The
Silver Spring
International
Middle School
Name
ID Number
Coach
Advisor
th
8 Grade “Passion” Project
Electronic Process Journal
Marking Period 1
This Process Journal must be saved under your
AIM Teacher’s name in their “Hand-In” Folder
Update every 2 weeks so that your coach and
advisor can review it
8th Grade Passion Project Process Journal—Marking Period 1—Page 1
Passion Project Time Line for Tasks
Marking Period 1: Aug. 31-Oct. 21 (all tasks due by Oct 21)
Marking Period 1
August 31-September 21
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INVESTIGATE
September 21
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October 6
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October 21
DEADLINE:
October 28, 2015
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Passion Project introduced in Homeroom; fill out
interest survey; assignment to AIM Passion
Project group
Think about topic options
Select a Topic—explain reasons in Process
Journal
Choose other students to collaborate with
Complete Pages 3 & 6
Craft a Guiding Question—explain rationale in
Process Journal.
Complete Page 7-8
Parent Agreement Forms due!
Create a Passion Project list in Noodletools, add
guiding question, and share with coach
Select Advisor
Complete this document, MP1 Process Journal
SUBMIT Completed electronic version of
this document to AIM Teacher no later than
3:00pm on October 28
Completion of these tasks will count towards your
report card grade for Marking Period 1
8th Grade Passion Project Process Journal—Marking Period 1—Page 2
Passion Project Student Information
Check boxes in table below when completed
Edline Account is Activated
Email Address (that you check weekly) is linked to Edline Account
Parent has separate Edline Account with Email
8th Grade Passion Project Process Journal—Marking Period 1—Page 3
Passion Project Objectives
Objective A: Investigating
Students should:
i. define a goal to address a need within a community, based on personal interests
ii. identify prior learning and subject-specific knowledge relevant to the project
iii. demonstrate research skills.
Objective B: Planning
Students should:
i. develop a proposal for action to serve the need in the community
ii. plan and record the development process of the project
iii. demonstrate self-management skills.
Objective C: Taking action
Students should:
i. demonstrate service as action as a result of the project
ii. demonstrate thinking skills
iii. demonstrate communication and social skills.
Objective D: Reflecting
Students should:
i. evaluate the quality of the service as action against the proposal
ii. reflect on how completing the project has extended their knowledge and understanding of service learning
iii. reflect on their development of ATL skills.
8th Grade Passion Project Process Journal—Marking Period 1—Page 4
IB Learner Profile
Inquirers
They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and
research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of
learning will be sustained throughout their lives.
Knowledgeable
They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and
global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth
knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and
balanced range of disciplines.
Thinkers
They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and
approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.
Communicators
They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one
language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in
collaboration with others.
Principled
They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the
dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own
actions and the consequences that accompany them.
Open-minded
They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the
perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed
to seeking a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.
Caring
They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They
have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the
environment.
Risk-takers
They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit
to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.
Balanced
They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for
themselves and others.
Reflective
They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their
strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.
8th Grade Passion Project Process Journal—Marking Period 1—Page 5
Interesting topics I am considering:
1
2
3
Topic/Working Title of Project:
To complete this project I will need to research the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
I have identified the following members of my Collaborative Group with whom
I will
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Brainstorm
Share ideas
Conduct and share research
Discuss options and obstacles
1. Me
3.
2.
4.
We have decided to refer to our group by the following name:
8th Grade Passion Project Process Journal—Marking Period 1—Page 6
Creating a Guiding Question
This is where we turn a topic into a specific question that encompasses the entire idea of the
project.
A good guiding question:
 is thought provoking and may be controversial.
 forces you to research your topic and evaluate data.
 has an original answer.
 may not have a simple answer.
 encourages critical thinking, not just memorization.
 can change throughout the year to reflect new information.
 contains two to three strong key words.
Pick the topic that you are most interested in from the top of page 6.
Now make a list of EVERYTHING you can think of that is related to that topic. Just write down
anything that comes to mind!
Now pull out TWO sets of words that you feel go together in some way:
1. _____________________________
2. _______________________________
_____________________________
_______________________________
8th Grade Passion Project Process Journal—Marking Period 1—Page 7
Choose 1 set of words from the bottom of page 8. Try to make a question using both words:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________?
Examples of Guiding Questions:
Can I help a younger student succeed in school by tutoring him/her?
Can I help homeless people in Silver Spring by organizing a food drive?
Is human-generated ocean noise hurting the international whale population?
Should middle school students have time for recess?
My guiding question:
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is thought provoking.
forces me to research my topic and evaluate data.
has an original answer.
does not have a simple answer.
encourages critical thinking, not just memorization.
can change throughout the year to reflect new information.
contains two to three strong key words.
Working Guiding Question Draft 1 from page 7—share this with your group, your coach &
your advisor
Specific Project Goals:
What community does this project is intended to reach and how will members of that audience
benefit or learn from this project?
How will I benefit from completing this project?
8th Grade Passion Project Process Journal—Marking Period 1—Page 8
Global Contexts
Read carefully through the descriptions of the Global Contexts described below.
You may want to discuss various options with your group and/or your coach and
advisor before you decide which context best relates to your topic. The selection
of ONE of these contexts for your project will help you to pursue your project
topic from an international perspective and create a guiding question which your project will
answer.
Identities and relationships
Who am I? Who are we?
Students will explore identity; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual
health; human relationships including families, friends, communities and cultures; what it means
to be human.
Orientation in space and time
What is the meaning of “when” and “where”?
Students will explore personal histories; homes and journeys; turning points in humankind;
discoveries; explorations and migrations of humankind; the relationships between, and the
interconnectedness of, individuals and civilizations, from personal, local and global perspectives.
Personal and cultural expression
What is the nature and purpose of creative expression?
Students will explore the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture,
beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our
appreciation of the aesthetic.
Scientific and technical innovation
How do we understand the worlds in which we live?
Students will explore the natural world and its laws; the interaction between people and the
natural world; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of
scientific and technological advances on communities and environments; the impact of
environments on human activity; how humans adapt environments to their needs.
Globalization and sustainability
How is everything connected?
Students will explore the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the
relationship between local and global processes; how local experiences mediate the global;
reflect on the opportunities and tensions provided by world interconnectedness; the impact of
decision-making on humankind and the environment.
(continued on the next page)
8th Grade Passion Project Process Journal—Marking Period 1—Page 9
Fairness and development
What are the consequences of our common humanity?
Students will explore rights and responsibilities; the relationship between communities; sharing
finite resources with other people and with other living things; access to equal opportunities;
peace and conflict resolution.
Global Context selection: I have selected the following global context for my project…
Identities and relationships
Orientation in time and space
Personal and cultural expression
Scientific and technical innovation
Globalization and sustainability
Fairness and development
because…
I updated my guiding question…
Working Guiding Question Draft 2—Get final approval from your coach:
Passion Project Advisor (must be added by October 28):
8th Grade Passion Project Process Journal—Marking Period 1—Page 10
Managing Your Project with NoodleTools
Building a Working Bibliography:
1. Open the Internet. Type in http://www.noodletools.com
2. Your Personal ID is your ID Number, and ssims is the password.
3. Once a year, you will have to AUTHENTICATE your account:
a. School/library username: mcpsssi
b. School/library password: mcpsmd
4. Update your user profile. Fill in your initials, and the last 4 digits of your phone number.
Use 1234 for the phone number so you don’t give out personal information. Click Save.
5. Click
Create Project.
. In the description box, give your project a title. Then click
6. This will open the Dashboard. Type in your Guiding Question.
7. Click Share Project with a teacher’s drop box. Type in the code your coach gave you.
My coach’s drop box name is _________________________
8th Grade Passion Project Process Journal—Marking Period 1—Page 11
Creating a Product
You will need to create a product that answers your guiding question. Here are some
possibilities. You don’t need to choose one now, but start thinking about what you want to do.
Product Options:
Digital Video/Movie
Series of Art
Works or Wall
Mural
Fundraiser
Web Page
Model/Construction/
Board Game
Captioned
Visual Display
or Photo Essay
Speech
w/Audio-Visual
Material
Blog/Magazine/
Newspaper
Article
Illustrated
Essay or
Research Paper
Dramatic
Performance or
Event
Business or
Civic
Organization
Original
Creative
Writing
Other:
Please describe
8th Grade Passion Project Process Journal—Marking Period 1—Page 12