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IB Mathematics SL 2016-7

Internal Assessment

The Exploration

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Important notes regarding the Exploration:

This is your only Internally Assessed piece of work for Standard Level Maths. It must be

submitted or you will receive a grade of “N” for Standard Level Maths, which will mean

that you will not be awarded your IB Diploma.

Your exploration will be assessed by your teachers, against the criteria (page XXX).

Explorations are externally moderated by examiners using the same assessment

criteria.

The Exploration accounts for 20% of your final grade. The maximum mark is 20.

A good exploration should be self-explanatory and easily understood by one of your

peers.

Students may work on similar explorations. The teacher must be able to verify that all

work is each student’s own.

Teachers will report on progress via Schoolbox for each of the following due dates:

Proposal

Draft

Final submission

There will be time in class in terms 1 and 2 to work on your Exploration. Be ready to use

this time to work, and, to discuss progress with your teacher.

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Getting Started – Choosing a Topic

A good exploration theme is one that interests you and which allows you to access a sophisticated level of mathematics across and beyond one or more areas of the Mathematics SL course. You must submit your proposed topic to your teacher who will advise you on its suitability with a view to allowing you access to the higher achievement levels in each criterion. A topic that interests you will sustain your motivation as you work on your exploration over six months. A good topic also allows you to demonstrate authentic personal engagement more effectively. Start by consider the following questions:

What areas of the syllabus do I enjoy the most or perform the best in?

What are my strongest mathematical skills?

Do I prefer pure mathematics (investigating patterns or rules) or applied mathematics (problems and modelling of the real world)?

What have I seen, heard or read about that interests me and could have a link to mathematics?

What career do I eventually want to enter and what mathematics might link to this?

What are my own interests and hobbies and what mathematics might link to these?

Draw up a mindmap with your maths strength in the middle. Use this to brainstorm topic ideas. Also look at the following website or google “maths concept AND xxxxxx”

Useful Websites for Ideas

https://sites.google.com/a/gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg/east-hs-maths/explorations

http://www.math.lsa.umich.edu/courses/389/projects.html

http://ibmathsresources.com/maths-ia-maths-exploration-topics/

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EXPLORATION: Student Planning Document

PROPOSED TOPIC: (be as detailed and precise as possible; consider phrasing this as a research question)

What is the personal engagement factor? Why is it of interest to you? What do you hope to learn from this investigation?

Type of exploration. e.g., investigation (pure mathematics), modelling, real world application

Relevant Mathematics topics. e.g., geometry, calculus, trigonometry, probability, statistics etc.

Key mathematical concepts. e.g., rates of change, number sequences, curve fitting, modeling data

Key mathematical skills needed e.g., appropriate notation, terminology and setting out; graphing polynomial functions; writing formal proofs; describing patterns as rules; applying technology

Mathematics from outside the Mathematics SL syllabus that you might use or need.

Technology and software that can help in the design and completion of the exploration.

Useful References (data sources, websites, articles, textbook references) already sourced.

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Criteria and Exploration Checklist

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Final Checklist

Item Yes Partly No

Is the work entirely yours?

Have you explained why you chose your topic, why you are interested in the topic and

how developed your own ideas? (in your introduction and throughout your report)

Have you explained the reason why you have chosen your topic? (rationale)

Is the aim of your exploration included in your introduction?

Do you have an introduction and conclusion? Are other sections of your exploration

clearly organised (appropriate sub-headings)?

Are all key terms and variables defined?

Have you used accurate and appropriate mathematical notation, symbols and

terminology throughout your exploration? (Calculator/computer notation should not

be used)

Have you used more than one form of mathematical representation? Are all graphs,

tables and diagrams sufficiently described and labelled?

Are formulae, graphs, tables and diagrams in the main body of the text? No full-page

graphs. No separate appendices.

Have you explained how you used technology to enhance your exploration?

Have you explained what you are doing at all times? Explanatory comments should be

seen throughout your exploration.

Have you used mathematics that is commensurate with the SL course (or beyond)?

Are all calculations in your exploration correct with answers given to appropriate

numbers of significant figures? Are accurate and appropriate units included?

Have you reflected on your finding at appropriate places in your exploration,

particularly in your conclusion?

Are any and all initial assumptions, parameters, limitations clearly stated in the

introduction? Are limitations and suggested extensions included in your conclusion?

Have you considered the assessment criteria when writing your exploration? Have you

self-assessed your exploration?

Is your exploration between 6 to 12 pages long?

Have you referenced your work in a bibliography?

Have you had someone else read your exploration to ensure clear and complete

communication? Does it have flow and coherence? Does it read well?

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AUTHENTICATION

Plagiarism This includes copying quotes, information and ideas, directly or paraphrased, from books and websites. Collusion This includes working closely with another student such that the work between the two students is similar. Ensuring academic honesty To prevent plagiarism, you need to cite your sources correctly and include any sources in your bibliography. If you have questions on how to properly cite your sources, seek advice from your teacher or from the school librarian. To prevent collusion, you should discuss ideas with other students, but you should never giver another student your work, either in print or electronically. Turnitin To help detect plagiarism, some schools use the website turnitin.com.

RECOMMENDED TECHNOLOGY

Some examples of technology include:

any kind of calculators, the internet, data logging devices word processing packages, spreadsheets, graphics packages statistics packages or computer algebra packages.

www.geogebra.org

Great software for working with graphs, diagrams, functions, spreadsheets, statistics, calculus and much, much more.

www.python.org

A modern, easy-to-learn, programming language that is great for writing simulations. There are loads of tutorials available: just google “python tuts”.

www.fooplot.com

An online graph plotter with graphing capabilities similar to those of your graphical calculators.

www.wolframalpha.com

A really powerful search / CAS engine. (For example, type “find antiderivative of f(x) = 3x” into the search bar.)