Project Pitch
Background: Dr. Chia Tan is a primatologist who studies a very endangered species of snub-nosed monkey lives in a reserve in the southern province of Guizhou, China. There has been conflict between the animals living in the reserve and the people that live in the nearby villages. In order to promote better understanding, Dr. Tan and her colleagues have gone into the local elementary schools to conduct the Little Green Guards Program (LGG). The LGG is designed to foster a sense of pride, ownership, and empathy in the children for the amazing wild animals that live right in their own backyard. Dr. Tan and her colleagues use art projects, music, and games to teach basic things about the natural world. These initial six curriculum modules are going to be augmented by an afterschool club for the children. The Little Green Guards Club will occur once a week. As the teachers at the elementary schools would like the students to have basic English lessons but don’t have the capacity to provide the lessons themselves, every other week of the club will feature a video that teaches a letter of the English alphabet alongside interesting videos and facts about animals. For example, the pilot episode (which is being tested with the children and staff of the school) is called “A is for Ape.”
Project Outline: This is a project with three trajectories, two in the subject of biology and one in music. All three are outlined below:
Music: For the music component of this project, the students in Mike Handforth's music class would break up into bands as they typically do. Mike would teach the basics of music theory as it pertains to theme music and soundtracks, and then the student bands would design and make their own theme song. The students would practice and eventually record their songs, and in the end the best song would become the theme music for the Little Green Guards club videos.
What would the students learn from this?
In addition to helping the Little Green Guards initiative, this project would teach valuable content and skills to the students. The introduction to the world of soundtracks would be very informative and eye-opening, especially for students who are interested in filmmaking or interested in the music industry. They would get a chance to work on a project that much resembles the work of many professionals in the music industry, and it would open up a career avenue that perhaps the students had not thought of or considered. They would experience the limitations and freedoms that this particular type of musical creation has to offer, and their scope of what music is and how it is used in the world. Also, the students would get to practice working together as a band and get to further their mastery of whichever instrument they choose to use.
Timeline, exhibition and assessment?
This project would last about four weeks, give or take a couple of days. The first week would be spent learning the basics of theme music, breaking up into bands, choosing instruments, and creating a general plan for what the students want to do. The second week would be spent writing the songs, putting all of the instruments together, et cetera. The third week would be focused solely on practicing the song and getting it down exactly right. There would be a peer critique at the end of this week. The fourth week would be spent both practicing and recording the song. At the end, there would be a normal, concert-style exhibition where the students play their songs live for an audience of parents and friends. They would also vote to pick the best theme song, which would then be incorporated into the video series. This voting would not have an impact on students' grades, but it is still a fantastic real-world connection for the students to have.
How to meet the needs of diverse learners?
This project can appeal to people of all descriptions, as the process of creating one's own music is very hands-on and engaging. Also, the work can be adapted with ease to be simple or complex based on the students' skill level. The students themselves get to pick their instrument, and can then choose to create simple or complex music using various techniques.
Biology, Little Green Guards: It is my hope that the biology students of High Tech High International will help with the curriculum modules for the students in Guizhou. They would break up into groups to focus on learning about a specific topic, and then create a simplified curriculum plan for the younger children. Dr. Tan and I would then translate it into Mandarin, and Dr. Tan would teach it to the children in China alongside the local teachers.
Example: Say the students are in a group that is studying photosynthesis. They would learn the chemical equation and how it works, and then the version they would create the lesson plan for would by simplified to something the little children can easily understand ("water + air + sunlight = energy to grow"), with some sort of activity that would make it fun and memorable (such as drawing a tree, coming up with the ingredients that a kid needs to grow, et cetera).
What would the students learn?
This project would serve much the same purpose as this TPOL. In addition to providing a reason beyond just "getting the grade" to learn the material, it would familiarize the HTHI students with the process of curriculum design, and thus giving them the tools to better understand their own future education. They would learn the material in the course of creating the curriculum projects, but getting to actually create curriculum for other kids would put learning and education in a new context for them. This project would also provide a new context for their relationships with their teachers, as they would better understand what teachers do.
Timeline, exhibition, and assessment?
This would take about three weeks. The first week would be spent getting into groups, choosing from a list of topics, and doing some preliminary research. The teacher would give an The second week would be spent on more in-depth research both on their topic and on how to design a curriculum. The group would give a presentation to the rest of the class at the end of the second week on their topic and their plans for their curriculum module. The third week would be spent creating the curriculum for the children in China. The curriculum could be taught to children at Explorer Elementary for the HTHI students' exhibition. They would get a report later on what happened with the children in Guizhou, after their work has been translated and implemented in China. The students would be graded largely on participation in the group, preparation of the materials, and the quality of their final product (the curriculum).
How to meet the needs of diverse learners?
The structure of the group would allow for students with different abilities to specialize in what they are more comfortable with. In research, if they learn best through conversation, they could talk to the teacher about their questions. If they are visual learners, they could look up videos about their topic. If their strengths are in art, they could focus on the visuals of the presentation and the curriculum.
Biology, Camera Trap Project: Dr. Chia Tan has pioneered the use of camera traps in the field of primatology. Recently, her use of camera traps has gotten a lot of attention when she used them to prove that several species of primates are actually cathemeral, not diurnal (active during the day and the night, not just during the day). She has collected hundreds of camera trap photos, both from Guizhou, China and from her work in various regions of Madagascar. The students of HTHI's Biology class would get to go through these pictures, and help Dr. Tan identify what species are in the pictures and what behaviors they are engaging in. Also, Dr. Tan would come in to the school to speak about her work as a field researcher. This project could be done alongside the Fly on the Wall Project. Several biological topics could be taught via the photo activity, including the evolution and adaptation of species to their environment. Additionally, the students would participate in a "human camera trap" activity where they stay in one place for ten minutes or so, writing down what animals they see in certain area of their own neighborhood. They would do this in the same spot five or six times, and record what they discover in a camera trap journal. Students would have the option to illustrate or decorate the human camera trap journals. If disposable cameras can be procured for the students, they could do the human camera trap activity with actual photos during the Balboa or Cabrillo field trips.
What would the students learn?
This project, in conjunction with the Fly on the Wall Project, would be especially good at showing the students that in the professional adult world, scientists also use methods like photography to learn. This project would connect them to the professional adult world by having them actually help out with the real-life work of a scientist. They would also learn the biology content (the evolution of species) by actually seeing how different species interact with their environment, how they use the adaptations that they have. They would get a better understanding of what a scientist does day to day, and they would be exposed to the very cutting edge of field research. Furthermore, the human camera trap activity would help the students get a better understanding of the way animals and people coexist in populated areas, in addition to connecting them to the wildlife that live in their own backyards.
Timeline, exhibition and assessment?
This would be a very long-running project. There would be a day or so of introduction to the project's content, followed by a day with Dr. Tan as a guest speaker. There would be half-hour blocks of time that occurred two to three days a week for the students to go through the photos, so that this project could run alongside Fly on the Wall and the regular teaching. I don't know at this time how many photos Dr. Tan would like the class to go through, but it is safe to say that at this pace, this project would be about a month and a half long. The final products, to be displayed at a school-wide exhibition, would be the human camera trap journal and perhaps five or six of the most interesting photos that the student worked with. For exhibition, they could also have the option to create info graphics to explain the project to the visitors.
How to meet the needs of diverse learners?
Because the students would be learning about evolution and adaptation by actually seeing how adaptations work in the world and why they make sense, more students will understand the topic than if they just heard about it in a lecture, or read about it in an article. As was previously mentioned, students that want to be more involved can do the human camera trap activity in multiple places to compare them, they can decorate and illustrate the journal if their strengths are more of the artistic variety, and they can create info graphics to explain what they studied to visitors. This is a project that can easily be adapted for students that can handle more work, and also scaled down for students that struggle more.
Project Outline: This is a project with three trajectories, two in the subject of biology and one in music. All three are outlined below:
Music: For the music component of this project, the students in Mike Handforth's music class would break up into bands as they typically do. Mike would teach the basics of music theory as it pertains to theme music and soundtracks, and then the student bands would design and make their own theme song. The students would practice and eventually record their songs, and in the end the best song would become the theme music for the Little Green Guards club videos.
What would the students learn from this?
In addition to helping the Little Green Guards initiative, this project would teach valuable content and skills to the students. The introduction to the world of soundtracks would be very informative and eye-opening, especially for students who are interested in filmmaking or interested in the music industry. They would get a chance to work on a project that much resembles the work of many professionals in the music industry, and it would open up a career avenue that perhaps the students had not thought of or considered. They would experience the limitations and freedoms that this particular type of musical creation has to offer, and their scope of what music is and how it is used in the world. Also, the students would get to practice working together as a band and get to further their mastery of whichever instrument they choose to use.
Timeline, exhibition and assessment?
This project would last about four weeks, give or take a couple of days. The first week would be spent learning the basics of theme music, breaking up into bands, choosing instruments, and creating a general plan for what the students want to do. The second week would be spent writing the songs, putting all of the instruments together, et cetera. The third week would be focused solely on practicing the song and getting it down exactly right. There would be a peer critique at the end of this week. The fourth week would be spent both practicing and recording the song. At the end, there would be a normal, concert-style exhibition where the students play their songs live for an audience of parents and friends. They would also vote to pick the best theme song, which would then be incorporated into the video series. This voting would not have an impact on students' grades, but it is still a fantastic real-world connection for the students to have.
How to meet the needs of diverse learners?
This project can appeal to people of all descriptions, as the process of creating one's own music is very hands-on and engaging. Also, the work can be adapted with ease to be simple or complex based on the students' skill level. The students themselves get to pick their instrument, and can then choose to create simple or complex music using various techniques.
Biology, Little Green Guards: It is my hope that the biology students of High Tech High International will help with the curriculum modules for the students in Guizhou. They would break up into groups to focus on learning about a specific topic, and then create a simplified curriculum plan for the younger children. Dr. Tan and I would then translate it into Mandarin, and Dr. Tan would teach it to the children in China alongside the local teachers.
Example: Say the students are in a group that is studying photosynthesis. They would learn the chemical equation and how it works, and then the version they would create the lesson plan for would by simplified to something the little children can easily understand ("water + air + sunlight = energy to grow"), with some sort of activity that would make it fun and memorable (such as drawing a tree, coming up with the ingredients that a kid needs to grow, et cetera).
What would the students learn?
This project would serve much the same purpose as this TPOL. In addition to providing a reason beyond just "getting the grade" to learn the material, it would familiarize the HTHI students with the process of curriculum design, and thus giving them the tools to better understand their own future education. They would learn the material in the course of creating the curriculum projects, but getting to actually create curriculum for other kids would put learning and education in a new context for them. This project would also provide a new context for their relationships with their teachers, as they would better understand what teachers do.
Timeline, exhibition, and assessment?
This would take about three weeks. The first week would be spent getting into groups, choosing from a list of topics, and doing some preliminary research. The teacher would give an The second week would be spent on more in-depth research both on their topic and on how to design a curriculum. The group would give a presentation to the rest of the class at the end of the second week on their topic and their plans for their curriculum module. The third week would be spent creating the curriculum for the children in China. The curriculum could be taught to children at Explorer Elementary for the HTHI students' exhibition. They would get a report later on what happened with the children in Guizhou, after their work has been translated and implemented in China. The students would be graded largely on participation in the group, preparation of the materials, and the quality of their final product (the curriculum).
How to meet the needs of diverse learners?
The structure of the group would allow for students with different abilities to specialize in what they are more comfortable with. In research, if they learn best through conversation, they could talk to the teacher about their questions. If they are visual learners, they could look up videos about their topic. If their strengths are in art, they could focus on the visuals of the presentation and the curriculum.
Biology, Camera Trap Project: Dr. Chia Tan has pioneered the use of camera traps in the field of primatology. Recently, her use of camera traps has gotten a lot of attention when she used them to prove that several species of primates are actually cathemeral, not diurnal (active during the day and the night, not just during the day). She has collected hundreds of camera trap photos, both from Guizhou, China and from her work in various regions of Madagascar. The students of HTHI's Biology class would get to go through these pictures, and help Dr. Tan identify what species are in the pictures and what behaviors they are engaging in. Also, Dr. Tan would come in to the school to speak about her work as a field researcher. This project could be done alongside the Fly on the Wall Project. Several biological topics could be taught via the photo activity, including the evolution and adaptation of species to their environment. Additionally, the students would participate in a "human camera trap" activity where they stay in one place for ten minutes or so, writing down what animals they see in certain area of their own neighborhood. They would do this in the same spot five or six times, and record what they discover in a camera trap journal. Students would have the option to illustrate or decorate the human camera trap journals. If disposable cameras can be procured for the students, they could do the human camera trap activity with actual photos during the Balboa or Cabrillo field trips.
What would the students learn?
This project, in conjunction with the Fly on the Wall Project, would be especially good at showing the students that in the professional adult world, scientists also use methods like photography to learn. This project would connect them to the professional adult world by having them actually help out with the real-life work of a scientist. They would also learn the biology content (the evolution of species) by actually seeing how different species interact with their environment, how they use the adaptations that they have. They would get a better understanding of what a scientist does day to day, and they would be exposed to the very cutting edge of field research. Furthermore, the human camera trap activity would help the students get a better understanding of the way animals and people coexist in populated areas, in addition to connecting them to the wildlife that live in their own backyards.
Timeline, exhibition and assessment?
This would be a very long-running project. There would be a day or so of introduction to the project's content, followed by a day with Dr. Tan as a guest speaker. There would be half-hour blocks of time that occurred two to three days a week for the students to go through the photos, so that this project could run alongside Fly on the Wall and the regular teaching. I don't know at this time how many photos Dr. Tan would like the class to go through, but it is safe to say that at this pace, this project would be about a month and a half long. The final products, to be displayed at a school-wide exhibition, would be the human camera trap journal and perhaps five or six of the most interesting photos that the student worked with. For exhibition, they could also have the option to create info graphics to explain the project to the visitors.
How to meet the needs of diverse learners?
Because the students would be learning about evolution and adaptation by actually seeing how adaptations work in the world and why they make sense, more students will understand the topic than if they just heard about it in a lecture, or read about it in an article. As was previously mentioned, students that want to be more involved can do the human camera trap activity in multiple places to compare them, they can decorate and illustrate the journal if their strengths are more of the artistic variety, and they can create info graphics to explain what they studied to visitors. This is a project that can easily be adapted for students that can handle more work, and also scaled down for students that struggle more.
Personal Statement
Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?
I am very proud of my work with Dr. Chia Tan on the Little Green Guards project. It combines many of my interests (Mandarin, animals, and education) in a way that helps other people and animals. I have always, always needed to be doing something to make the world better ever since I was a little girl. Now, however, I feel like I can make a real difference. I'm mature enough and I have all the right abilities for this project, and it makes me so happy to see all of the pieces coming together, one by one. I see this project as both an incredible opportunity for progress in and of itself, and also as a learning experience. I've been lucky enough to fall in with Dr. Tan, who has been a wonderful mentor to me. I've tried to do various change-making projects my whole life, but this one is definitely the largest in terms of scale. I've also come into contact with so many interesting, dedicated people while working with the Little Green Guards project. It's all very exciting, and it gives me high hopes both for my future and for the future of the world in general.
Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.
When I was fifteen, I was accepted into the summer program of the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y), a highly competitive government program that sends dedicated language-learners to a foreign country for intensive study. It was the first time I'd been away from my parents for more than two weeks. I stepped up into a new level of personal responsibility, and proved to my family that I could really look after myself in a challenging environment. For six weeks, I lived in Shanghai with a host family. I had an hour-long commute across the city each day, which involved two buses, a train, and walking. I dealt with language barriers, cultural barriers, and sexual harassment. I learned to manage my money on a day-to-day basis. I cooked some of my own food, and ate my host family's meals. I engaged in an intense school curriculum, but I didn't just learn Mandarin vocabulary and sentence structure: I learned a whole lot about myself.
It was a critical factor in my growing up, in my transition from childhood to adulthood. My family saw me differently when I came back. For example, if I could commute across Shanghai by myself every day, then taking the bus alone in San Diego is not really a problem. Furthermore, the way I was able to manage my extreme food allergies in a dangerous environment. I am anaphylactic (deathly allergic) to peanuts and to tree nuts. Anyone who has had Chinese food can tell you that peanut oil and peanuts are extremely prevalent in the culture's cuisine. I had to be extremely careful about what I came into contact with and extremely specific when educating the people I came into contact with about my allergy. I baked my own bread every few days, and at mostly fruit, vegetables, and eggs. There has always been some doubt in my mind (and probably in many of my family members' minds, too) that I would be able to take care of myself like this in a country like China where peanuts are such a staple. It was nerve-wracking at first, but I adjusted and became quite comfortable with caring for my dietary needs. I learned to make many Chinese vegetable dishes from my host family, and I proved to my family back home that, despite my allergy, I could manage to live in China. I feel like I changed, in the eyes of my family, from someone one who always needed taking care of to a more independent person who could take care of herself much more.
I am very proud of my work with Dr. Chia Tan on the Little Green Guards project. It combines many of my interests (Mandarin, animals, and education) in a way that helps other people and animals. I have always, always needed to be doing something to make the world better ever since I was a little girl. Now, however, I feel like I can make a real difference. I'm mature enough and I have all the right abilities for this project, and it makes me so happy to see all of the pieces coming together, one by one. I see this project as both an incredible opportunity for progress in and of itself, and also as a learning experience. I've been lucky enough to fall in with Dr. Tan, who has been a wonderful mentor to me. I've tried to do various change-making projects my whole life, but this one is definitely the largest in terms of scale. I've also come into contact with so many interesting, dedicated people while working with the Little Green Guards project. It's all very exciting, and it gives me high hopes both for my future and for the future of the world in general.
Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.
When I was fifteen, I was accepted into the summer program of the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y), a highly competitive government program that sends dedicated language-learners to a foreign country for intensive study. It was the first time I'd been away from my parents for more than two weeks. I stepped up into a new level of personal responsibility, and proved to my family that I could really look after myself in a challenging environment. For six weeks, I lived in Shanghai with a host family. I had an hour-long commute across the city each day, which involved two buses, a train, and walking. I dealt with language barriers, cultural barriers, and sexual harassment. I learned to manage my money on a day-to-day basis. I cooked some of my own food, and ate my host family's meals. I engaged in an intense school curriculum, but I didn't just learn Mandarin vocabulary and sentence structure: I learned a whole lot about myself.
It was a critical factor in my growing up, in my transition from childhood to adulthood. My family saw me differently when I came back. For example, if I could commute across Shanghai by myself every day, then taking the bus alone in San Diego is not really a problem. Furthermore, the way I was able to manage my extreme food allergies in a dangerous environment. I am anaphylactic (deathly allergic) to peanuts and to tree nuts. Anyone who has had Chinese food can tell you that peanut oil and peanuts are extremely prevalent in the culture's cuisine. I had to be extremely careful about what I came into contact with and extremely specific when educating the people I came into contact with about my allergy. I baked my own bread every few days, and at mostly fruit, vegetables, and eggs. There has always been some doubt in my mind (and probably in many of my family members' minds, too) that I would be able to take care of myself like this in a country like China where peanuts are such a staple. It was nerve-wracking at first, but I adjusted and became quite comfortable with caring for my dietary needs. I learned to make many Chinese vegetable dishes from my host family, and I proved to my family back home that, despite my allergy, I could manage to live in China. I feel like I changed, in the eyes of my family, from someone one who always needed taking care of to a more independent person who could take care of herself much more.