Ronald Reagan IB High School

4965 South 20th Street

Milwaukee, WI53221

414-304-6100

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."

— Dr. Seuss (Oh, the Places You'll Go!)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Welcome Letter: What is the Personal Project?3

What is the IB Learner Profile?4

What are the Areas of Interaction?5

What is the Design Cycle?6

What is the Process Journal?7

What steps should I follow?7

How do I start?8

What type of Personal Project can I do?8

How Do I Select an In-School Supervisor?9

How do I find a mentor?9

How do I collect the necessary materials?9

How do I work on the project?10

How do I format the written paper?10-11

How do I present on Personal Project?12

How will my Personal Project be assessed?13

Personal Project Rubrics14-20

The whole object of education is...to develop the mind. The mind should be a thing that works.

~Sherwood Anderson (1876–1941) American novelist and short story writer.

Dear Personal Project Candidate,

What is the Personal Project????

It is an independent project on a topic that you select! Your whole school career up to now has been about what you were told to learn and pretty much how you were going to learn it and how you were going to be evaluated on what you learned. Now is your opportunity to choose your own learning experience. This is truly academic freedom at its best!!!

You will research this topic thoroughly, maintain a process journal as you do your research, create a product, and write a paper about the process of learning and creating your product.Think about these questions:

  1. What do I enjoy doing in my spare time?
  2. What are some things I do really well?
  3. What are some things I’d like to do better?
  4. What ideas/issues/question catch my attention?
  5. In what Community Service activities do I participate (now or in the past)?
  6. How could I take my interest and participation to a deeper level?
  7. How can I demonstrate my leadership skills?
  8. How can I improve my understanding of community; locally, nationally, globally?

Use these questions to lead you to brainstorm some project ideas. Make sure to include at least one Area of Interaction for each project idea. Remember that you will be working on this project for 6 months. It should be something you are REALLY interested in!

Personal Project ideas may include:

  • An original work of art; painting, sculpture, movie, music, etc.
  • An original science experiment, either in the social sciences or regular sciences
  • A piece of literary art; poetry, play, collection of short stories, novel, etc.
  • An invention, modification, or creation of something to meet a need,
  • The development of a plan for a business, organization, event
  • A web page, video or other electronic presentation
  • A written piece of work on a special topic

The project will be monitored through your sophomore ELO teacher and your Personal Project supervisor who you will choose.All projects must be approved by Ms. Clark, the Personal Project Coordinator. However, it is your responsibility to make all of the decisions and execute the plan. You may also select an outside mentor who will serve as a resource and support for your goals.

You will take great pride in accomplishing this independent work! Completing a project is excellent preparation for future studies, job interviews, Diploma Program challenges and career exploration. You will receive .5 credit for any projects that show proficiency (18 or higher on a scale of 28).

Use your time wisely as you go through this exciting, challenging part of your Ronald Reagan IB High School experience.We are here to support you through this process and always.

Sincerely,

Ms. Clark, Personal Project Coordinator

Mr. Ndaw, Assistant Principal, MYP Coordinator

Ms. Westrich, Assistant Principal, Curriculum & Instruction

What is the IB Learner Profile?

IB Students strive to be:

Inquirers
They are curious and ask important questions to inquire into the world around you. They research independently and love learning throughout their lives.
Knowledgeable
Through their keen exploration of local and global issues they build an in-depth knowledge and understanding across all subject areas.
Thinkers
They think both critically and creatively to help solve problems and make responsible decisions.
Communicators
They are able to understand and express themselves confidently in more than one language. They work well and enthusiastically in team situations.
Principled
They demonstrate honesty, a sense of fairness and respect towards those around them. They take responsibility of their actions.
Open-minded
They take pride in who they are. They are respectful to other’s opinions, traditions and values. They consider more than one point of view when making decision.
Caring
They are considerate towards the needs of others. They are committed to making a positive difference to others and to the environments.
Risk-takers
They are confident and show courage in new situations. They are keen to try new things. They defend their own beliefs strongly.
Balanced
They recognize the importance of caring for themselves, balancing their physical, emotional and intellectual selves (all parts of them!)
Reflective
They think carefully about how they learn through different experiences. By being able to recognize their strengths and limitations they set goals for further learning and developing.

What are the Areas of Interaction?

In order to connect academic subjects to the world around us, the Middle Years Programme has five themes that span all subject areas. These are called the Areas of Interaction and they are connected to all eight subject areas. They serve as lenses through which we apply academics to the real world. These Areas of Interaction are: Approaches to Learning, Environment, Health and Social Education, Community and Service and Human Ingenuity.

Approaches to Learning:

This Area of Interaction is embedded into all subjects at all times. ATL prepares students to mature as independent learners by focusing on organizational skills, research skills, time management, problem solving skills, team work, and more. Students learn meta-cognitive skills (thinking about thinking) to address their strengths and weakness in tackling new learning experiences. Students learn that different skills are required to approach different learning experiences. A scientific experiment is approached quite differently than a literary analysis. Approaches to Learning also reinforces intellectual values such as using precise vocabulary and social and cultural values such as having an open attitude to all world cultures.

Environment:

The global issues of environmental threats and related problems of a political and economic nature impact students every day. Students deal with environmental related situations at home, school, their neighborhoods, etc. Through this Area of Interaction, students should develop an awareness of their own and other people’s interdependence with the environment and accept the responsibility of maintaining the environment for future generations.

Health and Social Education:

This area of interaction aims to educate the whole person and prepare students for a physically and mentally healthy life. By incorporating this area of interaction into the curriculum and/or personal project, students learn how important a healthy lifestyle is as well as how social groups function. Health and Social Education asks the question, “What do we value as human beings and what do we value as a society?”

Community Service:

Focusing on service to others encourages responsible citizenship, helps students increase their awareness of the world around them with first hand experiences, generates a sense of responsibility and self esteem and gives insight into different social patterns and ways of life. Personal Projects that are using Community and Service as their Area of Interaction should provide a volunteer experience that will benefit either the local or global community.

Human Ingenuity:

Human Ingenuity covers the products of the creative and inventive genius of people and their impact on society and the human mind. The purpose of studying Human Ingenuity is to develop opportunities for students to appreciate the human drive to invent, create, transform, enjoy and improve the quality of life over time. Students are encouraged to see the relationship between science, aesthetics, technology and ethics and develop an understanding of how perspectives change over time and influence the creative work of man.

The Design Cycle

Investigation
Means focusing on…
  • Technology around us
  • Historical & cultural development
  • Situations and needs
  • Social & environmental impacts
  • Technological objects & processes
  • Attitudes & values on changes
  • Implications of Areas of Interaction
/ Planning
Involves…
  • Brain storming skills
  • Research methods & techniques
  • Using ideas & information
  • Time management
  • Testing various techniques
  • Interpreting design specifications
  • Reviewing plans
  • Acknowledging sources of information

Evaluation
Involves…
  • Comparison of the product/solution to other examples
  • Assessment of the practical qualities
  • Suggesting ways for improvement
  • Judging the efficiency of the process
  • Recognizing the cultural aspect of the products reflecting on an involvement and overall performance
/ Creation
Is engaging in…
  • Using tools & techniques safely
  • Following design specifications
  • Adjusting work plan
  • Developing prototypes
  • Following standards
  • Working cooperatively
  • Accepting criticism & suggestions
  • Following a schedule

What is the Process Journal?

The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium. ~Norbet Platt

Proofread carefully to see if you any words out. ~Author Unknown

Do not put statements in the negative form.
And don't start sentences with a conjunction.
If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a
great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Last, but not least, avoid clichés like the plague. ~William Safire, "Great Rules of Writing"

The “Process Journal” is a written diary with ideas, notes, comments, brainstorms, and reflections, regarding problems and solutions as well as showing evidence of the work involved during each stage of the “design cycle”. It is similar in concept to what you have done in your IWB (Investigative Work Book) for your freshman Art or Music classes. It becomes the “rough draft” for the body of your paper due on March 3rd, 2013.

Different people have described the process journal in different ways, but the basic concept remains the same. Here are a few examples of what the process journal may include:

  • A description or diary of the creative process and of ideas generated from a variety of sources
  • An imaginative portrayal of the process with pictures, diagrams, drawings
  • A research paper containing an outline, plan, research report and conclusion
  • Notes and comments on work done - steps, methods, activities
  • An explanation of any changes to the original plan as well as tothe product itself

What steps should I follow?

You will have plenty of time and support to be successful in completing your personal project. You will have the opportunity to select your own Personal Project Supervisor in September. Your ELO teacher will explain the process to you. It will be your responsibility to make appointments with your P.P. Supervisor; it is not their job to track you down. He or she will talk with you on a regular basis and encourage you to complete the various stages of the personal project on time. Your English teacher will assess your drafts and final papers and use them as evidence for criteria in your English class studies.

Note:You will receive an overall score for your Personal Project. See the explanation of the rubrics for more information. By receiving a proficient score, meaning an overall score of 18 or higher on a scale of 28, you will receive .5 credit for your Personal Project. Rubrics will be explained later in this guide as well as by your ELO teacher.

How do I start?

As part of the Intro to IB class in your freshman year, you learned about effective ways to study and learn, including the Design Cycle. You have discussed the Learner Profile and the Areas of Interaction. The Personal Project is your way toembody these attributes and show your growth.

It is your opportunity to:

  • Study something that YOU choose to study,
  • YOU choose how to study it,
  • YOU choose how to demonstrate what you have learned
  • YOU choose how your efforts should be evaluated.

In your ELO you will begin by brainstorming topics and the Area of Interaction.

Now you will:

  • Choose the final topic you want to study
  • Find an in school supervisor
  • Think about having an outside of school mentor
  • Plan the project using a timeline, outline or calendar
  • Gather the necessary materials
  • Keep a journal to show proof of your work (even of things that you do and are not using in the end!) = Process Journal
  • Work on the project!
  • Present the outcome (there must be a product and a written paper)

What type of Personal Project can I do?

Find something that you are passionate about, that you enjoy doing and consider important in your life. You might choose to do one of the following types of projects:

  • An original visual art form, an original dramatic art form, an original dance art form
  • A written piece of work on a specific topic
  • An original scientific experiment
  • An invention or something you built or created
  • A business, management or organizational plan which would be for anentrepreneurial business, a special event or the development of a new student or community organization.

Your project may involve other people; however,remember that your own contribution must be central to the event or project. It is your work that will be assessed.

Please make sure your topic is realistic. You will have about 6 months to complete this. Curing world hunger or AIDS will not be possible in that time. Make it well defined and doable. Learning to dance in 6 months is realistic, however learning to speak a foreign language probably isn’t.

Goalsshould be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic & Timely (SMART)

Realistic Project: / Unrealistic Project
Research a disease and develop a way to share what you learned. / Do experiments involving living or dangerous materials.
A student may decide to develop a movie to explore cyber bullying and promote responsible use of the internet. / A student sets out to stop cyber bullying. (unrealistic to evaluate)
A student organizes a food drive for a local agency. / A student sets out to stop hunger in the community. (Unrealistic goal)
Design a fashion show of International Traditional Cultural Fashions to include clothing from at least 5 countries. / Learn about fashion. (Too broad)
Write and perform a rap song about something positive. / Become a rapper. (Too vague)
Design a plan for a sport and fitness program. / Do free running. (Too dangerous)
Research and prepare a video about organ donation. / Become a tattoo artist. (Too young)
The possibilities
are endless!!!!!

How do I select an in-school supervisor?

In September you will be given the opportunity to ask an adult, within the building, to serve as your in-school supervisor. Many adults within the building have special interests that you might not know of, so you might need to network with teachers to find out who may have an interest in what you are planning to do for your personal project. You will tell your ELO teacher who you have chosen (and they have accepted you as their supervisee by signing a form) and then proceed to set up meetings with that supervisor twice a month.Let’s restate that: You will set up meetings with your in-school supervisor twice a month. It is your responsibility to follow through and do this. This is being a good communicator!!!

How do I find a mentor if I want one?

Ask yourself, “Who can best support and inform me as I set out to explore ______(insert your Personal Project topic here)?” Anyone can be your personal project mentor. The mentor is a person who is from outside of the school. It is fine to use a relative or personal friend, but consider using a new friend outside of your comfort zone to add depth and sophistication to your Personal Project. Choose a person who has a special talent or expertise in your area of interest. You can meet in person, through email or on the phone. Be sure to record your notes from your mentor meetings in your process journal and remember to date each entry to record your process. Your mentor will be asked to help you assess your Personal Project, so it is important to develop a reasonable relationship with him or her.

If you are having trouble with this, stop by to see Ms. Clark, Ms. Westrich, or Mr. Ndaw during lunch or after school (or send an email) and they will help you out with this.

How do I collect the necessary materials?

When you have found a source of information or inspiration, you will need to decide how useful it is. The list of sources in your report should only include those you have actually used.