International baccalaureate organization

Student Presentations of Personal Projects to Evaluators will be February, 2010 at RICS

• 
  dance and instrumental performances
  
• 
  culinary demonstrations
  
• 
  creative writing
  
• 
  poetry readings
  
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  computer generated games and artwork
  
• 
  business development plans
  
• 
  sports improvement plans
  
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  athletic skills workshops for children
  
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  career explorations
  
• 
  research projects of personal interest
  

All work on the Personal Project is conducted outside of the school day. This project is due at the end of January of the 10^th grade year with a required presentation in February to school evaluators. Successful completion of the Personal Project means receiving a grade of 3 or higher on the grading scale described below. The aims, objectives and rubrics for evaluation of the Personal Project are all available from Mr. Bradley in Room 104 while many of the deadline forms can be downloaded from this site.

Try the following steps to organize the steps you need to take to complete a successful project:

1. 
   Create a calendar on a piece of poster-board or on the computer that begins with today's date and ends with the Project Deadline:  February 19, 2008.
   
2. 
   Count back 3 weeks from February 19^th.  This is January 29^th.  These last three weeks will be reserved for writing your Personal Statement and for making final revisions or adjustments to your project. Consider January 29^th to be the date by which your project should be essentially complete.
   
3. 
   In your Process Journal, brainstorm all the things that need to be done to complete the project:  interviews, appointments, book or internet research, rehearsals, phone calls, film editing, marketing plans, anything and everything that will go into a complete project.
   
4. 
   Using this list, fill in your calendar with the action items for each week.  Obviously, some items will need to take place before others, but you might also have to start some things earlier if they involve multiple steps.
   
5. 
   Decide on 2 -3 days per week that you will schedule 15 minutes or so to write in your process journal.  Mark these days with a symbol of some kind on your calendar.  On these days, write everything and anything you can think of about your project:  actions taken, thoughts/feelings about your progress, ideas, conversations you have had, sketches for new designs, etc for 15 minutes. Writing in the Process Journal will make your life MUCH EASIER when it comes to writing your Personal Statement. A complete and well-used Process Journal will also contribute to a good score on your project.
   
6. 
   Make sure your calendar includes the regularly scheduled mentor meetings – a minimum of once per month, but you and your mentor can work out a schedule that suits both of you.  Show your calendar to your mentor and try to plug meeting dates and times in ahead of time.
   
7. 
   Put your calendar in a visible spot, somewhere you will not be able to miss it as you go through your day.
   
8. 
   Check, use, and revise your calendar as your project develops and things get added and checked off.
   

The Riverwood cluster INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE