Name: ___________________________________

Supervisor: ___________________________________

Robbinsdale Cooper
High School
International Baccalaureate
Middle Years Programme
Personal Project Handbook
Dear 10th Grade Students,

We are thrilled that we are able to provide you with the opportunity to pursue the International Baccalaureate
Middle Years Programme (IB MYP) Personal Project, the culminating project for the IB MYP at Cooper. This is
your chance to produce a Personal Project of your choosing. You can learn a new skill, create music or art, design
and build something, do a service project, pursue an academic topic in any subject area, or do something entirely
different. Through this journey, you will be able to demonstrate your ability to take initiative, think critically, and
communicate effectively—a few of the many skills you need to be college and career ready.

As IB MYP students, you are part of a global community of learners from more than 140 countries who are
engaging in an international education “that aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people
who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.” The Personal
Project allows you to turn your passion into a personal product that will demonstrate your learning in the MYP. We
wish you the best as you begin the journey of completing this project. We have many resources to support you
along the way. We look forward to seeing the results of your hard work and ingenuity at the Personal Project Expo
in April, where you will display your project. You’ll also be honored at the May Awards Celebration sophomore
year.

Sincerely,

Shaunece Smith
Principal

Mrs. Kari Christensen

IB Coordinator

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Table of Contents:
Letter to Students 1

Table of Contents 2

Overview 3

Aims and Criteria 4

Getting Started with the Preliminary Process Journal 5

What is a Valid End Product? 7

Personal Project Timeline 8

Supervisor Meeting Agendas 9

IB MYP Personal Project Roles and Responsibilities 10

Writing the Project Report 11 - 13

Evaluating Your Written Report 13 - 16

IB/Fine Arts Expo 16

Assessment 17 - 18

Important Terms and Command Terms 19

2
 Overview
Welcome to the IB MYP Personal Project! This may be the only opportunity in your academic career where you
will have complete freedom to choose whatever topic and project your heart desires. This is your chance to refine
old skills and learn new ones. The Personal Project consists of four components: the Process Journal, product,
project report and Personal Project Expo.

Personal Project component How it is assessed

Process Journal - As you move through each
You will submit your entire process journal to your
step, log observations, steps taken and more.
supervisor.
This is a history of exactly what you’ve done.
Product - You’ll apply your Approaches to Evident in the report.
Learning skills (page 27-30 in the process
journal) to complete an extended,
self-directed piece of work. This provides
opportunities for a creative and truly personal
demonstration of learning.
Project Report - A follow-up report where you The content of the report is assessed using all three
cover how your project meets the IB MYP assessment criteria.
assessment criteria (See chart on page 4
under Aims and Criteria). It’s a polished piece
of writing.
Not included in the Personal Project assessment, but
The Personal Project Expo is held in April. attendance is required in order to receive the elective
credit.

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 Aims and Criteria
The Personal Project is an opportunity for students to:

● Inquire
○ Explore an interest that is personally meaningful
○ Take ownership of their learning by undertaking a self-directed inquiry
● Act
○ Transfer and apply skills in pursuit of a learning goal and the creation of a project
● Reflect
○ Recognize and evidence personal growth and development

i. State a learning goal for the project and explain how a personal
interest led to that goal
ii. State an intended product and develop appropriate success
Criterion A Planning
criteria for the product
iii. Present a clear, detailed plan for achieve the product and its
associated success criteria
i. Explain how the ATL skills were applied to help achieve your
Criterion B Applying Skills learning goal
ii. Explain how the ATL skills were applied to help achieve your
product
i. Explain the impact of the project on you or your learning
Criterion C Reflecting ii. Evaluate the product based on the success criteria that you
created

See rubric on page 15 for the full grading rubric.

TIPS:

● Keep your project manageable.

● Contact Mrs. Christensen or Mrs. Meyer if you have any questions.
● Ask Mr. King in the Media Center for research suggestions.
● Communicate with your supervisor.

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 Getting Started with the Preliminary Process Journal
At this point, you’ve completed your Preliminary Process Journal (PPJ) and turned in your Personal Project
Proposal form. Through this, you’ve done the following:

1. You’ve determined a general topic you’d like to research.

2. You’ve selected, or been assigned, a supervisor to guide you.
○ Review the Personal Project Timeline (page 8): This is a general timeline of what needs to be done
and when. It also refers you to page 9, Supervisor Meeting Agendas, which will assist you in knowing
what you should have prepared for each meeting.
○ Review the IB MYP Personal Project Roles and Responsibilities (page 10): Review this form with your
supervisor so it is clear who is responsible for which aspects of the Personal Project process.
○ Review the IB MYP Personal Project Academic Honesty Form (page 26 in the Process Journal): This
form is to be completed and submitted with your final project. Both you and your supervisor sign the
form, indicating that all work is original and acknowledged.
3. You’ve started your Process Journal.
○ The PPJ is the start of your Process Journal.
○ Your Process Journal is where you will document your learning throughout your project. It will be
assessed together with your report. Your Process Journal will be submitted as part of your project.
You’ve been given a separate Process Journal booklet which will guide you through this process.
○ In your journal, you must provide evidence that you have addressed the three criteria (Planning,
Applying Skills, and Reflecting) to demonstrate achievement at the highest levels of the criteria. Your
journal is divided into three sections, one for each criterion.
○ Each time you work on your project, you should spend 5-10 minutes writing in your journal.
○ It is possible that some projects may require a second journal of sorts. An example would be a student
who is doing a project focused on producing artwork. A student in this situation may keep his/her
drawings/sketches in a sketchbook. The main Process Journal should still be completed, even if you
have a secondary “journal”/sketchbook.

The Process Journal is: The Process Journal is not:

● used throughout the project to document its ● used on a daily basis (unless this is
development useful for you)
● an evolving record of intents, processes, and ● written up after the process has been
accomplishments; this includes planning and completed
time management strategies used ● additional work on top of the project;
● a collection of initial thoughts and it is part of and supports the project
developments, brainstorming, possible lines ● a diary with detailed writing about
of inquiry and further questions raised what was done (unless this is useful
● a record of interactions with sources, for for you)
example, teachers, supervisors, external ● a static document with only one
contributors format (unless this is useful for you)
● a record of selected, annotated and/or edited
research, including sources used

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 The Process Journal is:

● a collections of useful information, for

examples, quotations, pictures, ideas,
photographs

● a means of exploring ideas and solutions

● a place for evaluating work completed

● reflection on learning

○ You must show your supervisor evidence of your journal progress every time you meet with him/her.
○ Aim for a minimum of one entry per week. Entries could include:
● Brainstorming and thinking maps
● Notes, charts, diagrams, short paragraphs
● Annotated research
● Bibliography of resources
● Notes on what has been learned
● Pictures, photographs, sketches
● Artifacts from inspirational visits to museums, performances, etc.
● Self-assessment
● Explanations of how the research was used in the project to reach your goal
● Challenges/difficulties faced
● Questions to ask your supervisor and answers received
○ You must reflect on your use and development of the Approaches to Learning (AtL) skills throughout
your Process Journal, but especially in the criterion B section! A detailed breakdown of the AtL skills
can be found on pages 27-30 in the Process Journal.

Additional notes

○ Reflect! Reflect! Reflect!

● You must reflect on your learning throughout your project in order to achieve the highest score on
the Personal Project rubric. See page 5 for ideas for your journal. These reflections must be
included in your Process Journal.
● In addition to the ideas on page 5, you must show development of the AtL skills (see pages 27-30 in
the Process Journal). Which AtL skills were your strengths prior to beginning the Personal Project?
Which skills did you develop as you completed your Personal Project? You will be assessed on your
demonstration of AtL skills (see criterion B in the rubric).
○ Example: Research skills are an important component of your Personal Project. Once your
project is completed you will have evaluated the reliability of sources, selected relevant and
reliable sources, and created a properly cited bibliography. If you have never done this before,
then you have developed your AtL Information Literacy skills.

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 What Is a Valid End Product?
As you develop your Personal Project plan, deciding on what your end product will be is a crucial step. For some
topics, the end product may be obvious. If you are learning about making fishing lures, it’s logical that your end
product may be a fishing lure that you created.

For some topics, however, what your end product might be isn’t as clear.

The types of end products are endless, but we’ve listed below some end products that past students have
created. It’s important for you to know that your end product may not be a trifold display board.

Personal Project Topics Possible End Product

Photography Display of before and after photos

Poetry/Writing Creation of your own written work; novel; novella; short

stories

Building things Scale model house, fishing lure, musical instrument

Music Video of you playing your instrument; musical composition

Baking Book of recipes; video of you making a new item

Travel, other cultures Scrapbook of location highlights

Family Family tree, scrapbook of family tree; family recipe book

Science Video of lab experiment

If your end product is an electronic file, there are file size restrictions, so be sure to check with your supervisor
and IB office staff.

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 Personal Project Timeline and Checklist
Due Date Expectations
o Complete Personal Project Proposal and Preliminary Process Journal (PPJ). This was handed out in English.
o Submit your proposal sheet and PPJ to your English teacher.
September
o Attend an optional Hawk Lunch & Learn session if you are having difficulty completing your PPJ.
o Attend your first supervisor meeting to discuss specifics of your project. See Supervisor Meeting Agendas
on page 9 to see what’s expected of you at this meeting.
o Start working on your project, based on your conversation at your supervisor meeting.
o Start writing in your Process Journal. Before your second meeting, finish, at a minimum, all prompts
for Criterion A.
o Start your research on your project. Keep track of sources for your bibliography.
o Begin work on your final product.
o While researching and working on your final product, continually review your Success Criteria and the
Approaches to Learning skills you identified at your first supervisor meeting.
o Prepare for your second supervisor meeting by reviewing Supervisor Meeting Agendas on page 9.
October There are some specific things you should be working on.
o Write down questions you might have for your supervisor at the next meeting. Email your supervisor
and/or the IB Coordinator if you have immediate questions that need answers before you continue
with your project.
o Attend your second supervisor meeting to discuss specifics of your project and obtain first signature on the
Academic Honesty Form. See Supervisor Meeting Agendas on page 9 to see what’s expected of you at this
meeting.
o Prepare for your November supervisor meeting by reviewing Supervisor Meeting Agendas on page 9.
o Begin your draft of the first two sections of your report (Planning and Applying Skills). It will be due at the
November meeting.
o Attend your third supervisor meeting to discuss specifics of your project. See Supervisor Meeting Agendas
on page 9 to see what’s expected of you at this meeting. A draft of the first two sections of your report is
due!
November
o Prepare for your January supervisor meeting by reviewing Supervisor Meeting Agendas on page 9.
o Begin your draft of the last section (Reflecting) and bibliography of your report. It will be due at the January
meeting.
o Attend your fourth supervisor meeting to discuss specifics of your project and obtain second signatures on
the Academic Honesty Form. See Supervisor Meeting Agendas on page 9 to see what’s expected of you at
this meeting. A draft of the final section of your report, plus the bibliography, is due at this meeting!
January
o After the meeting, continue refining your report and bibliography.
o Prepare for your final supervisor meeting in February by reviewing Supervisor Meeting Agendas on page 9. At
this meeting, all required elements will be turned in to your supervisor.
o Attend a turn-in meeting with your supervisor & get the remaining signature on the Academic Honesty
Form. Turn in the following:
o Completed Process Journal
February
o Final product/outcome
o Final report and bibliography
o Completed Academic Honesty Form
o Work with IB staff to create a display board for the Personal Project Expo.
March - April
o Attend April Personal Project Expo and showcase your Personal Project.
April - May
o Attend May Awards Celebration to receive recognition for completing the Personal Project.

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 Supervisor Meeting Agendas
Bring your Handbook and Process Journal to all meetings!
Meeting 1 (week of October 2 - 6): Be prepared to discuss the following:
● The Process Journal and how to use it.
● What your final product will be. This must be a tangible piece, such as something you’ve built, a research paper, Google Slide
presentation, video, etc. A display board is NOT an acceptable final product.
● Your focused topic and goal. What do you want to learn? You’ve defined this in your Preliminary Process Journal (PPJ).
● What research steps you’ll undertake and where you’ll find resources. Come with a listing of where you’ll go and what you’ll look for.
● Your supervisor will discuss steps to completion, Success Criteria and Approaches to Learning skills with you.

Meeting 2 (week of October 23 - 27): Be prepared to discuss the following:

● Your Process Journal. At a minimum, you should have completed prompts 1 - 21.
● Final report questions. A draft of the Planning and Applying Skills sections will be due at the next meeting. See pages 11-12 of this
handbook, Writing the Project Report.
● Your process steps to completion. Make adjustments, if needed.
● Your Success Criteria. Are you on track to achieve them?
● Your selected ATL skills, which you identified at the first meeting (see pages 27-30 in Process Journal) and where you feel you are at
with evidence of your chosen skills (to be assessed using criterion B).
● Your final product. How’s it progressing?
● Bibliography - Are you tracking your sources?
● Any difficulties you’re having that you’d like assistance with.
● Academic Honesty Form (page 26 of Process Journal). Have supervisor sign and date your form.

Meeting 3 (week of November 27 - December 1): Be prepared to discuss the following:

● Your Process Journal. At a minimum, you should have completed at least prompts 1 - 32.
● Final Report. Turn in a rough draft of the Planning and Applying Skills sections. Draft of the Reflecting sections is due at the January
meeting.
● Your Success Criteria. Are you on track to achieve them?
● Approaches to Learning skills (pages 27-30 in Process Journal). Have you written reflections in your Process Journal regarding them
(criterion B)?
● Your final product. How’s it progressing? You should plan to have your product completed by the end of December.
● Bibliography - Are you tracking your sources?
● IB Learner profile traits (found on page 31 in the Process Journal). Review this page prior to the meeting.
● Personal Project Self Evaluation (found on pages 32-33 in the Process Journal). This will be due at the January meeting.
● Any difficulties you’re having that you’d like assistance with.

Meeting 4 (week of January 16 - 26): Be prepared to discuss the following:

● Your Process journal. By this meeting, all prompts in your journal should be complete.
● Your Success Criteria. Are you on track to achieve them?
● Final Report. Turn in a rough draft of the Reflecting section and your bibliography.
● Any difficulties you’re having that you’d like assistance with.
● Personal Project Self Evaluation (found on pages 32-33 in the Process Journal). Discuss with your supervisor why you scored yourself
the way you did.
● Academic Honesty Form. Have supervisor sign and date your form.

Meeting 5 (no later than February 9). At this meeting, you will turn in the following:
● Completed Process Journal
● Final product
● Final report and bibliography
● Completed and signed Academic Honesty Form

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 THE IB MYP PERSONAL PROJECT Roles and Responsibilities
Stakeholders Responsibilities
● Define a clear goal for the project, based on your personal interests.
● Select an appropriate supervisor from within the school community. This must be a staff
member from either RMS, Lakeview or CHS.
● Maintain your Process Journal including at least one entry per week. This must contain
measurable success criteria for the product/outcome, as well as a record of the planning
and development of the project.
● Meet with your supervisor five times over the course of your project. Notes should be
recorded in your Process Journal. Bring the necessary materials to the meetings,
including your Process Journal and Personal Project Handbook. See page 9 for agendas.
● Ask your supervisor for advice and feedback about your project goal and process for
completion. Take the supervisor’s comments seriously.
10th Grade IB Students ● Produce an appropriately challenging and high-quality product/outcome.
● Produce a written report according to the Personal Project criteria, including reflection
and response to the criteria. This must follow the format of a formal academic report as
outlined in your Personal Project Handbook.
● Adhere to internal deadlines set by the IB office.
● Prepare a suitable format for presenting your project at the Personal Project Expo in
April.
● Remember that your progress should not be dependent on your supervisor. While your
supervisor will facilitate five meetings with you to help keep you on track, ultimately you
are responsible for completing the work on time. If you have questions between
meetings, you should reach out to your supervisor either by email, Schoology or in
person. You can also seek help in the IB office and during Hawk Lunch & Learn.
● Set meeting dates and meet with you five times during the length of the project to review
progress and provide feedback at each meeting.
● Contact the IB office if you do not keep scheduled appointments.
● Help you establish and maintain the focus of your Personal Project and ensure that you
are proceeding as planned.
● Suggest a variety of resources and relevant sources of information to develop the
Project Supervisors product. The importance of research should be emphasized.
● Help keep you focused on the organization and presentation on the final piece of work,
advising you to be thorough and methodical.
● Meet with IB staff if questions arise or training is needed.
● Attend a standardization meeting in February and mark your project according to the
assessment criteria in the Personal Project Handbook (pages 14-15). Submit scores to the
IB staff by the given deadline.
● Set internal deadlines for students’ completion of different stages of the project.
● Write and distribute information to students and supervisors regarding the various
aspects of the Personal Project.
IB MYP Personal ● Along with supervisor, monitor student progress.
Project Coordinator ● Assist supervisors with questions and/or training.
● Facilitate standardization process in the spring. Enter marks and PP sample in IBIS.
● Prepare and promote the Personal Project Expo and the Awards Celebration in the
spring.

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 Writing the Project Report
The IB MYP Personal Project report demonstrates your learning throughout your project by summarizing the
experiences and skills recorded in the Process Journal. The report should be presented in identifiable sections,
following the criteria —planning, applying skills and reflecting. The report must include evidence for all strands of
all three criteria.

The format of your report can vary depending on the resources available and personal interests. You should take
into consideration learning preferences, personal strengths and available resources when deciding on the best
format for the report. The ability to communicate clearly and concisely is essential to reach the highest levels of
the criteria.

Reflection and self-evaluation are key components of your Process Journal entries and should be mentioned in
your project report. The report should be presented with the following subheadings. Provide details regarding the
following questions within each section. In order to score high on the rubric, you’re encouraged to address all of
these points. You should also refer to your Process Journal for further ideas. Listed after each question is where
on the grading rubric the topic is evaluated. For example, Strand Ai refers to this descriptor: define a clear and
highly challenging goal and context for the project, based on personal interests.

NOTE: Your report should be a polished essay, divided into six sections, as follows.

Introduction

o What is the IB MYP Personal Project?

Planning - Criterion A

o What was your learning goal for the project? [strand Ai]
o What made your goal a highly challenging goal? [strand Ai]
o How did your personal interests influence the selection of your goal? [strand Ai]
o What relevant prior knowledge did you have? [strand Aii]
o How has subject-specific learning and the transfer of this learning impacted your project? [strand
Aii]
o What were your success criteria? [strand Aii]
o Why did you select your criteria? [strand Aii]
o What made your criteria rigorous? [strand Aii]
o What sources did you use? [strand Aiii]
o How did you know they were credible? Accurate? Relevant? Objective? [strand Aiii]
o Explain the step-by-step process and timeline you used as you worked to complete your project.
[strand Aiii]
o How did you manage your time and resources effectively? [strand Aiii]
o What obstacles did you experience and how did you handle those obstacles? [strand Bii]

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 Applying Skills (Bi and Bii) - Criterion B
o Research Skills
▪ What sources did you use? [strand Bi and Bii]
▪ How did you know they were credible? Accurate? Relevant? Objective? [Bi and Bii]
o Communication Skills
▪ How did you use your communication skills when meeting with your supervisor? [Biii]
o Social Skills
▪ How did you collaborate throughout your project?
o Thinking Skills
▪ Why did you choose to express your learning through your chosen product/outcome? [Bi
o Self-management Skills
o General approaches to learning skills questions (Bi and Bii)
▪ How have you developed as a learner, specifically your awareness and development of ATL
skills (pages 27-30 of Process Journal)?

Reflecting - Criterion C
o Impact on your learning (Ci)
▪ How can you transfer your newly learned knowledge to other areas of your life?
▪ How has completing the project extended your knowledge and understanding of your
topic? What new understandings did you gain from your research?
▪ Which IB Learner Profile Attributes (page 31 of your Process Journal) did you develop
throughout the project?
▪ How did your product/outcome reflect new ideas and different perspectives? [strand Cii]
▪ How have you developed as a learner?
o Evaluation of your product (Cii)
▪ How did your product/outcome meet each success criterion that you developed?

Conclusion
o Briefly recap your project (1-2 sentences)
o Why do you think IB asks students to complete a Personal Project? (2-3 sentences)

Bibliography
o Use MLA formatting

In summary, this report will include:

● A detailed reflection on what and how you’ve learned throughout your journey
● You should refer back to your Process Journal to show how you’ve grown in each criterion.
● Other important information:
○ Written - 1,500 words, minimum; 15 pages maximum
○ 11 point font
○ 1 inch margins
○ The bibliography should be a separate document, and it is not included in the page count
○ Do not include a title page

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When submitting the project to your supervisor for assessment, you must include:
o the completed academic honesty form, not included in the page count (page 26 in your Process Journal)
o the project itself
o your entire Process Journal (IB expects this to be in its original form. You do not need to retype it.)
o an optional appendix, which could include pictures, sketches or other pertinent items you haven’t fit into
your report
o an annotated bibliography
o Citing your sources is critical to ensure your project’s credibility. It also gives credit to the people
whose ideas you are using/borrowing and is central to your development as a principled and
ethical writer. Proper citation is necessary to avoid plagiarism/violations of Cooper’s academic
honesty policy and the potential academic consequences resulting from plagiarism.

You must cite your research at the end of your project in an annotated bibliography using MLA formatting. A
minimum of five reliable sources are required. An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles,
and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph. The
purpose of the description (i.e. annotation) is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the
sources cited (http://guides.library.cornell.edu/annotatedbibliography).

Below are other resources that you might find helpful.

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

https://my.noodletools.com/logon/signin

http://www.bibme.org/

http://www.citationmachine.net/

Our media specialist is also available to help you with citations. All students have access to NoodleTools. Another
wonderful resource is the reference librarian at your local public library.

Evaluating Your Written Report

Before submitting your final written report to your supervisor, utilize the checklists on the following pages to
ensure that each section of your report includes the information needed.

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 PERSONAL PROJECT OBJECTIVE A: PLANNING
Objective A: REPORT CHECKLIST EVIDENCE (examples
Planning only)

LEARNING ❏ LEARNING GOAL: Explain what you want to learn by ● Brainstorms

GOAL & completing this project ● Planning sheets
PERSONAL ❏ Identify what initially sparked your interest in this topic & ● Proposal Panel
INTEREST explain its connection to the learning goal ● A list and/or diagram of
interests and related
❏ Describe what makes your goal personal through your
learning goals
experiences & interests ● A list of possible
❏ Discuss what knowledge & skills you had before you begin this strategies to achieve
Criterion A process. You could: personal and academic
Strand i. ● Identify what you already knew about this topic from your goals
State a learning subjects/classes (similar projects/units you completed in ● A diagram showing the
goal for the school) connections between
project and ● Identify what you skills you already had that will help the learning goal and
explain how a the product
achieve your goal
personal interest
led to that goal ● Identify what you already knew or could do outside of a
school subject

PRODUCT ❏ PRODUCT GOAL: Explain what you want to do or make by ● Brainstorms

GOAL & completing this project ● Planning sheets
SUCCESS ❏ Develop criteria that are specific, rigorous, realistic, ● Proposal Panel
CRITERIA testable ● Success Criteria (final)
● Drafts and plans of
❏ Develop criteria that are directly related to the product goal,
Criterion A success criteria
Strand ii. GC (optional) and research ● Research notes that
State an intended ❏ Develop criteria that measure the quality of the goal support success criteria
product and ❏ Explain & justify criteria based on the transfer of research to
develop product (optional: learning goal and GC)
appropriate
success criteria
for the product

PLAN ❏ Include evidence of planning through timelines, calendars, ● A series of steps leading
GANTT charts or other tools/strategies to the completion of the
❏ Include details, specifics and personal examples on planning tool product
Criterion A ❏ Include both short and long-term planning broken down by steps ● A timeline for
Strand iii. completing short- and
❏ Uses the timeline on p. 8 to keep yourself on track with your
Present a clear, long-term tasks
detailed plan for project ● To-do lists
achieving the ❏ Include success criteria & their targeted completion as one aspect ● GANTT Charts
product and its of plan ● Long-term plan
associated success ❏ Reference a range of sources in a properly MLA formatted (personal)
criteria. Works Cited (and Works Consulted) ● Short-term plans with
details

Created by Amber J. Rhinehart MYP Coordinator Lincoln Community School, Accra Ghana

Indicated links can be accessed via the electronic Personal Project handbook, which is found in your Schoology
materials folder.

14
 PERSONAL PROJECT OBJECTIVE B: APPLYING SKILLS

Objective B: REPORT CHECKLIST EVIDENCE (examples

Applying Skills only)

AtL SKILLS & ❏ Identify the chosen AtL Skill(s) developed throughout the ● a series of inquiry
LEARNING process of achieving the learning goal questions (research
GOAL ❏ Explain how the AtL Skill(s) were applied to help achieve skills)
the learning goal ● sample correspondence
with the project
❏ Justify strengths and limitations of chosen AtL Skill(s)
supervisor
Criterion B ❏ Include evidence of a broad range of chosen AtL Skill (communication skills)
Strand i. Category ● screenshot of daily
explain how the ATL ❏ AtL Skills Google Site Page reminders or alerts to
skill(s) was/were ❏ Comprehensive list of AtL Skills complete personal
applied to help project tasks
achieve their learning
(self-management)
goal
● reflection about
resolving a conflict
(social skills)
● summary of prior
learning that is relevant
to the project (thinking
skills)
● interview with a
professional on the
topic chosen

AtL SKILLS & ❏ Identify the chosen AtL Skill(s) developed throughout the ● a series of inquiry
PRODUCT GOAL process of achieving the learning goal questions (research
❏ Explain how the AtL Skill(s) were applied to help achieve skills)
the learning goal ● sample correspondence
Criterion B with the project
❏ Justify strengths and limitations of chosen AtL Skill(s)
Strand ii. supervisor
explain how the ATL ❏ Include evidence of a broad range of chosen AtL Skill (communication skills)
skill(s) was/were Category ● screenshot of daily
applied to help ❏ AtL Skills Google Site Page reminders or alerts to
achieve their product.
❏ Comprehensive list of AtL Skills complete personal
project tasks
(self-management)
● reflection about
resolving a conflict
(social skills)
● summary of prior
learning that is relevant
to the project (thinking
skills)
● interview with a
professional on the
topic chosen
Created by Amber J. Rhinehart MYP Coordinator Lincoln Community School, Accra Ghana

Indicated links can be accessed via the electronic Personal Project handbook, which is found in your Schoology
materials folder.

15
 PERSONAL PROJECT OBJECTIVE C: REFLECTING

Objective C: REPORT CHECKLIST PROCESS JOURNAL

Reflecting ENTRIES & EXTRACTS

IMPACT OF ❏ Demonstrate a deeper knowledge and understanding of the ● summary of new

PRODUCT topic knowledge or insights
❏ Use evidence to justify new knowledge of topic gained related to the learning
Criterion C ❏ Identify & explain how the student has developed as a goal
Strand i. ● Surveys of audience
learner, using the learner profile attributes, which can be
Explain the impact of (impact)
the project on found in your process journal on p. 31.
themselves or their ❏ Discuss strengths & weaknesses (academic & personal) in
learning reference to the process of completing the Personal Project
❏ Identify challenges faced and solutions developed to meet
those challenges
❏ Consider the possible impact the project could have on
future learning, e.g. in the DP
❏ Discuss the lasting impact of this project (see below)

EVALUATION OF ❏ Use the student’s product/outcome success criteria ● evaluation of the product
PRODUCT (specifications) to assess the product and to what extent against the success
the goal was achieved; mark the checklist & rubric to criteria
determine a final level ● images showing key
Criterion C features of the product
❏ Evaluate the quality of the product/outcome by justifying
Strand ii. ● analysis of the causes for
Evaluate the product the reasons for the final level awarded with specific success and/or failure
based on the success examples used ● Audience reviews &
criteria. survey
OPTIONAL ● Meeting with supervisor
❏ Explain any changes made to the product/outcome during notes
the process and why changes were made
❏ Identify possible improvements to the product/outcome

Created by Amber J. Rhinehart MYP Coordinator Lincoln Community School, Accra Ghana

Personal Project Expo

Ultimately, you will be showcasing your work at the Personal Project Expo in April. Some considerations as you
prepare for this include:
● How will you best present your product?
● What kind of resources or materials will you need?
● What do you want to communicate through your exhibition?
● How can you show your creativity?
● What are you most proud of showing to others?

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 IB Grading Assessment
The Personal Project rubric is available on the next page. You should use the rubric to understand the
expectations for your work and to self-assess your project before you submit it. You can earn up to 24 points, 8
points for each of the three criteria. To be awarded a certificate of completion in the IB MYP and an elective
credit, you must receive a grade of 3 or higher on your Personal Project. You must also attend the May Awards
Celebration and the April Personal Project Expo. Once your supervisor has assessed your project using the rubric,
your score will be determined based on the following table:

Rubric Score IB Grade Grade Descriptor

21 - 24 7 Produces a high-quality report that demonstrates a thorough and innovative process in response to
the selected global context. Communicates comprehensive, nuanced understanding of the process of
learning independently through all stages of the cycle of inquiry. Consistently demonstrates
sophisticated critical and creative thinking. Successfully transfers knowledge and approaches to
learning skills into the project with independence.

18 - 20 6 Produces a high-quality report that demonstrates an occasionally innovative process in response to

the selected global context. Communicates extensive understanding of the process of learning
independently through all stages of the cycle of inquiry. Demonstrates critical and creative thinking,
frequently with sophistication. Transfers knowledge and approaches to learning skills into the
project.

14 - 17 5 Produces a generally high-quality report that demonstrates a thorough process in response to the
selected global context. Communicates good understanding of the process of learning independently
through all stages of the cycle of inquiry. Demonstrates critical and creative thinking, sometimes with
sophistication. Usually transfers knowledge and approaches to learning skills into the project.

11 - 13 4 Produces a good-quality report in response to the selected global context. Communicates basic
understanding of the process of learning independently through all stages of the cycle of inquiry.
Often demonstrates critical and creative thinking. Transfers some knowledge and some approaches
to learning skills into the project.

7 - 10 3 Produces a report of an acceptable quality in response to the selected global context. Communicates
basic understanding of the process of learning independently through the project. Begins to
demonstrate some basic critical and creative thinking. Begins to transfer knowledge and approaches
to learning skills into the project.

4-6 2 Produces a report of limited quality. Communicates limited understanding of the process of learning
independently. Demonstrates limited evidence of critical or creative thinking. Limited evidence of
transfer of knowledge or approaches to learning skills into the project.

1-3 1 Produces work of a very limited quality. Conveys many misunderstandings of the process of learning
independently. Very rarely demonstrates critical or creative thinking. Very inflexible, rarely shows
evidence of knowledge or skills.

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 Personal Project Assessment Criteria
Please see Command Term Definitions for clarification of required work

7-8 5-6 3-4 0-2

You are able to: You are able to: You are able to: You are able to:
i. states a learning goal and i. states a learning goal i. states a learning goal and i. states a learning goal
explains the connection and describes the outlines the connection ii. states their intended
between personal interest(s) connection between between personal product
and that goal personal interest(s) and interest(s) and that goal iii. presents a plan that is
ii. states their intended product that goal ii. states their intended superficial or that is not
and presents multiple ii. states their intended product and presents focused on a product.
Criterion A: appropriate, detailed success product and presents basic success criteria for
Planning criteria for the product multiple appropriate the product
iii. presents a detailed plan for success criteria for the iii. presents a plan for
achieving the product and all product achieving the product and
of its associated success iii. presents a detailed plan some of its associated
criteria. for achieving the product success criteria.
and most of its
associated success
criteria.

You are able to: You are able to: You are able to: You are able to:
i. explains how the ATL i. describes how the ATL i. outlines which ATL i. states which ATL skill
skill(s) was/were applied to skill(s) was/were applied skill(s) was/were applied were applied to help
help achieve their learning to help achieve their to help achieve their achieve their learning
goal, supported with learning goal, with learning goal, with goal
Criterion B:
detailed examples or reference to examples or superficial examples or ii. states which ATL skill(s)
Applying
evidence evidence evidence was/were applied to help
Skills ii. explains how the ATL ii. describes how the ATL ii. outlines which ATL achieve their product.
skill(s) was/were applied to skill(s) was/were applied skill(s) was/were applied
help achieve their product, to help achieve their to help achieve their
supported with detailed product, with reference product, with superficial
examples or evidence. to examples or evidence. examples or evidence.

You are able to: You are able to: You are able to: You are able to:
i. explains the impact of the i. describes the impact of i. outlines the impact of the i. states the impact of the
project on themselves or the project on project on themselves or project on themselves or
their learning themselves or their their learning their learning
Criterion C: ii. evaluates the product learning ii. states whether the ii. states whether the
Reflecting based on the success ii. evaluates the product product was achieved, product was achieved.
criteria, fully supported with based on the success partially supported with
specific evidence or detailed criteria, partially evidence or examples.
examples. supported with evidence .
or examples.

Command Term Definitions

Command terms MYP definitions
Describe Give a detailed account or picture of a situation, event, pattern or process.
Explain Give a detailed account including reasons or causes.
Evaluate Make an appraisal by weighing up the strengths and limitations.
Outline Give a brief account or summary.
Present(s) To offer for display, observation, examination or consideration.
State Give a specific name, value or other brief answer without explanation or calculation.

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Important Terms
Glossary of terms IB MYP definitions
Annotated bibliography An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is
MLA formatting followed by a brief (150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph. The purpose of the description
(i.e. annotation) is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.
Appendix Supplementary material at the end of a text that usually includes supporting documents or additional
information. The appendix follows your bibliography. This could include pictures, sketches, Process
Journal extracts, etc. that demonstrate your progress along the way.
AtL skills and clusters One or more of the following: Communication; Collaboration (Social Skills); Self-management
(Organization, Affective, Reflection); Research (Information Literacy, Information Literacy); Thinking
(critical, creative and transfer)
Learning goal What students want to learn as a result of doing the personal project
Outcome The end result of the student’s Personal Project, used particularly where the project has resulted in a
non-tangible result or result that has various aspects to it, for example, an awareness-raising campaign.
Process Journal A generic term to refer to the reflective documentation that students develop during the process of
completing the Personal Project.
Product The end result of the student’s Personal Project used particularly where the project has resulted in a
tangible artifact such as a sculpture, film, story or model.
Report A written account of something that one has observed, heard, done or investigated, which aims to
inform, as clearly and succinctly as possible.
Success Criteria Specific elements the Personal Project product/outcome must meet to be a quality project, as defined
by the student, with guidance from his/her supervisor.
Example:
My project will be a success if . . .

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