Middle Years Program (MYP)
Personal Project
Personal Project: What is it?
•A creative, independent product of the student’s
own initiative as the culmination of the MYP
•The culmination of the student’s involvement with
the 5 Areas of Interaction
What forms may it take?
•An original work of art (eg. visual or performance)
•A written piece of work on a specific topic (essay)
•A piece of literary fiction (creative writing)
•An original science experiment
•An invention or specially designed object
•The presentation of a plan for a business or community-based
organization
•A special event or development of a student or community organization
Aims of the Personal Project
Allows students to
•Demonstrate skill required to produce and present an
extended piece of work
•Engage in personal inquiry and reflection on a topic or issue
of their choice
•Focus on, and demonstrate an understanding of, the Areas
of Interaction
•Share their knowledge and opinions
Examples of Successful Projects
Creating a picture book for young children
AIDS information for teenagers and young adults
Writing a vegetarian recipe book
Choreographing a dance performance
Creating a travel guide
Designing and making clothes and accessories
Creating books and games for the visually impaired
Designing a website for a zoo
Assessment:
According to MYP Criteria
Stage 1 (Introduction)
Nominate supervisor
State guiding question
Keep an ongoing log
Submit Project plan
Assessment criteria: A, G
Stage 2 (Product)
Keep an ongoing log
Assessment criteria: B,C, D, G
Stage 3 (Process)
Write up draft 1 with feedback.
Final draft
Internal assessment
Criteria: A-G
Exhibition
Assessment Criteria
Criterion A: Planning and Development
Criterion B: Collection of Information / Resources
Criterion C: Choice and Application of Techniques
Criterion D: Analysis of Information
Criterion E: Organization of the Written Work
Criterion F: Analysis of Process and Outcome
Criterion G: Personal Engagement and Attitude
Total
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
28
Developing the Project
Select the topic
Choose supervisor
Define guiding question
Planning
Gathering the necessary information
Organization and production
Presentation
Evaluation
What drives the project?
-Guiding QuestionsGuiding Questions
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
Examples of Guiding Questions/
Areas of Interaction
•What are rights and responsibilities of people in a community?
(Community & Service)
•Does travel open people’s minds or reinforce prejudice?
(Approaches to Learning)
•Why do people make monuments? (Human Ingenuity)
•Does language unite or divide? (Community and Service)
•What is the effect of human settlement on the ecosystem?
(Environment)
•Are addicts victims or criminals? (Health & Social Education)
Personal Project Process Journal
•Throughout the development of the project, students are
required to keep a Process Journal.
•This should be updated regularly, each time the student
works on or does research for their project.
•It should be used to record progress, containing thoughts,
ideas, decisions, feelings and reflections.
Final Structure of the Personal Project
All personal projects must include a structured piece of writing, whatever the overall
plan.
This piece of writing must include:
Title page
Table of contents
Introduction: defining the goal of the personal project, describing explicit foci on the areas
of interaction and providing and outline of how to achieve the goal
Description of the process: production steps, characteristics, aspects / components of the
work
Analysis: research and influences guiding the work, the findings and decisions made,
resulting product and process in terms of the goal and focus on the areas of interaction
Conclusion: reflection on the impact on the project and new perspectives that could be
considered
Bibliography
Appendices - where appropriate
Exhibition
As a form of celebration, the school organizes an exhibition of
all the projects.
The Personal Project exhibition demonstrates the success of
the MYP program where the projects represent the
culmination of the MYP years.
An opportunity for students to pursue and share a personal
interest.