Introduction to

Mathematics IA
The Exploration

Day 1 – What Is It?

Internal assessment in mathematics SL
is an individual exploration. This is a
piece of written work that involves
investigating an area of mathematics.
It is marked according to five
assessment criteria.
Internal assessment is an integral part of the
mathematics SL course, contributing 20% to the
final assessment in the course.

Some classroom hours should be allocated to the

work. This should include:
• time for the teacher to explain to students the
requirements of the exploration
• class time for students to work on the exploration
• time for consultation between the teacher and
each student
• time to review and monitor progress, and to check
authenticity.
The IA is a mathematical exploration. This is a short
report written by the you based on a topic chosen by
you, and it should focus on the mathematics of that
particular area.

The emphasis is on mathematical communication

(including formulae, diagrams, graphs and so on),
with accompanying commentary, good
mathematical writing and thoughtful reflection.

You will need to develop your own focus, with the

teacher providing feedback via, for example,
discussion and interview.
The final report should be approximately 6 to 12 pages
long. It can be either word processed or handwritten.

You should be able to explain all stages of your work in

such a way that demonstrates clear understanding.

While there is no requirement that students present

their work in class, it should be written in such a way
that their peers would be able to follow it fairly easily.

The report should include a detailed

bibliography, and sources need to be referenced
in line with the IB academic honesty policy.
Direct quotes must be acknowledged.
 Requirements and recommendations
The teacher is expected to give appropriate guidance at all
stages of the exploration by, for example, directing
students into more productive routes of inquiry, making
suggestions for suitable sources of information, and
providing advice on the content and clarity of the exploration
in the writing-up stage.

Teachers are responsible for indicating to students the

existence of errors but should not explicitly correct these
errors. It must be emphasized that students are expected to
consult the teacher throughout the process.
 Requirements and recommendations
Students need to start planning their explorations as early as
possible in the course. Deadlines should be firmly established.
There should be a date for submission of the exploration topic
and a brief outline description, a date for the submission of the
first draft and, of course, a date for completion.

Start Date: Today (March 12)

Submit Topic By: Wed March 24
First Draft Due By: Fri May 7
Final Draft Due By: Fri June 4
 Requirements and recommendations
In developing their explorations, students should aim to
make use of mathematics learned as part of the course.

The mathematics used should be

commensurate with the level of the course,
that is, it should be similar to that suggested by the
syllabus. It is not expected that students produce work
that is outside the mathematics SL syllabus—however,
this is not penalized
As part of the learning process, teachers can give
advice to students on a first draft of the
exploration. This advice should be in terms of
the way the work could be improved, but this
first draft must not be heavily annotated or edited
by the teacher.

The next version handed to the teacher after the

first draft must be the final one.
 Authenticity
 
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.
The Assessment Criteria
 The Assessment Criteria
Your teacher expects these skills and
strategies from you:

Choosing a topic
 Identifying an appropriate topic
 Developing a topic
 Devising a focus that is well defined and
appropriate
 Ensuring that the topic lends itself to a
concise exploration
 The Assessment Criteria
Communication
 Expressing ideas clearly
 Identifying a clear aim for the exploration
 Focusing on the aim and avoiding irrelevance
 Structuring ideas in a logical manner
 Including graphs, tables and diagrams at
appropriate places
 Editing the exploration so that it is easy to follow
 Citing references where appropriate
 The Assessment Criteria
Mathematical presentation
 Using appropriate mathematical language and
representation
 Defining key terms, where required
 Selecting appropriate mathematical tools
(including information and communication
technology)
 Expressing results to an appropriate degree of
accuracy
 The Assessment Criteria

Personal engagement
 Working independently
 Asking questions, making conjectures and
investigating mathematical ideas
 Reading about mathematics and researching
areas of interest
 Looking for and creating mathematical
models for real-world situations
 Considering historical and global perspectives
 Exploring unfamiliar mathematics
 The Assessment Criteria

Reflection
 Discussing the implications of results
 Considering the significance of the
exploration
 Looking at possible limitations and/or
extensions
 Making links to different fields and/or
areas of mathematics
 The Assessment Criteria
Use of mathematics
 Demonstrating knowledge and
understanding
 Applying mathematics in different contexts
 Applying problem-solving techniques
 Recognizing and explaining patterns, where
appropriate
 Generalizing and justifying conclusions
The Assessment Criteria
Introduction to
Mathematics IA
The Exploration

Day 2 – How Do I
Choose My Topic?
 Date Date Progress
Process begun ended check

Think about a stimuli March

March 3rd  
 Choose a topic 14th

Draft exploration      

 Introduction
o Outline the aim and purpose in a clear and succinct
manner.
o Justify the exploration choice      
o Briefly discuss the area of mathematics that will be
used.

Timeline –
o Evidence of some research.

 Body/Mathematical Exploration

Developing
o Describe the method, followed by an investigation
o Record your results (tables, lists etc)      
o Analyse the results (graphs, diagrams, calculations etc)
and form conjectures.

The
 

 Conclusion and Bibliography

o Summarise your findings in response to your aim.
Restate any rules, conjectures or models that you

Exploration
found.
o Comment on any limitations to your approach, or to
your findings.
o Comment on possible extensions and real life      
connections. Relate it to your personal knowledge and
to your previous knowledge.

o Including a reflection on what you have learned and

what you have taken away from this experience will
reflect personal engagement.

April
Submit self-assessment and first draft:    
28th/29th

Teacher to review & comment on draft

     
 Meet with teacher

 
 
Final writing      
 Revise draft
 
 

Final version due date: June 2-3, 2014

 Developing The Exploration
 The topic should be one that interests you.
(It is easier to stay motivated
and work hard)

While deciding the topic of the exploration,

you should be mindful of the depth of the
mathematics in the topic.
(Is it commensurate with graduation?)
Planning – Mind Mapping
 Stimuli
sport archaeology computers
algorithms cell phones music
sine musical harmony motion
e electricity water
space orbits food
volcanoes diet Euler
games symmetry architecture
codes the internet communication
tiling population agriculture
viruses health dance
play π geography
biology business economics
physics chemistry information
technology in a global
society
psychology    
 On a 3x5 card,
start listing some
STIMULI…
(What are some things
that interest you?They do
NOT have to be on the list…)
Example of a Mind Map…
Another Example of a Mind Map…
Another Example of a Mind Map…
Another Example of a Mind Map…
Another Example of a Mind Map…
Yet Another…
Last One…
Choose a stimulus and create your own
mind map here.
 Now that you have
completed a mind map,
write down some ways
that your topic could turn
into mathematical
research…
Potential Topics on the Right…
Potential Topics on the Right…
Potential Topics on the Right…
Potential Topics on the Left…
Potential Topics on the Left…
Last One…
Pages 6-9 in guide are what
we talked about on day 1!!
Self-Assessment
When completing your self assessment, use
the language of the rubrics and the teacher
expectations to comment on why you have
given yourself this particular grade. Set goals
for yourself for each criterion.
 Item Yes Partially No

Is the work entirely yours?      

Have you chosen a topic that you are interested in and developed your own ideas? Is it evident in your exploration?      

Have you explained the reason why your topic was chosen in your work?      

Is the aim of your exploration included in your introduction?      

Do you have an introduction and conclusion? Is it organized?      

Have you defined key terms/variables?      

Have you used appropriate mathematical language (notation, symbols and terminology) consistently 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
     
labeled?

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

Checklist Have 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 Standard Level course (or beyond)?      

Is the mathematics in your exploration correct?      

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

Have you considered limitations and extensions in your reflection?      

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

Is your exploration approximately 6 to 12 pages long?      

Have you referenced your work in a bibliography?      

Have you had someone else read your exploration to ensure that the communication is good? Does it have flow and coherence? Is it
     
easily understandable? Does it read well?

Have you completed your self-assessment?      

Have you submitted a first draft to your teacher and used the feedback to improve your report?      

If required to submit your report to turnitin.com, have you done so?      

Turnitin - **At Teacher Discretion – TBD if it will be used***
To help detect plagiarism, some schools use the website turnitin.com.
Students at these schools need to submit their first draft and final copy of
their exploration through turnitin.com. In order to access the class'
turnitin.com page, you will need the following information:
 
Class ID:
 
Join password:

Internal assessment is an integral part

of the mathematics SL course,
contributing 20% to the final assessment in the course.
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.

Great software for working with graphs, diagrams, functions,

spreadsheets, statistics, calculus and much, much more.
www.geogebra.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.python.org

Not sure how to use your TI-83/84. The Baltimore County Community College website has a set of excellent
video tutorials that are mainly statistics-oriented, but that are also useful for a general familiarisation.
http://faculty.ccbcmd.edu/elmo/math141s/TIVideo/TIWebpage.htm
An online graph plotter with graphing capabilities similar to those of your
graphical calculators.
www.fooplot.com

A really powerful search engine. (For example,

type “find antiderivative of f(x) = 3x” into the
search bar.)
www.wolframalpha.com
http://www.padowan.dk/
(downloadable graphing resource)