UNIQUE DESIGN

Choosing a Topic & Developing a Project

The Purpose of Unique Design

• To provide an avenue for students to dig deep and learn more about themselves and
• To celebrate each student’s unique design, bestowed upon them by God and made evident through their unique interests, skills, and abilities.

Unique Design Fair

• A Unique Design Fair (similar to a science fair) will be held on the last day of the spring semester.
• Judges will be brought in from the community to interview all students participating.
• Winners will be chosen and announced that day at the Year-End Assembly.

Unique Design Components

• The Unique Design assignment includes three components:
• research,
• a tri-fold presentation board, and
• a project.

Research: 5-6th Grade

• This week (week 14), you will decide your Unique Design topic and divide the topic into eight subtopics.
• These subtopics will form the basis of your UD research and will be completed as Digging Deeper reports on weeks 16-23.

Research: 7-8th Grade

• On week 9, you chose your Unique Design topic and brainstormed ways it could be applied to the essay prompts for composition class and combined to form a super essay.
• This super essay will be compiled on Week 29 and will form the basis of the UD research. It will be included in the UD display.

Research: 7-8th Grade

• If you weren’t able to apply your UD topic to the personal narrative or process analysis essays written this semester, no worries! There are 4 essays that will be written next semester.
• 3 of these 4 essays should be on the chosen Unique Design topic. The essays remaining to be written are informative, persuasive, compare / contrast, and descriptive.

Choosing a Topic

Your goal: Choose a topic that you truly connect with and want to explore further this year.

Now that you've had a few weeks to practice "Digging Deeper" into your areas of interest, it’s time to choose your Unique Design topic.

Examples of Good Topic Types

• An area of personal interest (e.g., recycling, composting, robotics, culinary arts, music production).
• A future career interest (e.g., architecture, nursing, coding, teaching, aviation).
• A personal mission or cause (e.g., disability advocacy, homelessness, pollution awareness).
• A specific hobby or skill (e.g., baking sourdough, wildlife photography, martial arts, knitting).

Topics to Avoid

• Topics that are too broad�(e.g., “history,” “sports,” “science”) – these are unmanageable�

Instead, narrow to “the history of women in aviation” or “sports nutrition for athletes.”

Topics to Avoid

• Topics without a personal connection�

You will lose motivation over the year.

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Topics to Avoid

• Controversial topics that are too complex or inappropriate for age/setting

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(e.g., detailed political arguments, polarizing moral debates)

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Topics to Avoid

• Topics with limited resources�

If you cannot find books or articles on your reading level, you will have a harder time.

Presentation Board

• A 36” x 48” tri-fold presentation board should be created to serve as a visual aid
• It should be designed to be visually pleasing and intriguing to garner the interest of those passing by.
• The board should include a title and the student’s name.
• The board should include information such as key findings, photos, graphs, statistics, or excerpts, all tied together with a cohesive theme.

Project

• Choose a project to complete related to your Unique Design topic. This project can be worked on over
• Christmas break
• Winter break
• Spring break
• Six weeks after DD paragraphs are complete (5-6th grade; wks 24-29)

Unique Design Categories

• STEM
• Humanities
• The Arts
• Business / Social Significance
• Sports and Recreation

STEM

• Agriculture or Animal Science
• Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Forensics, Geology, or Physics
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Inventions
• Nutrition
• Transportation

The Humanities

• Social Anthropology (study of people groups)
• Archaeology
• Architecture / Housing
• Criminal Justice / Law / Government
• Education
• Food (if studied culturally)
• Historical Figures/Military Generals
• Linguistics
• Psychology
• Myths/Fables/Legends
• Wars / Battle Strategy / Weapons
• World Religions

The Arts

• Art / Artists - 2D or 3D
• Dance
• Drama / Theatre
• Fashion
• Interior Design
• Music / Composers
• Photography
• Videography

Business / Social Significance

• Business Start Up
• Business Management Techniques
• Economics / Accounting / Budgeting
• Social Significance Examples:
• Homelessness / Hunger
• Humane Society
• Mission Trips
• Any cause you are passionate about

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Sports and Recreation

This category may be split depending on the number of entries.

Sports

• Any Sport or Competitive Game

Recreation

• Archery or Marksmanship
• Camping / Backpacking / Hiking
• Crocheting / Knitting (can also be in the arts if the the focus is artistic creation rather than homemaking)
• Fishing
• Food (with a culinary focus - the cultural study of food is in the Humanities category)
• Any Leisure Activity

This Week’s Homework:

• Write a short description of your chosen topic
• Create a list of eight subtopics related to your main topic (5-6th Grade Only)
• Choose a Project that will complement your topic and write a short description

Sample Homework

5-6th Grade: Complete all 3 steps.

7-8th Grade: Describe your topic in 1-3 sentences and describe your project.