The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme
General Information
What does the MYP curriculum contain?
Areas of Interactions
Personal Project
Assessment in the MYP
Sequence of IB MYP Courses Required To Earn the IB MYP Certificate
Contact Information
The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IBMYP) is an ambitious international programme that aims to provide academic rigor while equipping students with skills and attitudes appropriate to the challenges and opportunities of a global society. It gives a coherent framework to a diversity of subjects by encouraging an interdisciplinary skills-based focus. The IBMYP is offered in Grades 6-10.
Students from any county middle school entering or continuing an IB Program at Gar-Field will take IB MYP courses in grades 9 and 10. Students can be enrolled in MYP classes without participation in the whole MYP experience. In order to earn the MYP certificate of completion, students must be enrolled in all High School MYP classes and be in the program a minimum of two years. IB MYP courses are strongly recommended to potential IB Diploma and Certificate candidates to ensure that they enter the 11th and 12th grade IB courses with an adequate foundation of knowledge and skills to complete the academic requirements of the full diploma program.
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What does the MYP curriculum contain?
THE MYP CURRICULUM MODEL PLACES THE STUDENT AT THE CENTER OF LEARNING (back to the top)
Students study subjects from eight subject groups through five areas of interaction:
Areas of interaction:
• approaches to learning
• community and service
• homo faber
• environment
• health and social education
Approaches to learning
Through approaches to learning, teachers provide students with tools to:
Take responsibility for their own learning
Develop awareness of how they learn best
Develop problem solving and decision making
Develop awareness of thought process and learning strategies.
Develop critical, coherent and independent thought.
Community and service
This component extends learning beyond the classroom and requires students to:
take an active part in the communities in which they live, thereby encouraging responsible citizenship
develop a sense of responsibility
develop skills to make an effective contribution to society
develop community awareness and concern.
homo faber
Students explore in multiple ways the processes and products of human creativity to:
appreciate and develop the human capacity to influence, transform, enjoy and improve the quality of life
explore relationships between science, aesthetics, technology and leads students to examine, experience and reflect on the creative process.
Environment
Aims to develop awareness of humanity’s interdependence with the environment so students:
accept responsibility for maintaining an environment fit for the future
understand local and global environmental issues
make decisions on environmental situations
understand political and economic environmental issues.
Health and social education
Aims to educate the whole person dealing with physical, social and emotional health and intelligence—key aspects of development leading to complete and healthy lives. Students will:
develop skills and knowledge to make informed choices
become aware of potential hazards
take responsibility for their own well-being
take responsibility for their social environment
understand the relationship between the individual and society. (back to the top)
The Personal Project
Students in grade 10 must complete a personal project. This can take various forms, for example:
- an essaya piece of creative writing
- an original science experiment
- the organization of an event.
The work must :
- be completely independent
- focus on at least one area of interaction in addition to approaches to learning
- focus on the process of completing the project as well as the finished product.
Personal Project Examples
For those of you who asked for examples of Personal Project, go to R. Szarkowski's Personal Project Idea Website for ideas.
Assessment in the MYP
Teachers organize continuous and varied assessment over the course of the programme.
The MYP offers a criterion-referenced model of assessment. Therefore students’ results are determined by performance against set standards.
The assessment tasks must give students the opportunity to demonstrate achievement according to the required objectives within each subject group. This can include:
open-ended, problem-solving activities
organized debates
hands-on experimentation
analysis
reflection.
Assessment strategies provide feedback on the thinking processes. (back to the top)
Sequence of IB MYP Courses Required
To Earn the IB MYP Certificate
GRADES 9-10
The following IB MYP sequence is a full program of study for students completing the IB MYP Certificate requirements. A full program of study includes taking courses in each of the IB MYP subject groups. IB MYP Arts is typically taken in grade 9. IB MYP Technology is integrated in 9th grade Language A, Humanities, Mathematics, and Science.
As part of the IB continuum, students following this MYP sequence will have completed the necessary coursework to prepare for the IB Diploma Programme in grades 11 and 12. Several modifications of the sequences are available. Individual student schedules should be developed with the help of parents, teachers, guidance counselors, the IB MYP Coordinator and/or the IB Coordinator.
Language A – English
IB MYP English 9
IB MYP English 10
Language B – Foreign Language
IB MYP Foreign Language III (.5 weight)
IB Foreign Language IV
History and Societies
IB MYP World History and Geography from 1500
MYP/AP Comparative Government
Mathematics
IB MYP Geometry, IB MYP Algebra II, IB MYP Algebra II/Trig
IB MYP Algebra II, IB MYP Algebra II/Trig (.5 weight), AP Statistics
Science
IB MYP Biology
IB MYP Chemistry
Physical Education
IB MYP Health and Physical Education I
IB MYP Health and Physical Education II
Arts and Technology
IB MYP Music, IB MYP Art I, IB MYP Introduction to Speech Communication and Theatre
Free Elective
*
Italics indicates weighted G.P.A. courses
A minimum of 40 hours of community service are required each year in grades 9 and 10.
The Personal Project is required of all MYP Certificate candidates in grade 10. The personal project is an independent work chosen by the student, which is not part of any scheduled class and is completed with the help of a supervising teacher. Examples include original music or dance composition, essays, original works of art or literature or scientific experimentations.
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MYP Coordinator:
Della Gordon (Gar-Field HS)
gordondk@pwcs.edu
703-730-7000
website: www.IBatGF.com
Cindy Boddie (Godwin MS)
e-mail: boddiech@pwcs.edu
website: Link to Godwin MYP Site
Suzanne Johnson (Beville MS)
e-mail: johnsosl@pwcs.edu
website:Link to Beville MYP Site