How to Use This Teacher Support Material

Language A teacher support material

Introduction

How to use this teacher support material

This teacher support material is designed to accompany the MYP LanguageA guide (published January2009). It contains examples of assessed student work, and is intended to give practical help to support teachers’ understanding and implementation of the theory presented in the guide.

The teacher support material is divided into two sections.

· Assessed student work

· Appendices

The assessed student work section contains examples of assessed work for year5. Please note that these are examples only. They have been included to demonstrate what teacher tasks and student work may look like, and do not form part of a mandatory curriculum for schools.

Teachers may wish to use these examples as a guide to creating appropriate languageA tasks, or as an indication of the standard expected of students by the end of the final year of the programme. Not all examples shown in this teacher support material would be suitable for moderation purposes.

The examples included are authentic student work and are presented in their original styles, which may include spelling, grammatical and any other errors. These examples have been anonymized where necessary (names may have been changed or deleted) and some may have been retyped to make them easier to read.

The appendices contain frequently asked questions, quick tips for moderation, and examples of completed moderation and monitoring of assessment forms.

Please note that the MYP LanguageA teacher support material is produced in four languages (English, French, Spanish and Chinese). If teachers are familiar with more than one of these languages, it may be worthwhile for them to look at the other language versions, as all examples of assessed student work are different for each language.

Thanks are due to the schools and students whose work has been used in this publication, and to the experienced MYP practitioners who worked so carefully on all of the content.

Please note that the assessment criteria used in this material correspond to the MYP LanguageA guide (published January2009), and are for first use in final assessment in June2010 (northern hemisphere) and December2010 (southern hemisphere).

Assessed student work

To view the various elements of this example, please use the icons at the side of the screen.

Overview

Number / Type of task / Title
Essay
Example 1a / Analytical essay / Macbeth’s downfall
Example 1b / Macbeth’s downfall
Example 2a / Comparison essay / Compare and contrast
Example 2b / Compare and contrast
Creative piece
Example 3a / Creative allegory / Reaching for the sky
Example 3b / Relationship
Example 4a / Digital presentation / Diaspora
Example 4b / Diaspora
Example 5a / Creative writing / The little brown paper bag
Example 5b / The life of an inventor
Response to literature
Example 6a / Oral task / The Crucible
Example 6b / The Crucible
Example 7a / Written response / Animal Farm
Example 7b / Animal Farm
Example 8a / Response to poem / Dulce et Decorum Est
Example 8b / Dulce et Decorum Est

Please note that all tasks have been assessed against all three languageA criteria, A toC.

Example 1a: Macbeth’s downfall

Background information

Analytical essay

MYP year:5

Having completed an in-depth study of the play by William Shakespeare, students were assigned to write an analytical essay, responding to the following question:

Evaluate all the factors that help to bring about Macbeth’s downfall. Which do you feel is the most influential and why?

Students had studied the formal literary essay before beginning the task, with emphasis on essay structure, formal register and effective integration of quotations.

Initial drafts were planned in class and written for homework. Additional lesson time was provided for peer- and self-editing with the final task being completed within 10 days.

Students were assigned to keep to a prescribed word limit of 700–1,000 words in length, and to include appropriate quotations and direct references to the text in support of their ideas.

Students were given a task sheet that included the above-mentioned question and outlined expectations for high achievement in each of the three criteria. Below are the summarized teacher expectations.

Criterion A

· You deal with the topic in detail, using appropriate quotations and other references to support your ideas. There is evidence that you understand the text in depth and have addressed the aspects relevant to this task.

· You provide a personal response to the question in the title.

Criterion B

· Your first paragraph introduces the topic clearly and raises the reader’s interest in your essay. It anticipates the main points that you will make in the body of your essay.

· Each paragraph in the body of your essay relates back to the topic, either directly or indirectly.

· You start a new paragraph for each main idea you use to support your thesis.

· Paragraphs are organized in a logical manner and are linked using suitable transitions.

· Quotations are integrated appropriately into your own writing, helping to support your arguments and ideas.

· The conclusion restates what you have outlined in your essay and you provide a response to the question in the title of the task. You have not introduced new ideas or arguments in the conclusion.

Criterion C

· Your language is formal and appropriate for a literary essay.

· Your vocabulary is varied and sophisticated, avoiding repetitive phrases.

· There are few or no language errors.

The level of support provided was appropriate, as the teacher only pointed out the expected overall structure of the essay. Had the teacher stated which points were to be included in each paragraph, this would have been too much guidance for students in year5 of the MYP.

Written work (PDF)

Assessment

This was a good task for year5 MYP students, as it allowed the students to show a thorough understanding of the text under study and enabled students to reach the highest descriptor levels of each criterion. The task permitted students to use their language to analyse and argue, to organize arguments in a coherent manner and to integrate critical apparatus into their writing.

Criterion / A / B / C
Level achieved / 9 / 9 / 10

Criterion A: Content (receptive and productive)

Maximum:10

Achievement level / Level descriptor
9–10 / The student demonstrates a perceptive understanding of the text, topic and the author’s choices, consistently using illustrative detail, development and support.
In creative work, pieces reflect a lot of imagination and sensitivity; the student employs literary and/or non-literary features effectively that serve the context and intention.
The student shows a sophisticated command of relevant terminology, and uses it appropriately.

This work achieved level9 because the student:

· displays a perceptive understanding of the play and topic—the student thoroughly analyses the various aspects leading to Macbeth’s downfall, concluding with the most influential one

· uses illustrative detail, development and support, although not always consistently, for example, the student states that Lady Macbeth plays a vital role in Macbeth’s decision to murder Duncan but does not provide detail of how she does this

· provides clear explanations and justifications for supporting examples and quotations.

The student would have achieved a higher level if he had:

· shown a consistency and detail in the development and support, to make arguments even clearer.

Criterion B: Organization

Maximum:10

Achievement level / Level descriptor
9–10 / The student consistently employs sophisticated organizational structures and language-specific conventions that serve the context and intention.
The work is consistently well-organized, clear and coherent and the ideas being expressed build on each other in a sophisticated manner.
The student integrates critical apparatus correctly and effectively.

This work achieved level9 because the student:

· employs sophisticated organizational structures consistently, developing the argument

· consistently presents a well-organized, clear and coherent argument, as he allows each factor to build up towards the concluding argument

· integrates critical apparatus effectively. However, this is not always done correctly, as there are several examples where quotations are not cited. This strand, assessed separately, would put the student in the 5–6 band level, as critical apparatus is generally employed correctly. However, with a “best-fit” approach he reaches level9 for the overall criterion.

The student would have achieved a higher level if he had:

· consistently cited quotations correctly.

Criterion C: Style and language mechanics

Maximum:10

Achievement level / Level descriptor
9–10 / The student employs a wide and effective range of appropriate vocabulary, idiom and sentence structure. Grammar and syntax are accurate; very infrequent errors do not hinder communication.
The student demonstrates mastery of a register and style that serve the context and intention.
Punctuation and spelling/writing are accurate; very infrequent errors do not hinder communication. In oral/presentation work there is a high level of competence in oratory technique.

This work achieved level10 because the student:

· employs a wide and effective range of appropriate vocabulary, idiom and sentence structure

· uses grammar, syntax, punctuation and spelling accurately, with very infrequent errors that do not hinder communication

· has mastered a formal register that fully serves the context and intention.

Example 1b: Macbeth’s downfall

Background information

Analytical essay

MYP year:5

Having completed an in-depth study of the play, students were assigned to write an analytical essay, responding to the following question:

Evaluate all the factors that help to bring about Macbeth’s downfall. Which do you feel is the most influential and why?

Students had studied the formal literary essay before beginning the task, with emphasis on essay structure, formal register and effective integration of quotations.

Initial drafts were planned in class and written for homework. Additional lesson time was provided for peer- and self-editing with the final task being completed within 10 days.

Students were assigned to keep to a prescribed word limit of 700–1,000 words in length, and to include appropriate quotations and direct references to the text in support of their ideas.

Criterion A

· You provide a personal response to the question in the title, taking into account your arguments and points raised in the essay.

Criterion B

· Your first paragraph introduces the topic clearly and raises the reader’s interest in your essay. It anticipates the main points that you will make in the body of your essay.

· Each paragraph in the body of your essay relates back to the topic, either directly or indirectly.

· You start a new paragraph for each main idea you use to support your thesis.

· Paragraphs are organized in a logical manner and are linked using suitable transitions.

· Quotations are integrated appropriately into your own writing, helping to support your arguments and ideas.

· The conclusion restates what you have outlined in your essay and you provide a response to the question in the title of the task. You have not introduced new ideas or arguments in your conclusion.

Criterion C

· Your language is formal and appropriate for a literary essay.

· Your vocabulary is varied and sophisticated, avoiding repetitive phrases.

· There are few or no language errors, including the use of spelling and punctuation.

The level of support provided was appropriate, as the teacher only pointed out the expected overall structure of the piece. Had the teacher stated which points were to be included in each paragraph, this would have been too much guidance for students in year5 of the MYP.

Written work (PDF)

Assessment

This was a good task for year5 MYP students, as it allowed the students to show a thorough understanding of the text under study and enabled students to reach the highest descriptor levels of each criterion. The task permitted students to use their language to analyse and argue, organize arguments in a coherent manner and integrate critical apparatus into their writing.

Criterion / A / B / C
Level achieved / 6 / 5 / 7

Criterion A: Content (receptive and productive)

Maximum:10

Achievement level / Level descriptor
5–6 / The student demonstrates a sufficient understanding of the text and topic, and an awareness of the author’s choices, using adequate detail, development and support.
In creative work, pieces reflect some imagination and sensitivity; the student generally employs literary and/or non-literary features that serve the context and intention.
Terminology is usually accurate and appropriate.

This work achieved level6 because the student:

· displays a sufficient understanding of the play and topic—the student clearly works with the topic, though tends to focus more on showing her understanding of the various factors posed in the question rather than her evaluation of these

· uses adequate detail, development and support. However, these do not always serve a purpose, and at times lead the argument away from the main topic. For example, the student discusses elements of evil within Lady Macbeth and the witches, but does not develop the point further as part of the main argument.

The student would have achieved a higher level if she had:

· made clearer links between each factor and the downfall of Macbeth

· kept the detail, development and support focused towards supporting her main argument.

Criterion B: Organization

Maximum:10

Achievement level / Level descriptor
5–6 / The student usually employs organizational structures and language-specific conventions that serve the context and intention.
The work is generally organized, clear and coherent.
The student generally employs critical apparatus correctly.

This work achieved level5 because the student:

· usually employs organizational structures, clearly moving from one point to another

· presents a generally organized and clear argument, though not always a coherent one