The Newman School
IB English B SL
Mr. Riggs – briggs@newmanboston.org
English Language B SL
Language B is intended for students who have a previous background of 2–3 years in the language, and focuses more on learning to communicate in the language in written and spoken form.
Curriculum
Students study a variety of topics such as the environment, famous people, current and historical events, immigration, music, art, cuisine, fashion, film, etc… to develop their skills in listening, reading, writing, speaking and cultural interaction. Types of texts studied include: news stories, short stories, brochures, advertisements, poems, informal and formal letters, excerpts from plays, editorials, debates, reviews and interviews.
Assessment
Internal Assessment — (30% of total grade) for a Language B consists of the average of two oral presentations, one of which is to be given to the teacher, recorded and sent out for moderation. The other is an interactive oral activity and can be individual or group.
External Assessment — (70% of total grade) for Language B includes paper 1, consisting of 3–4 reading comprehension texts and paper 2, consisting of a 250-word (SL) or 400-word (HL) written response, in the form of a journal entry, formal or informal letter, newspaper or magazine article or brochure.
For the oral and written components of the assessments, students receive marks based on their level of competency in use of language, cultural interaction and message.
For reading comprehension, students receive a grade based on a markscheme (answer key) for questions that are multiple-choice, short-answer, true/false/justify, matching and extended response.
Course Policies and Expectations:
Active and constructive participation in class discussions and while writing in class.
Instances of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and are grounds for a ZERO on the given assignment. Refer to your school handbook for specific guidelines.
Students will enter the room quietly, take out their journal, have homework ready to be checked off and begin working on the Daily Warm up on the board for the first 5-10 minutes of class.
No gum, food, or beverages in classroom.
Course Materials:
Reason to Write workbook
USB drive
Dedicated journal/ blog for this course (Type1: one full page of writing on a topic discussed in class)
Paper for in-class writing