The Newman School
Boston, MA
IB English HL II
Ms. Potter
Fall 2011
IBO Mission Statement
The International Baccalaureate Organization aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
To this end, the IBO works with schools, governments, and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.
These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
Course Description
The senior year of IB English HL covers the Detailed Study and Groups of Works components of the IB English curriculum. At the end of first semester, students will complete a fifteen-minute Individual Oral Commentary that is audio recorded and submitted for evaluation by IB Examiners. During second semester, students will prepare for essay examinations that are also submitted to IB examiners. By examination time, students should be skilled at responding to a written prompt with a persuasive, well-structured essay bolstered by specific textual references.
Required Materials
• A wire-bound notebook with perforated pages used exclusively for this class
• A folder for all handouts received in class;
• Pens/Pencils. At least two writing utensils in case your neighbor’s runs out of ink/lead;
• MLA Handbook, Joseph Gibaldi.
• Your own copy of the text we are reading, in the edition specified:
Fall Semester: Detailed Study (Part 2):
1. Hamlet, William Shakespeare (Folger Edition)
2. Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, William Blake (Oxford)
3. As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner (Vintage)
4. The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin (Steck-Vaughan)
Spring Semester: Groups of Works (Part 3):
1. Lysistrata, Aristophanes (WL)
2. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Tennessee Williams (New Directions)
3. The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde (Broadview Press)
4. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Tom Stoppard (Grove Press)
• Access to a word processor and printer for certain assignments, as specified;
**Coming to class without required materials may result in flagrant, entirely avoidable point deductions.
Course Objectives. (adapted from IB Language A1, April 1999)
This course aims
1. To encourage a personal appreciation of literature and to develop an understanding of the techniques involved in literary criticism;
2. To develop students’ power of expression, both in oral and written communication;
3. To introduce students to a range of literary works of different genres, styles and contexts;
4. To introduce students to ways of approaching and studying literature, leading to an understanding and appreciation of the relationships between different works;
5. To enable students to engage in a close, detailed analysis of written texts, with special attention to the significance of characterization, metaphor, and other literary aspects.
6. To familiarize students with internet and non-internet research techniques for papers and projects;
7. To promote students’ mastery of MLA format;
8. To encourage an enjoyment of, and lifelong interest in, literature.
Grading
Approximately 75% of your grade comes from homework assignments, reading quizzes, longer essays, and general evidence of your preparedness, participation, and effort. Your contributions to group work and to class discussions and your general familiarity with the material will be formally and informally noted.
Approximately 25% of your grade comes from the Midterm and Final Exams
* No work in this class may be submitted by email. Emailed work will receive no credit.
* Points will be deducted for unexcused late work.
* Any major assignment (essay, presentation, etc) that is not handed in by its due date will automatically earn a 50% F.
Course Policies and Expectations
• In the event of a foreseeable absence, it is your responsibility to see the instructor prior to the class or classes that you will miss.
• In the event of any absence, it is your responsibility to get all notes and assignment from the class or classes you miss. Most assignments will be posted online, but it is expected that you call, text, or email at least one and preferably two trustworthy, responsible classmates to find out what was covered in class.
• All assigned work must be completed for a student to earn a passing grade in this class.
• Electronic dictionaries/translators MAY NOT BE USED during tests, quizzes, or in-class essays.
• I am available for extra help every day after school until 3:30.
Take a minute to get the contact information of two of your classmates.