Personal Development

 Summary of Course:  
As a condition of enrollment at Valley Oaks Charter School, every student will be enrolled in a one-unit (1) course entitled Personal Development.  The purpose of this course is to facilitate students working toward some of the goals of the school that would not be covered within the other courses.  The four (4) requirements may be done in any order but must meet the deadlines listed below, with a substitute option for community service.  A report on each experience must be attached to the individual assignment cover sheet. Each VOCS student must complete the following requirements each semester:

Grading:  
The following grading scale will be used in evaluating each individual assignment:

Each assignment will be worth 20 points or 20% of the overall grade.  100 points will be the semester total.  

Letter Grade/Percentage Points
A+         100 – 97
A         96.9 – 93
A-         92.9 – 90
B+         89.9 – 87
B         86.9 – 83
B-         82.9 – 80
C+         79.9 – 77
C         76.9 – 73
C-         72.9 – 70
D+         69.9 – 67
D         66.9 – 63
D-         62.9 – 60
F         Below 60

Three (3) Criteria will be used in evaluating the student experience and/or report:
1.    Approval by parent and resource teacher
2.    Completeness and thoroughness of assignment
a.    Paying attention to all assignment details
b.    Answering all questions thoroughly
c.    Describing, in detail, aspects of the experience, when necessary
3.    Turning assignment by posted due date(s)

Late Work:  Late assignments are subject to a lower grade, at the discretion of the resource teacher.   

Due Dates:

                                                                 Student Name______________
Summary of Activities                            Resource Teacher ___________


1.    Community Performance:  Attend one live performance of a concert, play, or dance performance and complete a report on the experience.  See bulletin board for specific suggestions.  If you attend something other than what is listed, you must get the permission from your Resource Teacher and parent.  Any performance by the Bakersfield Symphony, Bakersfield College/Cal State, Bakersfield drama or music departments, or Stars Theater will be acceptable.

Performance Attended ____________________________________Date____________________
Attach the one page performance report and a copy of the performance program.

2.    Exhibit Attendance:  Attend one museum or zoo exhibits and completes a report on the experience.  Any exhibit at Kern County Museum, CALM, Bakersfield Museum of Art, Buena Vista Museum is acceptable.  Your Resource teacher and parent must approve other exhibits.  

Exhibit Attended_________________________Location_________________Date___________
    Attach the one-page exhibit report and a brochure from the exhibit.

3.    *Complete a minimum of three (3) hours of service to the community.  Have a responsible adult who observed your service sign off on this requirement.  Possible areas of service could be 1) being a docent at the KC Museum, 2) helping at CALM, 3) assisting in the Ag program at Valley Oaks, 4) helping with a community event such as Special Olympics.  

Service Location __________________________________Date____________________
Attach service Report.  

4.    Select one ESLR.  With your Parent and Resource Teacher, decide on an activity that would either demonstrate your competence in the ESLR or would further your progress toward the ESLR.      
Attach the ESLR report.  

*(Substitute Activity) Complete a minimum of three (3) hours, in a job shadowing experience.  Meet with your Resource Teacher/ Parent to determine, based on your interests, what type of business and/or career you would like to visit.  You may use the Internet to research career interests in your area.  You may also talk to family members and friends to assist you in your research.
Business Location __________________________________Date____________________
Attach Job shadowing Report.  



*Note:  Completion of 3 hours of community service or completing 3 hours of job shadowing experience will qualify for meeting this criteria area of the personal development course.    










                                                                 Student Name_____________________
Performance Report Worksheet                Resource Teacher__________________
                                Date____________________________


Performance Date ________________________Location______________________

Name of Performance __________________________________________________

BEFORE YOU ATTEND:  a) Pick up a copy of performance etiquette.  b) Determine with your Resource Teacher and parent what performance you are going to attend. c) Do some background research on the music or composer (for a concert), writer or the specific play, or dancer / dance company.  Use the Internet, newspaper, library, materials provided by the school.  Go to the performance as a knowledgeable person.  Write down 10 interesting things you learned from your research.  

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What are 3 good questions you want to have answered by attending the concert?  

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AFTER YOU ATTEND:  On the back of this page, write a one-page (at least 3 well developed paragraphs) report on the performance. Topic covered could be:  a) did you find answers to your questions? b) How did the performance compare to other performances you have observed?  c) What parts of the performance were the most effective and enjoyed by the audience? d) How this performance developed an interest for you that might lead to further performances. e) Was the performance something that was a familiar to you or very different from anything you have attended?  f) Did the audience seem to understand performance etiquette?  



                                                         Student Name ____________________________
Exhibit Report Worksheet                Resource Teacher __________________
                            Date ____________________________


Title of the Exhibit __________________________    Location of the Exhibit ____________________

Date of Exhibit Visit ________________________

BEFORE YOU ATTEND:  Meet with your Resource Teacher and parent to determine what exhibit you will attend.  Research the museum, artist, style, or subject matter of the exhibit. Utilizing the Internet, newspaper articles, etc.  List 10 interesting pieces of information about the exhibit.

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What are 3 good questions you want to have answered after visiting the exhibit?

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AFTER YOU VISIT:
On the back of this paper, write out the answers to the following.  Use good paragraph form for each response.    
1.    What did you learn about the subject of the exhibit?  Be specific about facts and concepts it taught.
2.    How was the exhibit presented?  Was it visually interesting?  Did it include any interactive responses, multiple senses (sight, smell, touch, taste), or participation?
3.    Evaluate your personal response to the exhibit. Was it educational, enjoyable?  Did it stimulate interest for you to learn further?  



                                                                 Name__________________________________
Community Service Report Worksheet        Resource Teacher________________________


BEFORE YOU DO YOUR SERVICE:  Select a service opportunity in the community.  Get approval for the activity from your Resource Teacher and parent. Record the following information.

Service Opportunity Selected________________________________________Date_________________

What time do you have to be there? _______________________ When will you be done? ____________

What do you need to bring with you?  Consider snack, water, and sun hat.        

What do you need to wear?

What will you are expected to do?

Who is the contact person? ___________________________What is that person’s phone number? ______


SERVICE PERFORMED:  DATE______________VERIFYING SIGNATURE_________________

TIME WORKED:  FROM _____________________TO______________________________


AFTER YOUR SERVICE:

1.    Describe what service you provided.  






2.    What did you learn? Did you learn new skills?  Was the experience educational in any way?  






3.  What did you learn about your own work ethic?  






Resource Teacher Sign-off __________________________________Date_________________________




                                            Name__________________________________
ESLR Report Worksheet    Resource Teacher________________________ Date___________________________________
            

Write the ESLR that you have selected to address.




Develop a plan, with your parent and resource teacher to show how you have mastered the ESLR or intend to further your progress toward meeting that ESLR.  















Determine with your Resource Teacher and parent how you evaluate your progress in meeting that ESLR.  
























                                                                            Name ____________________________
Job Shadowing/Career Exploring Worksheet        Resource Teacher __________________
                            Date ____________________________

Place of Business__________________________ Location of Business____________________
Contact Name and Number:  ___________________________

Date of Visit ________________________

BEFORE YOU ATTEND:  
Meet with your Resource Teacher/ Parent to determine, based on your interests, what type of business and/or career you would like to visit.  You may use the Internet to research career interests in your area.  You may also talk to family members and friends to assist you in your research.  A list of expectations for your visit are listed below:

1.    Research what company/organization you will job shadow

2.    Complete a background check of the company/organization, which includes finding a point person, within the organization, that will conduct the supervision of your visit.  

3.    Arrange a time and date to accomplish the visitation

4.    A minimum of three (3) hours must be completed by the student

5.    The visitation must include observation of day-to-day tasks by people working in the industry and interviewing key member(s) of the company/organization about their job description.
6.    The student may have an opportunity to work on small introductory tasks, with the organization. (Please document this task completely)    

Here is a list of possible questions one may ask in the interview:  
Student Goal:  Find out everything possible about the career you may be interested in pursuing.  
*What made you choose this career?
*What qualifications, i.e. schooling/training did you need to acquire this job?
*What is a typical day like?  What do you do tasks?  (Be detailed)
*What do you like about your job?
*What do you not like about your job?
*Where do you see yourself in five years?
*Do you have opportunities to create projects and expand on your own ideas?  Are you given that creativity?
*Is there growth and upward mobility in your career?

AFTER YOUR VISIT:
On a separate piece of paper, write out the answers to the following.  Use good paragraph form for each response.    
1.    What did you learn about the career, during this job shadowing experience?  Be specific about facts and concepts it taught.
2.    What are the aspects you liked about the experience and aspects you did not like?
3.    Did you get to work on any specific projects or tasks? (Please document the details of this project
4.    Did you like the experience enough to make it a possible career?  
5.    If you liked the experience and thinking about a career, what would it take for your to reach that goal?  (Be specific on schooling or training)

Note:  In order to get full credit for this assignment you must include the interview questions, responses, and the details of the task you completed for the company (if any).


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