This

I Believe Project

Objectives Assessed:
You will understand that other peoples values have validity through your experiences in our community of diverse learners
(Objective 3)
You will be able to explore and develop your own belief system (Objective 7).
You will be able to express the significance of diverse perspectives in various communities (Objective 8).

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Throughout this unit we have been discussing things that influence the way things are around us, or to use
our buzz word, the status quo. We have looked at rules from our school and our own homes, laws and
cultural traditions in our nation, and morals and beliefs.

As we dig deeper as a class, you will have the opportunity to dig deeper for yourself too. You will write a
This I Believe statement using personal anecdotes, opinions, and examples that will explain your belief
and how it either aligns with or questions the status quo. These will be comparable to the examples we
will study from the NPR initiative. Your statement will allow YOU to articulate something that you believe
in. You will choose your own topic.

To enhance your presentation, you will choose ONE option from the list below to create a multi-media
component. Your media presentation should complement what you have written and allow us to better
understand your statement.

Visual Options

p Digital Story
p Podcast
p Silent Film
o Note: You will need to read your statement aloud while the class watches your silent film
p Propose your own topic to be approved!

Finally, after you have written your This I Believe statement and digitally enhanced it, you will share your
statement with our classroom community at the end of the unit. After our celebration and presentation
day, you will write a brief unit reflection considering the belief statements of your peers as well as your
own.
SUMMARY STEPS TO FOLLOW:

p
p
p
p
p
p
p
p

Re-read your blog posts

List OLD ideas from your blog and add NEW ideas that could be your topic
Choose 1-2 of your favorite topics
Brainstorm anecdotes, opinions, and examples to support 1-2 topics
Begin drafting your statement
Revise in class AND on your own
Digital Workshop your visuals
Write Unit Reflection in a Blog Post

Grading Rubric

Scoring Category



Belief Statement

Personal
anecdotes,
opinions, &
examples

Powerfully
Proficient

Reflection

Clearly articulated
Central to the piece

Explains how it
favors or
challenges the
status quo

Personal examples
are relevant and
support the belief
statement

The authors
opinions are clear
and appropriately
used to expand
the belief
statement

Multi-Media
Presentation

Present, but
somewhat unclear
Somewhat linked
to the status quo

Statement is not
relevant
Does not fully
discuss the status
quo

Clear personal
evaluation of belief
statement and visual
presentation based on
the learning goals

Points Earned



/15

Examples are

somewhat
relevant, but
unclear
The authors
opinion is

somewhat present,
but unclear or not
appropriately used
to expand the
belief statement

Examples are not
relevant, coherent,
or clearly linked to
the belief
statement
The authors
opinion is unclear,
and does not fully
extend the belief
statement

Some visuals and

audio are relevant
Media used
supports the belief
statement, but
does not fully
extend ideas

Visuals and audio

or not relevant or
cited properly
Media does not
clearly support
and/or extend
ideas presented in
the belief
statement

Includes at least ONE

take-aways from peer
presentations

Personal evaluation of
belief statement and
visual presentation is
unclear or not totally
based on the learning
goals

Includes at least TWO

lessons learned from
blog discussions

Partially includes ONE

take-away from peer
presentations

Partially includes ONETWO lessons learned

from blog discussions

Rethinking
Required

Relevant use of
visuals, audio, and
belief statement
Media used
supports and
extends ideas
presented in the
belief statement

Quite Competent

Personal evaluation of
belief statement or
visual presentation does
not fully address the
learning goals

Lacking any complete

take-aways from peerpresentations

Lacking complete
lessons learned from
blog discussions

Total Points Earned: ________ / 100 points

/35

/30

/20

Example This I Believe Statement

Accomplishing Big Things in Small Pieces

I carry a Rubiks Cube in my backpack. Solving it quickly is a terrific conversation starter and
surprisingly impressive to girls. Ive been asked to solve the cube on the New York City subway, at a track
meet in Westchester and at a caf in Paris. I usually ask people to try it first. They turn the cube over in
their hands, half-heartedly they make a few moves and then sheepishly hand it back. They dont even
know where to begin. Thats exactly what it was like for me to learn how to read. Letters and words were
scrambled and out of sequence. Nothing made sense because Im dyslexic.

Solving the Rubiks Cube has made me believe that sometimes you have to take a few steps back to
move forward. This was a mirror of my own life when I had to leave public school after the fourth grade.
Its embarrassing to admit, but I still couldnt consistently spell my full name correctly.

As a fifth-grader at a new school, specializing in whats called language processing disorder, I had to
start over. Memorizing symbols for letters, I learned the pieces of the puzzle of language, the phonemes
that make up words. I spent the next four years learning how to learn and finding strategies that allowed
me to return to my districts high school with the ability to communicate my ideas and express my
intelligence.

It took me four weeks to teach myself to solve the cube the same amount of time it took the
inventor, Erno Rubik. Now, I can easily solve the 3x3x3, and the 4x4x4, and the Professors Cube, the
5x5x5. I discovered that just before it solves, a problem can look like a mess, and then suddenly you can
find the solution. I believe that progress comes in unexpected leaps.

Early in my Rubiks career, I became so frustrated that I took the cube apart and rebuilt it. I believe
that sometimes you have to look deeper and in unexpected places to find answers. I noticed that I can talk
or focus on other things and still solve the cube. There must be an independent part of my brain at work,
able to process information.

The Rubiks cube taught me that to accomplish something big, it helps to break it down into small
pieces. I learned that its important to spend a lot of time thinking, to try to find connections and patterns.
I believe that there are surprises around the corner. And, that the Rubiks cube and I, we are more than the
sum of our parts.

Like a difficult text or sometimes like life itself, the Rubiks Cube can be a frustrating puzzle. So I
carry a cube in my backpack as a reminder that I can attain my goals, no matter what obstacles I face.
And did I mention that being able to solve the cube is surprisingly impressive to girls?
William Wissemann - Hastings on Hudson, New York
As heard on NPRs Weekend Edition, September 14, 2008
https://thisibelieve.org/essays/age/under18/