CAS Summer outline..?

[Sarah0]

Alright so.

I'll be a junior this fall (Yeah. Yikes.) and though I understand the CAS system fairly well, there is one thing that I do not understand. This summer I am required to write an outline (CAS Proposal) for what I plan on doing to complete all my hours over the next 18 months. The syllabus states that the outline must be in a narrative form, and should answer these four questions for each activity-

1.How is this activity a personal challenge?

2.How will this activity extend you?

3.What personal learning will this activity offer you?

4.Which learning outcomes will you achieve during this activity?

Alright so my questions are as follows-

What the heck is a narrative outline?

How can I answer these questions if I have no idea what I am going to do yet?

and this one, which is a bit unrelated-

I cannot play team sports. I have re-occurring injuries in my knees, and most physical activity is painful for me. What sort of things can I do for Action hours?

thanks in advance, I'm going to need some guidance.

[Emmi]

A narrative outline is just a plan of what your CAS activities are, only you're going to use "I" a lot. My school had us do one as well. I just listed the things I wanted to do for creativity, action, and service and how I was going to do them and their significance. Just think about what you plan to do (you don't need a million activities, just a couple) and then write how you'll achieve it.

This was mine in a nutshell:

For creativity I plan on assisting in the school hallway decorating contest for homecoming week. To do this I will go to each of the meetings, join a group for the individual section, and help to set up the night before the hallway judging. This activity will help build teamwork and cooperation skills as I will be in a group, as well as provide a challenge that must be completed well to win the competition. I will complete learning outcomes X, Y, and Z.

For action I plan on continuing to practice my martial arts. To do this I will go to all of my practices and classes, as well as continue to practice when I am not in class itself. This activity will help me learn self-defense techniques, improve my confidence, and maintain good health. I also plan to participate in the city marathon in the spring. Training for this activity will help me in the same ways. I will achieve learning outcomes X, Q, and R.

For service I plan on doing volunteer work through local elementary school summer programs and at the aquarium. To do this I will help a teacher in the summer school program with teaching their class. For the aquarium, I will volunteer on my scheduled day and perform my duties there. These activities will teach me patience, teamwork, and require me to interact with others I do not know. I will achieve learning outcomes W, T, and U.

It's just intelligent BSing really.

If you don't have a list of learning outcomes already, you can find them most likely on the IB website. There's 8 in all (A-H) and make you demonstrate things like the ethical implications of your activity, learning new skills, etc., and you have to show evidence of all 8.

As for your inability to play sports, I'm sure you can find something else to do. Action isn't just sports, it's anything that involves doing. There's a thread in the CAS section where people have posted what they've done, and maybe you can find something you can do in there.

Good luck

[Sarah0]

Thank you!