ISS IBB EE information for students

1. The IB Diploma
• Grade 11 Cohort:
Class of 2018
• Tuesday 17th
January 2016
• A Brief Introduction
to the Extended
Essay

2. 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

3. The IB Learner Profile in
action

4. 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

5. 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.

6. Learner profile How can you see that in the
Extended Essay?
Risk taker
Principled
Balanced
Thinkers
Open Minded
Inquirers
Reflective
Knowledgeable
Caring

7. 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

8. What are the steps of a
successful EE?

9. Process: Prewrite
PREWRITING 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. Process: Prewrite/research
from March until June
 begin 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

13.  begin in-depth research based on RQ
use 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

14.  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

15.  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

16. Summer break
 write 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

17. September/October
 changing 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

18. 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

19. 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!!!

20. writing is a process

21. What are the steps of a
successful EE?

22. Reflective exercise
Split 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 SUBJECT
What has intrigued you? NOT SUBJECT
What you want to explore? NOT SUBJECT

23. What’s next?
31st January: EE lunch where you will work on developing possible research pathways. See guidance at
https://isslearningcommons.wordpress.com/ before time
7th 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 proposal
7th March Submit research proposal on Veracross
17th March Find out which DP teacher will supervise your EE and start working with them.
March-June- on-going meetings
August- two EE workdays at start of Grade 12.
First draft October 4th
Final version November 13th
Presentation of research 22nd November 2017