Requirements

In order to complete the process for the Personal Project, each student must have the following three documents ready to submit for IB:

1. MYP Projects Academic Honesty Form (where you write your supervisor meeting notes)

2. Paper/Report (see suggested template)

3. Works Cited (go to mybib.com to format in MLA 9)

One page rubric

CHECKLIST: Personal Project Paper Format  Requirements & Guiding Questions

Please Note Specifications for Final Draft

• No more than 15 pages. Target 10-15 pages.  Written work should be 11 point font size Arial or Times, .78 inch or 2 cm margins. DO NOT include a title page. Use the subheadings to organize your paper. 

• Bibliography doesn’t count in page count and should be a separate document. Use MLA 9 for citations.

• Optional Appendix: You may have an appendix with pictures, charts, and evidence, up to 10 pages. 

CRITERION A: PLANNING

Personal Interest & Goals

Write one to two paragraphs addressing these questions:

• What were your initial ideas and how did you narrow them down to a specific goal?

• How is your goal motivated by your personal interest? Was there an experience that sparked this interest?

• What are the reasons for your goal? What parts of your goal are highly challenging and how is it a measurable goal?

• What is your learning and product goal? What guiding questions can help you focus your learning and product goal? Write 3-5. 

Global Context

Write one paragraph exploring the Global Context that connects to your project: 

• How can you focus your project through the lens of the global context that is most appropriate? How does your project relate to a specific Global Context? 

Intended Product

Write a paragraph about your intended product. 

• What is the intended product? Why did you choose it? What is its purpose & function (educate, entertain, inform, persuade, etc.)?

Success Criteria

Write a paragraph before your success criteria chart.

• What are your success criteria for your product/outcome and how will this help you measure your success? What are the reasons for these criteria? Explain each criterion and why you chose it. See examples at link. 

• How are your success criteria appropriate and suitable for your product? What information helped you decide on the criteria? Be specific. How will you use these criteria to self-assess your progress through the development of your product?

Detailed Plan

Write a paragraph answering the guiding questions before your timeline chart.  

• What series of steps will lead to the completion of the product? 

• How does your detailed plan address your success criteria? Connect your series of steps to the associated success criteria.

• What is your approach to planning and recording the development process of your project? How will you document your progress?

CRITERION B: TAKING ACTION AND APPLYING ATL SKILLS

Prior Knowledge & Research Consulted

Write a paragraph or two answering the questions below before your research chart. 

• What prior knowledge and skills helped you be successful in achieving your goal? What did you already know about your topic?

• What knowledge did you gain from your research? What types of sources did you consult? How did you pick your sources, and how did you know they were credible or reliable? See PROVEN method. 

Product Development & Planning Documents

Write a paragraph or two answering the questions below. 

• What will your product be? How did you decide what elements to include in your product? What factors influenced your choices?

• How can referring to your success criteria improve your product/outcome throughout the process?

• What obstacles have you encountered? How have you had to adjust your planning process as new deadlines or challenges emerge?

• How are you using self-management skills? What planning documents show them? (lists, diagrams, drawings, screenshots, budget, etc) 

Pictures of Product Development

• Include pictures/screenshots of your product development & explain with notes 

Application of ATL Skills for the LEARNING. See ATL Handout for Descriptions of the ATL Skills

Write an introductory paragraph before your ATL Chart 

• How did you demonstrate the ATL skills for your learning goal? What evidence can you include to show proof of the skill?

• What skills were developed and which ones did you already have? How has the personal project enhanced those existing skills?

Application of the ATL Skills for the PRODUCT. See ATL Handout for Descriptions of the ATL Skills

Write an introductory paragraph before your ATL Chart.  

• How did you demonstrate the ATL skills for your product goal? What skills were developed and which ones did you already have? To demonstrate, you must include specific examples & evidence to show application of the skill. (screenshots, lists, emails, diagrams, etc.)

CRITERION C: REFLECTION 

Development as an IB Learner through the Project

Write a paragraph  or two where you  reflect on what you learned throughout the entire project:

• How has completing the project extended your development as an IB Learner (refer to learner profile)? Refer to 1-2 traits.

• How did reflecting throughout the inquiry cycle (inquiring and analyzing,  developing ideas, creating the product, evaluating your product) inform your next steps through the process? Would you do anything differently in retrospect such as spending more time on one step or adding a step to your process? Did you learn anything about yourself through the process?

Product Evaluation of Success Criteria

Write a paragraph  or two where you evaluate your product before your assessed success criteria chart.

• First, state explicitly whether the product was achieved or not and to what extent. 

• How do you evaluate your product/outcome against the criteria you established? Indicate by bolding or underlining where you fell on the rubric. Then, write a paragraph and justify your score by giving a detailed account for the reasons and causes for your score. 

• What were your strengths and areas for improvement (or limitations) to your product/outcome? Explain in detail. 

• What challenges did you encounter and how did you deal with them? 

Pictures of Final Product

• Include pictures or screenshots of your final product and explain with notes what you are showing the reader. 

Extension of Knowledge and Understanding

Write a paragraph  or two where you  reflect on what you learned throughout the entire project:

• How has completing the project extended your knowledge and understanding of your topic? Summarize the new knowledge and insights related to the learning and product goal. 

• Do you plan to further your interest in the topic in the future?

Personal Project Paper Rubric

Assessment Criteria for the Report/Paper

24 marks

• Criterion A:  Planning,  8 marks

• Criterion B: Applying Skills, 8 marks

• Criterion C: Reflecting, 8 marks

• Rubric

  • One page rubric

Rubric

Maximum 8 per Criterion --Supervisor will score holistically for each criterion on a 1-8 scale

Criterion A =Planning

 ____/8

Strand i: State a learning goal for the project and explain how a personal interest led to that goal

1-2: States a learning goal

3-4: States a learning goal and outlines the connection between personal interests and that goal

5-6: States and learning goal and describes the connection between personal interests and that goal

7-8 States a learning goal and explains the connection between personal interests and that goal

Strand ii: state an intended product and develop appropriate success criteria for the product

1-2: States their intended product

3-4: States their intended product and presents basic success criteria for the product

5-6: States intended product and presents multiple appropriate success criteria for the product

7-8: States their intended product and presents multiple appropriate, detailed success criteria for the product. 

Strand iii: present a clear, detailed plan for achieving the product and its associated success criteria

1-2 Presents a plan that is superficial or that is not focused on a product

3-4 Presents a plan for achieving the product and some of its associated success criteria

5-6 Presents a detailed plan for achieving the product and most of its associated success criteria

7-8 Presents a detailed plan for achieving the product and all of its associated success criteria

Criterion B: Applying Skills

 = ____/8

Strand i: explain how the ATL skills were applied to help achieve their learning goal

1-2 States which ATL skill(s) was/were applied to help achieve their learning goal

3-4 Outlines which ATL skill(s) was/were applied to help achieve their learning goal

5-6 Describes how the ATL skill(s) was/were applied to help achieve their learning goal, with reference to examples or evidence

7-8 Explains how the ATL skill(s) was/were applied to help achieve their learning goal, supported with detailed examples or evidence

Strand ii: explain how the ATL skill(s) was/were applied to help achieve their product

See link for more information on the ATL Skills.

1-2 States which ATL skill(s) was/were applied to help achieve their product

3-4 Outlines how the ATL skill(s) was/were applied to help achieve their product, supported with superficial  examples or evidence

5-6 Describes how the ATL skill(s) was/were applied to help achieve their product, supported with reference to examples or evidence

7-8 Explains how the ATL skill(s) was/were applied to help achieve their product, supported with detailed examples or evidence

Criterion C: Reflecting

 = ____/8

Strand i: explain the impact of the project on themselves or their learning

1-2 States the impact of the project on themselves or their learning

3-4 Outlines the impact of the project on themselves or their learning

5-6 Describes the impact of the project on themselves or their learning

7-8 Explains the impact of the project on themselves or their learning

Strand ii: evaluate the product based on the success criteria

1-2 States whether the product was achieved

3-4 States whether the product was achieved, partially supported with evidence or examples

5-6 Evaluates the product based on the success criteria, partially supported with specific evidence or examples

7-8 Evaluates the product based on the success criteria, fully supported with specific evidence or detailed examples

Notes about impact of the project:

• could refer to any aspect of having done the project: inquiry, action and/or reflection

• could include progress made towards the learning goal

• could include ways in which the student has grown as a learner, such as improvement in the ATL skills

    or learner profile attributes

• could include ways in which the student has grown or changed as a result of the project.

Grade & Descriptor 

1  (0-2 marks) F

Produces work of a very limited quality. Conveys many misunderstandings of the process of learning independently. Very rarely demonstrates critical thinking. Very inflexible, rarely shows evidence of knowledge or skills. 

2  (3-5 marks) F

Produces a report of limited quality. Communicates limited understanding of the process of learning independently. Demonstrates limited evidence of critical thinking. Limited evidence of transfer of knowledge or approaches to learning skills into the project. 

3 (6-10 marks) C-

Produces an acceptable report. Communicates basic understanding of the process of learning independently through the project. Begins to demonstrate some basic critical thinking. Begins to transfer knowledge and approaches to learning skills into the project. 

4 (11-14) C

Produces a good-quality report. Communicates basic understanding of the process of learning independently through all stages of the cycle of inquiry. Often demonstrates critical thinking. Transfers some knowledge and some approaches to learning skills into the project. 

5 (15-17 marks) B

Produces a generally high-quality report that demonstrates a thorough process. Communicates good understanding of the process of learning independently through all stages of the cycle of inquiry. Demonstrates critical thinking, sometimes with sophistication. Usually transfers knowledge and approaches to learning skills into the project. 

6 (18-20 marks) A

Produces a high-quality report that demonstrates a thorough process. Communicates extensive understanding of the process of learning independently through all stages of the cycle of inquiry. Demonstrates critical thinking, frequently with sophistication. Transfers knowledge and approaches to learning skills into the project. 

7 (22-24 marks) A+

Produces a high-quality report that demonstrates a thorough process. Communicates comprehensive, nuanced understanding of the process of learning independently through all stages of the cycle of inquiry. Consistently demonstrates sophisticated critical thinking. Successfully transfers knowledge and approaches to learning skills into the project with independence. 

Assessment Criteria

24 marks

Criterion A:  Planning,  8 marks

Criterion B: Applying Skills, 8 marks

Criterion C: Reflecting, 8 marks

One page rubric of personal project