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This guide was compiled from the MYP Guide to the Personal Project (© IBO 2011) and guides prepared by Concordia College, Australia as well as Suzhou Singapore International School.  

 

MYP  

Personal    

Project    

Guide  

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The IB Learner Profile  The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world. IB learners strive to be: Inquirers They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives. Knowledgeable They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines. Thinkers They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions. Communicators They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others. Principled They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them. Open-minded They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience. Caring They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment. Risk-takers They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs. Balanced They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others. Reflective They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support  their  learning  and  personal  development.  

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Brief Introduction Why do I have to do the Personal Project? The Personal Project is a mandatory project in the Middle Years Programme. It is an opportunity to explore a topic that is of interest to you, to develop your approaches to learning skills further and to create something unique to you. Will anyone help me do the project? You are responsible for your Personal Project. It is an investigation that you do alone to show your skills as an independent learner. However, you are not entirely alone in doing the project. You will be assigned an adult supervisor who will be available to offer you advice and guidance as and when you might need it. Your supervisor can do a number of things to help you in the process including: • Advising you on whether or not you are undertaking an achievable project • Helping you to create a schedule for completing the project • Discussing your area of interaction and topic to ensure they complement each other • Meeting to discuss and review your progress with your project • Advising you should any part of your project start to present difficulties Being an independent learner does not mean you have to work in isolation. In fact the best independent learners recognize how important it is to collaborate with other people when undertaking a project because a wider range of ideas can lead to a better outcome. Apart from your supervisor, you will talk with and seek advice from your parents, friends and other adults. However, the work you do in the project must be your own work. So what is the Personal Project? The Personal Project is different from many of your other subjects because you have to:

• complete your investigation within the context of one area of interact • work independently throughout the course • interact with an adult supervisor whose role is to provide guidance and advice only

The Personal Project is exactly what its title says – a personal project. Basically, you choose a topic that interests you personally and an area of interaction that helps you develop your project with a clear and specific focus. Deciding on the goal of your project can begin with the topic or the area of interaction, but at some point both need to come together and form the goal. The Personal Project is the major interdisciplinary project you do to show that you are an effective independent learner with the range of necessary skills to be ready to progress to the next stage of your learning. You have to complete and submit a Personal Project during the final year of the MYP. It is also required if you want to enter the IB Diploma Program in 11th grade.

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What exactly do I have to create for the Personal Project? You must create three items: � A process journal (similar to the developmental workbook in arts) � A product or outcome for display that shows other people what you did � A project report The Process Journal Your process journal is the record of your involvement in the Personal Project process. It should record all your ideas, your planning, your discussions, clippings of readings and concepts, diary excerpts, meeting schedules and outcomes with your supervisor, photographs – whatever you do that is part of the process should be kept in this document. You choose the format of your journal. It might be a scrapbook, a note book, an electronic site for example. Attached to this handbook are the requirements for the e-journal and for the process journal. The Product or Outcome The product you create is how you show other people what you have investigated. Apart from your journal, which will be part of the display, you need to have some way of showing what you produced or achieved for your goal. This might be the actual product such as a model, electronic article, artwork or it might be visuals of the outcome such as photographs of an event you organized. The Project Report The report you produce can be in different formats; it can be written, oral or in multi-media form. You will need to think carefully about how you report your project and how you work best. To prepare an oral report will take as long to prepare as a written report. This guide has more information about the report later on. The important thing to think about for your project is to identify something YOU want to explore and find out more about. What will be assessed? All of the three items are assessed: the use of the process journal, the product or outcome and the projects report. How will I be assessed? The Personal Project is assessed against seven criteria. Each criterion is of equal value and has 4 levels of success. The criteria are: A: Use the process journal You show that you have used approaches to learning skills (see appendix) when completing the project. This is shown in part through the use of the process journal, as a record and organizing tool for your project. You show commitment to completing the project through meeting deadlines, organizing your materials, interacting with your supervisor, and dealing positively with challenges that arise. You record your thinking and ideas as you progress through your project.

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B: Define the goal You show that you have a clear project goal associated directly with an area of interaction and a topic that interests you personally, and that you have defined specifications to be able to evaluate your goal. C: Select sources You show that you have accessed a variety of sources and that you are able to evaluate these sources, for example in terms of whether they are reliable. D: Apply information You show that you have used the information you gathered from your sources in order to complete the goal. This might be through the development of techniques, problem-solving strategies or analysis of the information you selected. You show that you have thought about the information you selected and used it in some way to further your project. E: Achieve the goal You complete the goal and evaluate the outcome or product. You award yourself a level of achievement using the specifications you created at the beginning of your project to guide you. You get input from your supervisor for the final level. F: Reflect on learning You show that you have developed a new understanding of the topic and area of interaction through deep and detailed reflection on what you have done and what you have learned by doing it. You show that you have developed a clear personal understanding of, and response to, the project topic and area of interaction because you have carefully analyzed the information you have gathered. G: Report the project You show that you have organized your project report by using appropriate presentation and linguistic conventions, in whichever format you have chosen. You meet the requirements for the word or time count of the text. Your supervisor will use these seven criteria to assess your project at the end of the process, and your supervisor will also invite other supervisors to check the result to ensure that it is consistent with the international standard set for projects.

Stage 1 the Process Journal What is a Process Journal? The process journal is a notebook or e-journal to document process and in this way you show working behaviors and academic honesty. The media for documenting the process can vary depending on your preferences. It can be written, visual, audio or a combination of these and might include both paper and electronic formats.

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The process journal is… • begun at the very start of the process and used throughout the process • a place for planning • a place for recording interactions with sources, for example, teachers, supervisors, external contributors • a place for storing useful information—quotes, pictures, ideas • a means of exploring ideas • a place for reflection on stages of the project • a place for evaluating work completed a place for reflecting on learning • devised by the student in a format that suits his or her needs • useful for the student when receiving formative feedback • used by the student to produce the project report.

The process journal isn’t… • used on a daily basis (unless this is useful for the student) • written up after the process has been completed • additional work on top of the project; it is part of and supports the project • a diary with detailed writing about what was done • a static document with only one format.

Assessment of the Process Journal This documentation of the process is assessed using Criterion A. In assessing the process journal, your supervisors will need to consider how you have demonstrated the use of ATL skills, including responsibility for your own learning in achieving your personal project goal and completing your personal project. When assessing the use of the process journal the following questions can be considered. l Have you included evidence of personal goal setting and planning, such as a plan of action? l Do you have the relevant materials during meetings with your supervisor and during work periods? lDo you follow meeting arrangements with your supervisor? Do you initiate meeting arrangements? l Do you use the meeting time productively to ask questions and seek information? l Is there dialogue between you and your supervisor? l Do you record sources consulted? l Do you include extracts of relevant information? l Do you show evidence of brainstorming ideas and use of organizational tools such as flow charts, diagrams or lists? l Do you anticipate and identify problems as they emerge? l Do you create solutions? l Do you include reflections at various stages of the process? l Do you include feedback from the meetings with your supervisor?

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It is important to remember that the process journal is personal to yourself, in the sense that you are also exploring ways of recording your process. There is no one single model and there is flexibility to record your process. However, you do have a responsibility to be able to produce evidence of use of the process journal in order for a level to be awarded for criterion A. The minimum requirement for each due date is 3 entries, 3 paragraphs each showing evidence and reflection.

Stage 2 Defining the Goals Identifying the topic Now, begin your project by identifying areas or topic of interest to yourself. Having the opportunity to think and brainstorm ideas is useful for you, as well as discussing ideas with other people, for example, other students, friends outside the school, relatives and teachers. You should document your process at this stage, including ideas discussed and your thinking.

Identifying the focus area of interaction First, and most importantly, you MUST choose an area of interaction to be the context for your project investigation. Basically, your choices for your context are: • Human ingenuity – you are interested in investigating how and why inventive and creative genius can solve problems, improve the human condition or change how we view our world and beliefs. You want to identify and explore the responsibilities we have when we make changes • Environments – you are interested in investigating how and why particular environments (natural, built, virtual) operate, face challenges or need improving. You also want to identify and explore our responsibilities towards those environments • Health and social education – you are interested in how and why people live as they do, the relationships that exist, the health and social issues individuals and groups must face and our responsibilities to ourselves and others through our lifestyles • Community and service – you are interested in investigating how and why communities exist and how and why it is important that individuals and groups offer services within communities ●Approaches to learning – you are interested in investigating how people learn and the variety of different ways in which different people can learn effectively Here are some questions you might consider as you choose an area of interaction through which to focus your project. • What do I want to achieve through my personal project? • What do I want others to understand through my work? • What impact do I want my project to have? • How can a specific area of interaction enrich my project?

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Inquiry Question So far you have an area of interaction and you have a topic of interest. Now you create a question to guide your investigation. Your question should definitely contain: • your topic • your area of interaction Your question should also demand inquiry, and not be a question that can be answered simply in a sentence or two. Examples of inquiry questions include: Human ingenuity questions: • What ingenious ideas will enable householders to reduce their carbon footprint on the planet? • What ingenious processes are involved in authentically rejuvenating an antique wardrobe? • How have ingenious humans developed human flight over time and what might the future hold? • What can be done to improve access to all areas of our school for students with physical movement disabilities? • What factors and clever strategies enable a performer to excel in a performance? Environments questions: • What materials can surfboard designers use to ensure that future surfboards are friendly to the environment? • Is the school’s use of resources efficient or wasteful and what can be done to improve the existing situation? • What are the best environmental conditions for rearing cockatiels in captivity and why are those conditions effective? • Why should all Australians be concerned about the Murray River system and what should be done to repair it? • How can I positively improve the current environment within my family’s home? Health and social education questions: • Is it important to have single gender classes at school or should everyone be in coeducational classes all the time? • What exactly is a healthy lifestyle and is it the same for everyone? • Why is it important to have a school transition program for new students and what should it involve? • How effective is the existing drug awareness program in our community, and what could be done to improve drug awareness and the dangers of substance abuse among our peers? • Does the existing homework program help or hinder students’ relationships with family and friends, and are there improvements that could be made to the program? Community and service questions: • How can school students really help people in need in the international community?

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• What actions should the general community take to enable older citizens to live safe and comfortable lives? • How can a person change the world for the better through service without spending money? • What can we do to bring the international community together to fulfill the International Baccalaureate mission? • How does my church actively serve the wider community and how might I get involved? Approaches to learning questions: • What strategies and techniques can students use to more effectively manage and complete homework? • How can a coach effectively improve the individual and team ball-handling skills of junior baseball players? • How might our school enable all students to become proficient with Information and Communication Technologies? • What could teachers do to make learning experience more enjoyable and effective for students at our school? • Why is it important to train a dog and what are effective ways to achieve this aim? Creating a good question is not easy. Adults have difficulty with the task, so don’t expect the first question you think of to be the best. Brainstorm possible questions first. Then talk to other people about your inquiry question ideas – your parents, friends, your teachers. Make sure that the area of interaction is obvious in the question or can be clearly connected to the question. Then, make a decision.

Engaging with the Areas of Interaction Your personal project must have one (and only one) focus area of interaction. This must be justified for criterion B and you must reflect on how your understanding of the area of in-teraction has developed through your project for criterion F. This section includes, for each AoI, a set of sentences called Student Learning Expectations. You should be able to match at least one of these expectations from your focus AoI to your project. Apart from Approaches to Learning, every AoI is built around a version of the inquiry cycle. Expectations from any section can form the basis of a personal project, but those relating to action normally make good projects! Deciding on the outcome or product With your topic, focused area of interaction, and inquiry question in place, you need to think about what your outcome or product will be; you have to decide the format that you will create to show your response to other people. How do you plan to answer your inquiry question? So for example, if your inquiry question is “What exactly is a healthy lifestyle and is it the same for everyone?”, and in what form do you plan to answer this? You decide that you will answer the question, for example, through producing an information board for healthy living that will be displayed in an area of the school for a period of time. You might have decided to answer it in another way such as creating a short film or writing a report for the school online newspaper. You decided on a goal that you think is achievable for yourself as well as being challenging.

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You can choose from an almost endless list of possibilities for your product – choose to create an item that will best demonstrate what you have learned through your investigation and will show other people what you have learned. Examples include: Performances play, dance, song, speech Published writing creative prose, collection of poetry, major essay, extended article, script, review Events Fund-raising evening, service in action, celebration, major event Static visual displays photographs, art, poster, model, artifact, drawings, statistical data Interactive displays web site, video, audio-visual, animation Depending on your project you might combine two or more of these ideas to create your product in response to the inquiry question. Creating specifications You will need to create specifications for your outcome or product. The specifications are the way you will know you’ve achieved your goal. You will need to ask yourself different questions in order to define the specifications. The questions you ask might change depending on the type of outcome or product. Questions you might find helpful: � What will my outcome or product look like? � What type of materials will I use? � What techniques will I use? � What type of information will I include? � How will I present the information? � Will I include visuals? � Do I need to consider any copyright or intellectual property issues? � Who is the audience? � How will I get feedback? Talk to other people about your specifications – your parents, friends, your teachers. You can always refine your specifications later as you discover more about your personal project goal, but create some now to kick-start your Personal Project and record them below. Please be noted that it is most likely that you will not be able to define the specifications until you have spent some time researching the goal and this aspect is determined once you have begun your investigations. Once you are clear on what you want to achieve and the outcome or product of their project, you will be in a position to determine the specifications.

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You may want to use the following ISMART Goal form to support your decision.

You will use these specifications to evaluate the quality of the outcome or product as assessed in criterion E.

With your area of interaction, topic, inquiry question and specifications in place, you should take time to plan your time management over the period allowed for the Personal Project. Managing time is one of the most crucial elements of the project. It is essential that you create a timeline of what you plan to do. To help you plan, you should remember that the Personal Project has at least five phases:

THINK This is the phase involving the first five steps – you develop your personal project concept through your choice of area of interaction, topic and inquiry question

INVESTIGATE This is the phase you undertake next – you gather as much information as you can on your topic.

PLAN This phase is when you plan your response to the inquiry question – sorting through information and designing your product / outcome.

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CREATE This is the phase when you actually create your product or outcome for the Personal Project.

PRESENT Finally, you present your Personal Project for viewing and assessment.

Stage 3 Select Sources / Investigation Now, it’s time to take the action of finding out information in order to respond to an inquiry question. Using your inquiry question, you will: • gather all the information you can from a variety of sources • evaluate the sources: work out which information is really useful as well as reliable and which isn’t for a response to the inquiry question What sources do I use for my investigation? You have access to a variety of information sources: • your prior knowledge • subject area content • significant/expert people • survey data • Published media (books, internet articles from magazines, journals, newspapers etc.) • internet resources • video or audio recordings • images • Web sites You should use them all, initially, to find out as much as you can on your topic. Record all of the sources you read, view, and listen to, interview in your process journal. This will form a valuable resource for later in the project process. Below is a guide for you to use. BOOKS I’VE READ ON MY TOPIC Record your books in the order – author surname, first name, Title of book in italics, city where published, publisher, year published, print or online. For example: Diner, Stephen J. A Very Different Age: Americans of the Progressive Era. New York: Hill and Wang, 2005. Print. MAGAZINE ARTICLES I’VE READ ON MY TOPIC Record your magazine articles in the order – author surname, first name, title of article in quotation marks, title of magazine in italics, Issue or volume number, pages, year of publication.

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For example: Ratnersar, Romesh. “The Homework Ate My Family.” Time. 25 Jan. 1999: 54-63. Print. WEB SITES VIEWED ON MY TOPIC Record your web site visits in the order – author surname, first name, title of web page in italics, publisher or sponsor of the site, date of latest update or copyright date, medium of the publication, date that you viewed the web site. For example: Heinrich, J. Cloning the Future. Futureconcepts.org. 2008. Web. 15 September 2008. If you cannot find the web page author, you record the web site visit in the order – title of web page in italics, publisher or sponsor of the site, date of latest update or copyright date, medium of the publication, date that you viewed the web site. For example: Cloning the Future. Futureconcepts.org. 2008. Web. 15 September 2008. PEOPLE I INTERVIEWED IN REGARD TO MY TOPIC Record interviews and significant discussions with people in the order – person’s surname, first name, kind of interview (personal interview or telephone interview), date of interview For example: Ury, Connie. Telephone interview. 2 Nov. 2002.

How do I choose what information to use? Having investigated your topic by reading, viewing, listening and interviewing to gather information, now you have to sort through what you have gathered to choose what is most useful or appropriate for your project response. There are many techniques you can apply to choose which information to use and which to leave out. Some examples are identified below as guides or reminders of what to do at this point. Sometimes one technique will work. More likely you will have to use combinations of them to finally choose what information to use. Straight logic This technique requires you to simply select information by thinking about its relevance to your inquiry question. You label pieces of information as either ‘Relevant’ or ‘Irrelevant’ and then use the ‘Relevant’ information for your project. Degree of importance You make four categories and go through your information labeling each piece of information according to the category that best describes what you have found. The categories are: Absolutely essential You cannot respond to the inquiry question if you don’t use this information. Keep it and use it.

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Very useful This is information that should be used in the response because it makes very clear to everyone what you have learned or want other people to learn about your topic. Keep and use as much of this as you can. Interesting This information does refer to the inquiry question, but if you did leave it out it wouldn’t radically change your response. Use it if you don’t have enough of the two levels above. Irrelevant When you look at your inquiry question this information doesn’t really help. It is related to the topic only, but not the area of interaction. You ignore this information. The Checklist For this technique you have a series of question that you apply to each piece of information. If it receives ticks against all questions then clearly you should use the information in your response. • Is the information source reliable and is the information accurate? • Is the information current or still valuable if it is older? • Does the information help me respond to the inquiry question? • Does the information connect clearly with the area of interaction or aspects of it? • Does the information belong to my topic? • Will the information help me to develop my project product?

Stage 4 Applying Information Application of information takes place throughout the project as you decide what actions to take and when, and as you keep records in your process journal. You need to be aware of recording your decision-making which has been based on information from sources. You will make connections with prior knowledge and new knowledge in potentially unfamiliar situations and identify solutions. When you come to report the project your records will be particularly important. As mentioned in Using the Process Journal, these records do not need to be lengthy but appropriate to the needs of you and a reminder of what you have achieved along the way. What should I keep in my Journal? Your journal is a complete record of EVERYTHING you do for your Personal Project, from START to FINISH. You should use your journal to store: • Notes and ideas on your project area of interaction • Concepts for your project • Drawings, pictures, clippings, photographs • Information gathered from your investigations • Copies of interviews and discussions with people • Plans for your project • Timeline(s) Above all else you should use your journal to make regular and detailed REFLECTIONS on your ideas, progress and challenges. Record your responses to other people’s feedback, your good experiences and your disappointments. Your journal will be the most important

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document in your Personal Project experience because from it you will be able draw all the kind of information you will need to write your statement. What should my journal look like? Whether you keep a journal notebook or an e-journal you must satisfy the checklist. MYP Journal Checklist Completion

1. Do I have three entries? 2. Does each entry have a minimum of 3 well-developed paragraphs?

Authentic Evidence

1. Have I included websites I have visited? 2. Have I included receipts for resources I bought (if any)? 3. Have I included photographs? 4. Have I included video or audio recordings (if appropriate)? 5. Have I included other items?

Reflection Have I answered these questions? 1. How satisfied am I with the project? 2. Have there been any surprises? 3. What is next? 4. Have I had any problems? How will I overcome them? 5. Do I need to expand the scope of my project? 6. Do I need to make any adjustments?

Stage 5 Working on the Product / Achieving the Goal Now you have completed your research and selected the information you need and the techniques you will use to create your product. Describe the techniques you have used to make your product. Make your product/outcome While making your product you will be using your Process Journal continuously to record each task you undertake in order to document everything you do, including things that go well, things that go wrong, things that can be improved and things that just make you smile. It is vital that as you go through the creation process, you reflect seriously in terms of your Area of Interaction focus and in terms of whether you are making progress to achieving your goal/specifications. Evaluate the product/outcome

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Now your product/outcome is finished, it’s time to evaluate the outcome/product against your own specifications for success. You must create your own rubric for the final product.

Stage 6 Reflect on Learning At this stage, you need to reflect the 4 items as listed below: l Your knowledge and understanding of the topic l Your knowledge and understanding of the focus area of interaction l Learner Profile characteristic l ATL skills that can transfer to other further research These are questions you might use to help you think about. You don’t have to answer each question as a checklist but they are to give you an idea of the type of information to include. • What exactly did you learn from your investigation? What was your response to your inquiry question? How did you reach your conclusion or hypothesis or point of view or expression of ideas? What aspects of your investigation really helped you to reach a better understanding of your topic? • What new understanding do you have the area of interaction you chose to use as the context for your project? How did the area of interaction context give you a different or better understanding of your topic? • How well did you do the project, according to your self-assessment? What did you feel you did well? What would you improve next time you do a similar project? • What specific skills did you need to develop/apply to investigate and complete your project? What new skills did you learn, or what existing skills did you improve? • What format did you use for your Journal and why was it your preferred format? • What did you learn about yourself as a person through undertaking the project process? Which of the Learner Profile qualities did you find yourself exhibiting at different times and why? Have you improved in any of these qualities? • What action should be taken by yourself and others as a result of what you discovered through your investigation? Why should that action occur? How might that action be implemented? • Final comment about your experience with the project?

Reporting the Project-Draft What is the project report? The project report is the formal record of the entire process you undertook to complete your Personal Project investigation. It will explain clearly to whoever reads, listens to or watches it: l Your area of interaction context l Your specific topic l Your inquiry question and the product or outcome you created l Your plans and the process you implemented

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l The resources you used l The techniques you applied l The challenges and issues you faced and perhaps solved l What you learned about your topic and area of interaction from your investigation l What you learned about yourself as a learner from the Personal Project experience What should the project report look like? The report is the place where you bring together and summarize your thinking, process and creation that helped you to complete your project. It can take different formats depending on what has been agreed with your supervisor. You need to think about how you will report your project early on in the process and build the report into the whole timeframe. You can start drafting the report at any stage or begin when you have completed the outcome or product, however make sure you plan in enough time to produce the report. You can choose to report the project through: • a written report in the format of an academic report, a website, blog, or similar • an oral report that includes visual support • a multimedia presentation such as a short film or a website that includes both written text and an audio-visual component • any other format that is suitable for you and is approved by your supervisor. The information you include in the report is organized into specific sections, whichever format you choose. The report doesn’t replace the product or outcome of your project, so think about how you personally will communicate the information you want to in the best way for you. Whichever way you decide to report your project, you will need to plan and organize the information. Your process journal will be extremely important at this point as it will contain all the information you need to complete the report, if you have used it consistently. Structure of the personal project report Written format The report MUST include: Title page; Table of contents; body of the report; bibliography or reference list; appendices. The title page must include the following. • your name • Title of the project • Length (word count) • School name • Year The body of the report is structured around the objectives and assessment criteria and it must include these sections. • The goal (criterion B) • Selection of sources (criterion C) • Application of information (criterion D)

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• Achieving the goal (criterion E) • Reflection on learning (criterion F) Length of the report The length of the personal project report must be a minimum of 1,500 words and a maximum of 3,500 words, not including appendices or bibliography. Other formats If you decide to report the project in any other format, it MUST include a title page; summary of the project (no more than 150 words); bibliography or reference list. The title page must include the following. your name • Title of the project • Format of the report • Length (word count/time) • School name • Year The report itself must be clear and have a structure that follows the objectives and the assessment criteria. • The goal (criterion B) • Selection of sources (criterion C) • Application of information (criterion D) • Achieving the goal (criterion E) • Reflection on learning (criterion F) Length of the report The report must not exceed 3,500 words or 15-minute oral presentation or audio-visual recording.

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Requirements  For  MYP  Electronic  Journal  Entries               Appendix 1 *  If  you  really  struggle  with  technology,  this  is  not  the  choice  for  you.  Please  choose  the  paper  option.    Set  Up  (This  Step  Must  Be  Completed  By  August  29.  If  it  is  not  completed  by  the  29,  you  have  to  complete  the  paper  option)  1. Go  to  Blogger.com  2. Set  up  an  account  or  use  your  already  set  up  Google  ID.  Blogger  is  Google’s  Blogging  Service.  If  you  

have  a  Google  Docs,  YouTube,  or  any  other  Google  Service    account  you  can  log  into  Blogger  using  the  same  password  

3.  After  you  log  in,  Click  on  the  New  Blog  button  in  the  top  left  hand  corner.  4. In  the  title  box,  type  your  name  followed  by  MYP  Project.  Example……  David  MYP  Project  5. In  the  address  bar,    you  should  type  your  last  name  followed  by  MYP  without  spaces.  

Example………….  Smithmyp.  If  that  address  is  taken,  add  a  number  after  your  last  name.  Example………..Smith1myp  

6. Choose  the  template  you  like  7. This  will  take  you  back  to  the  home  screen.  Click  on  the  View  Blog  Button  that  is  with  your  blog  title  

on  the  right  hand  side  8. Copy  the  Blog  Address  that  is  listed  in  the  url  bar  at  the  top  of  the  page  9. Paste  the  Address  into  the  message  area  of  an  email  addressed  to  myppersonalproject@yahoo.com.  

In  the  subject  line,  write  your  first  name,  your  last  name,  and  MYP  Personal  Project.  Example……..  David  Smith  MYP  Personal  Project  

 

To  Post  A  Journal  Entry  1. Go  to  Blogger.com  and  log  in  2. Click  on  the  Button  with  the  Orange  Pencil  3. In  Post  Title,  type  Journal  plus  the  number  of  the  journal  and  number  of  the  submission.  

Example…………  Journal  3  Submission  1.  MAKE  SURE  YOU  ONLY  PUT  1  JOURNAL  ENTRY  PER  BLOG  POST!!!!  

 

To  Add  Evidence  

-­‐  Links  -­‐  On  your  Blog  Post,  about  2/3  of  the  way  down  on  the  format  bar  there  is  a  button  labeled  link.  Click  on  that  button.  In  the  Text  to  display  box  type  why  the  link  is  significant  to  your  research.  In  the    box  to  what  URL  should  this  link  go  type  the  link  to  your  resource.  MAKE  SURE  THESE  LINKS  ARE  SPECIFIC!!!  IT  CAN  NOT  BE  JUST  CNN.COM,  IT  NEEDS  TO  BE  THE  SPECIFIC  LINK  TO  THE  ARTICLE  

-­‐  Pictures  -­‐  Click  on  the  button  of  the  picture  that  is  right  next  to  the  link.  Find  the  digital  picture  on  your  computer,  choose  it,  and  click  add  selected.  

-­‐  Videos  -­‐  Click  on  the  movie  marker  button  that  is  to  the  right  of  the  picture  button.  Click  on  the  choose  a  video  to  upload  button  .  Find  the  Video  on  your  computer,  and  then  click  the  blue  upload  button  at  the  bottom  of  pop  up  screen.  PLEASE  DO  NOT  USE  THE  YOU  TUBE  OPTIONS!!!  Teachers  need  to  be  able  to  view  these  on  campus,  and  YouTube  access  is  unreliable  on  campus.  

19  

 

For  Help  With  Technical  Issues  (THIS  IS  ONLY  FOR  TECHNICAL  ISSUES  ON  ELECTRONIC  JOURNAL!)  

1. If  it  is  a  small  issue  or  question,  email  myppersonalproject@yahoo.com  for  answers.  2. If  you  need  technical  help,  see  your  SLC  technical  advisor.  

Examples  of  Challenging  MYP  Personal  Projects:                                                                                                                                                              Appendix  2  

 

Project   Appropriate  Challenge   Higher  Challenge  

Learn  how  to  create  a  website  

Research  to  discover  the  most  helpful  site  for  webpage  design.    Locate  tutorials  within  the  site  to  help  you  

build  your  page.    Designate  a  target  audience  to  help  determine  content  and  provide  feedback  along  the  way.  

Select  a  meaningful  cause  such  as  cancer  research  or  a  clean  water  project.    Research  to  discover  notable  

organizations  as  well  as  practical  and  effective  ways  to  help.    Find  a  useful  site  for  webpage  design  and  locate  tutorials  

to  help  you  create  a  page  which  informs  readers  of  the  need  and  connects  them  to  appropriate  websites  if  they  choose  to  

get  involved.      

Learn  how  to  cook   Identify  your  favorite  meals.    Interview  cooks  and  consult  cookbooks  in  order  to  discover  

various  ways  to  prepare  each  meal  and  then  try  the  different  versions  to  determine  your  preference.    Once  

you  have  experimented  with  all  the  recipes,  compile  your  list  of  favorites  into  a  recipe  book.  

Identify  your  favorite  meals.    Interview  cooks  and  consult  cookbooks  in  order  to  discover  various  ways  to  prepare  each  

meal.    When  purchasing  ingredients,  compare  nutrition  charts  and  prices  in  order  to  determine  the  healthiest  recipe  

for  the  best  value.    Once  you  have  experimented  with  all  the  recipes,  compile  your  list  of  favorites  into  a  recipe  

book.    Also,  estimate  a  weekly  budget  necessary  to  cook  these  meals.  

Learn  how  to  make  

a  documentary  film  

Find  and  view  notable  documentaries  

and  locate  critical  reviews  in  order  to  understand  the  strong  components  of  these  films.    Research  an  

interesting  subject  matter  and  create  a  film  in  which  you  explore  every  aspect  of  the  subject.    Include  

interviews.  

Find  and  view  notable  documentaries  

and  locate  critical  reviews  in  order  to  understand  the  strong  components  of  these  films.    Survey  classmates  in  order  

to  determine  a  topic  or  subject  matter  which  interests  the  majority  of  them  even  though  they  have  different  opinions  

on  the  subject.    Create  a  film  in  which  you  explore  every  aspect  of  the  subject.    Include  interviews  representing  various  

views.  

For  International  Studies  and  Arts:  Mr.  Lockhart                                                        For  Business  and  Entrepreneurship:  Ms.  Grant  

For  Global  Broadcast  and  Journalism:  Mr.  Reagan  

20  

 

 

 

Sample  Journal  Essay:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Appendix  3  

In  the  past,  I  watched  movies  in  order  to  escape  and  for  sheer  entertainment  value.    I  did  not  watch  them  to  make  myself  think,  yet  that  is  exactly  what  happened  when  I  saw  Michael  Moore’s  Bowling  for  

Columbine.    It  wasn’t  a  summer  blockbuster  or  a  romantic  comedy;  rather  it  was  a  thought-­‐provoking  look  at  the  causes  and  effects  of  violence  in  our  culture.    It  made  me  think,  and  I  appreciated  that-­‐-­‐-­‐so  much  so  that  I  started  watching  other  documentaries,  such  as  the  Planet  Earth  series  on  the  Discovery  

Channel.    

I  want  to  show  others  that  you  can  stretch  your  brain  and  be  entertained  simultaneously,  but  I  quickly  discovered  that  just  because  I  enjoyed  several  documentaries  doesn’t  mean  I  automatically  know  how  to  make  a  good  one.    I  went  to  a  website  (cited  below)  to  get  a  list  of  Oscar-­‐winning  

documentaries  so  that  I  could  watch  a  few  more  and  figure  out  what  makes  these  non-­‐fiction  films  so  captivating.    Here  are  the  ones  I  want  to  watch  to  pick  up  some  tips:  

• Spellbound  • March  of  the  Penguins  • Super  Size  Me  • Tupac:  Resurrection      I’m  also  lacking  the  key  component  to  my  documentary-­‐-­‐-­‐my  topic.    I  gave  surveys  to  a  bunch  of  

friends  in  order  to  find  out  what  they  would  actually  be  interested  in.    I’m  a  little  worried  that  I’m  getting  in  over  my  head,  so  I  only  listed  topics  that  I  personally  want  to  know  more  about.    I’ll  go  with  what  the  majority  decides,  and  once  I  know  the  topic,  I’ll  start  my  research.    Here  is  a  copy  of  the  survey  

I  gave  them,  which  they’re  turning  in  tomorrow:  

If  you  had  to  watch  a  movie  on  one  of  the  following  topics,  which  would  it  be:  

_____    Bullying  

_____    Religion  in  schools  

_____    Cliques    

_____    High  school  dating  

I  feel  like  this  topic  addresses  multiple  areas  of  interaction,  so  my  focus  is  going  to  be  on  both  environments  and  health  and  social  education.    My  documentary  will  examine  how  high  school  students  

think  and  act,  but  I  also  hope  it  will  make  them  more  aware  of  issues  in  their  environment.    And  ultimately,  it  would  be  nice  if  that  awareness  leads  to  some  sort  of  positive  action.  

Website  for  Oscar-­‐winning  documentaries:  

21  

 

http://documentaries.about.com/od/recommendeddocumentaries/a/oscarwinners.htm,  viewed  August  24,  2012.  

22  

 

Examples  of  AoI  centered  projects  with  specifications                          Appendix  3  Topic Goal Specifications Process Outcome/Product Learning  how  to  motivate  others

Inspire  children  to  become  responsible  for  their  local  environment  through  a  workshop.

The  workshop:  •  has  clear  and  measurable  objectives  •  is  of  the  right  length  for  the  targeted  students  •  includes  a  suitable  number  of  activities  for  the  purpose  of  the  objectives    •  includes  a  post-­‐workshop  evaluation  questionnaire.

The  student  uses  the  focus  of  approaches  to  learning  to  research  how  a  workshop  environment  can  motivate  others  to  take  action.  She  decides  that  the  focus  of  the  workshop  will  be  environmental  issues.  The  student  researches  how  to  plan  a  workshop  The  student  plans,  delivers  and  evaluates  the  workshop.  She  reflects  on  what  she  has  learned  about  how  others  learn  and  the  planning  of  learning  for  others.  

Workshop  pack  produced  containing  plan  and  materials.  Delivery  of  workshop  to  children  on  the  topic.

Building  community

Bring  members  of  the  community  together  through  an  event,  for  example,  music  performance.

Specifications  are  based  on  the  student’s  decision  to  hold  a  music  performance.  The  event:  •  includes  countries  represented  in  the  school—  France;  Germany;  India;  Iran;  Poland;  USA  •  provides  seating  for  50  people  •  uses  four  spotlights;  four  microphones  •  provides  refreshments:  a  suitable  drink  and  snack  (50  people)  •  includes  volunteers:  four  on  doors  and  seating;  four  on  refreshments;  six  behind  the  scenes.

The  student  uses  the  focus  of  community  and  service  to  research  how  communities  can  be  strengthened.  She  considers  current  opportunities  that  exist  in  the  school  that  bring  members  of  community  together  and  researches  types  of  local  events.  The  student  identifies  a  new  event  for  the  school  community  and  produces  a  plan  for  the  event,  which  is  approved  by  the  school  leadership.  The  student  identifies  support  for  the  event  and  recruits  volunteers.  The  student  advertises  the  event,  holds  the  event  and  evaluates  its  success.  The  student  reflects  on  her  new  understandings  of  community  and  factors  that  impact  on  communities.

Specific  event  held  at  a  pre-­‐arranged  time  during  the  school  year.

Fighting  prejudice

Create  a  short  play  to  raise  awareness  of  impact  of  prejudice  on  individuals;  work  with  social  studies  teacher  to  use  as  part  of  unit  of  work.

The  play:  •  must  be  20  minutes  long  •  must  be  appropriate  for  students  aged  11  (defined  further  after  research)    •  must  include  the  main  theme  of  the  impact  of  prejudice  (defined  further  after  research).  There  must  be  a  tool  to  evaluate  the  play  such  as  a  questionnaire.

The  student  uses  the  focus  of  health  and  social  education  to  research  prejudice  from  the  perspective  of  how  people  think  and  act.  He  is  interested  in  the  definition  and  impact  of  prejudice  and  how  people  might  be  influenced  to  change  their  thinking.  The  student  looks  at  ways  of  communicating  with  others  and  through  research  decides  that  a  play  is  an  appropriate  media  for  his  message.  The  student  identifies  his  target  audience,  writes  the  play,  organizes  rehearsals  and  stages  the  play.  The  student  evaluates  the  impact  with  the  help  of  the  social  studies  teacher  who  issues  a  questionnaire  in  class.  He  reflects  on  new  understandings  of  how  people  act  and  how  an  individual  can  have  an  impact.  

The  play.

Working   To  improve   The  location  of  the  plants   The  student  is  interested  in  the  effect  of   Arrangement  

Approaches  to  Learning  

Community  and  Service  

Health  and  Social  Education  

Environments  

23  

 

environment  and  health

the  school  environment  in  a  simple,  cost-­‐effective  way.

take  into  account  health  and  safety  policies  of  the  school.  The  plants  are  easy  to  maintain.  There  is  a  range  of  plants  that  provides  a  mix  of  foliage  and  color.  There  is  a  system  for  ensuring  the  plants  are  cared  for.

environment  on  health  and  how  she  can  make  a  difference  in  her  own  school  environment.  Through  the  focus  of  environments,  she  researches  findings  relating  to  health  and  environment  in  public  buildings.  The  student  identifies  a  way  that  she  can  benefit  the  school  environment,  which  is  providing  specific  plants  for  certain  classrooms  and  public  areas.  She  discusses  this  with  her  school  administration.  The  student  organizes  a  variety  of  ways  of  receiving  plants  and  pots  from  parents  and  local  organizations.  The  student  organizes  the  planting  and  arrangement  of  plants  in  rooms.  She  seeks  feedback  from  peers  and  teachers.  The  student  reflects  on  her  learning  both  in  relation  to  how  human-­‐made  environments  can  be  manipulated  as  well  as  her  own  learning  in  managing  such  a  project.

of  plants  in  areas  of  the  school.

The  value  of  bamboo

To  show  the  value  of  bamboo  in  Vietnamese  daily  life.

The  painting:  •  includes  images  of  how  bamboo  is  used  in  daily  life  •  is  acrylic  on  canvas  in  observational  style  •  is  mixed  media  and  realism—  bamboo  products  attached  to  the  canvas  •  is  on  a  canvas  size  1m  x  1m.

Through  the  focus  of  human  ingenuity,  the  student  decides  to  explore  the  uses  of  bamboo  in  her  local  community  and  in  daily  life.  The  student  identifies  how  the  material  is  used  in  many  different  ways  and  decides  to  produce  an  artwork  to  communicate  her  findings.  The  student  experiments  with  ideas  and  plans  her  artwork  to  reflect  how  the  material  is  used  in  ingenious  ways.  On  completing  the  project,  the  student  reflects  on  her  own  learning  about  the  uses  of  bamboo  and  new  discoveries,  as  well  as  how  she  developed  her  artistic  skills.

Three-­‐dimensional  painting.

Hum

an  Ingenuity  

24  

 

MYP  Personal  Project  Due  Dates   ****All  assignments  are  due  by  8:30  am  of  the  due  date.  

10th  Grade  meeting  during  advisement   August  13  

10th  Grade  meetings  by  SLC  during  advisement   August  14  

   

Phase  I    Due  Dates    

Oral  Interview  with  proper  citation  of  source  is  due  and  documented  in  your  journal.    You  must  follow  the  interview  guidelines.      

 August  29  

Journal  entry    1  about  the  process  of  determining  your  topic,  the  Area  of  Interaction  under  consideration  and  the  development  of  the  goal(s)  

for  your  project.  

 September  5  

Topic  notification  form  is  due  and  must  be  kept  in  your  journal  as  page  1.  You  must  follow  the  rubric  

for  this  form.  

 September  19  

 

   

Phase  II    Due  Dates    

Journal  entries    2,  3  and  4   October  3  

Journal  entries    5,  6,  and  7   November  7  

Journal  entries    8,  9,  and  10   December  5  

Journal  entries    11,  12,  and  13   January  9  

Journal  entries    14,  15,  and  16  plus  the  rubrics  for  the  final  project  and  final  report  that  you  create  

February  6  

Journal  entries    17,  18,  and  19  plus  deadline  for  

meeting  with  advisor  to  finalize  rubrics  for  the  final  project  and  final  report  

 

March  6  

   

Phase  III  Due  Dates    

Final  project     April  3  

Final  report   April  3