SRA FLEX LITERACY ™ IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE 47
The Capstone is intended to help students demonstrate the skills they have acquired
or enhanced in The Project Experience, specifically the ability
• to think critically,
• to make short- and long-term plans,
• to choose and implement writing modes effectively,
• to set realistic goals,
• to understand and synthesize information,
• to assess resources, and
• to create and present using appropriate media.
Students must be proficient in these areas to succeed in their Capstone projects, so
instructors should actively discuss them as a touchstone in each lesson plan. By
making it concrete for students what they gain from projects and, more importantly,
why this knowledge matters, instructors can reinforce lessons.
With these values and desired outcomes in mind, consider the following tips to prepare
your students for the Capstone:
• Introduce the Capstone early in the year to encourage thought about topics.
• Familiarize yourself with the timeline, assessment criteria, and other Capstone
materials, which can be found in FLEXWorks .
• Help students create a year-long organizer in the first weeks of instruction, and
have them keep all project materials in this organizer. Instructions for creating
the organizer can be found in the Foldables® Pre-Project Lesson.
• Have students document their interests about each project on the back of their
Project Portfolios. Doing so will give them potential topics to mine for the
Capstone. A writing prompt connected to this process occurs on the last day of
each project.
• Research the role of Capstone projects in education so that you can discuss
their pedagogical importance with the class and with families.
• Dedicate regularly scheduled class discussions to how working on projects
prepares students for the Capstone.
• Draw connections between acquired skills and their practical applications (e.g.,
how research skills can help them decide what new cell phone or computer to
purchase, or how they can create a website to communicate with others on a
community issue or personal interest).