Projects

Projects.

General comments:

The course description for the class included the following information for a project worth 15% of your final course grade.

PROJECT: The final project in this class should allow you to use geographic skills introduced in the class. There is considerable choice in the nature of the project. Another handout will provide more details, but basically there are three options (and I am open to suggestions if you have ideas that might be better aligned with your career goals):

a. "Reading a Virginia Landscape": Based on first hand observation in the field, you will identify the natural and cultural/historical aspects of a chosen locale in Virginia. May be presented orally, using PowerPoint, as a web page, or as a written report.

b. "Changing Distribution Patterns of ‘X’": A sequential mapping project in which changes in a cultural/economic factor of your choice are traced and analyzed. This will involve the use of census data and library research. May be presented orally, using PowerPoint, or as a written report.

c. Preparation and oral presentation of a lesson on some aspect of the geography of Virginia that is of particular interest to you. Should be designed for the grade level at which you intend to teach.

These projects will be graded on

1) content: accuracy and thoroughness

2) presentation: organization and clarity

3) maps: appropriateness and "readability"

4) geographic perspective well developed

Clearly present the geographic questions being asked or theme being used to focus your project.

Provide context. Set the scene with respect to the natural environment, historical or economic past and present as appropriate to your topic. This often requires thinking about connections to and influences of other places—that is, situation.

Explain the spatial patterns revealed. Give evidence that you have considered the important "why there" question.

Maps are the main tool of geographers for identifying and showing spatial patterns. You should include at least two mapsin project type a, and one must be thematic. In project type a, the thematic map may be most appropriate to the introductory section as context. In project type b, all your maps (a minimum of three is necessary) will be thematic, since you will be examining spatial changes in a particular phenomenon over time. It is preferable in all instances that you prepare or at very least modify an existing map yourself. Photcopycopying directly from a book or printing directly from the Internet constitutes plagiarism. Credit the source of the original material or map, even if you redraft it and modify it.

In making your own maps by hand it is quite acceptable to trace an existing map.Leave off what is not relevant to your paper and add anything (place names, features, regional boundaries, etc.) that is needed to make your discussion more understandable. Give credit to your sources of information including that derived from maps.

For project type c, you may be asking students to produce or to interpret a thematic map or to compare two or thematic maps.

Illustrations, diagrams or other enhancements that demonstrate results or explanations are welcome additions. Just be sure they are relevant and not distractions from the main points you are making.

Presentation or paper format (Project types a and b).

The general organization of final product is generally the same, whether you are writing a paper, making an oral presentation, or preparing a web page.

Title. Should be concise but complete and unambiguous as to what your topic is.

Introduction: a statement of what you are investigating and how it relates to geographic skills, themes, or questions. Should also include any background information necessary for audience to understand your results.

Results section: What you saw or found out. This section is essentially descriptive. May include maps, photos, etc., but well-written text should be the primary means of presenting your results.

Discussion and conclusions: the "what does it all mean" or "so what" section. This is where you explain what you saw or found out. This is the place to answer the question "why there?" Conclusions may involve a brief summary statement or a statement on the endurance of human impacts from certain activities or present a new hypothesis requiring further investigation. Many people like to include a statement evaluating of the project or giving some personal relevance to the work. This is quite acceptable, even desirable, but should not be the sole function of your discussion and conclusions section.

Sources: Prepare a list of source materials. Use a standard bibliographic format. One I like is has the following format.

Author (last name first). Date. "Title of article," Title of Book, (Place of publication: Publisher).

For web sites, the URL corresponds to the publisher! Look for a page title, author, and date of preparation. If you can't find who wrote it, use "Anonymous" as the author. If the article is posted under the auspices of a professional organization and has no author, you may use that organization as the author. A URL by itself is worthless.

Citations: In the body of the text, be sure to credit the sources of your information. And this means information and not simply direct quotations. Similarly credit the sources of maps and other illustrative material. Any easy format is internal footnoting placed at the end of the attributable information. All you need is the (Author's last name, date.) If it is a direct quotation you are citing then add the page number where the actual words can be found.)

Length: 4-5 pages for written report, plus maps and illustrations.

PowerPoint presentation should be 10-15 minutes long.

Web pages need to include all the above sections, but the emphasis is on graphics rather than text.

Lesson Plans. (Project type c)

These should be written with the view that someone other than yourself will use be able to it to present a lesson on a particular geographic topic. If you have standard organizational schemes from your education classes or other experience teaching, please use those formats. Below is a suggested format you may want to consider.

Title:

Goals: what is the skill or concept or theme you are teaching. What students will be able to do as a consequence of completing this lesson.

Grade level or levels:

Standards of Learning: Which of the Virginia SOLs are addressed in this lesson.

Introduction. Any background information the teacher will have to know to present the material to his/her class. This may include aspects of geography or facts about the site and situation of a place.

Materials: what will be needed to complete the lesson. Any special preparations required.

Approaches: How the teacher should or could conduct the lesson. For example, in small groups, full class participation, or individual work.

Assessment method: how students will be graded.

Questions to be asked or activities to be done in conjunction with the lesson: That which is actually done in the classroom.

Sources: Recommend sources of additional information on the topic, including maps.

* * *

Conducting the presentation: Think about this in terms of a workshop for teachers.

Introduce yourself.

Introduce your topic.

State your goals for student learning and identify the grade level targeted.

List the procedures you will be using.

Involve the class in the activity you have designed.

Repeat your goals. Ask for feedback from the class on whether or not you achieved these and how you might modify the lesson to improve it or to adapt it to different grade levels.

GEOG 202. Commonwealth of Virginia