Abstract: This project is designed to get students thinking beyond the written text to its contextual milieu in a "connect the dots" sort of way.

Title of Project: The Seven Degrees of _____________________.

Grade Level(s): College

Time required to complete project: Undetermined

Content: American Literature, American History

Process: Conduct research on a particular aspect of one of the assigned short stories, poems or novels, and then extend that research to a related topic, and so on until the research has been extended seven times and returned full circle to the original topic. It is, of course, a play on the pop culture humor "The Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon."

Product: Students can present a diagram, skit, poem, song, or any other creative project that exemplifies the seven degrees of their topic.

Assessment and Evaluation: See Rubric for Assessment

Collaboration and group projects: At this point, the project is an individual effort; however, I could certainly see a student working from the sources the student presented the week before and extending the research that way as well. This assignment can also be one aspect of a larger group presentation where each student researches one topic and the next student builds from there, and so on until a final group project is complete.