Independent Study
Offered to rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors
The Independent Study Program (ISP) at Lincoln School is offered to rising sophomores, juniors and seniors. Designed for motivated learners who are interested in immersing themselves in a self-designed curriculum that reaches beyond our core academic program, ISP students develop a year-long or semester course that delves deeply into a subject in which they have a proven track record of success.
With guidance from a project advisor, ISP students invest themselves in rigorous academic discourse that involves research, reading, experimentation, investigation, reflection, critical dialogue, and the production of a final capstone project as the culmination of the course. Taken for full or half academic credit, on a Pass/Fail basis, the Independent Study Program is a unique and challenging opportunity for learners who are interested in an in-depth exploration of a subject matter that sparks passion and curiosity.
Follow Your Passion
When students find a particular discipline or topic especially interesting, Lincoln School provides rising 10th-12th grade students the opportunity to submit a proposal for designing their own course to include objectives for learning, what sparked their interest and how they see it fitting with their overall academic career.
![From Leopard Geckos to Topology: Independent Study Projects]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1686489455/lincoln/f4pbyyzgq5u9vfl0kmml/Indep.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1686489455/lincoln/f4pbyyzgq5u9vfl0kmml/Indep.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1686489455/lincoln/f4pbyyzgq5u9vfl0kmml/Indep.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1686489455/lincoln/f4pbyyzgq5u9vfl0kmml/Indep.png","width":1200}])
Before we closed the book on the month of May, the Lincoln community spent an evening celebrating eleven Upper School students whose unique interests led them to new chapters in their academic stories. On Wednesday, May 31, the Independent Study Project cohort presented their findings to a standing-room-only audience of interested family, friends, teachers, and classmates.
Before we closed the book on the month of May, the Lincoln community spent an evening celebrating eleven Upper School students whose unique interests led them to new chapters in their academic stories. On Wednesday, May 31, the Independent Study Project cohort presented their findings to a standing-room-only audience of interested family, friends, teachers, and classmates.
Grown from a compelling unit in a class, an interest sparked by an academic summer program, or a serendipitous conversation with a faculty member, these projects had a diverse range of origins. Their subjects spanned the arts, humanities, sciences, and mathematics, and even became an opportunity to dissolve the boundaries between areas of study.
A question that all students considered over the course of their projects: “How does my learning matter to me, my community, and the world?” Each researcher, writer, artist, and engineer discovered their own answer to this question, specific to their subject, but Wednesday’s audience also walked away with the sense that the opportunity for learning itself has mattered.
Maybe a given project will lead its student to further research in college or inspire a Lincoln teacher to add a unit of study to their course, or maybe a discovery resonated with a classmate and will help shape a project of their own. Whatever their ripple effects, these projects have taught their creators that they are curious and capable scholars whose work can make a difference to their communities. The Lincoln community is lucky to be able to learn from and celebrate them as we wrap up this school year.
Oona B. ’23
Genocide Prevention and the Efficacy of the R2P Policy
Ramona B. ’23
Creative Writing: The Short Story
Lauren B. ’23
The Potter’s Wheel - Form, Function, and History
Dora C. ’25
Topology: Pushing the Boundaries
Cecilia D-G. ’24
A CAD Study on the Form of the Leopard Gecko
Meghan H. ’23
The Ramifications of Ongoing Pollution in Narragansett Bay
Maddie H. ’23
Peace Education: A Theoretical Perspective
Lily J. ’23
The Aging Brain: Form, Function, and Risks
Nicole M. ’23
Product Development Strategies
Martha S. ’23
Ethnomusicology & Peacebuilding
August S. ’24
Gendered Language in Community Interactions
Lincoln School is proud to offer multiple ways for our students to experience and explore diverse and individualized offerings throughout their Upper School career, many that can be highlighted to college transcripts.
- Emma Stenberg, English Department Head