Name of the Teachers Who Prepared the Outline

IB Diploma Programme course outline

Name of the teachers who prepared the outline:

Jeff Hume, Tim Newell

Name of the course:

English Literature A1, HL and SL

Course description:

The IB HL and SL Literature A1 curriculum provides students with a broad selection of literature from authors and poets from multiple regions, cultures, and historical eras. The works are broadly unified by their examination of the role of the individual in society and his or her relationship to said society’s standards, morals, ethics, and the consequences of the actions of the individual within the societal context. This often manifests in commentaries and critiques of the societies present in the works as well as, often via microcosm or synecdoche, the societies from which the works originate. This pattern culminates in a study of satire during the second year, in Parts Two and Three, when the reader is explicitly invited to not only understand but also engage in his or her own critique of the world.

Students are also provided with instruction and experience in the composition of critical commentaries, with a focus on the development of reasoned and well supported arguments with their basis in the text. Precise and concise use of language as well as logical arrangement of supporting examples and reasons is a focus of the writing instruction and practice. As necessitated by final criteria in all of the IB assessment rubrics, students are shown the value of well-chosen language and are encouraged to demonstrate it. Collaboration, direct practice with feedback, and modeling are all used to help students develop these skills. In addition to written communication, students continue to develop and improve upon oral communication skills (including presentations formal and informal, prepared and extemporaneous) that are introduced in earlier levels. This is accomplished by means of formal Socratic circles, presentations to large and small groups, and discussions with varying levels of formality involving peers in class.

During the literature selection process, special attention was given to texts that will offer classroom discussion and cross-curricular activities that center on cultural experiences, social issues, and historical events that influenced authors’ points of view, characterizations, and themes. Furthermore, the literature selections outlined in the syllabus span two-thousand years of international thought from ancient Greek philosophy to the 21st century.

Topics:

11th Grade

Part One: Works in Translation

Antigone, by Sophocles. Translated by Paul Woodruff.

A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen. Dover edition.

Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi. (HL only)

Part Four: Option C: Text to Film

To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey.

The Princess Bride, by William Goldman.

12th Grade

Part Two: Detailed Study

Hamlet, by William Shakespeare.

Five satirical works by Jonathon Swift. (HL only)

15 – 20 poems by Robert Frost.

Part Three: Literary Genre (novel)

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. (HL only)

Beloved, by Toni Morrison.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain.

1984, by George Orwell.

Assessment:

Standard Level Course Assessment:

External assessment (3 hours) 70%

Paper 1: Guided literary analysis (1 hour 30 minutes)

• The paper consists of two passages: one prose and one poetry.
• Students choose one and write a guided literary analysis in response to two questions. (20 marks)
• 20%

Paper 2: Essay (1 hour 30 minutes)

• The paper consists of three questions for each literary genre.
• In response to one question students write an essay based on at least two works studied in part 3. (25 marks)
• 25%

Written assignment

• Students submit a reflective statement and literary essay on one work studied in part 1. (25 marks)
• The reflective statement must be 300–400 words in length.
• The essay must be 1,200–1,500 words in length.
• 25%

Internal assessment (30%)

This component is internally assessed by the teacher and externally moderated by the IB at the end of the course.

Individual oral commentary (10 minutes)

• Students present a formal oral commentary and answer subsequent questions on an extract from a work studied in part 2. (30 marks)
• 15%

Individual oral presentation (10–15 minutes)

• The presentation is based on works studied in part 4. It is internally assessed and externally moderated through the part 2 internal assessment task. (30 marks)
• 15%

Higher Level Course Assessment:

External assessment (4 hours) 70%

Paper 1: Literary commentary (2 hours)

• The paper consists of two passages: one prose and one poetry.
• Students choose one and write a literary commentary. (20 marks)
• 20%

Paper 2: Essay (2 hours)

• The paper consists of three questions for each literary genre.
• In response to one question students write an essay based on at least two works studied in part 3. (25 marks)
• 25%

Written assignment

• Students submit a reflective statement and literary essay on one work studied in part 1. (25 marks)
• The reflective statement must be 300–400 words in length.
• The essay must be 1,200–1,500 words in length.
• 25%

Internal assessment (30%)

This component is internally assessed by the teacher and externally moderated by the IB at the end of the course.

• Individual oral commentary and discussion (20 minutes)
• Formal oral commentary on poetry studied in part 2 with subsequent questions (10 minutes) followed by a discussion based on one of the other part 2 works (10 minutes). (30 marks)
• 15%

Individual oral presentation (10–15 minutes)

• The presentation is based on works studied in part 4. It is internally assessed and externally moderated through the part 2 internal assessment task. (30 marks)
• 15%

Additional Assessments

A variety of formative and summative assessments are used in the 11th and 12th grade classes to prepare students with the skills needed to succeed on the IB assessments and to improve their level of proficiency in reading, interpreting, writing, and speaking. These assessments include, but are not limited to, practice literary commentaries and speaking assignments.

Also, in order to foster critical reading and writing skills, students will be trained in the principles of close reading, inquiry-based Socratic discussions, and analytical and critical writing strategies. Relevant grammar and mechanical concepts will be assessed through guided practice, quizzes, and frequent practice in writing.

Resources:

Print Texts

Part 1 (11th grade, semester 1):
Antigone/ Sophocles

• Pub: Hackett
• 978-0-87220-571-0

Doll’s House/ Henrik Ibsen

• Pub: Dover Thrift
• 0-486-27062-9

*Persepolis/ Marjane Satrapi

• Pub: Pantheon
• 0-375-42230-7

/ Part 2 (12th grade, semester 1):
Hamlet/ William Shakespeare

• Pub: Folger
• 978-0-7434-7712-3

*Jonathan Swift satire (“A Modest Proposal”, others)

• Pub: Empire
• 978-1619493773

Robert Frost

• Pub: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
• 978-0-312-98332-1

Part 4 (11th grade, semester 2):
To Kill a Mockingbird/ Harper Lee

• Harper
• 978-0061743528

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest/ Ken Kesey

• Pub: Signet
• 978-0-451-16396-7

The Princess Bride/ William Goldman

• Pub: Harcourt

9778-0-15-603521-7 / Part 3 (11th grade, semester 2):
1984/ George Orwell

• Pub: Signet
• 978-0451524935

Beloved/ Toni Morrison

• Pub: Vintage
• 1-4000-3341-1

Huck Finn/ Mark Twain

• Pub: Tor
• 978-0-8125-0422-4

*Pride and Prejudice/ Jane Austen

• Pub: Penguin
• 978-0-141-43951-8

Films:

To Kill A Mockingbird. Directed by Robert Mulligan. 1962.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Directed by Milos Forman. 1975.

The Princess Bride. Directed by Rob Reiner. 1987.

Teaching time:

HL / SL course / Teaching Hours
English A1 HL / 261
English A1 SL / 216

Please see“School Summary”data for a description of hour tabulation for HL; SL students are granted study time for their other classes during study of “HL only” literary works.

In addition:

• Does the course provide adequate preparation in oral and written expression and in analytical and critical thought?

Course activities are designed to provide students with adequate preparation for their IB assessments through development of the skills required to succeed in the assessed areas. Oral expression skills are developed by means of group and individual presentations, paired practice, and formal and informal presentations to small and large groups. Presentations are both prepared and impromptu. Writing skills are developed through a variety of formative and summative writing assignments, including prepared and impromptu writings of various lengths and various levels of formality. Students are given individualized feedback as well as receiving whole-class instruction and participating in inquiry-based small-group discussion of models. Students’ analytical skills are sharpened through assigned close reading, Socratic discussion with their peers and instructors, and instruction and practice in effective note-taking and outlining. Discussions of the nature of effective literary communication and the definition of quality aid the students in developing their critical faculties.

• How do the works used in English A1 reinforce internationalism?

During the execution of Part 1, the works Antigone, A Doll’s House, and Persepolis are all works in translation, and all take place in and originate in lands and cultures that differ from that of the present-day United States. The major learning focus for this semester is trying to understand the extent to an understanding of culture contributes to—possibly is even necessary for—an understanding of any work of literature. These works require inquiry into ancient Greek history, religion, and culture; Norwegian feminism and cultural mores; and Iranian history, culture, and religion, respectively. Parts 2 and 4 include Hamlet, the satires of Swift, 1984, and Pride and Prejudice. While these works are not translated, the various cultural and social contexts of these British texts require students to engage with and inquire into international issues and norms outside of their own immediate cultural, social, and historical experiences.

• Approach to TOK inclusion

One of the foundational questions in our courses is To What Extent…? This requires students to think about meaning and evaluate quality in terms of gradations and shades, rather than absolute statements and black-and-white dichotomies. There is explicit practice in the TOK ways of knowing (WOKs) language, reason, emotion, and perception. We explicitly teach those concepts in order to help students understand and become conversant in the different uses of language that construct effects within a literary construct. We also teach reasoning through effective, text-based argumentation, including syllogism, assertion, example, and explanation, as well as the concepts of premises (in preparation for discussion of “claims” in TOK). Students are reminded to base reasoning on examples available in the text and not rely on outside presuppositions or prepackaged, clichéd statements of meaning. Course practice also demonstrates for students how to go about analyzing or understanding a work of literature in an open-minded way, and determining what effects or purposes are intended by the author, rather than allowing an immediate emotional response to a subject or type of character to impact the way they receive the material. Some explicit instruction in the function of language and literary devices, specifically imagery, as a creator of perception is also included.

Arts as an area of knowledge (AOK) is explicitly addressed, as students are shown that literature, though fictional, can help us understand or make truth statements about reality. A specific example is addressed in our study of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, in which the narrator states that “It’s the truth even if it didn’t happen,” which is tied directly to his difficulty in perceiving the world accurately but could be used as an explanation of the function and purpose of all fiction. Students frequently make their own connection between this statement and the TOK maxim “The map is not the territory,” in the sense that the novel is not the real world. However, the map is useful in understanding the territory, just as fiction is useful for understanding fact.

• Has a thorough review of the available resource materials and equipment (both within the department and in the library/media center) been conducted?
• Are instructional materials available in sufficient quality, quantity and variety to give effective support to the aims and methods of the courses?
• Are community resources used both within the classroom and as part of regular field trips?
• Are the needs and projected costs of acquiring all necessary materials and equipment for each subject group clearly stated?

Although students have the option (which many take) to purchase their own course texts, a copy of each text studied during the course is available for every student to borrow for the duration of the relevant semester. A few copies of these are available in our media center, but nearly all are held and distributed by the English department. Additional materials, such as DVD copies of films and supplemental texts on literary criticism, literary theory, and film study, are also held by the department and excerpts are made available to students for instructional purposes within the boundaries of fair use laws.

Community resources such as local public and university libraries are available to our students, and they are provided with information on how best to use these resources. An annual field trip to a local university library gives students exposure to a wider range of resources than they might otherwise have. Also, at the earlier levels students are provided with access to a range of online databases that allow them to access materials that might not otherwise be available to them.

Funds have been available to update or change the selection of reading materials. Recognizing necessary adjustments to the IB curriculum at a 5 year schedule, or from departmental yearly review of degrees of student success with currently assignedworks, we have some degree of flexibility with additional class sets oftext titlespurchased from anoriginal start-up grant as well as titles fromin-house 9th and 10th grade classes of literature.

We have also instituted recurring trips to local theater productions of significant literary works. The entire student body attends and it involves the entire teaching staff, which serves to link the disciplines and present literature across the curriculum.

We also have computer cart availability with Outlook for collaborative and individual note storage and internet access that is accessible for all students.