1. The Extended Essay (EE) Biotechnology High School Class of 2014 Thanks to Ms. Lamp and Mr. Hercek for creating the basis of this presentation

2. What is the Extended Essay? • 4,000 word essay on a topic of your choice • Approximately 14-15 pages • You choose the topic • Completed during junior AND senior year (March to November-ish) • Graded by IB, but also a BTHS graduation requirement and completion grade in Senior LEAP

3. What Should I Write About? • Choose a topic that truly interests you. • Extended essays have been career-defining opportunities and have sparked new interests in college majors and minors. • Keep your topic narrow -- you’ll be surprised at how quickly 4,000 words goes. • College recognition/application -- think of it as a “senior thesis” and potentially great interview fodder.

4. When is it Due? • Review timeline - your supervisor will communicate about deadlines • Some supervisors may set specific deadlines, while others may prefer for you to set them. The most important thing is that you communicate clearly and take ownership for your paper. • Chunk your work! • The final version is due next fall, but there are milestones along the way. This will help you to manage your time.

5. Can I Get Some Help? • Of course! You will be assigned an EE supervisor. • You will meet for up to 3-4 hours with your supervisor (in increments, not all at once). • Your supervisor may give you general feedback but may NOT proofread or rewrite anything for you.

6. What Happens at TheseMeetings? • Refine topic • Guide research • Status updates • Bibliography review • Summer work proposal • Feedback on essay • Other help as needed

7. How much time should I spendworking on my EE? • It is recommend that candidates spend about 40 hours in total on their Extended Essay

8. The EE Timeline Junior Year • March: Pick topic area; Supervisors assigned • April-May: Refine research question, meet with supervisor • June: Discuss summer work plan with supervisor • Summer: (suggested) Finish Draft 1 and submit to supervisor

9. The EE Timeline Senior Year • September-October: (suggested) Submit Draft 2 to supervisor • November: Finish up and submit Draft 3 • December 23, 2013 (or last day before winter break): Final Draft of EE due to supervisor (via email and to turnitin.com) • January, 2014: Viva voce (final meeting with supervisor)

10. What impact does the grade have? • Completion grade in LEAP • Possibly other BTHS grades • Extra points towards diploma * 28 diploma points are required if a student gets an “E” in either the EE or TOK.

11. How do BTHS kids score? • Totals, 2009-2012: A: 27 B: 71 C: 96 D: 41 E: 2

12. What does this distribution mean? • 2009: 8 A, 0 D out of 52 students • 2010: 11 A, 9 D out of 63 students • 2011: 4 A, 11 D out of 72 students • 2012: 4 A, 10 D out of 72 students • 2013: We won’t know until July… • 2014: Up to you!

13. Where Can I Find More Info.? On the BTHS IB wiki, you will find: • An e-copy of this presentation • An e-copy of the BTHS EE handbook • Specific details/tips relative to BTHS • Brief overviews of subject specific EEs • An e-copy of the official IB EE guide • Specific details about subject specific EEs • Assessment criteria (rubrics) for subject specific EEs

14. Subject Areas

15. How Do I Choose a Topic? • Choose a subject area that you are interested in • Read the EE Guide (on the wiki!)— especially the Assessment Criteria and Subject Specific Details for the subject areas you are interested in • Submit THREE possible subject area/topic ideas

16. Ok, Then What? • Based on your possible subject/topic ideas, you will be assigned a supervisor in a subject area of interest to you. The better researched and clearer your research question is, the more likely you are to get your first choice of subject/topic.

17. And Then What? • Once you are assigned a supervisor, you will begin to meet with them to determine your research question. Then the real work begins!

18. Please Note: A good research question (which leads to a good EE) is. . . • Formulated by the student out of his/her own curiosity and interest • Non-trivial (substantial, not speculative or too limited in scope, not self-evident) • Sharply focused so student can answer it in 4000 words

19. Examples of ResearchQuestions