MYP Personal Project January 2014

2. MYP Personal Project January 2014

3. How’s it going? At this stage in your project, you should be: • Close to the completion of your final product (if not totally finished with it). • Completing final reflections in your process journals. • Done with your research, which you have tracked in Noodletools or another platform (Easybib, etc.)

4. Uhhhhh……. What if I didn’t do all of those things? • Do not hide. • Do not give up. • Do not pretend you’re doing something when you’re not. What should I do instead? • Meet with your supervisor. Discuss how you will plan to change your project in order to meet the deadline. • Get a plan: see Ms. Clarkson if you need help. • Get real with yourself regarding what you can do. • Start tracking everything you do in your journal.

5. Timeline for the remaining items

6. Reporting the project • The organization of the report is driven by the assessment criteria. • These are available in your Personal Project Resource packet. • Each criterion is scored independently. • And they’re all weighted equally. • Look at one piece at a time.

7. Organization of the written report • Title Page • Student name • The title of the project • Length of the written report (word count) • School name • School Year (2013-2014) • Table of Contents (listing sections of the report and page numbers) • Introduction (Define the Goal) • Selection of Sources • Application of Information • Achievement of the Goal • Reflection on Learning • Works Cited • Apendices (as needed)

8. Introduction (Define the Goal) • Explain why you were initially interested in the project • Define what your goal was in undertaking the project • Outline your specifications for success in the project • Explain in detail how one of the Areas of Interaction helped you to focus your study of a particular topic.

9. Selection of Sources • Narrate your research process by explaining what you learned from the sources you consulted. • You must evaluate the validity of these sources (i.e. why they are good, bad, reliable or unreliable). • This may be multiple paragraphs and must include cited information from your sources. • Citations must be both in-text (parenthetical) and end-of-text (in your Works Cited page)

10. Application of Sources • Narrate how you carried your project to completion by applying the information found in your research. • This should be multiple paragraphs and should explain how you carried your project to completion by using information from your research. • It should include a preliminary reflection on how you used information from research in order to reach the goal of your project.

11. Achieve the goal • This should be a relatively brief explanation of how you did on achieving your goal and meeting your specifications. • Use the guiding questions in your “Criterion E Reflection” to help you write this.

12. Reflection on Learning • Narrate what you learned about your topic as a result of completing this project. • Explain in detail what you have learned about your chosen Area of Interaction as a consequence of undertaking this project. • Hint: Use the “guiding questions” as “think abouts” for this • Explain in detail which Approaches to Learning skills you have developed as a consequence of undertaking the project.

13. Works Cited • Must include all sources of information that are cited in the report. • Must use correct, MLA documentation. • Please, please, please USE NOODLETOOLS TO DO THIS! • Additional sources consulted, but not cited in the report may be included as an appendix.

14. Appendices • These may be necessary depending on the nature of your project. Things that might be included may be: • Photographs of your process • Transcripts of interviews • Plans, illustrations or other documentation that might help the scorers to assess your completion of the project. • A list of “works consulted” as distinct from the works cited in your paper.

15. Nuts and bolts: Criterion G • The last of the criteria (Criterion G) assesses your ability to: • organize the project report according to the required structure • communicate clearly, coherently and concisely, within required limits (1500-3500 words) • acknowledge sources according to recognized conventions. (MLA Documentation throughout) • This criterion will include judgments about presentation, writing (or speaking) conventions, mechanics, grammar, word choice, voice, audience, for example.

16. Logistics • Rough drafts of reports should be turned in on Turnitin.com by January 30th. • Class ID – 7584612 Password – MYPProject • Peer Review process will take place from January 31 to February 4. • This is mandatory. If you do not turn in a rough draft, you cannot complete a peer review. • Arrange a time (immediately) for your final meeting with your supervisor. • This should occur after you have completed your process journal, final project and reflection.

17. What’s next? • I will be back next week to talk about final requirements for turning in the project and to answer questions about the report. • You will start to get emails from me and notes from Mrs. Anderson in the main office about the Personal Project Fair (March 27th) Do not ignore these! • Fill in your project description on the school website. This must be completed by February 10th.

18. Questions about the Project? Molly_A_Clarkson@mcpsmd.org