Left - Kriti Gupta analyzing graphs of her data on the computer.

Right - Giulia Trazza handing out her survey about language learning.

Students in Mrs. Grezeszak’s IB Math Studies program are working on completing their internal assessment projects. The project is a requirement for the second year students, and allows them to apply many of the topics they have learned throughout the course.

The most interesting aspect of the project is that the students choose their own specific topic to analyze with mathematics, one that is interesting to them. For example, one student interested in linguistics did a survey of all high school students to find out how fast they learned a second (or third) language related to where they lived while learning the language. Another student analyzed sales at her family’s restaurant. A third is seeking to find the ideal body mass index for top baseball home run hitters.

Once the students collected data, they presented it in graphs, charts, and other applicable formats. Now they are using statistical applications learned in the course to analyze the data, draw conclusions, and discuss the validity of their data and conclusions. The results may or may not be what they had predicted. When completed, it will be from about 10 to 15 or more pages in length. This project is a unique way for students to get personally involved in applying their math knowledge directly from the classroom to interesting real-world applications.

Lori Grezeszak

HS Math