1. The Middle Years Program Personal Project Community Students Critical Thinkers Life-long Learners Responsible Citizens Problem Solvers

2. Beginning in 2008, all Corning Painted- Post students will complete a Personal Project in the 10 th grade.

3. What is the Personal Project? Have you ever wanted to build a boat or create your own musical instrument? Would you love to write a play or T.V. Script? Do you play a sport and want to improve or do you want to learn about a new sport or hobby? Do you want to volunteer in your community? NOW IS YOUR CHANCE!

4. IMPORTANT! The personal project is your culminating activity in the MYP Program. It should have a clear focus closely related to the AOI. Remember, you will be working on this project for an extended period of time, so it needs to be something that you really want to do.

5. Your Personal Project Should… Have a clear and achievable goal. Allow you to express a personal message Be the result or your creativity and your ability to organize and plan Reflect your special interests, hobbies, abilities, or concerns Be entirely your own work

6. WHAT ARE THE REQUIRED ELEMENTS OF A PERSONAL PROJECT? 1. A Product This is a tangible outcome of the project itself: a video, a business plan, a performance, a piece of furniture, object or clothing, etc. 2. Research No matter what the product is, the student must have a research component for the project 3. Process Journal Allows the student to document the entire process 4. An Oral Presentation 6

7. The steps toward completion of my Personal Project STEP 1 CHOOSE TOPIC STEP 2 PLANNING STEP 3 GATHER MATERIALS STEP 4 WORK ON PROJECT STEP 5 PRESENT OUTCOME STEP 6 ASSESSMENT

8. The final product of the project is not scored. The process is scored on a 1-to-28 point basis using the seven Personal Project Assessment Criteria

9. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA A.Planning and Development B.Collection of Information and Resources C.Choice and Application of Techniques D.Analysis of Information E.Organization of Written Work F.Analysis of the Process and Outcome G.Personal Engagement.

10. What type of project can I do? An original work of art or music A written piece of work Literary fiction An original science experiment An invention The presentation of a plan for a special event A community service project.

11. What Projects Are Our Kids Doing ? Hunting Bow Dog Training Learning Musical Instruments Writing Comic Book Fund Raising Scuba Diving Photography Family History Business Plan Hockey / LAX Stick Skateboard Jumps Traffic Intersection Redesign

12. What type of project can I do? An original work of art or music A written piece of work Literary fiction An original science experiment An invention The presentation of a plan for a special event A community service project.

13. Personal Project Introductory Questionnaire The personal project requires you to take charge of your learning by research and /or investigation which leads to the creation of a project of your choice. The following questionnaire is designed to help you work through what areas you might be interested in pursuing.

14. 1.What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? 2.What are some of your hobbies or interests? 3.What are some of the things you do really well? 4.What would you like to do better? 5.When it comes to writing, what types do you most enjoy and why? 6.What types of assignments do you least enjoy and why? Questionnaire

15. Think about your school and community 7.Is there any aspect of your community (or even your country or a specific part of the world) that really interests you or makes you question why and how things are managed there? 8.Is there anything specific in your community or the world which has made a great impact on you or your life?

16. Helpful Hints... from teachers/mentors and students who have completed their Personal Projects Pick a subject that will interest you throughout the entire course of the project Don't procrastinate! Work on your project little by little and it will get done Pick a mentor who will make time for you and with whom you have a good relationship Keep a detailed process journal - it will help when writing your personal statement Make sure your project is specific enough so that you won't feel overwhelmed Make a detailed plan of attack so you know what you should be doing Find reliable sources Enlist the help of experts Ask lots of questions Reassessing goals is not something to be ashamed of, rather, it can be helpful If something bad happens, don't waste time placing blame, just take the initiative to fix the problem and move on HAVE FUN!