JSchneider

toc = Wiki Organization = The York School Personal Project Student Handbook information is written in brown.

**Action items (due dates, forms etc.) are written in red.**

YOUR PROCESS JOURNAL ENTRIES SHOULD BE WRITTEN IN BLACK. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT EACH ENTRY IS PROPERLY DATED.

= Process Journal = = = Maintain a process journal containing all your thoughts, decisions and actions. This document allows you to record your progress as you work on the project. It should be completed honestly and regularly to show how your project is developing. The process journal will also help you as you write the various sections of the report.

* //Adapted from MYP Personal Project Guidelines, Jan 2004// The process journal should be written in each of the following stages of your personal project: Investigate, Design, Plan, Create and Evaluate.

**The process journal will be collected along with your written report on the due date for submission: December 11, 2009.** The process journal is your account of the progress you make with the personal project. It is about:

a) What you are doing at that moment. b) What you are thinking c) What you are accomplishing d) How you are coping with each of the different stages of your project e) How well you are dealing with problems and what you are learning about yourself as a result f) What makes you happy, annoyed, angry, nervous, disappointed, proud g) It needs not contain only written material, you can use pictures, photos, sketches, checklists, recordings, anything which provides evidence of your planning and progress

For example:

**Process Journal #1- July 23 ** Today is July 23, 2009 and so far, I have created all of my healthy recipes for my cookbook. My next step is to cook these meals and share my experience throughout the making in my process journal. Today I have cooked one of these recipes. I cooked the “Egg White Turkey Omelette”. I started with the Turkey Omelette. I felt that it was quite a simple recipe; however I decided to add tomatoes to the final result to add some more vegetables and flavour. The only difficult part of the recipe was when the omelette was cooking in the pan, I had to make sure it was well cooked which involved flipping the omelette. However, I learned how to handle this and the result turned out very well and when I had my first taste I knew I distributed the ingredients well throughout the omelette. Overall, I was proud of my result as the omelette tasted just as I expected it to.
 * Date || Thoughts/plans/challenges/decisions/accomplishments || Materials/Sources consulted ||

**Process Journal #2- July 20 **  Today is July 20th, 2009 and I have cooked black bean chicken quesadillas. This was quite a simple recipe to cook however; it is very healthy and is full of nutrients, protein and fiber. There is plenty of fiber in the black beans, protein in the cheese, chicken and whole grain. First I had to lay out 2 tortillas and grate the mozzarella cheese to sprinkle it onto the tortilla. Then I rinsed the black beans and sprinkled them over the cheese. After this, I had to cut the raw chicken breast into pieces and take out a frying pan to fry the chicken for about 5-7 minutes. During this process I sprinkled the chicken with salt, paprika, and pepper and tossed the chicken around in the pan. After it was cooked, I scrambled the chicken over the tortilla and lastly I sprinkled some more cheese on top of the chicken. When I closed the quesadilla, I had to move it onto a pan to warm it. Therefore the cheese melted and I cut it into 4 squares. I was proud and happy with my results as the quesadilla turned out very good and tasted just as I expected it to. **Process Journal #3- August 4 ** Today is August 4th and I have accomplished the Chicken-Veggie Mixed Salad. This dish took quite a long time to cook and quite a lot of work. First I had to cook the whole wheat pasta which took about 10 minutes. However, after draining the pasta I had to set it in the fridge for about 30 minutes for it to cool for the salad. Then I had to cut the raw chicken breast into cubes and cook them on a frying pan. This took about 5-7 minutes. Then I rinsed the white beans and chopped the red peppers, basil, spinach and cucumbers. I mixed all these ingredients together in the salad and waiting for the chicken and pasta to cool. Once they cooled down, I tossed them into the salad and poured in ½ cup of olive oil. To top of the salad I added salt and pepper. Also, I decided to add 3 teaspoons of parmesan cheese to add flavour to the salad. I was very happy with my result, the salad was full of flavour and I knew each ingredient was healthy. The ingredients I choose were a great combination and turned out to be very tasty. ** Process Journal #4 – August 8 ** Today I have cooked the Cinnamon French Toast. The first two slices did not turn out very well as I soaked the bread too much and it crumbled apart and burned. However, the second batch turned out just as I expected too. I toasted the bread first so that it would harden and then I lightly and carefully soaked the slices. The mixture was easy to make and only took 10 minutes, it was only egg whites, non-fat milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and brown sugar. I heated the pan and cooked each side of the slice until it looked set and browned on each side. After the slices were ready I placed them on a plate and garnished the top with honey, lemon and cinnamon. I also added 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. The French toast tasted very good and just as I expected it too. The garnishes also added plenty of flavour to the recipe.

**Process Journal #5- August 10 ** Today I have cooked the “Cinnamon rice pudding”. This recipe was simple to prepare but took a fairly long time to cook. It only took me 5 minutes to add together the milk, coconut milk, honey, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla. However, then I had to close the lid of the saucepan and stir in the rice. It took about 45 minutes to fully cook the rice and for the rice to absorb into the mixture. Every five minutes I had to stir the mixture and the evaporated milk rose up the saucepan very quickly. However, the finished result was very delicious and I garnished the top with honey and more cinnamon. I found that the coconut milk added creaminess to the pudding. Therefore, the rice pudding was very sweet and I enjoyed the cinnamon and honey flavour.  Process Journal #6- August 20 Today I cooked the “Sausage and Pea risotto”. After cooking this recipe, I would say that it was the most difficult recipe to make in my cookbook. This is because it took a lot of time to prepare and there were many ingredients to cook with. Also, time was a huge factor in this recipe because you had to keep an eye on the saucepan at all times and every few minutes there was an ingredient being added to the overall mixture. I also had to cook the sausages on a frying pan before. Every few minutes I had to make sure the rice was absorbing into the broth mixture and I couldn’t add more broth until the rice was absorbed. Therefore, it was a pretty long process because 7 ingredients had to be added to the broth and rice mixture throughout the cooking time. When I originally found this recipe in one of my cookbooks, it had mozzarella cheese, pork sausages, and no carrots or garlic. Therefore, I decided to change this recipe so that it reflected my taste and healthy ingredients. This is why I was certain to add more flavour and vegetables to the recipe by adding carrots, Asiago cheese, and garlic. Also instead of pork sausages, I switched to Turkey sausages which are very high in protein and low in fat. Overall, the risotto tasted very good when it was finished and had loads of flavour. However, if I would have changed one thing I would have added another cup of Asiago cheese because I felt that it was not cheesy enough.

 **Process Journal #7- August 23** Today I have cooked “healthy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies”. This was an easy recipe to make. However, what makes this cookie recipe different from others is that I turned this particular recipe into a healthy one. I got an original oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe from the internet and I switched the ingredients up. To make this recipe healthy and more nutritious, I lessened the sugar to ¾ cup from ½ cups. Instead of 1 whole egg, I used 2 egg whites which have much more protein and less cholesterol in them. I also used whole wheat flour instead of regular white flour. I used dark chocolate chips rather than milk chocolate chips as well. Yet, the batter was simple to make it was quite difficult to mix and was taking more time than expected. It also was not turning out as smooth as I planned it to. Therefore, I had to add 2 tablespoons of skim milk to smooth it out. This worked and did not change the batter since it was only a bit of skim milk however, it really smoothed the mixture. Overall, the final result of the cookies was very good and they were delicious and chewy. And of course, these cookies are full of healthy whole grains, antioxidant-rich dark chocolate chips, and they have less sugar than most cookies.

** Process Journal #8- August 27 ** Today I have made the “Basil Bean Salad”. This salad was fairly simple to make yet, it took quite a long time. I want all of my ingredients to be healthy and fresh therefore; I bought raw, dried chickpeas. I had to soak these chickpeas for 5 hours in water and then boil them for 1 hour until they were cooked. After this, I cut the green beans and steamed them for 10 minutes. I also chopped the tomatoes, white onion and crumbled the feta cheese to put in the salad bowl. The seasoning mix was very simple to make because I just added all of the spices and oils together. However, I had to wait for 20 minutes until the mixture stood and marinated. When the chickpeas and green beans were cooked, I had to drain them and wait for another 20 minutes while they cooled. Only then, I put them into the salad bowl along with the Red kidney beans. I mixed all of the ingredients in the salad well throughout and lastly I added the other half of crumbled feta cheese over top and I garnished the top with Basil and pepper. ** Process Journal #9 ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today I have cooked the “Turkey Burgers”. This recipe was quite easy to prepare however, I just don’t really enjoy working with raw ground meat. Most of the preparation was folding the meat with my hands. Preparing the ground meat mixture was very easy because I just had to pour in the egg whites, bread crumbs, milk and grate the garlic in. I mixed in these ingredients by folding over the ground meat over and over again with my hands. To completely incorporate the ingredients thoroughly, I had to do this for almost 5 minutes. As soon as the ground meat mixture was ready I made small patties that were only 4 inches in diameter. I placed the ready patties onto a skillet with grape seed oil and I heated burgers for about 15-20 minutes. I made sure that the sides were slightly browned before I took them out of the skillet. My final result turned out excellent, the burgers were very delicious and I placed them onto whole wheat hamburger buns with tomato and onion over top. I enjoyed eating these burgers and they didn’t taste much different from regular hamburgers, however I still managed to make them very healthy.

=I. Investigation=

**Part I: Brainstorming:**

[|Investigate_Brainstorming.pdf]

**Part II: Some questions to consider**

Is there anything that you want to learn more about? That you’ve always wondered about? Are fascinated by? Is there anything that you’ve always wanted to learn to do? What are you interested in finding out about yourself? What challenge would you be willing to take? Have you traveled anywhere that changed your view of life? Where did you go? Have you ever experienced anything that changed your view of life? What was that experience? If you could go anywhere (country, city, building, behind the scenes) where would it be? If you could meet anyone, who would it be? Is there any deceased person that you wish that you had met? Who and why? Is there something in your culture/heritage to investigate, bring attention to, celebrate?

Do you have future aspirations? Describe them. Do you have any hobbies? What are they? Do you play any sports? Which ones? Do you participate in any competitive activities? What are they? Do you play any musical instruments? Which ones? If you don’t play any musical instruments, would you like to play any? Which ones? Have you developed any skills that you could use in your personal project? What are they? What are your major personal accomplishments? Why do you consider them accomplishments? Do you belong to any clubs, community organizations etc. that could be incorporated into your personal project? Which ones?
 * Part III:** **Questions to consider**

**NOW READ ALL THAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN AND SEE IF YOU CAN MAKE MORE PROGRESS IN FINDING A SPECIFIC TOPIC FOR YOUR PERSONAL PROJECT. YOU MAY WANT TO DO THIS BY:

1. USING A MIND MAP VIA INSPIRATION OR BY HAND. YOUR MIND MAP** **WILL NEED TO BE SCANNED AND INSERTED INTO YOUR WIKI.**
 * 2. WRITE OUT ANSWERS ON LAPTOP OR BY HAND.**

1. Eliminate (cross out) any repetitive ideas 2. Eliminate any ideas that you really are NOT interested in pursuing 3. Put together any similar ideas 4. How can you relate your ideas to an Area of Interaction? Which one? Or two 5. Consider how relevant the ideas are to real life (are they doable?) 6. Consider the ideas most meaningful to you. Consider what, of yourself, you can bring to your ideas. 7. Can you formulate any questions about your ideas? Take a point of view? 8. Is your idea “researchable, interesting, realistic?


 * BY NOW YOU SHOULD HAVE A MORE DIRECTED TOPIC FOR YOUR PERSONAL PROJECT. DO YOU HAVE ONE? WHAT IS IT?**

1b) Areas of interaction [[image:tyspersonalproject:AoI.png caption="AoI.png"]]
[|Areas of interaction as lenses.doc]

1c) Focusing to a guiding question
**WRITING THE GUIDING QUESTION**

A good guiding question is characterized by the following:

i) that prompts students to ask more questions ii) has multiple answers iii) ensures students learn content and do research iv) promotes deep thinking about an area of interaction v) not easily answered

Examples:


 * **Topic** || **Guiding Question** ||
 * Safety || ‘How can I better design traffic flow around my school?’ ||
 * Poverty || ‘How can I help reduce poverty in my city?’ ||
 * Sport Violence || ‘How can I bring awareness to soccer violence and how can this be reduced?’ ||
 * THROUGH YOUR PERSONAL PROJECT YOU MUST ANSWER THE GUIDING QUESTION YOU CHOOSE ****.**

__ ** MYP PERSONAL PROJECT 2009 PROPOSED TOPIC ** __ ** THIS MUST BE COMPLETED BY Feb 25th **

1. My topic/area of interest is:

2. Briefly explain what inspired you to choose this topic.

3. Highlight applicable AOI

Environment Health and Social Education Community and Service Human Ingenuity

4. My guiding question is: (be as clear as possible).

5. Briefly explain how the above AOI(s) will be the focus of your project and how your guiding question is connected.

Ask yourself the following questions: 1. What kind of information do I need to research? 2. Who has information about my topic? How do I contact people? 3. Where do I find the necessary material? 4. Do I need to interview individuals? 5. Do I have to carry out my own experiments? 6. Do I need to prepare, circulate and analyze surveys/questionnaires? 7. Do I need to visit a museum? Gallery? Gathering the Necessary Material and Research ** When you have found a source of information and/or inspiration, you will have to decide how useful it is. The list of sources in your report should only include those you have actually used. Write an annotated bibliography for each resource in the section below. Remember to keep your personal project goal in mind. This will help you to select what is useful and relevant.
 * A book, journal, internet site: see **Bibliographic Resource tab** to the left.
 * An interview: record date of interview, name, address, title of person
 * A work of art: record name, artist, location of gallery/museum
 * An experiment: apparatus, circumstances

__1d) COLLECTING RESOURCES__ Fill out this table below as you go... (at least 1 print source, 1 website, 1 interview) //List below:// || || ||
 * **Questions:** || **Y/N** || **Which resource addresses my guiding question, AoI,** ||
 * Have I collected a variety of resources?
 * Are the resources enough to answer my question? || || ||
 * Do the resources support the area of interaction(s) || || ||
 * What changes could I make in my design(planning) and research to attain better results? || || ||

=II. Design=

**STAGE 2 DESIGNING THE PERSONAL PROJECT** After collecting and analyzing resources you are now in a position to make decisions about the best way to carry out your personal project.

Consider a table weighing out the different options you could take evaluating the pros and cons of each design option.

__** CHOOSING and APPLYING TECHNIQUES **__ Decide which design/technique you will use and write an explanation why you chose it.
 * Design/Technique || Pros || Cons ||
 * 1 || || ||
 * 2 || || ||
 * 3 || || ||

What will my ideal Personal Project look like/be when it is completed?

= =

=III. Planning=

**STAGE 3 Planning the Personal Project **

After your research you are ready to plan how you will carry out your Personal Project.


 * Step 1:** Make a chronological list of steps you will take


 * Step 2:** Prepare a list of materials/resources needed and where and how you attain them (consider associated costs, people to consult and scheduling challenges if applicable).


 * Step 3:** Prepare a time line showing what you will do at each step (ie. A calendar or table itemizing action plans/anticipated results).


 * Step 4:** Include back up plans/alternatives should changes need to be made.

Planning and Development Worksheet:
__Due Date:__ April 29

//This is the first step of your project – to plan and to make a goal. Your goals and timelines may change throughout the project somewhat, but it is important to state and explain clearly the reasons for the changes in your process journal.//
 * You must complete this worksheet and share it with your supervisor at the your first meeting. At the end of the meeting both you and your supervisor will sign this sheet.**

Topic:

Focused Guiding Question/goal:

Area of Interaction (AoI): Justify and explain how your chosen personal project fits into the above stated AoI and guiding question. D escribe the process you will carry out to address your personal project guiding question Outline a detailed plan and timeline of what you hope to achieve. (Recognize plans can change, but only if there is a plan). You will want to take into account the deadlines that have already been set by the school (see page 2 of this guide)
 * Plans || Approximate Deadline ||

List __all__ the resources needed to carry out your personal project (this includes print sources, people, organizations, community services).

= = = = = =

= = = = =IV. Creation= **STAGE 4 CREATING the PERSONAL PROJECT**

After research, choosing the best technique and planning you are now ready to create your personal project.

Ask yourself the following:

Have I written in my process journal regularly? Have I taken photographs (if applicable) at various steps? Have I attained all the materials that I need?

= =

= =

= = = = = = =V. Evaluation and Reflection= ** Writing the Personal Project Report FIRST DRAFT DUE DATE: November 6th
 * STAGE 5 EVALUATING and REFLECTING
 * **CONTENTS** || Yes or No ||
 * I have a contents page written with sections labeled introduction, description of research, process, analysis of process, conclusion, bibliography, appendices (if applicable). ||  ||
 * **INTRODUCTION** //Written in future tense approximately 1-1.5 pages// ||  ||
 * I have clearly identified my goal within its context (i.e. WHY it is important), and some background on my inspiration towards the chosen project. || ||
 * I have justified my choice of AoI focus. ||  ||
 * I have written a detailed outline of the steps taken to achieve my guiding questions, this includes a variety of resources (at least 1 print, 1 website, 1 interview). ||  ||
 * **DESCRIPTION OF PROCESS** //Written in past tense approximately 1.5-2 pages// ||  ||
 * I have described the possible techniques suitable to answering my guiding question and have justified my choice/technique. ||  ||
 * I have described my process clearly (all production steps/components) referring to my plan in the introduction. ||  ||
 * **ANALYSIS** //Divide into 2 sections research analysis and process analysis// ||  ||
 * I have reflected on the resources collected (design stage) to attain my project goal and the AoI chosen: emphasizing the value of the resources. ||  ||
 * I have considered if the AoI is well connected to the resources. ||  ||
 * I have supported my arguments thoughtfully with evidence. ||  ||
 * I have reviewed my goal: challenges and achievements. ||  ||
 * I have reviewed the process (plan and doing phase): considered the timelines, ease/challenge of 'doing': reliance upon others/experts, materials/equipment. ||  ||
 * Review if your chosen AoI is effective in your project process. ||  ||
 * //*Analysis is not description which is telling. Rather identifying factors that shaped the idea/point. It can be comparing and contrasting. It may also be understanding the significance.// ||  ||
 * **CONCLUSION** ||  ||
 * I have analysed the outcome: the strengths or weaknesses in my final outcome/project? ||  ||
 * I have considered how to improve upon the project. ||  ||
 * I have shared new insights gained about the project. ||  ||
 * **BIBLIOGRAPHY** ||  ||
 * I have completed an annotated bibliography following a format outlined in the Bibliographic Resources tab. ||  ||
 * I have correctly cited borrowed ideas in the text of my report. ||  ||
 * **PERSONAL ENGAGEMENT** ||  ||
 * I have organized my work logically and clearly. ||  ||
 * I have met deadlines and made use of my process journal. ||  ||
 * I have shown enthusiasm and commitment. ||  ||
 * I have correctly cited borrowed ideas in the text of my report. ||  ||
 * **PERSONAL ENGAGEMENT** ||  ||
 * I have organized my work logically and clearly. ||  ||
 * I have met deadlines and made use of my process journal. ||  ||
 * I have shown enthusiasm and commitment. ||  ||
 * I have shown enthusiasm and commitment. ||  ||

WRITING the SECOND DRAFT and SUBSEQUENT DRAFTS

Do not expect your first written version to suffice. Check your project with the ASSESSMENT CRITERIA and YOUR MENTOR.

Have the first draft read by, for example, a peer, a parent, or your mentor and ask for feedback. After consulting with one or all of the above persons you are ready to edit your draft. Remember that this draft should be as complete as possible and follow the structure outlined in section B of this booklet. The more editing the closer your report will likely meet the assessment rubric. FINAL COPY - DUE DECEMBER 12, 2008

The written piece should not exceed 4000 words.

=Resources and Bibliography=