1

Personal
Project Guide
How can I succeed on my Personal Project?
This guide will:
assist you with choosing a topic, product and global
context
help you devise clear Product Specifications
show you examples and give you ideas
inform you on how you will be marked according to
the assessment criteria
include details on how to format your report

Name: _______________
Homeroom:___________

BRING THIS
TO EVERY
MEETING

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CONTENTS
Student Supervisor Agreement.....1
Introduction......2
Personal Project Timeline....6
Starting the Personal Project....7
Topic for Investigation .........7
Connecting to a global context....8
Goal / Guiding question..10
Deciding on the outcome or product12
Your Project Plan: Creating specifications and research question15
Examples..16
Using ManageBac......17
Organizing18
Investigating..20
Your Process Journal .22
Your project report.23
Assessment Criteria.27
Research and Citation..32

This guide is not wholly an original work. Large parts

were taken from a sample guide available as part of
the Personal Project Teacher Support Material on the
OCC. A similar guide was originally developed by the
staff of Concordia College, Australia, whose work
inspired the Personal Project Guide of Suzhou
Singapore International School. It is the latter that
serves as a basis for the BBIS Personal Project Guide.
Assessment Criteria and other materials were taken
from the MYP Personal Project Guide (IBO, 2011).
Student samples and pictures depict the work of the
BBIS 2015 and 2016 graduating classes.
Barbara Giegerich
MYP Coordinator
Berlin Brandenburg International School
[email protected]

STUDENT SUPERVISOR AGREEMENT

STUDENT
I promise that I shall:
try my hardest to
complete my
Personal Project
read and try to
understand all of the
guidance provided
ensure that all of the
work is my own
arrange and turn up
promptly to meetings
with my supervisor
respect deadlines.

SUPERVISOR
I promise that I shall:
try my hardest to
assist my student
read and make use of
all of the guidance
provided
make myself available
at least once a month
to meet my student
report any problems
to the students
Homeroom Teacher
and/or MYP
Coordinator.

Name: _____________

Name: _____________

Date: _____________

Date: _____________

Signature: _____________ Signature: _____________

Question: How do I get in touch with

my supervisor?
Answer: Send an e-mail! Follow up,
make appointments and let them know a
day ahead of time if the appointment
needs to change. Dont know your
!
supervisors e-mail address? Write it
down here!

Introduction
The Personal Project is your chance to learn more about a topic that interests you. It is
a product of your own initiative and should reflect your experience in the MYP. It
provides an excellent opportunity to produce a truly creative piece of work of your
choice, to show initiative and commitment in Service as Action and to communicate
your interests to others.

Aims
The aims of the Personal Project are to allow
you to:

Engage in personal enquiry on

issues that are relevant to yourself,
through a global context as a
framework for learning
Demonstrate the skills, attitudes
and knowledge required to
complete a project over an
extended period of time.
Reflect on your learning and
knowledge (on your own and with
others)
Move towards thoughtful and
positive action
Develop confidence as a lifelong learner

What do I need to produce for the Personal Project?

You must produce three items:

A Process Journal
A product or outcome for display that shows other people what you did
A project report

Process Journal
Your Process records the development of your Personal Project. It should contain all
your ideas, your planning, your discussions, clippings of readings, diary excerpts, meeting
schedules and outcomes with your supervisor, photographs whatever you do that is
part of the process should be kept in this document.
You choose the format of your journal. It might be a scrapbook, a notebook, or a
website (See page 22 for more information)

Product or Outcome
The product or outcome you create shows other people what you have investigated.
Apart from your journal, which will be part of the display, you need to have some way of
showing what you produced or achieved for your goal. This might be the actual product,
such as a model, electronic article, artwork or it might be visuals of the outcome, such
as photographs of an event you organized. (See page 12 for more information)

Project Report
The project report is a summary of your experience of the Personal Project. Using no
more than 3500 words, (not including title page, bibliography and appendices) you must
describe and reflect on the experience. Extracts from the Process Journal are included in
the appendices of the report. (See page 23 for more information)

How will I be assessed?

The Personal Project is assessed against four criteria, worth eight points each.

A: Investigating
1. You define a clear goal and global context for the project, based on your
personal interests.
2. You identify prior learning and subject-specific knowledge relevant to the project.
3. You demonstrate research skills.
B: Planning
1. You develop criteria for your product/outcome.
2. You plan and record the development process of the project.
3. You demonstrate self-management skills.
C: Taking action
1. You create a product/outcome in response to the goal, context and criteria.
2. You demonstrate thinking skills.
3. You demonstrate communication and social skills.
D: Reflecting
1. You evaluate the quality of the product/outcome against their criteria.
2. You reflect on how completing the project has extended your knowledge and
understanding of the topic and the global context.
3. You reflect on your development as an IB learner through the project.

Personal Project Timeline

Date:

Action or Process:

Friday, September 11th Workshop 1: Introduction to the Personal Project and Formulating your
(P.3-4 Science)
project question with MYP Coordinator
MPR
Due: Have read the BBIS PERSONAL PROJECT GUIDE
September/October

Select topic. Select the global context you want to focus on. Write mind
map or table about your project. Begin Process Journal.
Choose supervisor, discuss your project plan. Complete Agreement on pg.
2. Arrange a meeting schedule.
Complete the Personal Project Worksheet on ManageBac.
Check project plan with your supervisor.
Continue writing in your Process Journal!

Monday, October 6th

(P.1-2 German)
in classrooms

Workshop 2: Presenting Project Plans (bring all necessary materials to do so)

October/November

Work on project: research, experiment, interview, refine plans.

Take lots of notes in your Process Journal! What worked, what went wrong?
How did you react? What solutions did you find?
Document the process of your project!

Tuesday, November
25th (P.3-4 Humanities)
in classrooms

Workshop 3: How will my Personal Project be assessed?

Tuesday, December
16th (P.5-6 English)
in classrooms

Workshop 4: How do I write my Personal Project report? Tips from the

MYP Coordinator, School Librarian and English teachers

Thursday, January 15th

(P.7-8 Science)
in classrooms

Workshop 5: How do I cite properly and sufficiently? Ensuring that your

report documents your research well.

Tuesday, February
10th

Due: First draft of Personal Project Report handed in to supervisor!

February March 6th

Work on the final draft of your report, incorporating changes suggested by

supervisor. Prepare display for presentation (global context, photos,
posters, etc.)

Monday, February 18th

Workshop 6: What do I need for the Personal Project Exhibition?

Due: Completed project plan uploaded onto ManageBac

See pg. 16 for examples

PE (P.3-4)
in Sports Hall

Friday, March 6th

Due: Final copies of Personal Project Report handed in to

supervisor and MYP Coordinator and uploaded onto ManageBac.

March 10th -17th

Check display materials with supervisor.

Tuesday, March 17th

Set-up in Sports Hall

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(P.5-8)
Wednesday, March
18th

Personal Project Exhibition in Sports Hall to BBIS Community

8:30-14:30 and 19:00-20:30

Thursday, March 19th

onwards

Marking of Personal Projects by supervisors, moderators and MYP

Coordinator, followed by external moderation by the IB

Please contact Barbara Giegerich with questions or concerns (room 2407, or at

[email protected])

Starting the Personal Project

The Personal Project needs a goal that must come out of a topic of personal interest, set
in a global context.

STEP ONE: Choosing a topic

There are some important factors to consider when choosing your topic. When you
have a topic in mind, ask yourself the following questions to determine if it is an idea
worth pursuing:

Does it interest you?

You will be spending a lot of time on your project between now and March, so it is very
important that you choose a topic you are passionate about.

Does it relate to a specific global context?

In the next section, you will see how one topic can relate to different global contexts.
Choosing the right topic and global context is important to the success of your project.

Can it be researched?
You must do research for your Personal Project. Researching involves going to the
library as well as going online to find books, articles, videos, etc. that will inform your
project. It can also involve interviews, trips, photographs, etc. It is essential that you
choose a topic fit to be researched and for that research to be applied in your project
and in the report.

Can you complete the project without too much outside help?
Certainly, there will be people helping you with your project. Your supervisor, experts
in the field, your peers and your parents can all provide valuable input. But it must be
YOUR project, all the work on it must be done by you. Do not choose something that
is too complex for you to complete.

Is the project sufficiently ambitious?

On the other hand, you must be careful to choose a project that is ambitious and allows
you to showcase your hard work. If something can be completed over the course of a
long weekend, it is not an appropriate choice for the Personal Project. A highly
challenging goal, if successfully completed, will likely receive high marks.
Here are some examples of challenging and highly challenging personal project goals:
Challenging goal

Highly challenging goal

A student documents his or her

self-taught skills of photography.
A student creates a durable bag
using second-hand materials.
A student writes an article on a
topic of interest for a journal
(school/academic/special
interest) and submits it to an
audience.

A student documents his or her

neighborhood through a
photography exhibition.
A student creates a range of bags
using second-hand materials to
exhibit at the local arts centre.
A student writes and publishes
an original book-length feature
on a topic of interest.

STEP TWO: Connecting the topic to a global context

Global contexts are new in the MYP. They direct learning towards independent and
shared inquiry into our common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet. Using
the world as the broadest context for learning, MYP projects can develop meaningful
explorations of:

identities and relationships

orientation in space and time

personal and cultural expression

scientific and technical innovation

globalization and sustainability

fairness and development

In order to help you choose a global context for your project, you may want to consider
the following questions:

What do I want to achieve through my Personal Project?

What do I want others to understand through my work?

What impact do I want my project to have?

How can a specific context give greater purpose to my project?

Lets look at some examples of how one topic can be explored in different ways,
depending on the global context.

Topic: Rap as a music genre

Global context

Guiding question

Identity and relationships

How can I show the ways in which raps

speaks to individual listeners?

Orientation in space and time

How can I explore the development of rap

as a style of music across continents?

Personal and cultural expression

How can I perform a rap song for peers

and have a question-answer session?

Topic: Solar energy devices

Global context

Guiding question

Scientific and technical innovation

How can I design a model of a solar device

with instructions for construction?

Orientation in space and time

How can I investigate how different

cultures have made use of energy for
different needs throughout history?

Globalization and sustainability

How can I debate Herv Kempfs ideas

about how the rich are destroying the
earth?

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STEP THREE: Goal / Guiding question

Once you have chosen a topic and global context, you must set a goal what you aim to
achieve with your project. The best way of describing your goal is to create a question
that will guide your investigation. Your question must reference:

your global context

your topic

Your question must demand inquiry, and not be a question that can be answered in a
sentence or two. Some examples of guiding questions include
Identities and relationships
questions:

How can I
create an
awareness
campaign
about digital
citizenship
and cyber
bullying?
How can I
improve the
school's image
whilst
promoting
diversity and
being a part of a
community on
the BBIS campus?

How can I create

a video series
entitled Keeping
Culinary
Traditions,
which presents
family recipes
with historical
relevance?

How can I show

the effect of
mass media on
teenage identity through a short
film?

Orientation in space and time

questions:
How
can I explain
the Euclidean
space
perspective of
the universe to
others via a 3D
model?
How
can I explain
immigration
through the
ages to young
students via
visual texts?
How
can I present
my familys
history
through a
short story
entitled The
Mayflower and
the Dream of
Religious
Freedom?
How
can I represent the lives of two
women in the Israel-Palestine
conflict through a series of

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monologues inspired by
photographs?

How can I use architecture as a

way of explaining Berlins history
over the last 150 years?

Personal and cultural expression

questions:

Scientific and technical innovation

questions:

How can I show that nano fibres

build stronger bikes by designing
and constructing a prototype
bike?

How can I inform my peers

about anti-matter in an
informational talk
entitled Whats the
matter with antimatter?

How can I
create a story
with a hero
that has
current-day
values and
morals?

How can I
explain why genetics
and genomics are
important to health
through a media
presentation?

How can I
show that
video games
are an
expression of
our culture
through a short
film using five
games?

How can I
create a series of
video tutorials on
Geometry for Grade
10 students?

How can I
explain the art
of Manga in
Japanese
culture
through an
ECA?
How can I
create a dance
to express my multi-national
heritage and perform it with
peers at a school event?
How can I write a dystopian
novel that communicates and
reflects changing values in our
society?

Globalization and
sustainability
questions:
How can I
determine whether
the schools use of
resources is efficient
or wasteful and provide a plan
for improvement?

How can I create an awareness

campaign about the struggle for
water in developing countries?

How can I show the

consequences of a western diet
on global food supplies?

How can I show the role of

developing countries in

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protecting the rain forest

through a collection of slides?

How can I raise awareness of the

environmental impact of flying
and offer viable alternatives to
people in my community?

How can I engage my peers in a

discussion about open-market
economies and their role in fair
trade?

How can I explore the

intersections of race and
inequality through a podcast
series?

How can I show the rights of

asylum seekers through painting?

Fairness and development

questions:

How can I carry out an

awareness campaign in our
school cafeteria to promote fair
trade products?

Talk to other people about your ideas for a good guiding question. You will have
noticed by now, that all of the questions are phrased similarly, beginning with How can
I. . .? Formulating your question in this way helps ensure that there is an active
component to your project, which is necessary for your product or outcome.

STEP FOUR: Deciding on the outcome or product

With your global context, topic and guiding question in place, you need to think about
what your outcome or product will be; you have to decide the format that you will
create to share your project with others. How do you plan to answer your guiding
question? For example, if your guiding question is, How can I show what determines a
healthy lifestyle for people of different ages? you have several options as to what your
product or outcome will be. Here are some possibilities, can you think of others?

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An information board for healthy living, that will be displayed prominently in

the school
An interactive website, which allows people of different ages to access
information for a healthy lifestyle
A short instructional film to be shown to a seventh grade class about how to
live healthy
Two lessons on healthy living prepared for and taught to a group of fourth
graders.

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

You must have made your final choice of

topic by the time your product
specifications are due on: _______________
After that, topic choices are final!

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As you can see, there are lots of possibilities.

Make sure that the product or outcome you
decide on is appropriately challenging and that it
ties in with your chosen global context. Choose
something that will best demonstrate what you
have learned through your investigation and
present it in a way that communicates easily with
others. Some examples of outcomes or
products include:

Performances
play, dance or other choreographed piece, song, rap, speech

Published writing
creative prose, collection of poetry, major essay,
extended article, script, review

Events
fund-raising events, service in action, celebration,
tournament, race

Static visual displays

photographs, poster, model, artifact, drawings,
other works of art, charts, graphs, etc.

Other media
podcast, website, film, video-tutorial, audio
recording, animation

Question: Can I have more than one outcome or

product?
Answer: Yes, if you wish to compose a piece of music

and then perform it in public, that will be two

products, but you should only have one goal / guiding
question.

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STEP FIVE: YOUR PROJECT PLAN

Creating specifications and research questions
You will need to create specifications for your outcome or product. The specifications are how
you will know youve achieved your goal. You must ask yourself different questions in order to
define the specifications. The questions you ask might change depending on the type of
outcome or product.
Questions you might find helpful include:

What will my outcome or product look like?

What type of materials will I use?
What techniques will I use?
What type of information will I include?
How will I present the information?
Will I include visuals?
Do I need to consider any copyright or intellectual property issues?
Who is the audience?
How will I get feedback?

Talk to other people about your specifications your parents, friends and teachers. You can
always refine your specifications later as you discover more about your Personal Project goal.
However, major changes specifications should happen at the beginning of your project.
Changing specifications shortly before the due date to accommodate what you have achieved
up to that point is not acceptable.
Furthermore, you will need to create a list of at least ten research questions, to help guide your
work on the project. Good research questions might include:

Where can I go to learn more about my project?

How do I order books or other materials from libraries that are further away?
How do I work with secondary sources that are not in English?
How can I ensure that my research includes a wide variety of sources?
What aspects of my project will be the easiest for me to complete?
What aspects of my project will require the most work?
What can my supervisor do to help me?
How do I prepare for an interview?
How can I incorporate X into my project?
How do I want to format my outcome? (If it is a written piece)
Where and when will I be able to work on my product? (If it requires a specific
workspace with machinery not available elsewhere)
How can I make sure the money I raise is used for the intended purpose?
How do I go about conducting and evaluating a survey?

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Check out the examples below of the project proposals. These can be filled in on Managebac,
but the research questions will need to be uploaded as a document.

Example 1

Question: How can I inspire students to care for

their local environment?

Global context: Globalization and sustainablity

Product/Outcome:
A workshop pack
(with plan and
materials)
Delivery of the
workshop to third
graders

Specifications:
The workshop:
has clear and measurable objectives
is the right length for the targeted students
includes a suitable number of activities for the
purpose of the objectives
includes a post-workshop evaluation
questionnaire

Example 2
Question: How can I raise money for a leukemia
charity?

Global context: Fairness and development

Product/Outcome:
Completed
fundraising
campaign
Donation and
presentation of
funds to the charity

Example 3

Specifications:
The campaign:
is clearly communicated to the school community
gives information to the community about how
the money will be used
is of clear duration and has an event where
money is donated
is appropriate for the target audience

Question: How can I show how important bamboo

is to rural Chinese people?

Global context: Personal and cultural expression

Product/Outcome:
a mixed media,
three -dimensional
painting

Specifications:
The painting:
includes images of how bamboo is used in daily
life
is acrylic on canvas in observational style
is mixed media and realism bamboo products
attached to the canvas
is on canvas size 1m x 1m

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Using Managebac
You will use Managebac to record your work on your project. Please look at the timeline and
make sure that documents are uploaded when they are due.
After you have decided on your:
Topic
Goal
Global Context
Inquiry Question
Specifications
Supervisor
you must complete your Personal Project Proposal on Managebac.

If you wish, you may keep your Process Journal on Managebac. As you can see, the Process
Journal allows you to write journal entries, upload photos and files, as well as videos and links.
This gives you and your supervisor access to your resources and notes whenever you are
logged onto Managebac. If you prefer to use your own journal or other website, you are free
to do so.

18

You will also find the notes section of the Personal Project page to be useful for communicating
with your supervisor.
Finally, be sure to check the files tab of Grade 10, as well as the links to access all relevant
documents and resources regarding the Personal Project provided by the MYP Coordinator.

STEP SIX: ORGANIZING

With your global context, topic, guiding question and specifications in place, you should take
time to plan your time management over the period allowed for the Personal Project.
Managing time is one of the most crucial elements of the project. Ask any student in
Grades 11 or 12 and they will confirm this. It is essential that you create a timeline of what you
plan to do.
To help you plan, you should remember that the Personal Project has at least five phases:

THINK!
This is the phase involving the first five
steps you develop your Personal Project
concept through your choice of Area of
Interaction, topic and guiding question.

INVESTIGATE!
This is the phase you undertake next
you gather as much information as you can
on your topic.

PLAN!
This phase is when you plan your response to the guiding question sorting through
information and designing your product /outcome.

CREATE!
This is the phase when you actually create your product or outcome for the Personal Project.

PRESENT!
Finally, you present your Personal Project for viewing and assessment.
On the next page, youll find a timeline you can use to plan your Personal Project. The exact
format is your choice, but this will help you get started.

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Month
September

Week
1
2
3
4

October

1
2
3
4

November

1
2
3
4

December

1
2
3
4

January

1
2
3
4

February

1
2
3
4

March

1
2
3

Due Dates

Focus

Activities

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Investigating
What is an investigation?
An investigation for the Personal Project is the action of finding out information in order to
respond to the guiding question. Using your guiding question, you will:

gather all the information you can from a variety of sources

evaluate the sources: work out which information is really useful as well as reliable for a
response to the guiding question

What sources do I use for my investigation?

You have access to a variety of information sources:

Books
Articles from magazines, journals, newspapers
Web sites
TV programmes / video clips
Expert people

You should use them all, initially, to find out as much as you
can about your topic.
Record all of the sources you read, view, listened to or interviewed in your Process Journal.
This will form a valuable resource for later in the project process.

How do I choose what information to

use?
Having investigated your topic by reading, viewing,
listening and interviewing to gather information,
now you have to sort through what you have
gathered to choose what is most useful or
appropriate for your project.
There are many techniques you can apply to
choose which information to use and which to
leave out. Some examples are identified below as
guides or reminders of what to do at this point.
Sometimes, one technique will work. More likely,
you will have to use combinations of them to
finally choose what information to use.
You must use in-text citation and
a works cited page, formatted
using the latest edition of the
MLA system.

21

Straight logic
This technique requires you to simply select information by thinking about its relevance to your
guiding question. You label pieces of information as either relevant or irrelevant and then use
the relevant information for your project.

Degree of importance
You make four categories and go through your information, labeling each piece of information
according to the category that best describes what you have found. The categories are:
Absolutely essential
You cannot respond to the guiding question if you dont use this information. Keep it and use it.
Very useful
This is information that should be used in the response because it makes very clear to everyone
what you have learned or want other people to learn about your topic. Keep and use as much
of it as you can.
Interesting
This information does refer to the guiding question, but if you did leave it out it wouldnt
radically change your response. Use it if you dont have enough of the two levels above.
Irrelevant
When you look at your guiding question this information doesnt really help. It is related to the
topic only, but not the global context. You ignore this information.

The Checklist
For this technique you have a series of question that you apply to each piece of information. If
it receives ticks against all questions then clearly you should use the information in your
response.

Is the information source reliable and is the information accurate?

Is the information current or still valuable if it is older?
Does the information help you respond to the guiding question?
Does the information connect clearly with the global context or aspects of it?
Does the information belong to your topic?
Will the information help you to develop your product or outcome?

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THINKING, PLANNING, CREATING and REFLECTING

Your Process Journal
What should I keep in my Journal?
Your journal is a complete record of EVERYTHING you do for your Personal Project, from
START to FINISH. You should use your journal to store:

Notes and ideas on your projects global context

Concepts for your project
Drawings, pictures, clippings, photographs
Information gathered from your investigations
Copies of interviews and discussions with people
Plans for your project
Timeline(s)

Above all else you should use your journal to make regular and detailed REFLECTIONS on
your ideas, progress and challenges. Record your responses to other peoples feedback, your
good experiences and your disappointments.
Your journal will be the most important document in your Personal Project experience because
from it you will be able draw much of the information you will need to write your report. You
will need to include an extract (at least 10 - 20 entries) in the appendices of your report.
What should my journal look like?
You choose your journal format. Choose a format that
allows you to be organized and chaotic, neat and messy,
because you will be putting scraps as well as good documents
into it. You therefore can choose from a number of formats:

START YOUR PROCESS

JOURNAL TODAY!!!!!

ManageBac
web site
scrapbook
booklet
word document
wiki
blog
PowerPoint

Choose the one you feel

will be the most effective
for your style of learning
and make it uniquely yours.

23

Your project report

What is the project report?
The project report is the formal record of the entire process you undertook to complete your
Personal Project investigation. It will explain clearly to whoever reads it:

the goal of your project

your choice of global context and how your projects explores it
your research questions
the specifications of your outcome / product
why you chose this project
the timeline and tasks you had to complete
your research and the evaluation of information and resources
the application of research and the techniques you used
your reflection on the quality of the outcome / product

What should the project report look like?

The report is the place where you bring together and summarize your thinking, research and
creative process that resulted in your finished project.
You can start drafting the report at any stage or begin when you have completed the outcome
or product, provided that this has happened before the due date of the first draft.
The information you include in the report is organized into specific sections, as outlined below.
Before you begin, you will need to plan and organize the information. Your Process Journal will
be extremely important at this point, as it will contain all the information you need to complete
the report, if you have used it consistently.
Structure of the Personal Project Report
The report must include: Title page, Table of Contents, Body of the report, Works Cited Page
and Appendices.
The Title Page must include the following:
Your name and your supervisors name
Title of the project (your guiding question)
Length of the report (excluding Appendices): the maximum is 3.500 words
School name
Year

When is the first draft due?

______________________

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The body of the report is structured around the objectives and assessment criteria and it
must include these sections:

Introduction
o From Topic to Guiding Question: Why I chose my goal
o Choice of global context
Specifications of the Product/Outcome of my
What should you include in the
Project
appendix?
The Development Process
at least 10, ideally up to
Research and Evaluation of Information and
20 entries from your
Resources
Process Journal
Application of Research and Techniques Used
Photos or other graphic
Links to Global Context
material you refer to in
Reflection on the Quality of Product/Outcome
your report
Reflection on my Learning
Works Cited
Appendices

Length of the report

The length of the Personal Project report must be a minimum of 1,500 words and a
maximum of 3,500 words, not including the Works Cited page and Appendices.

Reflection questions for producing the project report

These are questions you might use to help you think about your project when producing your
report. You dont have to answer each of the questions below, they are not a checklist.
Rather, they are to give you an idea of the type of information to include. You need to be
aware of the overall word limit for the project. Some sections of your report may be longer
than others; this is normal. If your timeline is very detailed, provide a general overview of it
with major milestones in the report, and include the full timeline in the appendices (this will
keep you from going over the word limit.)
The goal/Why you chose this project:

What global context was the focus for your project? Why did you choose that
particular global context? What specific features of the global context did you
intend to focus upon in your project and why?
What made you chose your topic? Why did this topic interest you? How much
prior experience or understanding of this topic did you have? How does this
interest or topic directly relate to your chosen global context?
What guiding question did you design from the global context and topic? What
process did you use to decide on your guiding question? Why is your question one
that requires more than a simple answer? How can someone recognize the global
context in the question? How do they recognize the topic in the question?
What goal did you set for your project? What specifications did you put in place to
help you successfully complete your investigation and your project overall?

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Research and evaluation of information and resources

Which resources did you investigate for your project? Why did you choose them?
Were some resources better than others? Did you have any difficulties finding or
using resources?
Which printed resources did you use? Why did you use them? Where did you find
them? How easy were they to obtain? What was valuable about them?
Which electronic resources did you use? Why did you use them? How did you
access them? How easy were they to access? What was valuable about them?
Which human resources did you use? Why did you use them? How easy were
they to meet or talk to? What was valuable about them?
How did you make your choices about what information to use and what to
discard? How did you evaluate your sources?

Application of information

What exactly did you do to complete your project? What decisions did you make
based on the information you discovered? How did you solve problems? How did
the information affect your choices?
Were there any specific techniques you developed as a result of your investigation?

Achieve the goal

Did you adjust or alter your original goal as the project developed? If you made
changes, why did you make the changes? Do you feel that you successfully achieved
your goal?
Did you have to alter your specifications much during the process? Explain how
effective your specifications turned out to be overall and evaluate your product.
What level of achievement would you award your product or out-come based on
your specifications? Does your supervisor agree with this?

Reflect on learning

What exactly did you learn from your investigation? What was your response to
your guiding question? How did you reach your conclusion or hypothesis or point of
view or expression of ideas? What aspects of your investigation really helped you to
reach a better understanding of your topic?
What new understanding do you have the global context you chose to use as the
context for your project? How did the global context give you a different or better
understanding of your topic?
How well did you do the project, according to your self-assessment? What did you
feel you did well? What would you improve next time you do a similar project?
What specific skills did you need to develop/apply to investigate and complete your
project? What new skills did you learn, or what existing skills did you improve?
What format did you use for your Journal and why was it your preferred format?
What did you learn about yourself as a person through undertaking the project
process? Which of the Learner Profile qualities did you find yourself exhibiting at
different times and why? Have you improved in any of these qualities?
What action should be taken by yourself and others as a result of what you
discovered through your investigation? Why should that action occur? How might
that action be implemented?
Final comments about your experience with the project?

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Can anyone help me to edit my project report?

The project report should be as error-free as and it must be comprehensible to whoever reads
it. You can approach family, friends and teachers for assistance with grammar, punctuation and
spelling matters. However, while they can help you with editing, they cant WRITE the project
report for you. It must ultimately be your own work. While your supervisor may give you
feedback on style and grammar, he/she is not responsible for proofreading any drafts of your
report.
Finally
Remember you are not doing this in your own. Your supervisor and others will help you on
your way and by choosing something YOU want to explore, with planning and effort, you will
complete the project and by the end of it be more knowledgeable and skilled in your chosen
area.

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ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
The following table lists all of the assessment criteria, where the evidence will be found and the
maximum level that can be achieved:
Criterion A

Investigating

Maximum 8

Criterion B

Planning

Maximum 8

Criterion C

Taking action

Maximum 8

Criterion D

Reflecting

Maximum 8

GRADE BOUNDARIES
1

0-3

4-7

8-12

13-17

18-22

23-27

28-32

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Criterion A: Investigating
Achievement Level descriptor:
Level:
0

The student has not reached a standard described by any of the descriptors given
below.

1-2

The student is able to:

state a goal and context for the project, based on personal interests, but
this may be limited in depth or accessibility
identify prior learning and subject-specific knowledge, but this may be
limited in occurrence or relevance
demonstrate limited research skills.

3-4

5-6

7-8

The student is able to:

outline a basic and appropriate goal and context for the project,
based on personal interests
identify basic prior learning and subject-specific knowledge relevant to
some areas of the project
demonstrate adequate research skills.
The student is able to:
define a clear and challenging goal and context for the project, based
on personal interests
identify prior learning and subject-specific knowledge generally
relevant to the project
demonstrate substantial research skills.
The student is able to:
define a clear and highly challenging goal and context for the
project, based on personal interests
identify prior learning and subject-specific knowledge that is
consistently highly relevant to the project
demonstrate excellent research skills.

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Criterion B: Planning
Achievement Level descriptor:
Level:
0
1-2

The student has not reached a standard described by any of the descriptors given
below.
The student is able to:
develop limited criteria for the product/outcome
present a limited or partial plan and record of the development
process of the project
demonstrate limited self-management skills.

3-4

The student is able to:

develop adequate criteria for the product/outcome
present an adequate plan and record of the development process of
the project
demonstrate adequate self-management skills.

5-6

The student is able to:

develop substantial and appropriate criteria for the product/outcome
present a substantial plan and record of the development process of
the project
demonstrate substantial self-management skills.

7-8

The student is able to:

develop rigorous criteria for the product/outcome
present a detailed and accurate plan and record of the development
process of the project
demonstrate excellent self-management skills.

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Criterion C: Taking action

Achievement Level descriptor:
Level:
0
1-2

3-4

The student has not reached a standard described by any of the descriptors given
below.
The student is able to:
create a limited product/outcome in response to the goal, global
context and criteria
demonstrate limited thinking skills
demonstrate limited communication and social skills.
The student is able to:
create a basic product/outcome in response to the goal, global context
and criteria
demonstrate adequate thinking skills
demonstrate adequate communication and social skills.

5-6

The student is able to:

create a substantial product/outcome in response to the goal, global
context and criteria
demonstrate substantial thinking skills
demonstrate substantial communication and social skills.

7-8

The student is able to:

create an excellent product/outcome in response to the goal, global
context and criteria
demonstrate excellent thinking skills
demonstrate excellent communication and social skills.

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Criterion D: Reflecting
Achievement Level descriptor:
Level:
0

The student has not reached a standard described by any of the descriptors given
below.

1-2

The student is able to:

present a limited evaluation of the quality of the product/outcome
against his or her criteria
present limited reflection on how completing the project has extended
his or her knowledge and understanding of the topic and the global
context
present limited reflection on his or her development as an IB learner
through the project.

3-4

The student is able to:

present a basic evaluation of the quality of the product/outcome against
his or her criteria
present adequate reflection on how completing the project has
extended his or her knowledge and understanding of the topic and the
global context
present adequate reflection on his or her development as an IB learner
through the project.

5-6

7-8

The student is able to:

present a substantial evaluation of the quality of the product/outcome
against his or her criteria
present substantial reflection on how completing the project has
extended his or her knowledge and understanding of the topic and the
global context
present substantial reflection on his or her development as an IB
learner
through the project.
The student is able to:
present an excellent evaluation of the quality of the product/outcome
against his or her criteria
present excellent reflection on how completing the project has
extended his or her knowledge and understanding of the topic and the
global context
present excellent reflection on his or her development as an IB learner
through the project.

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Research and Citation

In order to show that you have expanded your knowledge base through the Personal Project,
you must do research. This is reflected in Criteron A, where in order to receive high marks,
you must demonstrate excellent research skills. Thus, it is important for you to choose a topic
that can be researched. Where can you go to find good sources? Here are some ideas:
The Internet
While this seems like an obvious place to start your research, dont stop there! You must have
a variety of different types of sources. Also, be sure to use trustworthy sources online, such as
major news websites, scholarly web pages or other sites run by educational, governmental or
non-profit organizations.
The Library
Start with the BBIS Library, but also check out the local library in Kleinmachnow (right down
the road behind the Rathausmarkt) and the many public and university libraries in Berlin. Most
of these have a considerable selection of English language books.
Bookstores
If you are really passionate about a topic, it might be a good idea to invest in a book or two on
the subject, that you can write in or refer to later on.
No matter where you go to find your sources, there are a variety of materials available to for
you to use:

Books, including e-books and graphic novels

Articles from newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals, online databases or
encyclopedias
Cartoons or Comic Strips
Interviews
Films
Video clips
Websites
Images from printed or digital sources
Interviews

Once you have found your sources of information, you must read them and decide what you
can and cannot use for your project. It is important to remember to only list sources on your
Works Cited page that you have used in your report.

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What do I need to cite and how do I do it?

Referring to the work of others (texts, images or spoken words) requires in-text citation. You
do not need to cite common knowledge, idiomatic expressions or proverbs or common images
(like the flag of a country.)
Citation of all other information is important for two reasons. First, using in-text citation
shows that you have put in the time and effort to learn more about your projects from expert
sources. It validates what you are writing about by showing the reader that others back up
what you claim through research, experiments, etc. that they have conducted. Furthermore,
in-text citation is essential in order to prevent plagiarism.
What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism is taking the work of someone else and passing it off as your own without giving
credit to the source. It is stealing. This is not only a violation of the BBIS Code of Conduct, it
is illegal. Plagiarizing any part of your Personal Project Report will result in your receiving a
zero on the project.
In order to avoid committing plagiarism, and in the process, showing that your work is wellresearched and documented, you need to use in-text citation in MLA format.
What does in-text citation look like?
In text-citation can look something like this:
Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of
powerful feelings" (263).

Or like this:
Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful
feelings" (Wordsworth 263).

Or this:
Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process
(263).

These examples, as well as the ones that follow, were taken from the Purdue English Writing
Lab Website.
As you can see, MLA in-text citation displays the name of the Author and the page number in
parentheses. This is called parenthetical citation. If you mention the author in the text, then
you dont need to name him or her (or them) in the in-text citation.

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But wait! What if I dont quote the author directly?

Even if you dont quote someone directly, you must still cite their work. Paraphrasing or
summarizing is good and often necessary when integrating someone elses thoughts into your
work. As you can see in the third example, the writer summarized Wordsworths ideas about
Romantic poetry without directly quoting him.
What is a Works Cited Page?
The in-text, parenthetical citation helps the reader find the work you quoted on the Works
Cited Page. This is a complete list of every source used in your report. It is placed at the end
of your paper and provides the information necessary for a reader to locate and retrieve any
sources cited in your report.
Your Works Cited page must be on its own page in your report. You will list all of the sources
you used in MLA Format. Have a look at the example on the next page. You will notice that
web sites are not listed by URL. This is because URLs change over time, and anyone reading
your work needs to be able to find the website or online article at any time.
Doing proper in-text citation and Works Cited page requires some time and effort, it is not
something that can be done at the last minute. As you start your project, be sure to always
keep track of all research you do. Make sure you write down all the necessary information
about a source and record interviews, so that you can refer to them later on, when you are
writing the report.
Once its time to put together your Works Cited page, there are number of websites that can
help you. EasyBib is a popular place to start, but it sometimes makes mistakes and in the end,
you are responsible for getting it right. The Purdue Online Writing Lab is an excellent
resource that can answer all of your questions about how to cite videos, interviews, pictures,
books with no author, articles with five authors, etc.

35

Works Cited
"Blueprint Lays Out Clear Path for Climate Action." Environmental Defense Fund.
Environmental Defense Fund, 8 May 2007. Web. 24 May 2009.
Clinton, Bill. Interview by Andrew C. Revkin. Clinton on Climate Change. New York Times.
New York Times, May 2007. Web. 25 May 2009.
Dean, Cornelia. "Executive on a Mission: Saving the Planet." New York Times. New York
Times, 22 May 2007. Web. 25 May 2009.
Ebert, Roger. "An Inconvenient Truth." Rev. of An Inconvenient Truth, dir. Davis
Guggenheim. rogerebert.com. Sun-Times News Group, 2 June 2006. Web. 24 May 2009.
GlobalWarming.org. Cooler Heads Coalition, 2007. Web. 24 May 2009.
Gowdy, John. "Avoiding Self-organized Extinction: Toward a Co-evolutionary Economics of
Sustainability." International Journal of Sustainable Development and World
Ecology 14.1 (2007): 27-36. Print.
An Inconvenient Truth. Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Perf. Al Gore, Billy West. Paramount, 2006.
DVD.
Leroux, Marcel. Global Warming: Myth Or Reality?: The Erring Ways of Climatology. New
York: Springer, 2005. Print.
Milken, Michael, Gary Becker, Myron Scholes, and Daniel Kahneman. "On Global Warming and
Financial Imbalances." New Perspectives Quarterly 23.4 (2006): 63. Print.
Nordhaus, William D. "After Kyoto: Alternative Mechanisms to Control Global
Warming." American Economic Review 96.2 (2006): 31-34. Print.
---. "Global Warming Economics." Science 9 Nov. 2001: 1283-84. Science Online. Web. 24 May
2009.
Shulte, Bret. "Putting a Price on Pollution." Usnews.com. US News & World Rept., 6 May
2007. Web. 24 May 2009.
Uzawa, Hirofumi. Economic Theory and Global Warming. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2003. Print.

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If youve read all the way to this page prior to our first meeting, you are well on your way
to completing a successful Personal Project.
Best wishes to you all!