MYP Personal Project2014-2015

Presented byKimberly Villarreal-Thaggard

MYP Coordinator & MYP English 2

Questions

• What is the personal project?• Why should I do a personal project?• Example projects?

What is the personal project?

• An extension of your interests, skills, and individual abilities

• A statement of your deeper understanding of the global contexts; the broad themes upon which the MYP resonates

Why is the Personal Project an important part of IB MYP?

• It demonstrates your ability to organize, develop, and execute a long term project with independence,

• It shows your mastery of essential skills in thinking, inquiry, commitment, and follow-through,

• It serves as a way to share your interests, talents, and passions with others,

• It indicates your readiness for the Diploma program,

• Doing things because you are curious, motivated, interested is at the CORE of life-long learning!

What type of project can I do?• An original form of art (visual, dramatic,

performing)• A written piece of work on a certain topic• A piece of literary fiction• An original science experiment• An invention• A developed business plan, organizational

plan, new student organization etc.• http://www.dentonisd.org/Page/37636

What are your

interests?

Programmes and their Products

• Diploma Programme- Extended Essay

• MYP Year 5- Personal Project

• MYP Year 3- Community Project

• Primary Years Programme- Exhibition

Purpose of the Personal Project…

- To engage in an in-depth, collaborative inquiry.- To become more independent with your own

learning.- To inquire into an area of learning of which you

have personal interest.- It gives you the opportunity to take action about

a real-life issue.- It unites the whole school community and the

wider community through collaborative learning.

- It is a celebration of student transition.

Personal Project- Denton High School

-1,500 Word Essay, Process Journal and a Final Product in any medium

-Student Chosen topic

-Brainstorming begins in Spring of freshmen year

-Students work with supervisors assigned to topic

-Submission during Personal Project Fair

What drives the project?Question of Inquiry (Exploration)

– Are complex & have multiple legitimate answers– Lead us to ask more questions about the topic– Guide students to deeper levels of thought &

discovery– Make a connection between the subject matter &

world issues– Cannot be easily referenced– Often tap into a “universal” question

PSample Personal Project Questions

• How can I help raise money for cancer research?• How can I work toward success at the youth

American Grand Pre?• What can I do to help the unfortunate children in

Vietnam?• How can I create my own brand of lipgloss?• How can I help underprivileged children play

sports?

How do I begin….The Design Cycle

How is it assessed?

-Rubrics will be used to assess the inquiry process. Look in your Personal Project Handbook.

-Each rubric will assess a different aspect of the Personal Project:

• The individual journal• The process of collating data, researching and analysing

research• The attitudes, attributes of the learner profile and self

management skills (e.g. time management)• A self-reflection which is completed by each student• The final product

Samples

- DHS MYP Website “Top 10 Personal Projects”

- Samples from this year’s Personal Project Exhibit

- Hardcopy Samples in Mrs. Thaggard’s Office