Personal Project
Sinarmas World Academy
2012-2013
What is a Personal Project?
Ever wanted to produce a play? Build a new invention? Create a song? Organise a
charity event? Write a story? Now’s your chance!
The Personal Project is your project to do what you want to do. It’s a chance to show the
skills that you have and share with others what you are in to. Simply choose a topic that
interests you, find a focus and goal using an Area of Interaction (AOI), plan your project
using research and then do it!
The Personal Project is very important in the MYP, as it will help you show your
understanding of how all knowledge and subjects are linked together. To do this you will
need to show your understanding of the Areas Of Interaction. You will be working on the
project for a long time, so choose something that REALLY interests you. The project is
assessed and given a grade.
You have to complete three separate pieces of work;
1. A process journal recording all of you work- The process journal should have weekly
reflections commenting on the developing project and reflections on how your
understanding of the areas of interaction are developing
2. The Personal Project itself – This can be anything – a book, a cd, a documentary, a
charity event, a painting etc etc.
3. A written presentation explaining how you did the project ( word limit -2500 words) the report for all types of personal projects must follow the same general structure and
include the following elements:
Title page
Table of contents
Introduction, defining the goal of the project and an explicit focus on the chosen
area(s) of interaction, and providing an outline of how the student intends to
achieve the goal
Description of the process, including production steps, the characteristics,
aspects or components of the work
Analysis of the inspiration, research and influences guiding the work, the findings
and decisions made, the resulting product and the process in terms of the goal
and its focus on the area(s) of interaction chosen (where the student has chosen
to write an essay about a specific issue, the essay itself forms the main part of
this analysis)
Conclusion, where the student reflects on the impact of his or her project, and on
new perspectives that could be considered
Bibliography, Appendices, where appropriate
Initial decision-making
(This is assessed using mainly criterion A)
May 2012
Stage 1
What am I interested in?
June 2012
Stage 2
Creating a question
June 2012
Stage 3
Making connections with AOI
September 2012
Stage 4
Ideas for the Product
September 2012
Stage 5
Setting up your Process
Journal
March 2012
Stage 6
The Final Idea
March 2012
Stage 7
The Final Proposal
Stage one
What am I interested in?
Art, craft, cooking, making movie/clip, music, fashion, making magazine, designing furniture, and
many others.
I want to know how to cook, how to create a good movie or a clip, I want to know how to attract
my personality through fashion and lastly I want to know how the process of designing a furniture
is done.
Brainstorm what you are personally interested in, what do you want to know.
Step two
Change these interests into questions?
For example? Is there a difference between teenagers live in different countries?
Stage three:
Choose your three favourite questions and look at the area of interaction student
learning outcomes and find at leas three links to your questions.
Question 1: How can different styles of fashion impact people’s first
impression?
Area of Interaction: Human ingenuity
Student learning outcomes
Awareness and Understanding - How systems or product develop and
change over time
Reflection - A range of systems, solutions and products
Action/Making choices/Involvement through service - To find out one's
surrounding thoughts with various clothes people wear.
Question 2: How to make both delicious and nice-looking food?
Area of Interaction: Human ingenuity
Student learning outcomes
Awareness and Understanding - Range of systems, solution and
products
Reflection - The impact of innovation and creation on individuals,
communities, societies and the world.
Action/Making choices/Involvement through service - Think creatively
Question 3: How to make a Space-Saving furniture?
Area of Interaction: Human ingenuity
Student learning outcomes
Awareness and Understanding - The individual desire to
create, develop or change things.
Reflection - How subjects have "ways of thinking"
Action/Making choices/Involvement through service - Create solutions
and products to solve own and others' problems.
Student
Learning
Expectatio
ns for
Human
Ingenuity
Student
learning
expectations
could
include:
awareness
and
understanding
of:
reflection on:
Key questions
●
the meaning of “ingenious”
●
a range of systems, solutions and
products
●
the processes involved in
innovation, creation, development
and change
●
the individual desire to create,
develop or change things
●
how systems or products develop
and change over time
●
the impact of innovation and
creation on individuals,
communities, societies and the
world
●
the products of innovation,
creation and development in
context
●
Why do humans create,
develop or change products
or solutions?
●
How and why do products or
solutions change over time?
●
How do we celebrate human
endeavour and achievement?
●
What are the consequences
of creating?
●
How can I make responsible
choices based on my
understanding?
●
What impact have creations
taking action
to:
●
how subjects have “ways of
thinking”
●
a range of systems, solutions and
products
●
create solutions and products to
solve own and others’ problems
●
think creatively.
had on individuals, society
and the world
●
What future developments
can I foresee?
●
What are my challenges and
what solutions can I come up
with?
●
How can I have a personal
involvement as an innovator,
creator and developer?
●
How can I use my thinking in
one subject to help me in
another?
Student
Learning
Expectations
for
Community
and Service
Student learning
expectations
could include:
Community
awareness and
understanding of:
Key questions
●
●
●
the concept of community—including what
“community” means, how communities are
different and how are they similar, what
makes a community
individuals in communities—including the role
of the individual, the needs of the individual,
the responsibilities of communities to their
members
different communities —including the various
forms of community, the needs of different
communities, the issues within the
●
How does this
unit apply to
my
communities?
●
What impact
does my
community
have on the
content of this
unit?
●
reflection on:
●
Involvement
through service in
terms of:
●
●
communities, organizations within
communities
●
Which
communities
does this unit
affect?
attitudes—including reflection upon different
social patterns and ways of life, showing
initiative
responsibilities—including the ethical
implications of activity or inactivity within the
community, using personal strengths to
enhance communities, identifying personal
strengths and limitations
●
How can my
learning help
my
communities?
How can my
communities
help me learn?
What should I
do?
community involvement—including types of
involvement, effects on communities at
various levels, personal involvement
being an active contributor—including
showing willingness and the skills to respond
to the needs of others, coming up with
solutions to actively resolve issues within
communities.
●
●
●
●
●
What needs to
be done?
What can I do?
How is my
involvement
helping me
develop?
Student
Learning
Expectati
ons for
Health
and
Social
Education
Student
learning
expectations
could
include:
awareness
and
understanding
Key questions
●
ourselves in the wider society—
including issues such as
●
Which health and social issues
affect my age group?
of:
freedom, government health
policies and globalization
●
ourselves and others—including
issues such as relationships,
sex and death
●
understanding ourselves—
including issues such as
personal management, selfesteem and growing up
●
looking after ourselves—
including issues such as
personal hygiene, diseases and
substance abuse
reflection on:
making
choices in
terms of:
●
●
Analyse issues affecting
freedom, globalisation, and
government health policies.
●
Compare and contrast the
effect of Health and Social
issues affecting the wider
community.
●
Investigate the Health and
Social issues affecting
myself and others in our
society. Reflect with
discussion the effects and
consequences of Health
and Social choices.
Demonstrate choices
available in dealing with
Health and Social Issues
●
Analyse how a balanced life
is achieved through
emotional, spiritual, social,
physical and mental health.
●
Reflect with discussion the
effects and consequences
of Health and Social
choices.
ourselves in the wider society—
including behaviour and ethics
●
Which health and social issues
will I have to consider as I get
older?
●
What alternative courses of action
are open to me?
●
What social choices have I
already made?
●
How am I changing?
●
What do I need to consider so I
can make the right choice?
●
ourselves and others—including
personal values and taking
responsibility
●
understanding ourselves—
including self-control or needs
and wants
●
●
What skills do I need to make the
right choice?
●
How can I look after myself and
others?
●
What are the consequences of
making poor choices?
looking after ourselves—
including diet and exercise.
Student
Learning
Expectatio
ns for
Environme
nts
Student
learning
expectations
could include:
awareness and
understanding
of:
Key questions
●
the roles our environments play in the lives
and well-being of humankind
●
the effects of one environment on another
●
the effects of our actions, attitudes and
constructs, such as sustainable development
and conservation
●
physical, social, political, economic and
cultural dimensions
●
the nature and role of local and international
organizations responsible for protecting our
natural environments
●
How do I affect
my
environments?
●
How do my
environments
affect me?
reflection on:
taking action
on:
●
how organizational policies in one
environmental dimension can affect other
environments
●
our responsibilities to our environments
●
the role of virtual environments in modelling
our other environments
●
a range of issues related to environments.
●
How can we
make informed
and responsible
choices?
●
What are the
lifestyle
implications of
making
environmental
choices?
●
How can I affect
my environments
in a positive
way?
●
What difference
can I make as an
individual?
Stage Four
How are you going to show what you have found out?
By showing the final product that I’ve created.
When you have completed your project you will need to show what you have found
out about your project. Write down some ideas of how you are going to show this
Idea one:
The Question: How
impression?
can different styles of fashion impact people’s first
Ideas to show this: By selling my clothes to people around community and see what
they think about it.
Idea Two:
The Question: How
to make both delicious and nice-looking food?
Ideas to show this: By cooking a food in front my booth. I will have to ask what they
think about the food.
Idea Three:
The Question: How
to make a Space-Saving furniture?
Ideas to show this: By showing the product and explain how the furniture works in
different places.
Stage five: Setting up your process Journal
Through the personal project you need to record everything that you are doing
and the choices you are making. You can do this as a hand written journal, a
blog, a word document or a scrapbook.
Expectations for the Process Journal
You should do a weekly entry reflecting on the following
What you have done
What decisions or choices you have made
Photos of what you are doing
Advice given by your supervisor or coordinator
How the work you have done is improving your understanding of
the area of interaction
Start your journal NOW!
The Project Proposal
Name: Jiyeon Lee
Topic: Designing and creating clothes (fashion)
Focus Areas of Interaction: Human ingenuity
Awareness and Understanding:
The individual desire to create, develop or change things
Reflection:
How subjects have “ways of thinking”
Action:
Think creatively.
Goal:
My goal is to create various clothing with interesting color, design, pattern
and words. My overall goal is to make people buy my clothes because they
find them unique and innovative.
How you could achieve the above goals
- Research about my topic more deeply
- Find out the resources that are going to be used
- Post a blog every twice a week to show what i’m doing, what i achieve
and what i need to improve on
- Interview an expert to answers my question which is related to my topic
- Find out a clothe company or clothe manufacturing place to ask help with
my project.
- Need to find good quality of fabric and interesting ideas to design a
clothe
- Always do my best and if i need help ask my supervisor what to do
Teacher comments
The Final Proposal
Your completed Project Proposal must be written up under the
headings listed on the following pages.
NAME: Jiyeon Lee
I am committed to undertaking a Personal Project and presenting it by end
of May 2011
Student signature:
________________________________________________
I will support my son/daughter in the undertaking of this special project.
Parent/Guardian name: Mrs. Yoo Hwa Young
Parent/Guardian
Signature:__________________________________________
I have approved the final copy of the Project Proposal.
Supervisor name: Gavin Johnson
Supervisor signature:
_____________________________________________
Research
(This is assessed using mainly criterion B)
September 2012
Stage 1
Researching your idea
October 2012
Stage 2
Complete a bibliography of all sources
Stage 1: Researching your idea
Before starting your project you need to research your question, you should be
getting ideas and thoughts on your project form a variety of different sources. All
of your research should be in your process journal. This research will be split into
tow parts
Part one:
question
Research into the actual question to gain knowledge about your
Part Two:
Any research that is needed in to the making of the final product.
Part Three: Set up the bibliography
You need to show that you have research from a variety of different sources. As
you are working with a source remember to add it to your bibliography. You
should find information from at least three of the following:
Primary Sources
Interviews
Questionnaries
Visiting areas/ places
Secondary Sources
Internet
Books
Magazines
Television
Newspapers
Journals
DVD’s, Songs
Stage two: Creating a time line
You now need to set up a time line to complete the project, we suggest you do
this on a month by month basis to ensure you have goals set, you need to
remember to add the following: the making of the product, the writing of the
personal statement, preparation for the exhibition, interviews etc that still need to
happen. We have added the official deadlines for you.
Date
What
Hand in proposal
Who
Official Deadline
Student to Mr
Gavin
Set up
journal/diary
Complete
Research
Student
15th November 2012
Set up
bibliography
Student
16th November 2012
Complete draft of
introduction
Student
Plan for your
project
student
Working on the
production of the
product
Student
Complete draft for
the research
section of the
essay
Student
Working on
Product
Student
Working on
Written Statement
Student
The Exhibition
Student
17th January 2012
Planning
You now need to plan what you are going to do and the techniques that you will
use to complete the project. The following are some guidelines for you
What is your product going to look like/be?
Basically my product will be 3 pieces of clothes in total. I will design 5 clothes
however I’m just going to choose 3 out of 5 depending on peoples’ opinion.
What techniques are you going to use to make/complete the product, you may
list a variety here and then choose one
I will need to design clothes. In order to design clothes I need to download software
and learn various skills to complete the designing. Secondly I also want to create
clothes which means I need to learn how to use sewing machine, cut and
gather materials and lastly I need to learn the requirements that I needed to
create a clothes.
Explain the stages that you will need to go through to complete it
Firstly gather all the information together. Secondly start designing clothes. For the
final I need to make a clothes, which will be the most time taken.
Why did you choose this way of showing your product, is it going to be
successful
I choose to show during the exhibition since I also want to sell the clothes that I’ve
created. I will see how things work. I think it is going to be very successful since I
will put lots of effort into it.
How will these techniques help you show your understanding of the area of
interaction
These techniques will help me show my understanding of my AOI which is
Human Ingenuity. By the techniques I used to create and design a clothes it
will effect the final product so the final product will decide the understanding
of my AOI.
The Product
By now you should be working on your final product, you will be given time
to complete this. Once your product is complete you need to hand a copy
to your supervisor and one to the MYP Coordinator
If the product is too large a photograph is fine
If it is an event then you should submit posters advertising it, photographs
or evidence of it taking place
If you are unsure how to give this then see the MYP Coordinator who will
give you advice on what to do.
Remember the product itself is not assessed, however what you write
about it in your written report is.
Remember to record everything you can about the making of the product in
your process journal – include photos etc if necessary.
The written statement
The written statement is the last thing you will do. It must include all
sections noted.
Remember to refer to the assessment criteria very carefully as they give
you ides of what you must put in. Criterion A,B and C are earlier in the
guide. Criterion D,E and F are on the following pages.
Your written statement should be 2500 words long and should make
continual reference to the areas of interaction
The Exhibition
Now you have finished your project it is time to celebrate your achievements. The
exhibition is an opportunity for you to show your work to the school community. You will
be given guidance and space to display your work.
Your exhibition should include:
●
The Process Journal
●
The Product
●
Photos of you working on your product
●
Materials relating to the theme of your personal project
●
Your written statement.
Criterion A: Use the process
journal
Students should:
● demonstrate organizational skills
showing time- and selfmanagement
● communicate and collaborate
with the supervisor
● demonstrate information literacy,
thinking and reflection.
The section “Completing the
personal project” in this guide has
guidance concerning the type of
evidence that students should
include in the process journal.
Supervisors should also refer to
the areas of interaction section in
the guide MYP: From principles
into practice (August 2008), for
specific guidance concerning ATL.
Extracts from the process journal
must be submitted in samples of
work for external moderation to
support the level awarded for
criterion␣A. The student must
take responsibility for making the
appropriate extracts available to
the supervisor.
The extracts chosen to support
the level awarded for criterion A
should reflect each of the strands
in the criterion. It is anticipated
that the complete process journal
will be more extensive. However,
between 10 and 20 individual
entries are sufficient to represent
the student’s work. An individual
entry does not need to be
extensive and includes any of the
examples that students might use
to document the process, referred
to in the subsection “Using the
process journal”.
Level of Achievement
Descriptor
0
The student has not reached a standard described
by any of the descriptors given below.
1
The student demonstrates minimal:
●
●
●
2
The student demonstrates some:
●
●
●
3
●
●
●
●
Students should:
● identify and explain a topic based
organizational skills through time and selfmanagement
communication and collaboration with the
supervisor
information literacy, thinking and reflection.
The student demonstrates well-developed:
●
Criterion B: Define the goal
organizational skills through time and selfmanagement
communication and collaboration with the
supervisor
information literacy, thinking and reflection
The student demonstrates satisfactory:
●
4
organizational skills through time and selfmanagement
communication and collaboration with the
supervisor
information literacy, thinking and reflection.
organizational skills through time and selfmanagement
communication and collaboration with the
supervisor
information literacy, thinking and reflection.
on personal interest
● justify one focus area of
interaction as a context for the
project
● outline a clear, achievable,
challenging goal
● create specifications that will be
used to evaluate the project’s
outcome/product.
The specifications for the
product/outcome created by the student,
in consultation with the project
supervisor, are used to evaluate the
success of the project.
These student-created specifications for
their product/outcome link to
criterion␣E, in which the student
evaluates his or her outcome/product.
The Personal project teacher support
material provides guidance concerning
the specifications that students create to
evaluate their product or outcome.
Level of
Descriptor
Achievement
0
1
2
3
The student has not reached a standard described
by any of the descriptors
given below.
The student:
* identifies the topic of interest, a focus area of
interaction and a limited goal
* creates minimal specifications to evaluate the
project’s outcome/ product or
none at all.
The student:
• outlines superficially the topic of interest, the
focus area of
interaction and an achievable goal
• creates specifications for evaluating the project’s
outcome/product, however they lack definition.
The student:
• describes clearly the topic of interest, the focus
area of interaction
and an achievable and appropriately
challenging goal
4
• creates satisfactory specifications for evaluating
the project’s
outcome/product.
The student:
• justifies effectively the topic of interest, the
focus area of interaction
and an achievable and appropriately
challenging goal
• creates appropriately rigorous specifications for
evaluating the project’s outcome/product.
Criterion C: Select Sources
Maximum 4
Students should:
• select varied, relevant sources
to achieve the goal
• evaluate sources.
Evidence will be seen in the body
of the report and the
bibliography.
Level of
Descriptor
Achievement
0
The student has not reached a standard
described by any of the descriptors given
below.
1
The student:
• selects very few relevant sources to achieve
the goal
• demonstrates minimal evaluation of sources.
2
The student:
• selects some relevant sources to achieve the
goal
• demonstrates some evaluation of sources.
3
The student:
• selects a satisfactory variety of relevant
sources to achieve the goal
• demonstrates satisfactory evaluation of
sources.
4
The student:
• selects a wide variety of relevant sources to
achieve the goal
• demonstrates well-developed evaluation of
sources.
Criterion D: Apply Information
Maximum 4
Students should:
• transfer and apply information to
make decisions, create solutions and
develop understandings in connection
with the project’s goal.
Students interpret the information from
sources they have researched and
selected. By thinking about the
information, students develop a broader
context for their inquiry; identify
questions and issues for their project
and solve problems.
Students may have researched
information relating to techniques,
which can be discussed in the context of
this objective.
Level of
Descriptor
Achievement
0
The student has not reached a standard
described by any of the descriptors given
below.
1
The student demonstrates minimal:
• transfer and application of information
to make decisions, create solutions and
develop understandings in connection
with the project’s goal.
2
The student demonstrates some:
* transfer and application of information
to make decisions, create solutions and
develop understandings in connection
with the project’s goal.
3
The student demonstrates satisfactory:
• transfer and application of information
to make decisions, create solutions and
develop understandings in connection
with the project’s goal.
4
The student demonstrates welldeveloped:
• transfer and application of information
to make decisions, create solutions and
develop understandings in connection
with the project’s goal.
Criterion E: Achieve tha goal
Maximum 4
Students should:
• evaluate the outcome/product
against their own specifications for
success.
The final level awarded is decided in
collaboration with the supervisor.
It is crucial that the specifications are
developed by the student before
completing the project (see
criterion␣B). The student must discuss
any changes in the specifications that
took place during the process in his or
her report. Where a student does not
complete the outcome/product
because of factors outside of his or
her control, criterion␣E applies to the
stage that the project reached.
This criterion is not adjusted in the
external moderation process.
Level of
Descriptor
Achievement
0
The student has not reached a standard
described by any of the descriptors given
below.
1
The student evaluates the quality of the
outcome/product.
The outcome/product is of very limited
quality and meets few of the
specifications.
2
The student evaluates the quality of the
outcome/product.
The outcome/product is of limited quality
and meets some of the specifications.
3
The student evaluates the quality of the
outcome/product.
The outcome/product is of satisfactory
quality and meets many of the
specifications.
4
The student evaluates the quality of the
outcome/product.
The outcome/product is of high quality
and meets most or all of the
specifications.
Criterion F: Reflect on
learning
Students should:
• reflect on how completing the
project has extended their
knowledge and understanding of
the topic and the focus area of
interaction
• reflect on how they have
developed as a learner by
completing the project.
This criterion addresses the quality
of ideas expressed not the quality
of language used.
Level of
Achievement
0
1
Descriptor
The student has not reached a standard described
by any of the descriptors given below.
The student demonstrates minimal:
• reflection on how completing the project has
extended his or her knowledge
and understanding of the topic and focus area of
interaction
• reflection on how he or she has developed as a
learner by completing the project.
2
3
4
Criterion G: Report the project
Students should:
• organize the project report
according to the required structure
● communicate clearly, coherently and
concisely, within required limits
● acknowledge sources according to
recognized conventions.
This criterion will include judgments
about presentation, writing (or
speaking) conventions, mechanics,
The student demonstrates some:
• reflection on how completing the project has
extended his or her knowledge and
understanding of the topic and focus area of
interaction
• reflection on how he or she has developed as a
learner by completing the project.
The student demonstrates satisfactory:
• reflection on how completing the project has
extended his or her knowledge and understanding
of the topic and focus area of interaction
• reflection on how he or she has developed as a
learner by completing the project.
The student demonstrates well-developed:
• reflection on how completing the project has
extended his or her knowledge and
understanding of the topic and focus area of
interaction
• reflection on how he or she has developed as a
learner by completing the project
grammar, word choice, voice,
audience, for example.
Level of
Achieve
0
1
2
3
4
Descriptor
The student has not reached a standard
described by any of the descriptors given
below.
The student demonstrates:
• minimal organization of the project report
according to the required structure
• communication, which is rarely clear,
coherent and concise and may not meet
required limits
• inaccurate use of recognized conventions
to acknowledge sources or no
acknowledgement of sources.
The student demonstrates:
• some organization of the project report
according to the required structure
• communication, which is sometimes clear,
coherent and concise and is within required
limits
• some accurate use of recognized
conventions to acknowledge sources.
The student demonstrates:
• satisfactory organization of the project
report according to the required structure
• communication, which is generally clear,
coherent and concise and is within required
limits
• generally accurate use of recognized
conventions to acknowledge sources.
The student demonstrates:
• consistent organization of the project
report according to the required structure
• communication, which is clear, coherent
and concise and is within required limits
• accurate use of recognized conventions to
acknowledge sources, possibly with minor
errors.
So how did you go!!!
Final Grade Boundaries
Grade
Boundaries
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
0-5
6-9
10-13
14-16
17-21
22-24
25-28