MYP Personal Project A Capstone Experience for Palmer High School MYP Sophomores

Questions  What is the personal project?  Why should I do a personal project?  What support is available to me throughout the personal project?  How do I communicate my achievements with others?

What is the personal project?  A capstone project for Palmer MYP students  An extension of your interests, skills, and individual abilities  A statement of your deeper understanding of the areas of interaction; the broad themes upon which the MYP resonates

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.

Classic Examples from Years Past:  Becoming fully licensed in SCUBA with checkout dive in Hawaii  Building a full-scale Inuit Kayak out of wood, w/o using glue or metal  Developing a scrapbook of favorite time  Building a piece of furniture out of wood

More great examples:  Traveling to Ecuador to work with people in poverty  Learning how to cook gourmet chocolate desserts  Writing a novel  Directing a play  Coaching the North Middle School Forensics team  Learning how to dance, or sing, or play an instrument

Awesome photos of REAL projects:

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!

Is help available if I get stuck? Yes, of course! Go straight to these people for extra help!  Your MYP personal project supervisor  Teachers who have similar interests  Parents/Guardians  Community mentors  Ms. Derr in IB office  Mr. McComb, MYP tech teacher

How do I communicate my achievements with others?  Develop a Goal Statement first!  Regular meetings with supervisor  At least 5 meetings during your Tech semester  Completion of the project  Detailed reflection paper  On-going process journal  Participate in the Personal Project Open House  Multi-media presentation developed concurrently in MYP tech

How do I start?  Develop and write a clear goal statement by next week  By May 13, select a supervisor from the Palmer faculty  Meet with your supervisor over the summer  Begin your research; start your bibliography immediately!!!  Begin your process journal this spring, and keep it actively updated!

What can I expect next year?  Your personal project will be due towards the end of the semester in which you take MYP Tech  During that semester:  Regular meetings with supervisor  Multi-media assignment  Completion of project, journal, paper  Open House night

Public Exhibition Night May 4th, :00 pm to 8:00 pm Palmer Tech Room