The Extended Essay

1. The Extended Essay Student Training Workshop: October 16, 2013 Utica Academy for International Studies

2. The Diploma Programme

3. Nature of Extended Essay (p. 4) • Required for IB diploma eligibility • Externally assessed by IBO evaluators • Roughly 3,500-4,000 words in length • Chosen from current subjects and preferably a current focus of study • Total assessment points 0-36, of which a grade between an A to E is awarded • Represents 40 hours of work • Topic agreed upon with supervisor

4. Nature of Extended Essay (cont.) • Involves collegiate, critical research • Supervisor meetings totaling 4+ hours • Apply analytical and evaluative skills, terminology toward subject matter • Supervisor submits a predicted grade and a supervisor’s report to the IBO • Concludes with the viva voce interview • EE demands a “diverse range of sources”

5. Aims/Assessment Objectives (p. 5) • Plan carefully, leading up to proposed topic • Develop a thoughtful research question • Gather, interpret, present, and argue information as it pertains to subject area • Use the correct vocabulary and argumentative style according to the demands of the subject • Apply analytical and evaluative skills in the subject chosen

6. School Responsibilities (p. 6) • Train all supervisors and students • Provide students with qualified supervisor • Make general and subject-specific information and guidelines accessible • Make students aware of how the EE fits into program requirements • Provide recommended deadlines to all supervisors and students • Provide learning and researching opportunities • Resolve all pending EE issues and questions • Ship all EEs out for external assessing

7. Supervisor’s Role (p. 6) • Use knowledge in subject area to provide advice and guidance to students • Helps define research question • Aids in the research process • Reads and comments on rough draft • Submits a predicted grade to the IBO • Conducts the viva voce with student • Reports plagiarism, if suspected

8. UAIS supervisors should…(p. 7) • Spend 3-5 hours with you • Work to ensure you’ve written a great question • Advise you on where to find materials • Verify your sources • Help troubleshoot when you are stuck • Grade your rough draft and discuss it at a conference • Conduct a viva voce conference at end

9. UAIS supervisors should NOT…(p. 7) • Do research for you • Tell you what sources to use • Give specific advice on how to improve your draft • Correct bibliographies or citations • Chase you down for meetings • Re-teach you concepts in the subject matter you should already know

10. Responsibilities of the Student (p. 9) • Choose a topic of interest and invest the time into your research question • Observe and follow all EE regulations, both general and specific • Meet UAIS/Supervisor deadlines • Communicate with your supervisor! • Attend meetings • Ask for help • Address emerging issues • Be honest and open!

11. Advice to Students: DO… (p. 9) • Start early! Follow UAIS deadlines. • Think and plan carefully your proposal and your question • Plan a schedule for yourself for completing EE • List every source on your bibliography as you go • Follow the rubric and final checklist UAIS provides

12. Advice to Students: Do NOT… (p. 9) • …forget to analyze/answer the question • …ignore the EE rubric • …waste time collecting date irrelevant to your question • …surf the Internet aimlessly, repeatedly, with no discipline • …show lack of discipline in citing sources • …describe or report other information • …cite sources that aren’t used in paper

13. Writing the Extended Essay (p. 10-11) • Extremely precise structure • Introduction should be written after body • Abstract written absolutely last • Main focus of essay is the body • Sub-headings helpful in most subjects • Include only relevant sources, citations all present and consistent • Evaluator not required to read references, bibliography, or footnotes

14. *Coordinators should consult programme guide for passing eligibility.

15. *Failing Condition “From 2010 onwards, 28 points will be required to be eligible for the diploma if a student attains an “E” grade in either the extended essay or theory of knowledge…Attaining a grade “E” in both the extended essay and theory of knowledge continues to represent an automatic failure.” (Extended Essay Guide 2013)

16. Subject-Specific Areas Where Can UAIS Students Write Their EEs? Group 1 (English) Film Social and cultural anthropology Group 2 (Spanish)* Geography Theatre Group 2 (Mandarin)*HistoryVisual Arts Group 2 (French)* Human Rights World Religions Group 2 (Japanese)* Information technology in a global society Biology*Mathematics* Chemistry * Music Classical Greek/Latin Peace and conflict studies Computer Science Philosophy Dance Physics* Design Technology Politics Economics Psychology Environmental systems and societies *These subjects require teacher approval for student selection.

17. On the Record, From the IBO… • To qualify as a history EE, all events discussed must take place ten years ago or more • Group 2 EEs must be written in the language for which it is being submitted and must meet current teacher approval • Japanese: 1 word = approximately 2 Japanese characters • Chinese: 1 word = approximately 1.2 Chinese characters

18. On the Record, From the IBO… • Students may not elaborate, overlap with, or supplement an internal assessment from a DYP class with their EE choice • No two students may write an EE posing the same or nearly same question • Students may further explore a question studied in freshmen or sophomore year, or one never explored in any class (though this is not recommended)

19. Off the Record from the IBO • Quality is important, but so is quantity. Getting as close to the 4,000 word-count is important… • …except in math. A great paper can be 3,300 words. But usually, 3,300 words will earn very low marks. • Certain subjects grade students unfairly according to well-established IB schools. We have one femme-fatale at the Academy: psychology. • Reports on other scientific reports in sciences score very low. Experimental designs are frequently a must-have for a decent grade.

20. Off the Record from the IBO (Overheard in a Cardiff Bar…) • If considering writing a group 2 essay, you’re required to get a teacher signature. Don’t write one unless you could score a 5 on the AP foreign language test. • Take the IBO’s advice here: “Choosing the write the extended essay in a subject that is not being studied as part of the Diploma Programme often leads to lower marks.” This is not allowed at UAIS. • Do not choose a subject that you are just beginning to have background in. This is not the time for beginner’s exploration. This is a time for further exploration.

21. Subject-Specific Areas…Once Again Where Can UAIS Students Write Their EEs? Group 1 (English) Film Social and cultural anthropology Group 2 (Spanish) Geography Theatre Group 2 (Mandarin)HistoryVisual Arts Group 2 (French) Human Rights World Religions Group 2 (Japanese) Information technology in a global society BiologyMathematics ChemistryMusic Classical Greek/Latin Peace and conflict studies Computer Science Philosophy Dance Physics Design Technology Politics Economics Psychology Environmental systems and societies

22. Combined Role: The Iceberg Model 7/8 = Research Phase (Now-June 2014) Student & supervisor work together to: Explore and discuss ideas Locate appropriate resources Discuss readings and ideas Develop a suitable research question Supervisor monitors research progress Represents 3-5 hours of work per student Now until June 1/8 = Writing Phase (Jun. 2014-Dec. 2014) Student works independently over summer to: Write EE draft Organizing your writing Revision conference drives final draft of essay Prepare the final EE

23. The UAIS EE Schedule • Provides internal & external due dates as the IBO strongly recommends • Builds in five mandatory in-school meetings with supervisors • Assignments are given at each meeting and expected to be completed by the student • Vast majority of work completed before senior year

24. The Research Process (p. 10) • Choosing a topic • Attend UAIS subject-specific seminars for information on EE guidelines for all subjects on Nov. 7 • Brainstorm general ideas or attempts at research questions, explaining why the topic is of interest to you • Submit proposals to the EE coordinator on or before November 25, 2013

25. Subject Preference Seminars • November 7th, AM Session • Attend all subject areas in your schedule • Understand subject-specific guidelines • Appropriate types of EE questions and samples of topics and questions • Receive helpful examiner comments • Academic referencing style • Q&A session with teachers

26. UAIS Process: Supervisor Selection • Students submit and rank two EE proposals in two separate subjects; EE coordinator collects by November 25 • Full UAIS staff divides students according to teachers’ expertise in proposed areas and to balance staff responsibilities • Supervisor-student pairings announced • In-department changes made only when student and both teachers in agreement

27. The Research Process (p. 10) • Discuss with your supervisor: • The location of materials for your topic • A proper academic referencing system • A general list of sub-headings for your paper • A developing list of EE reading for background and information-gathering • Internal UAIS deadlines • Best times to meet or discuss the EE

28. EE and DP Intervention • Students are required to be proactive in attending meetings, completing assignments, and communicating struggles • Reference DP form to students • Potential loss of group 2 or group 4 topicif missed lab or draft date • Will impact college application process

29. The Research Process (p. 10) • Once students have read more deeply in their areas and assembled a stronger background from which to work, they will begin carrying out their investigation through proper researching techniques that are consistent, balanced, and organized. Failure to buy in to this process looks like this…

30. But I Looked It Up!

31. Referencing (p. 13-14) • Bibliography is NOT a Works Cited page, but IB treats bibliography as such • Bibliography: collection of references • References: individual sources • Citations: In-text parenthetical documentation

32. The Research Process …and results in this: Not Submitted “If a candidate uses the work or ideas of another person, the candidate must acknowledge the source using a standard style of referencing in a consistent manner. A candidate’s failure to acknowledge a source will be investigated by the IB as a potential breach of regulations that may result in a penalty imposed by the IB final awards committee” (First Examinations 2013).

33. So, What About Those Grades? • Grades are not often released worldwide by the IBO • The latest information shows us the following very interesting statistics, from which many inferences can be drawn…

35. UAIS EE Grade Comparison Class of 2013 Int. Average A: 14 (17%) A: 11% B: 25 (30%) B: 17% C: 33 (40%) C: 39% D: 8 (10%) D: 28% E: 1 (1%) E: 6% N: 2 (2%) N: N/A

36. PM Training: November 7, 2013 Goals… • Brainstorm ideas for proposals • Address issues of building a researchable topic and question • Review important dates and handouts on EE calendar • Discuss winter and spring supervision • Review the EE website as a resource

37. General vs. Subject-Specific Guidelines • General guidelines are broad requirements for all essays: basic outline for each essay, required components, word count, academic honesty, purpose and aims, and so on • Subject-specific guidelines are specific considerations germane to writing in sciences, English, history. These include issues of style but also rules and restrictions on what are acceptable questions.

38. Activity: Brainstorming EE Topics • Fold blank paper into thirds • Label your favorite/strongest subjects • Think of the lessons, issues, projects, discussions, readings that you experienced in these classes over the last two and a half years. Particularly ask yourself which ones…

39. Intrigued you • Made you think you could do this for a living • Made you talk nonstop • Morally outraged you • Broke your heart or disturbed you • Open a whole new world to you • Left you unsatisfied—there was more to discover • Made you read or investigate further • Puzzled you—something that didn’t make sense

40. Narrow Your Brainstorm • Cross out what’s impractical or unanswerable or outside approved topic areas • Cross out what’s less promising, interesting, impractical, unoriginal • Look at what’s left and take it down another level of specificity by posing a question or stating, “I want to learn more about/I want to find out what/how/why…”

41. Topics of Interest…Good Examples • English: “I want to research the role of racism in the Harry Potter series,” developed into the question… • “To what extent does J.K. Rowling use blood as a complex literary device in the Harry Potter series to demonstrate the negative impact of racism?”

42. Topics of Interest…Good Examples • History: A student who wanted to study the changes that occurred in her family’s homeland as a result of the fall of communism… • “To what extent did the fall of communism in Romania improve the lives of Romanians in the 1990s?”

43. Topics of Interest…Good Examples • History: A student fascinated with the first World War and modern warfare submitted the following… • “How effective was the tank during the First World War?”

44. Topics of Interest…Good Examples • Biology: “Can common kitchen appliances, frequently exposed to gluten, be cleaned through customary sanitation techniques to prepare gluten-free food?” • Visual Arts: “How does the usage of Fengshui in the design of Emperor Qin's tomb accentuate ancient Chinese spirituality of the afterlife?”

45. Glossary of Terms • IBO-produced terminology of definitions • Called “qualifiers,” as they indicate the direction of your essay, regardless of topic • Help you avoid yes/no (close-ended) questions • The use of multiple ones can greatly lengthen your essay • It is important to check the definition of yours before submitting for approval

46. Monday, November 25, 2013 • Topic of interest form due (available to print on uaisresearch.com) • Link to subject specific guides on the uaisresearch.comwebsite • OU permission slip and money due • CAS/EE parent & student contract due

47. CAS/EE Parent Contract • Discussed in early September at DP parent night • Required for parents to understand IB core requirements and policies • Specific requirements for group 2 and group 4

48. Review of Upcoming EE Calendar • Topics of Interest, OU Field Trip and Money, and Signed Agreement: Due Nov. 25 • Supervisor Decisions: Dec. 13 • Supervisors Announced: By Dec. 20 • First Conference Window: Jan. 2-17

49. The UAIS Research Website • uaisresearch.com • Contains everything you will need: • Announcements and instructions • Rubrics for your subject area • Step-by-step researching techniques/handouts • Links to formatting guides (MLA, APA, others) • Advice from IBO evaluators • EE examples in your subject area

50. Supervisor Conference #1 • January 2-17, 2014 • Supervisors will inform you of what to bring or what to complete, if anything • Varies somewhat by subject-area and teacher, but focus is on topic and developing a research question • Student may be assigned background reading • Student and teacher should confirm manual style