International Baccalaureate Language Al
Syllabus for Fall 2009/ Spring 2010
Mrs. Rose Brown
I. PRIMARY TEXTS
Arp, Thomas R. Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Harcourt Brace College Publishers: Fort Worth, 1998.
Croft, Steven and Cross, Helen. English for the IB Diploma. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2003.
II. COURSE OBJECTIVE
The main objective of this course is to explore literature from multiple genres, cultures and periods in order to become more competent writers, thinkers and speakers of English. A secondary goal is to explore the following themes:
· Where am I from?
· Who am I?
· Why am I here?
· Where am I going?
We will encounter these themes and various answers to these questions through literature but more importantly through class discussion and personal reflection. In addition to these two objectives, this course is designed to give you extensive guidance and practice for the IB Language A1 Exam. All students in this course are required to take the exam in May 2008.
III. GOALS
1. Generate writing appropriate to narrative, expository, and persuasive prompts demonstrating competence in the use of language.
2. Demonstrate appropriate oral communication skills.
3. Complete both brief and extended discourse demonstrating skills in research and documentation.
4. Write to evaluate selected literary works by making and explaining judgements about their artistry.
5. Write to evaluate selected literary works with reference tot heir social and cultural context. 6. Draw inferences leading to scholarly interpretive conclusions from careful observation and analysis of textual detail.
7. Demonstrate reasonable ability to write effectively under time constraints.
8. Write informal creative or exploratory compositions to gain additional insight about how literature is written.
9. Demonstrate stylistic maturity in diction, sentence structure, cohesion, tone, and consistency of voice.
10. Intensively read and study works of literary merit form various genres, periods, and cultures.
IV. ATTENDANCE
A. Good attendance is essential for the successful completion of this course.
B. You are responsible for your make-up work upon returning from an absence. You must take any missed quiz or test within one week following the absence. Failure to do so will result in a zero for the quiz or test. Regularly given assignments or previously scheduled tests are still your responsibility upon return from an absence. For example, say you miss school on
Monday and a test is scheduled for Tuesday. If you return to school Tuesday you are required to take the test on Tuesday. The same applies for papers or projects.
C. Upon return from an absence, YOU need to check with me about make up work. Choose an appropriate time to consult with me. Before school or after school are generally the best times. Then turn in assignments in the appropriate tray next to my desk. You will not be reminded to obtain make up work or to turn it in. This is your responsibility.
D. Tardiness is not acceptable. However, due to the uncontrollable nature of some circumstances, you are allowed two tardies per quarter. In the event that you incur two tardies, you will receive a 30-minute detention for any subsequent late arrivals to class (to be served at my convenience).
V. CLASSROOM RULES
A. Please be seated and ready to go when the bell rings. If you forget your book or something
else of paramount importance, you may use one of your tardies to procure those items.
Remember you are only allowed two tardies per quarter, so just don't forget your stuff.
B. No food or drinks in the room. It's school policy. It's in your handbook.
C. You are allowed two bathroom passes per quarter. Use them appropriately. However, if I say, "No you may not go to the bathroom," don't whine or pout or give me a face, just ask me later in the period.
D. All other school rules stated in the student handbook apply.
VI. DISCIPLINE
A. You are expected to comply with the school's official code of conduct outlined in the student handbook.
B. The first offense will result in a verbal warning and a possible conference.
C. The second offense will result in a 30-minute detention (to be served at my convenience) and a call home.
D. The third offense will result in an office referral.
VII. SUPPLIES / MATERIALS (recommended)
A. A notebook with two sections: writer's notebook AND class notes.
B. MLA / APA style manual. This will be invaluable for the third quarter literary research paper. You will also use it in college and even as an adult. Many versions of these style manuals can be found on the internet. It's up to you to locate them. Paperback and hardbound versions can be found at any bookstore or in the AHS library. They range in price and size. I like the compact, portable type. They fit in a backpack and can go with you from home, to school, to computer lab, to library, to Arabica. Get one.
C. A 90-minute tape cassette, labeled with your name, for oral commentaries.
VIII. HOMEWORK
Homework is to be completed and ready to turn in or to be checked at the beginning of the period the day it is due. I'm not into late work. I don't deduct so many points for so many days it's late. However, I know it's senior year and there's so much to do and to experience and sometimes you just need a wee bit more time to finish or rather to begin a paper, so I'm issuing each of you TWO Grace Passes. These Grace Passes allow you to turn in TWO assignments late - no questions asked. When I grade it you will get the grade you earned. No deductions. No tricky mathematical calculations. To use a pass, just simply tell me, "Mrs. Brown, I need to use my grace pass." I will then record the usage in my attendance book.
The only stipulation is that you have a maximum of one week after the due date to turn in the grace pass assignment. Expect a zero and the forfeiture of your grace pass if you do not comply with this guideline.
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Understand that these TWO passes cover the entire school year. Not two per quarter. Not two per semester. Just two for the year. Use them wisely. Late assignments beyond the two grace passes will NOT be accepted. They will result in a zero.
Finally, I reserve the right to declare an assignment "off limits" for grace passes. This is rare and I will give you ample notice if I plan to do so.
IX. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Plagiarism of someone else's words or ideas will not be tolerated in my classroom. According to the Students Rights and Responsibilities section of the school handbook, "Any student who misappropriates or plagiarizes someone's work, assists another in such misappropriation or otherwise engages in academic dishonesty shall not obtain credit for the work in question and shall be subject to other disciplinary action." If I catch someone plagiarizing, I will confront him/her first.- Then I will make a phone call home and finally I-will write up an office-referral. I record a zero in my grade book for the assignment, and the main office typically issues a Saturday School Detention in addition to keeping the academically dishonest work in the student's permanent file.
X. EVALUATION
Evaluation will be based on the percentage of accumulated points. The percentage scale for assessing grades concurs with the school format listed below.
A / 90 - 100 / 4.0 / IB weight5.0
B / 80-89 / 3.0 / 4.0
C / 70-79 / 2.0 / 3.0
D / 60-69 / 1.0 / 1.0 (no weight)
F / <60 / 0.0 / 0.0 (no weight)
Note that IB grades of C or better are weighted. That means that if you earn a C in IB you will receive a C as a letter grade on your report card, but you will have 3.0 points instead of 2.0 points averaged into your G.P.A. However, a grade of D or F is not weighted and will receive the same amount of points as in a non-113 class.
I do round up for percentages. For example, if you earn an 89.5%, I will round up to a 90%. 89.4% does not round up to a 90%.
All semester grades will be calculated using the following formula: 40% quarter one, 40% quarter two, 20% exam = semester average.
Understand that I will make little if any analytical markings on your papers. You are IB seniors; I expect quality papers with few grammatical and spelling mistakes. My grading will focus on the quality of the content, structure, diction and syntax of your papers. A word to the wise: I will not grade crap. After reading the opening paragraph, if I find that the paper is a last minute, jumble of thoughts, I will read no further. I will draw a line where I stopped and expect you to use one of your grace passes in order to re-do the paper. The same holds true for the oral commentaries.
Written Commentaries: These are practice for the IB exam in May. The exam will contain one commentary and one essay. In a commentary, the writer is expected to do two things:
a. explain why the particular extract has been selected for this kind of analysis and
b. focus closely on the extract itself in order to analyze how elements such as language,
structure and tone work together to create or enhance meaning.
The key with a commentary is to focus IN. Look inside the piece for the WHAT and the HOW. WHAT are the literary features? And HOW do those features work individually and together to
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create the effect/meaning of the piece? Yes, there is some looking out because in order to critique the extract or work you need to know and understand the context. But the primary focus with the commentary is looking into the piece for the literary features and how they interplay and create meaning.
Oral Commentaries: These commentaries are practice for the spring internal assessment and will be assessed using the IB rubrics (see section XVI). You are required to purchase your own tape cassette and label it with your name. When submitting an oral commentary for a grade, be sure you begin the commentary with your name, the date, and the title of the extract/poem. Also, have the tape cued to the beginning of the commentary you want me to grade. If I have to search for it, I will not grade it. Oral commentaries are just a verbal version of the written commentary. So the content requirements for the oral are the same as the written.
Essays: These papers will be graded using the IB rubric (see section XVI) and are also practice for the May exam. The exam will contain one commentary and one essay. An essay is a response to a prompt, a question. The writer is required to _a take a stand- using two or three-of the works from _------
Part 3: Detailed Study. Like the commentary, an essay requires you to address the WHAT and the
HOW, but you now must go one step further and address the SO WHAT. You must focus your essay on the question, which requires you to formulate a thesis and then defend it. The literary features and how they interplay and create meaning are your defense. Your thesis is the SO WHAT.
Writing Practice Grades: If I check at all, you will earn a few completion points for some of the writing practice we do. However, don't expect a ton of padding points from these exercises. Writing practice is just that: practice. I expect that you have the intrinsic motivation to do what's necessary to grow as a writer regardless if there is a possibility to earn points.
Senior Narrative Grades: This year-long project will have various rubrics that I will give to you prior to the due dates. All of the writing practice exercises are designed to help you develop this project. Due dates are listed in the Course Outline.
XI. WRITING GROUPS
Once the year gets rolling, you will choose 2 or 3 people to form your class writing group. The purpose of the writing group is to provide a small community within our large class to which you can go for feedback, encouragement, criticism or anything else you might need as a writer. Because most writing does not occur in isolation, I frequently go to other writers for help. I go to others to talk through an idea, wrestle with wording, or fiddle with an opening. My intention for your writing groups is that you will find a safe place to obtain feedback on your writing and to see how others are tackling the same assignment.
XII. WORLD WALL VOCABULARY
Part of growing as a writer involves increasing one's vocabulary. Thus, for quarters one, two, and three you will create an annotated list of 10 new words that you encounter in your reading. Additionally, you will present a speech on one of those ten words. Specific directions will be forthcoming on a handout; due dates are listed in the Course Outline.
XIII. THE SENIOR NARRATIVE
This is a year-long project that allows you to tell your story. It is a multiple-genre collection of vignettes that expresses who you are. The structure and the focus are completely up to you. I will provide numerous models from former AHS seniors as examples and inspiration. Most students find this to be a rewarding and exciting project, one that they display at graduation parties and store with their other treasures from high school. A separate handout will further explain this assignment; quarterly due dates are listed in the Course Outline.
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XIV. LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
If you would like me to write you a letter of recommendation, follow the steps below:
1. Ask me in person if I would write you a letter of recommendation.
2. Obtain and complete the recommendation form, which is found in the homework box.
3. Return the completed form no less than 2 WEEKS before the application deadline. You must
personally submit this form to me. Do not place it on my desk, in my mailbox or in my