Project Title

Multimedia Project Design

Project Title: Senate Bill Proposal Project	Grade Level: 9
Subject/Topic Area(s) U.S. Government/ Legislative Branch
Designed By: Ann Carlson	Date: 30 July 2000
School District: Anne Arundel County	School: Chesapeake Senior High School

Goal: Improve student reading and writing skills as evidenced through High School Assessment prototype scores and SAT verbal scores.
Content Standards: 6.1 Students demonstrate understanding of the nature and purposes of various forms of government, including the United States government. 6.2 Students demonstrate understanding of the foundations, values, and principles underlying democracy and government in the United States. 6.3 Students demonstrate understanding of how the United States Constitution allocates power and responsibility in the government. 6.4 Students demonstrate understanding of the organization and functions of the national, state, and local governments under a federal system. 6.7 Students demonstrate understanding of how the political system of the United States operates and provides opportunities for participation.
Project Summary: Senate Bill Project- Students will be grouped as members of the Senate committee and given the task to research and present a bill to the rest of the class (mock Senate) for a vote. Groups will brainstorm possible bill topics (i.e. banning tobacco products), select one, and conduct research using the Internet. Students will then outline the main points of their research in a PowerPoint presentation to inform and persuade their audience to vote for the proposal. From this project students will learn content (how a bill becomes a law), and also research, reading, writing, and problem-solving skills.
Objectives/Desired Results (What will the learners understand as a result of this project?) Students will use various technologies to develop effective multimedia presentations that are part of project-based learning activities Students will effectively locate, evaluate, and use Internet sources Students will demonstrate knowledge of how a bill becomes a law Students will use writing strategies to inform
Plans for Facilitation: Students will be instructed using a multi-media presentation that describes and models their project. The class will be comfortable with group activities and using the Internet for research. They will view and participate in activities that make them familiar with the content, vocabulary, research methods, and the rubric used for scoring. Additionally, students will be trained in using PowerPoint and word processing. The teacher will present the project and its grading rubric using a PowerPoint presentation and offer an example of a finished product.
Instructional Resources: Curriculum, Anne Arundel County Public Schools United States Government, Remy, 1999 edition Internet Sources- www.senate.gov Multi-media presentation PowerPoint Presenter
Type of Assessment Used (e.g. observations, work samples, electronic discussions, dialogues) Observations, Checks on research, Student Feedback sheets, PowerPoint story boards, self and group assessment
Scoring tool (e.g. rubric) to be used for evaluation. Be as specific as possible. See Below-
	Exceptional/3	Adequate/2	Attempted/1	None/0
Research	Very effective use of technology to find, evaluate and collect information to support bill. Variety of sources cited.	Effective use of technology to find information. Most details support bill. Several different sources cited.	Technology use to locate some information. Some details support bill. Few sources cited.	Ineffective use of technology to locate sources. Sources do not support bill. No sources cited.
Presentation Qualities	Very attractive and interesting presentation. All of the visuals and details enhance understanding of bill. Grammatically correct and neat.	Most of presentation is attractive . Most visuals and details focus on main idea of the bill. Most of text is grammatically correct and clear.	Incomplete presentation. Some visuals and details to support main idea of bill. Some of the text is clear and correct.	Unsatisfactory presentation. Few or no visuals and details relate to main idea of bill. Grammatical errors are clearly evident.
Format	Addresses all key parts of bill thoroughly. Contains well-developed Problem Identification, Resolution & Rationale.	Contains all key parts of bill. Most are adequately developed and supported.	Some key parts of the bill are addressed. Details are missing or poorly developed.	Missing key parts of bill. Inadequate supports.