The IB Diploma• Grade 11 Cohort:

Class of 2018• Tuesday 17th

January 2016• A Brief Introduction

to the Extended Essay

What are we doing today?

• brief overview• begin the thinking process• provide some advice• engage with EE support material• NO final decisions should be made today

The IB Learner Profile in action

What is the EE?• core element of the DP (along with TOK

& CAS)• also a requirement for the ISS Diploma• independent research project of formal

scholarship• you choose the subject/topic/question

in cooperation with a teacher not required to be one your DP subjects• IB & ISS strongly recommend choosing from

one of your DP subjects

What are the aims of the ee?

Assessment objectives

How does it do this?

Knowledge and understanding

To demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the topic chosen and the research question posed.

To demonstrate knowledge and understanding of subject specific terminology and/or concepts.

To demonstrate knowledge and understanding of relevant and/or appropriate research sources and/or methods used to gather information

 Applicstion and analysis

To select and apply research that is relevant and appropriate to the research question.

To analyse the research effectively and focus on the research question.

 Synthesis and evaluation

To be able to discuss the research in terms of a clear and coherent reasoned argument in relation to the research question.

To be able to critically evaluate the arguments presented in the essay.

To be able to reflect on and evaluate the research process.

 A variety of research skills

To be able to present information in an appropriate academic format. To understand and demonstrate academic integrity.

 

Learner profile How can you see that in the Extended Essay?

Risk takerPrincipledBalancedThinkersOpen MindedInquirersReflectiveKnowledgeableCaring

What’s in it for me?• pursue a topic of particular interest to you• development of vital skills

• research & communication• creative & critical thinking• project management

• preparation for type of work required at university/ work study/ transferable skill and life skill

• marks contribute to DP & ISS graduation requirements

• you want to graduate from ISS

What are the steps of a successful EE?

Process: PrewritePREWRITING STAGE: tasks needed to be taken before you write the first word of your EE

understand the assignment find a topic to investigate

select a subject that interests you the EE is a long process so you need to be interested

examine and assess you prior knowledge of your chosen subject this begins process of narrowing subject to

appropriate topic

Process: Prewrite gather preliminary background information

best to read wide variety of material on the general subject Wikipedia can be used at this stage

use the citations at the bottom of Wikipedia page as guide to further information

look for subject specific websites, magazines, journal, books, blogs

avoid sites such as About.com

AIM: to narrow the subject to a topic appropriate to the demands of the EE i.e. what were the causes of Holocaust?

too broad—books written on this topic

Process: Prewrite establish a topic within the subject

CONSIDER: can the topic be developed to a breadth and depth appropriate for the demands and length of an EE important to read EEs from previous years academic journals good source for types of topics and

treatments for an EE access via databases such as JSTOR

i.e. what aspect of a topic can be studied define your Research Question (RQ)

RQ guides research process informs what is relevant and what is irrelevant can be adjusted as you become more familiar with your

topic

Process: Prewrite/research from

March until Junebegin in-depth research based on RQ

scholarly research libraries: books and academic journals databases: academic journals, some books URL Guide: beware of .com sites

domain extensions: .edu (universities & educational organizations); .com (commercial use—wide variety of sites); .net (some business use; mostly related to internet & web companies); .org (primarily non-profits, professional & trade organizations—non-commercial); .gov (U.S. government)

important to know who owns, who hosts website, who edits, who manages—as much as possible

begin in-depth research based on RQuse key terms

do not use your RQ in search engine“Will I find an answer to my question

during my research?” not in a one stop-shop manner

if you do, you need to find what other sources have to compare/contrast & determine extent of value & limitations

research projects are like a puzzle takes many pieces to complete the whole puzzle

Process: Prewrite/research from

March until June

begin in-depth research based on RQ• take thorough & complete notes

• record where you collected information• author(s), titles, page numbers, publishers, URLs, dates

• paraphrase & summarize relevant & important information• leads to better understanding & absorption of material

• what about direct quotes?• these can be useful, but need the appropriate context• use of too many direct quotes means that it is not your work

nor an essay, but little more than a collection of quotes• reach a conclusion that answer your RQ

• conclusion will shape your thesis statement• does the RQ need adjustment?

Process: Prewrite/research from

March until June

organize information in an outline

varies from subject to subject and type of assignment

speak with your advisor information organized in logical manner

prioritize what needs to be communicated in order of importance for a logical conclusion

organized to help answer the RQ do NOT organize using the EE criteria possibilities: list, themes, chronology, categories,

process

Process: Prewrite/research from

March until June

Summer breakwrite the first draft

paragraphs should reflect the major ideas that answer the RQ and the layout of your outline

topic sentences identify what relevant information follows within the paragraph

all evidence within a paragraphs the knowledge claim of the topic sentence

academic language adds power to the evidence demonstrates command of the topic

use the words, terms, and language your sources use

September/Octoberchanging the first draft

use supervisor feedback to inform necessary changes

assess to what extent the presented evidence addresses the specifics of the RQ

assess whether the evidence logically leads to your conclusion

is more research needed? is there enough evidence, but other

alterations needed organization, details, language use

September/October develop a new outline using supervisor feedback

and your own reflections add necessary relevant evidence delete irrelevant evidence

even if you find it interesting if it doesn’t help answer the RQ, it must be deleted

adjust paragraphs & topic sentence

write the second draft write an abstract

repeat as necessary to fully answer the RQ

Submit-November the Final Draft

after properly checked, submit the Final Draft according to your given instructions failure to do so, can still result in either a penalty

or a failing condition

FINISHED!!!

writing is a process

What are the steps of a successful EE?

Reflective exerciseSplit into small groups-maximum 4 people. Record your ideas on p17 of your booklet

What might you be interested in researching? NOT SUBJECT Honestly what topics are you interested in? NOT SUBJECTWhat has intrigued you? NOT SUBJECTWhat you want to explore? NOT SUBJECT

What’s next?31st January: EE lunch where you will work on developing possible research pathways. See guidance at https://isslearningcommons.wordpress.com/ before time7th February: Subject specific guidance to find out what an EE looks like in two different subjects. You will choose two subjects to learn more about for an EE project.14th February: finalizing your research proposal7th March Submit research proposal on Veracross17th March Find out which DP teacher will supervise your EE and start working with them.March-June- on-going meetingsAugust- two EE workdays at start of Grade 12.First draft October 4th

Final version November 13th

Presentation of research 22nd November 2017