Final Project Checklist

a last bit of review as you finish up the final project

This is really a lot like the earlier "How to Gloss a Prompt" lecture, so I'm going to simplfy this and cut right to the chase. The prompt for the Final Project is pretty long. What makes it even more complex is that there are four topics to choose from. Fortunately, the expectatoins (with appropriate variables) are pretty similar regardless of the topic you selected.

Use the following checklists as you evaluate your paper before you submit your essay. You want to make sure you did not miss anything. I recommend printing this out and using as an actual checklist.

Basic Requirements

These are the minimum requirements for the paper to be even considered:

• Projects must be 5-8 pages long (approximately 1000-2000 words of text if you are doing a website or blogsite). Papers shorter than five full pages will not be accepted/graded. If you are trying for a grade higher than a "C" then your paper must be at least six full pages.

• If you are turning in a traditional manuscript (as an attached file), the paper must be in standard MLA format, that includes both the manuscript format and the MLA-8 Works Cited page format.

• The minimum number of secondary (research) sources you must use is three (feel free to use more). Those need to be entered correctly on the Works Cited page, and you should quote directly (followed by parenthetical citations) from each source in the body of your paper.

• All projects must include (appropriate) pictures. Remember that pictures do not count as pages of text. Two of the topics have additional "visual" requirements; those are listed in the Special Requirements section below.

Content Elements that Should be in Your Project

Yhe first 1/2 of this project is already done. You are using that 100-point paper as the first 1/2 of this project, and it must be included AS the first 1/2 of this paper.

Yes, you may make some minor changes if you find things that you could improve. On the Alt House paper, for example, you might have needed more examples in the historical section you researched.

You will possibly replace the last paragraph of that shorter paper with a transitional sentence that leads to the second 1/2 of your project. For the Google Projects paper, that transtion might be something like this:

One controversial project that Google actually discontinued but should consider revisiing is Waymo, the driverless car.

Following that you would have 2-3 pages just arguing that position using newly-researched information (yes, with more quotation/citations and those new sources added to your Works Cited).

So, yes, we are scaffolding

That is, we are building on to the earlier, shorter papers with an additional section. Using the Alt House topic as an example, here is what that paper will NOW consist of:

• The opening paragraph (already done)

• A paragraph with short descriptions of a few types of Alt Houses to show the range of Alt Houses out there (already done), and this will have pictures (already done)

• A paragraph or two on the history of Alt Houses (already done)

• A paragraph or two on why Alt Houses are trending/popular (already done)

• A longer section--the second 1/2 of your paper--that goes into the design and detailed build-out with obstacles, costs, information on what liife is like in the Alt House you are imagining building, means to maximize space, etc. (this is NOT already done; you will need additional sources for some of this; this is the part of the paper you are having to create now. It will likely be several paragraphs.

• A new Works Cited containing the entries from the old Works Cited with the new entries included as well. These must be in alphabetical order.

Submission Options

• If you are submitting the paper is standard manuscript format (a traditional paper), be sure it is in MLA format, saved as a .doc, .docx, .pdf, or .rtf file that you attach to an e-mail which you send to my Gmail address. Be sure your name and the class are on the subject line of your e-mail.

• If you are turning in your project as a website or blogsite, send an e-mail to my Gmail address. Be sure your name and the class are on the subject line, and the body of your e-mail must contain the URL (link) to your website/blogsite. Web-based projects will not be in MLA format, but they must have the quotations/citations and a Works Cited (the Works Cited will likely be on a separate page with its own tab.

John Corbally
jcorbally@earthlink.net

Copyright © John Corbally