Lucky Acorn Path to EE Success
According to Norse folklore, the oak tree was the symbol of the hammer-wielding Thor, god of thunder and lightning. To protect their houses from vengeful lightning strikes, the Ancient Norse would fill their homes with acorns collected from Northern oak forests. Fire insurance has moved on a bit since then, but many still pop an acorn in their pocket for good luck. (Daily Mail)
Follow the steps below:
1. Pre-Reading: Before you choose a Subject:
a. Read Chapter 1: The Basics in the Oxford EE Guide.
In the IB Guide:
b. Read the detailed EE Assessment Criteria guidelines and look the criteria assessment grid:
c. Read the Subject-Specific Chapter of the Extended Essay guide
d. Read The IB's ethical guidelines and other associated policies where relevant, such as those relating to animal experiments
e. Once you have gone through the process of choosing an IB Subject, reviewing the exemplars and submitting your research proposal, you will have an assigned EE Supervisor.
2. Create a Noodletools Account. Noodletools will be most helpful for you to cite and reference and organize your sources.
3. Pre-Reading and Actions before you choose a topic:
a. Read Chapter 2: Getting started in the Oxford EE Guide.
b. Set up your Researcher's Reflective Space (RRS) in managebac and use it as the key planning and reflection tool for the extended essay process.
c. Look at these examples of RRS entries
d. Read Ms. Mansfield’s libguide about the RRS and brainstorming ideas.
e. Look at some exemplar essays in your subject
4. Pre-Reading and Actions before you write your research question (RQ):
Once you have an idea about what kind of topic you want to do, look for relevant sources in the ISS Library Learning Center or Stavanger Public Library online resources and find some background information. Remember to actually Read the information you find. Just collecting sources will not help you. At this stage you just need a few sources to gain some background and direct how you will formulate your RQ.
5. Pre-Writing and Actions before you begin to write your essay:
a. Formulate a preliminary research question. Try to incorporate an IB command term in the research question if possible.
b. Review Ms. Mansfield’s Extended Essay Libguide.
c. Draw up an outline plan for the research and writing process. This should include a timeline. This will help you structure a plan a structure for the essay. This may change as the research develops but it is useful to have a sense of direction from the start. Click here for more information on creating an outline and the writing process.
d. Identify which system of academic referencing they will use, ensuring that this meets the minimum requirements for the IB.
e. If you don't already have one, get a STAVANGER PUBLIC LIBRARY CARD. This will open up a huge list of print and online resources for you.
6. Pre-Writing for time management:
Set deadlines for yourself that are realistic and take into consideration ISS’s EE deadlines. Use a day planner, diary, or Google Calendar.
7. More Pre-Reading:
a. Read Chapter 3: Locating, organizing and evaluating and Chapter 4: Research in the Oxford EE Guide.
b. Read and Annotate some of the source materials you have found in light of the proposed research question. NOTE: If you discover that it will not be possible to obtain the evidence needed in the time available, (if you cannot find a lot of credible sources at this stage) the research question should be changed. This is better done sooner rather than later; do not lose time waiting and hoping that something will turn up. Go back to step 3, and choose a new research question that can be answered.
8. Carry out your research.
a. Assemble your sources in logical order. If you are doing an experiment, begin it asap.
b. Try to link your sources systematically to the structure of the essay. Noodletools can help with this. This will help you clearly focus on the research question. Only then will you know that you have enough evidence for each stage of the argument so that you can proceed to the next. You should be prepared for things to occasionally go wrong.
c. Sometimes you may discover something later in the research that undermines what you thought had been established earlier. If that happens, your research plan needs to be revised.
d. Read Chapter 5: Writing the essay, Chapter 7: Assessment Maximizing Marks and Chapter 8: Academic Honesty in the Oxford EE Guide.
Note: There are many more resources and links on this page - please take a look at as many as you can.