MYP Personal Project Presented by Kimberly 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.

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

P Sample 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