Instructions

Your response to the final examination question should be uploaded to the assignment folder no later than the conclusion of the eighth week of the semester.  The grading rubric and citation footnotes according to the University of Chicago standards are described in detail in the syllabus. 
    The Cold War was the primary feature of international affairs between the conclusion of the Second World War and the collapse of the former Soviet Union.  In a coherently organized, well-documented essay, evaluate the ideological and nationalistic foundations of the Cold War.  What were the historical milestones, controversies and accomplishments that took place within this time frame?  How and why did the Cold War finally conclude?  Concentration on bi-polar competition resulted in many important issues throughout the globe not being given sufficient consideration.  Provide specific examples and explain this situation.  What impact have these developments had upon the United States and its role as a major international power?                                              Here is an opportunity to pull together diverse themes involved in the evolution, milestones, controversies and legacy of the cold war.  We need to maintain awareness of other major problems the world faced at the same time such as nationalism, particularly in the Middle East, struggles over resources and how colonial regimes were able to develop while often displaying disinterest in the cold war rivalry.  Also take notice of constitutional issues between the executive and legislative branches in terms of oversight responsibilities regarding foreign and defense issues.  You may if needed exceed the page limit although I do not recommend that since this is not a thesis but an exam designed to be completed in theory during a two and a half hour period.  Cite sources consulted but unless you are quoting directly at length, a footnote is not necessary.  Most importantly, if unexpected circumstances intervene, communicate with me prior to the deadline and include reference to how long an extension you will need.

2020 Senior Legacy Project!
Create a Ted Talk
Summative 100 points
Imagine that Superintendent Looney is hosting a county-wide graduation for the class of 2020 and you have been chosen to be a guest speaker. You have been asked to deliver a speech on an IDEA that you feel your classmates should consider as they prepare to embark on the future. Because you cannot deliver the speech in person, you will need to make a video of your speech. The format of the speech will mimic a Ted Talk. For this TALK, you should draw on real world examples, personal anecdotes, data sheets, gripping stories, and other resources to persuade your peers to move forward in a way that positively influences the future of America!
Requirements for your Talk:
1.      3-5 minutes in length
2.      Talk about something you are passionate about
3.      Include a visual
4.      Incorporate research. Support your idea with at least reference to 3 different sources (see sample videos)
5.      Shared with at least 3 other seniorsEvery senior in Multi and World are doing this project!
6.      DELIVERED IN YOUR GRADUATION CAP and GOWN!
7.      Ted Talk Planning sheet due April 20 (formative grade)
8.      Ted Talk due May 1 (Summative Grade)
Sample Ted Talks Created and Delivered by STUDENTS! Here are examples of Ted Talks presented by students your age and younger. The last link will take you to a YouTube channel dedicated to student made Ted Talks.

Why labeling students as Gifted isnt working
How do you want to be remembered?
Mental Health: Is this class missing from your schedule?
A better way to learn a new language?
The mindset of a champion
Redefining gender roles for todays youth
Follow this link to more examples on YouTube!

Feeling overwhelmed? Well Dont. Simply follow the steps below!

8-Step Process for Creating Your TED Talk
Step 1. Find an idea you want to share
To hone in on your idea worth sharing, it can be useful to ask yourself things like:
What am I passionate about?
Whats one assumption Id like to challenge?
Whats a belief of mine that has changed, and why?
What does everyone miss when they think about my area of interest or expertise?
    And remember, youre looking for an idea. Please watch this video about How to get an idea for a Ted Talk
an idea is not a theme, a general truth, a platitude or a big goal. Everyone wants to feel included is not an idea, its a general truth. Empowering women is not an idea, its a topic.

Step 2. Develop an unexpected and/or catchy way to state your idea
If your idea can be stated in a catchy way, listeners will pay more attention and remember it more easily. Here are some examples (with more conventional versions of the same idea in parentheses):
We can solve malnutrition now (vs. Malnutrition is a problem that is finally, in our day and age, able to be resolved by advances in science.)
Almost dying saved my life (vs. A near death experience created the motivation for me to face and overcome problems that otherwise would have slowly killed me.)
Never, ever give up (vs. Cultivate the ability to commit without wavering; its an essential component of your lifelong success.)

Step 3. Collect anything and everything that relates to your idea
To re-create your idea in the minds of your listeners, youll need vivid examples, illustrations, stories, facts, questions, comments, etc.  So, take a few days to notice anything and everything that relates to your idea, and collect these materials by writing them down, taking photos, recording your thoughts as sound files, etc.
Examples of things you might collect include:
    a snippet of conversation
    a quote you heard in high school
    a story that relates to your idea
    a fact, or cluster of data that supports it
    a metaphor or analogy that helps explain it
    a personal moment in your relationship with the idea
    a physical object that will help your audience understand it
    Basically, anything that comes to your mind at this stage should be collected.
    And dont worry yet about which materials will end up in your talk. You cant collect things and evaluate them at the same time, so just collect for now; youll have a chance to evaluate later.

Step 4. Start imagining how you might open and end your talk
While its too soon to choose your opening and close, its not too soon to start playing with ideas for these important parts of your talk. An effective way to begin any speech (not just a TED talk) is to grab your audiences attention often with a human-interest story, a story about yourself or a family member, a surprising statistic, an unexpected observation, or a thought-provoking question. There are probably some great attention-grabbers in the material you collected for Step 3. Pick one that you particularly like, and flag it as a possible opening for your talk.
As for the close, youll probably want to end your talk in a positive, forward-looking way. This is often done by: calling the audience to action; painting a hopeful picture of the future; and/or paying off (finishing, resolving) a story or discussion that has run through your talk, so that listeners get a sense of closure.
Step 5. Put the rest of your materials in a reasonable order
The middle of any speech is tricky, and a TED talk is particularly so, because TED talks can take just about any form youd like. So, to tackle this part of your TED talk, take the materials youve collected and shuffle them until you find a good arrangement. To do this, you can:
Create a high-level outline (leave out most of the detail, just arrange the big points or elements)
Write each element (story, comment, observation, fact) on a 3 x 5 card and physically shuffle them to see different possible orders. (You can do this on a table, or digitally, by creating one slide per element and shuffling them with PowerPoints slide sorter feature)
Use sound (speaking out loud) instead of writing to put your talk elements into different sequences (Ask: Does it sound right if I tell that story first, then give the fact? How about if I give the fact first, then tell the story?)
Try any other method that works for you.
How will you know when the order is good?
Keep in mind that your goal is to create an understanding of your idea in the minds of your audience members, and try to arrange your explanations, comments, and stories in a way that leads to that goal. (Youll get to test this on real people in Step 7.)
Trust your instincts: If something seems out of place to you, it probably is. Try moving it to a different part of your talk or even skipping it and see if that works better.
And dont expect to find the best organization for your talk the first time you try, because that almost never happens!

Step 6. Talk your way to a rough draft of your script
This is where your speaking plan becomes a speech. Take your outline or list of ordered elements and talk about each item in turn.
When Im writing a speech, I like to literally talk it out loud and type up what Im saying as Im saying it but you can also use your computers voice recognition software to capture your words, or talk into the voice memo feature on your phone (this used to be called dictating) and type up the sound file later.
Why record yourself talking instead of just writing out the speech? Because most of us get all formal and stiff when we write, and the ideal for a talk is that it sounds like youre talking!
And heres a hint: As you do this step, pay attention to the way different elements (materials) that youve used in your talk are connected.
If, for example, you tell me that:
    The river flooded, and some people moved out of the neighborhood
Ill want to know: Did people move because the river flooded? Did most people stay even though the river flooded? Did the river flood after people had already moved? When you spell things out clearly, people will form a clear picture of your point.

Step 7. Try out your Ted talk draft on a volunteer listener (another senior)
The point of this step is to get feedback on how to improve the structure and clarity of your draft.
Ask someone you trust a smart 10-year-old is perfect to listen to your talk.
Read it to them (because you havent finalized, let alone memorized, it yet), and then ask them:
    Did I explain my idea clearly?
    Was there anything in my talk that you didnt follow?
    Was there anything you didnt understand?
    Did anything seem out of place?
    Did I lose your interest anywhere?
    If your listener wants to discuss the 6,000 facts you left out, or how your talk should really be about X instead of Y, gently lead them back to these questions.
    The point is not to change your talk. The point is to improve its effectiveness.

Step 8. Repeat the following steps as needed
1.    Based on your listeners feedback, make changes that will improve your draft. But dont get carried away editing; if it aint broke, dont fix it! (And keep your old drafts in case you want to go back to something you did earlier; I number mine v1, v2, v3, etc.)
2.  Practice delivering your new draft out loud.
3.  Try out your new draft on a volunteer listener, get their feedback, and repeat these steps as often as needed until your talk has taken a satisfying shape.
And finallyTheres no better time to start working on your talk than now. Even if your schedule is crammed, youre better off working for a few minutes each day than leaving everything to the last minute! And as you work this process, remember that perfection isnt possible.
So instead of striving for perfection, prepare carefully, take your best shot, and try to relax.
Your fellow graduates are going to love this talk and you deserve to enjoy it, too!

Senior Legacy Project
Ted Talk Planning Sheet
Due April 20/Formative Grade

The main presentation should be 3-5 min long.
Requires an effective, refined script/notecards and PRACTICED delivery/presentation.
Title
10 points
Think up a descriptive title. Try to be creative if it fits.

Speaker
Your Name here

Purpose
10 points
What is the purpose or intention behind your presentation? What do you want the audience to take away from your talk? Why is it important for your audience to hear this talk? Why are you passionate about this topic?

Hook Opening
10 points
Something interesting/funny/special that makes us want to listen to the rest of your talk.

Ethos
10 Points
Why are you an expert in this topic? How will it help us to know these things? appeals to: Intelligence Virtue Morals Perception of trustworthiness

Pathos
20 Points
What emotions should you evoke in us to make us care? THINK EMOTIONAL (It will make you happy, popular, safe, full, awesome) Pathos appeals to: Emotions and feelings Biases and prejudices Senses Motivations

Logos
20 Points
What data can you show us? Examples? Testimonial? What reasoning, evidence, facts exist about this subject? THINK LOGICAL (Its smart to choose this because) Logos utilizes: Evidence Testimony Statistics and Data Universal truths

Closing
10 Points
Talk about your purpose or what the audience should learn from your project. Inspire your audience with your passion and excitement about this topic. Conclusion Include a meaningful take-away/reflection for the audience.

Visual/Work Cited
10 Points
What will you show? Picture/Art/Graph/Chart/Short video clip. Add links to your 3 sources in this box.

Rubric

For Ted Talk Video: (more detailed rubric will be posted by Monday, April 20; however, the breakdown is listed below):

Hook/Closing:  20 points

Content: 50 Points (The actual body of the speech. Your stories, evidence, points)
      Ethos
      Logos
      Pathos

Visual/Citations: 10 points