MYP1 and MYP2 Writing Samples

In their last unit before the Christmas break, students in MYP1 and MYP2 each completed an individual writing assignment. In MYP1, the students wrote reports about an ancient civilization of their choice. Specifically, they wrote about (1) how the civilization emerged and (2) some of the important achievements of that civilization. In MYP2, students each wrote a biography about an influential figure of their choice from the Middle Ages.

MYP1 Reports

I was very happy with the effort that the MYP1 students put into their reports. Report writing was new for many of the students but most of them worked very hard at it and produced high quality reports. Below are some extracts from the MYP1 reports about the emergence and achievements of ancient civilizations:

Regarding the emergence of Ancient Egypt, one student wrote: “Ancient Egypt started as a bunch of little city-states located along the Nile, they were also named according to where they were on the Nile. There was a northern half and a southern half, at one point the two halves united and started the Egyptian Empire. A good reason for why they were around for so long was because they were next to the Nile, the Nile gave a source of transportation so they could easily go to other places and trade. They had a source of food, where they could fish. This also provided a source of fresh water, and was good for growing crops.“

Regarding emergence of the Incas, one student wrote in her report: “One of the reasons that the Incas moved to the Urubamba Valley is that right in front of them there was the sea. The sea gave them fish and salt. The sea can also improve your health and make the air fresh. They got very well known because they have a very nice landscape. They built more than 18,000 mile road that leads to all sides. Bridges were built everywhere in the empire. The Incas developed a very good architecture and engineering had techniques without using the wheel and modern tools. Their buildings have proved earthquake resistant for 500 years and today they serve as foundations for many buildings. The Inca were skilled stonemasons. They used granite and limestone to build their cities and forts to protect them.”

Regarding the achievements of the Indus Valley Civilization, one student wrote in his report: “Harappa and the city of Mohenjo-Daro were the greatest achievements of the Indus Valley civilization. It was well known then, because of how well-organized the cities were, and had actual pipe systems for indoor toilets! Other big achievements of this civilization are seal carving, which is basically carving letters or pictures on stones, and covering them with some kind of paint so you can press it down on some surface and print the letter there, and another achievement is they melted copper, bronze, lead, and tin to pour them into some stones with differently shaped holes to make things.”

MYP2 Biographies

MYP2 students wrote biographies about influential figures from the Middle Ages. I was impressed with the quality of these reports. Students invested significant time and effort into their biographies and took a genuine interest in the person they were writing about. Below are some extracts from the students’ biographies.

One student wrote an eloquent biography about Tomas de Torquemada. Here is a small extract from her report: “In 1483, Tomas de Torquemada became the first Grand Spanish Inquisitor of both kingdoms of Argon and Castile. He led the purge of non-Christians in Spain and the Iberian Peninsula. He mostly targeted jews, muslims and atheists. He also created a code of punishing the suspects. The guilty were either killed by burning, or were made to repent and forcefully get baptized. About 8,000 people were killed in the purge.”

Here is another extract from a student who wrote a detailed biography about Marco Polo’s life: “His family was a jewel merchant family but while exploring his father and uncle were on a voyage around the world where they connected to a diplomatic mission to Mongolia and that’s where they met the grandson of Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan. When they were leaving he asked them to bring 100 priests and holy water, showing his interest in Christianity. He also said that he wants the Polo family members to come with him. That’s how Marco Polo started his journey of a lifetime.”

Another student wrote an in-depth biography about the famous Icelandic explorer, Leif Erikson. Here is an extract from his introduction: “Leif Erikson was a famous Icelandic explorer from Iceland. He was born in the year 970 in Iceland. In that time the nordic countries were united under the rule of the Vikings. He was the son of Erik the red and Thjodhild. Thjodhil was a really rich woman. Leif’s dad was also an explorer. His dad was also an outlaw that means that he was ignoring the laws of the Vikings. Leif grew up with two brothers named Thorvald and Thorstein. He also had one sister named Freydís .When Leif was 11 he and his family moved by ship to Greenland. Since his dad Erik was an explorer he explored Greenland. The reason why Erik named the land Greenland was to make it more attractive for new settlers. They did not move to Greenland just for fun they had to leave because Leif’s dad Erik was banished from Iceland for manslaughter. His family created a colony in Greenland.”

And of course, at the end of their reports and biographies, all students included a bibliography to properly give credit to the sources they used while writing. So there you have it, a few writing samples from MYP 1 and 2! 🙂