Tips for Success
The best way for you to do well is to follow the rubric below, both for your own submission and as you evaluate other projects. You will also want to clearly demonstrate the skills you learned in this unit and follow any specific instructions in the project outline. To begin you will need to come up with a problem or a question to solve using the quantitative skills you have acquired in this unit (Modeling). Narrow down to one of the ideas that you submitted earlier on in this unit and take note of any comments or feedback from the TAs.
The substance of the problem you identify to work on and solve needs to involve the concepts from unit 3 (namely modeling and/or formulas that have more than one input or use exponents as a variable; for example, A=P(1+r)t. Your project doesn’t necessarily have to have a graphic showing change over time, but a graphic can make it much easier for those reviewing your project to understand it. Make sure that any graphic you create is fully labeled and clear enough that others will be able to understand it.
Project Outline
ProblemClearly state the problem you are exploring. Describe how you came up with it, and answer the following questions. Why is the solution important or interesting to you? Having a unique, original question will make your paper more interesting. Make sure that there are multiple aspects to your question or that there are multiple solutions to explore, or both. This will show that your question has depth. Gather InformationWhat information (measurements, facts, values, formulas, etc.) or data did you need to gather to answer the question? How and where did you get this information? If you couldn’t find the needed information, give it your best estimate and explain why you think your estimate is reasonable. AnalyzeThis is the main part of your paper. Describe the process you went through to make sense of the information you collected, to organize an approach to solve the problem, and to determine an answer to your question. Make sure your math is correct. A good quantitative reasoning analysis will discuss things that are not purely mathematical. Take into account and discuss other aspects of real life that will affect the question you are exploring and the decision you will make, even if these aspects aren’t quantifiable (representable numerically). This section may include graphs or other visual representations of data. Interpret and ActProvide a clear and complete substantive answer to your question. Come to a clear conclusion or decision. Then interpret the answer: What does the answer mean for you? How does the answer solve the problem? How can you use the answer in your everyday life? Reflect and Inquire AgainDo not forget to include this section in your project! Now that you have the answer, is there something you would do differently? What new questions arise from your answer? How could you extend this problem? What further questions could you now explore if you had more time? IN THIS UNIT WE LEARNED ABOUT MODELING – LINE GRAPHS, SCATTER PLOTS, LINEAR MODELING, EXPOTENTNIAL MODELING, AND COMPLEXT MODELING
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Project Rubric
Category |
Criteria |
Points |
---|---|---|
Problem/Inquiry |
1. The problem being explored is clearly stated. (1 point) 2. The problem being explored is quantitative and meaningful to the writer. (1 point) 3. The question is nontrivial, unique, and has multiple aspects (deep). (1 point) |
___/3 |
Gather Information |
1. Student thoroughly explains their process of gathering data and information (e.g. measurements, facts, values, formulas, etc.), including where the data was collected from. (1 point) 2. Information gathered makes sense in the context of the questions being asked. (1 point) 3. Student accurately explains why this data/info was collected. (1 point) |
___/3 |
Analyze |
1. Mathematical computation is accurate and correct. (4 points) **If the mathematical computations are incorrect, the student cannot get full points in the categories below. 2. Student presents an organized approach to walking the reader through each step of the problem-solving process. (1 point) 3. The analysis takes into account any aspects of real-life that may affect their reasoning process. (1 point) |
___/6 |
Interpret and Act |
1. Student’s conclusion or answer to the question is clearly stated. (1 point) 2. The student interprets the data. (3 points) 3. The student discusses how this conclusion can be applied to their life. (1 point) **If the answer is unclear and the student doesn’t state any application to their life then the student receives a zero for this section. |
___/5 |
Reflect and Inquire Again |
1. Student reflects deeply on the results. (2 points) 2. Student states how this problem can be further explored, extended, or analyzed. (1 point) **If the reflection is superficial and the student does not mention how the problem can be further explored, extended, or analyzed then the student receives a zero for this section. |
___/3 |
Total Points: |
___/20 Points |
*If any of these sections are missing from the student’s project, the student will receive 0 points in that section.