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Show N | W S Spanish Fork Covering what matters most WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2007 • B5 going the extra 50 JUNIOR HIGH HONORS STUDENTS SHOW THEY'VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES Scott Carson SFJH Each student in Maureen Betts' eighth grade Honors ( English class must complete a 'Type III" - aka "5(h Hour Project" — over the course of the year. It is a requirement that has existed as long as Maureen Betts has taught Honors English. It has become a right of passage — the crowning achievement for each of her honors students. It is an accomplishment that many of her students have expressed satisfaction over years after they have departed her classroom. The purpose of the 50hour project is to encourage students to explore creative ways to use the writing skills they have developed in their class. As they do so, higher level thinking skills come in to play. Examples of projects include: personal and family histories, poetry and short story collections, illustrated children's stories., house plans with written descriptions, plays and more. One student, Matt Peterson, shared with an interactive fiction game he had developed for the. He used his computer programming skills with his writing skills to create a game that he will highlight on his web-page. Another student, Jerron Orton, adapted the novel Jiouse of the Scorpion, into a screenplay. This futuristic story presented many challenges such as converting the thoughts of characters into words or actions for the audience and describing the intricate settings of the story. Jerron's project actually took 64 hours and there is still work left to complete the project. By comparison, the screenplay for the popular Lord of the Rings movie took 15 years to complete. Alicia Boyack wrote a novel about a girl's struggle to find herself amidst divorce and the stresses of growing up. Alicia said, "It was hard to get in the 50 hours. Every - second of my spare time went into the project. I've always wanted to write a novel, and this project got me going. I can pretty much accomplish whatever I set out to do after doing this project." Another student, Dylan Lasson, wrote to Mrs. Betts, "I just want to tell you that the 50-hour project you had us do was awesome. My project was about my grandma and her life. The 50-hour project really inspired me to go on and learn more about my witty grandma." Betts said, "The project is stressful on the students, especially if they have procrastinated. However, I have had several students from the past tell me how meaningful the project was as they have reflected back on it. They did things they never would have done without the extra push." This type of project is a great example of what we strive for as we develop meaningful literacy experiences for our students. Similar learning experiences can be found in other areas of the curriculum such as science fair projects and research projects. This type of experience not only requires students to go. the extra mile, but for teachers, such as Maureen Betts, to go the extra mile as well. Courtesy photos OVERTIME: Students in Maureen Betts' Honors English classes went the extra mile to complete their 50-hour projects. Above and below, students show some of their projects. hometown newspa Spanish Fork |