Visual art students in Grade 9 are completing a mock ePortfolio unit, taken from an actual MYP Arts partially completed unit planner (PCUP) from a previous year. While the specific contents of an ePortfolio unit are always kept secret until November, the general format of the unit is expected to be similar from year to year. These unit planners are provided directly from the IB and serve as examples of what a good, solid MYP unit should look like. In the Arts, students are typically given a topic and expected to do some research, develop an idea for their own original artwork, complete and submit the work itself, and then provide some sort of commentary or self-evaluation. These four tasks are externally marked by the IB and will help determine whether a student can be eligible to receive an MYP Certificate at the end of the Grade 10 year.
By experiencing the ePortfolio process once in Grade 9, we hope students can tackle their real ePortfolios next year with understanding and confidence. In the fall of Grade 10, they will have the opportunity to choose one ePortfolio subject for submission to the IB; these subjects could possibly include music or visual art, design, or PHE.