School: Lee’s Summit High School
Class: English 11
Instructor: Stephanie Melius
Client: Students Passion Project
Problem: What career or passion would you love to explore more deeply, and how could connecting with a real-world expert help you understand what it takes to succeed in that field?
Summary
Beginning in the second quarter, students embarked on a passion-based research project that emphasized professional communication and presentation skills. After selecting a personal interest or career they wished to explore, students practiced research techniques, MLA citation, and developed interview questions. With support from the teacher and school career coordinator, students connected with professionals in their chosen fields to conduct interviews via email, phone, or in-person. They compiled their findings into a research essay and created a Canva presentation to visually share what they learned. The project concluded with a gallery walk where students presented to peers and guests, followed by personal reflections on the process. Student passions ranged from pastry arts to pediatric oncology and film directing.
Takeaways
Students had an opportunity to experience and practice organizing, making decisions, facing challenges, and finding solutions, managing deadlines and balancing project demands, encouraging creativity and innovation, communicating ideas, collaborating with others, presenting findings, improving communication skills, connecting with like-minded people, and expanding their network. They increased self-awareness, confidence, and a greater understanding of one’s strengths and weaknesses. The passion projects helped some individuals discover new interests and even identify potential career paths that align with their passions.
Advice
The experience is rewarding for students. They enjoyed learning more about a true passion and communicating with someone with more experience in the field. Two of my students changed to a new subject and learned more about themselves.
Standards/Learning Targets
- ENG11_ELA_3_J: Synthesize information from two or more texts about similar ideas/topics to articulate the complexity of the issue.
- ENG11_ELA_4_A: Self-select and blend (when appropriate) previously learned narrative, expository, and argumentative writing techniques.
- ENG11_ELA_4_B: Provide a strong, controlling idea with related supporting ideas. Develop the topic with specific, relevant, and sufficient evidence that is smoothly integrated and accurately applied.
- ENG11_ELA_4_C: Introduce the topic, maintain a clear focus throughout the text, and provide a conclusion that follows from the text. Achieve the writer’s purpose and enhance the reader’s understanding of and experience with the text by making choices regarding organization and content.
- RM_11_L: Create products appropriate for audience and purpose that incorporate writing, visuals, and other forms of media to convey a message and main points.
- ENG11_ELA_6_D: Speak audibly and to the point, using conventions of language as appropriate to task, purpose, and audience when presenting, including fluent and clear articulation and strategically varying volume, pitch, and pace to consistently engage listeners.
- ENG11_ELA_6_E: Make consistent eye contact with a range of listeners when speaking, using a range of gestures or movement to emphasize aspects of speech while avoiding body language or mannerisms that might be distracting to the audience.
- ENG11_ELA_6_F: Plan and deliver appropriate presentations based on the task, audience, and purpose, making strategic use of multimedia in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest, conveying a clear and distinct perspective