project __****<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> __should address what is called the “Driving Question”:__ **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> It will intentionally be a very open-ended question.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Agree on who the audience is. Do you want it to be people who know this book or people who don’t?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Determine what will make this project successful.


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Phase 2 __**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Understand **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Understanding is the first phase of the design thinking process. During this phase, you immerse yourselves in learning about your topic. Use the text. If necessary, talk to people (interviews?) and/or conduct research. The goal is to develop relevant background knowledge on the topic


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Phase 3 __**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Brainstorm **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">What can your audience learn from your project that is beneficial to them? Identify these things.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Generate as many ideas as possible to enable your project to provide these learning benefits.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Record the ideas generated by your <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; text-decoration: none;">[|brainstorming] <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> session. Do not judge or debate ideas. Brainstorming is a critical component of design thinking. You are challenged to brainstorm a myriad of ideas and to suspend judgment. No idea is too far-fetched and no one’s ideas are rejected. Brainstorming is supposed to be creative and fun. In this phase, quantity is encouraged; generate as many ideas as time allows. Anything goes.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">During this phase, brainstorm about both the topic itself __**and the methods**__ you will use to present it. To present it, use methods that are based on your own interests and skills. What interests and skills to the members of your group have that they would enjoy using? Video? Music? Art? Drama? Dance? Sports? Science? Math? Poetry? **The choice is yours, but end up choosing methods you will enjoy that will also be effective.** ** :) **


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Phase 4 __**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Plan and Revise **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Collaborate to combine, expand, and refine your group’s ideas.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Experiment (important) with the ideas draw up a project plan.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Revise your plan a few times.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Describe for each other the tasks that need to be done to implement the plan.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Plan the tasks.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Determine what resources are needed.
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Phase 5 __**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Implement **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Assign tasks to members of the group.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Execute the plan and create an experimental version of the project.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Revise and refine the project, collaboratively using trial and error.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Prepare it for presentation.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Prepare it for presentation.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Present the project to the class. Make the project as interactive as possible. Create opportunities for audience participation. Do not lecture the class. Present your project, lead them in a short discussion about it, and then have some time for questions and answers.
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Phase 6 __**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Present **


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">IMPORTANT: __****<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> __WHATEVER YOUR TOPIC IS AND WHATEVER YOUR METHODS ARE, MAKE SURE YOU SINCERELY ENJOY BOTH. ALSO MAKE SURE YOU ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF YOUR iPads TO PUT THE PROJECT TOGETHER AND/OR PRESENT IT.__ **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">* <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Adapted from a combination of descriptions of Design Thinking that appear at [] and [].

=**__<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Writing: __**= <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">You will also have a chance to write an __**individual**__ essay related to //Playing for Keeps//. It could be about the same topic your project was about or you may choose an entirely different topic to write about. **You may write either a personal or analytical essay.**

Try this:


 * 1) __Choose a Topic__**

As with the projects, in <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">//Playing for Keeps//, what grabs you? What interests you most? YOU choose a topic to write about. It doesn’t have to be the same topic your project is about, but it may. Make sure it is something you want to write about so that you have a chance to experience flow on this essay. :)


 * 2) __ Make Your Point __**

Once you have chosen your topic, __decide what **//point//** you'd like to make about it__. This is true whether your essay is personal or analytical. It is important that you make a point rather than just describing something. It should be a point you sincerely want to make. Write an essay that has logical structure (introduction, development, conclusion). :)

** __Length__: 2-2.5 pages **
=**__<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Due Dates: __**= = Choose a writing topic (remember, it doesn't have to be the same as your group's project topic) - due Tuesday, 8/29.= = Brainstorming and Outline **- also due Tuesday, 8/29.**= = First rough paragraph **- due Friday, 9/1.**= = Two more rough paragraphs **- due Tuesday, 9/5.**=

Final draft **- Your choice from Thurs., 9/7-Mon., 9/11.**
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