The Middle Years ProgramPersonal Project

The Middle Years ProgramPersonal Project

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

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

ordo you want to learn about a new sport orhobby?Do you want to volunteer in your

community?NOW IS YOUR CHANCE!

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.

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

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

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

ASSESSMENT

• 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

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

A. Planning and DevelopmentB. Collection of Information and

ResourcesC. Choice and Application of TechniquesD. Analysis of InformationE. Organization of Written WorkF. Analysis of the Process and OutcomeG. Personal Engagement.

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.

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

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.

Personal Project Introductory

QuestionnaireThe 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.

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

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?

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!