Final Reminders!
This is it!  You're almost done!  Just a few final reminders...

1. Review the POL Outline and Schedule-- there have been some changes, so make sure you know your presentation and paneling DATE and TIME.
2. Remember to bring in copies of your PLP and any other documentation that you think might help the panel
3. Be prepared, but be relaxed.  You've got this.  

HOMEWORK:  ​None!  Enjoy a well-deserved  break.  :)

THIRD AND FOURTH PERIOD:  Final Presentation Preparation
GOAL: Be entirely finished with presentation by the end of 4th period (slides, notecards, PLP, etc.)

Room Assignments:

1. Lori's AM- Lori's Room
2. Lori's PM- Kyle's Room
3. Ashley's- Kurt's Room

During this time, you should do the following:

1. Review the POL Outline and Schedule-- there have been some changes, so make sure you know your presentation and paneling DATE and TIME.
2. Finish all presentation slides
3. Have someone else proofread and spellcheck any text that is on your slides
4. Create your presentation notecards
5. Finish your PLP, and print copies for the panel
6. Create any other handouts/documentation you want to give to your panel

FIFTH AND SIXTH PERIODS:  Presentation Practice and Critique
GOAL: To practice and refine your presentation portion of your POL

Review the POL Outline and Schedule-- there have been some changes, so make sure you know your presentation and paneling DATE and TIME.

Room Assignments:  See the Senior POL Calendar for your room and group assignments.  Scroll down to the last page!

Presentation Critique Format
Follow the directions on the handout linked above.  You'll get a hard copy of this in class as well

FIRST PERIOD:  How to make a PowerPoint that doesn't suck.
Because the Commons is taken, we're going to briefly meet here, then split up between Lori's room and Kyle's room.

Here's what you will need:

1. Powerpoint Handout
2. PowerPoint Slide Examples
3. Your brain, and a willingness to engage and work

After your group is done working through all this, you should start working through the following checklist.  This will take you through second period.

1. Complete math reflection and turn it in
2. Complete PLP
3. Complete PPT slides for presentation.  NO BULLET POINTS OF TEXT ON SLIDES.  THIS WILL MAKE YOU FAIL YOUR PRESENTATION.  TITLES OR SHORT (3 WORD) PHRASES ONLY.
4. Create notecards for presentation
5. Conference with teacher if needed
6. Finished?  Practice your presentation for a teacher or friend!

SECOND PERIOD:  Work Time
Keep working through the checklist above.  Assigned rooms are as follows:

• Lori's AM: Lori's Room
• Lori's PM: Kyle's Room
• Ashley's: Kurt's Room

THIRD PERIOD:  Example POL

• Everyone meets in Lori's room to watch an example POL and critique

FOURTH PERIOD:  Work Time
Continue working through the checklist above.  Assigned rooms are as follows:

• Lori's AM: Kyle's Room
• Lori's PM: Lori's Room
• Ashley's: Ashley's Room​

Announcements and Reminders:

1. Calendar for this Week:  Is linked on the Senior Project Page.  Remember, you do NOT have a free period on Wednesday or Thursday!!!  Meet in the Commons tomorrow morning at 8:20.

Model Senate Wrap Up:  If you didn't do these things yesterday, please do so today!

1. Model Senate Folders:  Take everything out of your folder except the voting cards.  Recycle all that stuff, and stack the folders on the front table.
2. Senate Sport Cards:  Put the card and lanyard (you can keep the card if you really want it, but I need the lanyard back) in the plastic box on the front table.
3. DP Update:  Finish your reflection and DP update.  See Friday's blog post for details.  DP UPDATES DUE at 8:30 am Wednesday.

POL Prep Steps:  All relevant docs are linked on the SENIOR PROJECT page of my DP

1. Calendar:  Make sure you understand the calendar for this week and the structure for POLs.
2. Personal Learning Plan (PLP): Linked on the Senior Project page of my DP, this must be fully completed and shared with me before your POL.  DO THIS FIRST.
3. Conferences:  Need to talk about your Senior Project?  NOW IS THE TIME!!

HOMEWORK
Finish your DP Update (including linking your reflection).  DP Updates DUE at 8:30 am Wednesday.

Model Senate Debrief
Circle up!  Let’s talk about last night.

1. Go around, share favorite moments from Model Senate, or appreciate someone.
2. Takeaways?  What did you learn?
3. What could I do better next year?  What could we change that could make this even better?
4. What advice would you give to next year’s students?
5. Should we do this project again next year?  Is it valuable?  If not, what should we replace it with?

Model SenateTask List (we'll spend about 30 minutes on this)

1. Model Senate Folders:  Take everything out of your folder except the voting cards.  Recycle all that stuff, and stack the folders on the front table.
2. Senate Sport Cards:  Put the card and lanyard (you can keep the card if you really want it, but I need the lanyard back) in the plastic box on the front table.
3. DP Update:  Finish your reflection and DP update.  See yesterday's blog post for details.  DP UPDATES DUE at 8:30 am Wednesday.

POL Prep Steps:

1. Calendar:  Make sure you understand the calendar for this week and the structure for POLs.
2. Personal Learning Plan (PLP): Linked on the Senior Project page of my DP, this must be fully completed and shared with me before your POL.  DO THIS FIRST.
3. Conferences:  Need to talk about your Senior Project?  NOW IS THE TIME!!

HOMEWORK
Finish your DP Update (including linking your reflection).  DP Updates DUE at 8:30 am Wednesday.

Your Task List for Today:

1. Directions:  Make sure you know how to get to Noble Hall 130 (see below for directions).  
2. Exhibition:  Noble Hall 130, 5-7:30pm (make sure you are in your seat and ready to go when the gavel bangs at 5:00!)
3. Dress:  Last night of professional dress!  Your suits are really seeing some use this week.  :)
4. Prepare Your Stuff:  Folders complete and put in the Model Senate box for me to transport.  Senate Sport Cards in the box on my desk for me to transport.
5. Revise Speeches:  Make sure if you are speaking tonight that you have revised your speeches to take into account the new amendments for the bills.  Do they change how your senator feels about this bill?  If so, how and why?
6. MAKE SURE LORI HAS YOUR FINAL SPEECH!  Check to make sure I have the correct version to grade.  If you are revising, make sure you share with me the document that will be your final draft.
7. POL Outline and Schedule:  Take a look at the document linked on the SENIOR PROJECT page of my DP.  Read the general outline for POLs (we'll go over this in more detail on Tuesday), and check your presentation date and paneling date.  Get them in your calendar!
8. Fold Brochures:  I have 30 brochures that all need to be folded for tonight.  Help me out!
9. Done with everything above?  Get a head start on your reflection and DP update!  Details below.

Specialized Roles: Maj/Min Leaders, Executive, Whips, Secretaries
If you are listed above, you need to be at Exhibition at 4:30 to help me set up!

Directions to Noble Hall:
 
1.Coming from downtown (the south hill)
If you are coming from the downtown area, drive up (east on) eighth ave.  Drive up the hill to the college, and drive straight through the stoplight.  Immediately on your left you will see a drop-off area with a few parking places – DON'T PARK THERE.  Keep driving straight and take the next left into the large parking lot.  Go to the far left corner (by that drop off area you just passed. 
 
2.Coming from the north (the north hill/Florida Rd.)
If you are driving from the north side of town, turn up College Drive and go uphill.  That's the stoplight between J-Bo's restaurant and Mountain Sun Apartments.  Drive up the hill, past the golf course, and take a right at the traffic circle.  Take the next left (by the soccer field).  You will soon see a very large parking lot on your right hand side.  You may enter it at any point, but make sure you drive as far down as you can (toward the stoplight).  Park in the large lot as close to the stoplight as possible.  Park there, and Noble Hall will be the building closest to you.  Go up the steps and into the building, and the rooms will be right there inside the door.  

DP Updating: Reflection
You have a number of different options...because aren't we all tired of the written confessions?

Reflection Option 1:  Reality TV Confessional- Go into the confessional booth by the bookshelves.  Video a 2-4 minute confessional style reflection on Model Senate.  Talk to the camera!  Here are some things you could talk about:

1. What was your role in Model Senate?  Could you describe what you did?  What did you like about your role?  What was hard about your role?
2. What was your favorite moment or memory from model senate?
3. What was hardest for you about this project?  Where do you think you could have improved your performance?
4. How engaged were you during the actual exhibition?  Why?  What do you think contributed to your engagement or lack of engagement?
5. What do you think about the final bill that passed out of your committee?
6. How well did our senate process reflect what actually would have happened (content and process)?
7. After doing this, how would you answer the question, “is congress broken”?
8. How was your stress level during this project?  Was that stress level warranted?  Explain.
9. If you could do this project again, what would you do differently?
10. What advice would you give to students doing this project next year?
11. Other?

Reflection Option 2:  Audio Interview
Find a friend/partner.  Find a quiet place.  Use your phone or computer to record a 2-4 minute audio interview (2-4 minutes of interview EACH).  Questions could include:

1. What was your role in Model Senate?  Could you describe what you did?  What did you like about your role?  What was hard about your role?
2. What was your favorite moment or memory from model senate?
3. What was hardest for you about this project?  Where do you think you could have improved your performance?
4. How engaged were you during the actual exhibition?  Why?  What do you think contributed to your engagement or lack of engagement?
5. What do you think about the final bill that passed out of your committee?
6. How well did our senate process reflect what actually would have happened (content and process)?
7. After doing this, how would you answer the question, “is congress broken”?
8. How was your stress level during this project?  Was that stress level warranted?  Explain.
9. If you could do this project again, what would you do differently?
10. What advice would you give to students doing Model Senate next year?
11. Other?

DP Update: Here's what you need

1. A picture of the US Senate Seal
2. A description of the project- what was it, what did we do, what did you do
3. Your legislation
4. Your speech
5. Your video or audio reflection

A few notes...
Nice job so far!  I'm impressed by the focus and seriousness you are all bringing to this task.  The level of debate is high!  A few quick observations:

1. Senators:  Make EYE CONTACT during your speeches!  Practice until you can fluidly look up and down from your speech!
2. Voting:  When you're looking at the final amended bills this afternoon, make sure you understand how any of the amendments might change your senators position on the bill.  Does it make you more or less likely to vote for them?  Also, remember that abstaining should only be done if your senator is in a real bind, and abstaining is the only way out for them.

This Afternoon:
This afternoon, your task is to take any bills that pass out of committee, and make sure you fully understand how the amendments modify the bill, and how these amendments modify your party and senator's positions on the bill.  

What if my bill didn't make it out of committee?
You should still submit a final written speech to your Humanities teacher.  You are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED to add yourself to the speaker's list for another bill and speak in favor or opposition.  This doesn't need to be formally written out, and can be shorter than the usual 2-3 minutes!

What are we doing tomorrow?
Tomorrow we'll be taking time to go over final details for the Exhibition at Fort Lewis, give you final feedback and notes before our last night, and to revise speeches for people who are speaking on Friday so that they better address the fully amended bill.

We'll be gathering all the materials you need, and putting them in your folders for me to transport up to the Fort.

We will also go over the Senior POL and paneling schedule to make sure there are no intractable conflicts.

Don't forget, we're on a WEDNESDAY schedule tomorrow!