IB English A: Literature HL 1 & 2
Course Syllabus 2015-2016
Ms. Spencer ~ room C204
shuntaspencer@lancasterisd.org
Kik: englishflava
Remind: Text @IBlit17 to 81010 (Year 1)
Text @IBLit16 to 81010 (Year 2)
Goals
Reinforce higher order skills in critical thinking when reading, writing, and listening. Expand
your skills of literary analysis, and your ability to explore an author's approach, techniques,
intentions, and style. Appreciate human experiences that are different from your own, through
literature. Practice the skills and techniques necessary to achieve your greatest possible success
on the IB examinations.
Course Expectations
To maximize your success in this class, the following are recommended
 Keep up with the reading assignments, and pay attention to what you're reading. Have
thoughts and questions, and bring them up in the analysis/discussions we'll have about
the literature.
 Be organized, and bring what you'll need to class each day, including the book we're
reading, paper, pen, highlighter (highly recommended in this course), an organized
notebook. This is a general survival strategy to adopt as an IB student for your own
balance and sanity.
 Have a willingness to share—aloud and in writing—as well as a willingness to listen
respectfully to others' viewpoints and the manner in which they express them.
Materials
Students will be required to get their own copies of novels for class use. While physical copies are
recommended, students may choose to purchase ebooks. All titles are included in this document to allow
time for purchase. Additionally, the following items should be in class daily.
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a perforated spiral notebook to keep dialectical journals
black or dark blue pen(s)--pencils are optional
highlighters
copies of current texts
an open mind
willingness: to try, to learn, to share
Assignments
This course requires that students think read, write, think critically, read and write some more.
Therefore, homework assignments will consist mainly of reading assignments and long-term
projects (essays/commentaries and oral presentations). There will be frequent small quizzes
(reading check quizzes). Less frequently there will be major tests for each unit; usually, the
major test grade will be an essay or presentation to practice for an IB assessment. The final
component of your grade comes from your participation in the class and in discussions.
Content Overview (Year 1 & 2)
Part One World Literature
(Written Assignment – 25% of IB grade)
So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba
The Story of Zahra by Hanan Al-Shaykh
The Sand Child by Tahar Ben Jelloun
Part Three – Genre (Novels and Short Stories)
(Paper 2 Essay – 25% of IB grade)
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw
Death and the King’s Horsemen by Wole Soyinka
Assessment: World Literature Paper (external)
Assessment: Exam (external)
Part Two – Detailed Study
(Individual Oral Commentary – 15% of IB
grade)
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe *
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Selected poems of Langston Hughes
Part Four – School’s Choice: Telling the Truth
(Individual Oral Presentation – 15% of IB
grade)
The Awakening by Kate Chopin*
The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston
Heat and Dust by Ruth P. Jhabvala
Assessment: Oral Commentary (external)
Assessment: Creative Oral (internal)6
*assigned as summer reading
Academic Integrity Consent Statement
Course: IB Language A 1 & 2
Instructor: Ms. Spencer
DIRECTIONS: Read through this statement carefully. Ask questions if there is anything you
do not understand. Return the signature page signed by both you and your parent/guardian.
I have heard the teacher's discussion of plagiarism, and I understand that I must use research
conventions to cite and clearly mark other people's ideas and words within my papers. I
understand that plagiarism is an act of intellectual dishonesty. I understand it is academically
unethical and unacceptable to do any of the following acts:

To submit an essay written in whole or in part by another student as if it were my own.

To download an essay from the internet, then quote or paraphrase from it, in whole or in
part, without acknowledging the original source.

To restate a clever phrase verbatim from another writer without acknowledging the
source.

To paraphrase part of another writer's work without acknowledging the source.

To reproduce the substance of another writer's argument without acknowledging the
source.

To take work originally done for one instructor's assignment and re-submit it to another
teacher.

To cheat on tests or quizzes through the use of crib sheets, hidden notes, viewing another
student's paper, revealing the answers on my own paper to another student, through
verbal or textual communication, sign language, or other means of storing and
communicating information, including electronic devices, recording devices, cellular
telephones, headsets, and portable computers.

To copy another student's homework and submit the work as if it were the product of my
own labor.
I understand that the consequences for committing any of the previous acts of academic
dishonesty can include a failing grade for the assignment or quiz with no opportunity for
make-up and/or failure in the class as a whole.
I understand that the purpose of this course is to help me develop skills necessary for
college-level writing. Therefore, I will not plagiarize or cheat.
Signing the Memo of Understanding for the course will indicate agreement with this statement.
Memo of Understanding for IB Language A
I have read the syllabus, including the Academic Integrity Consent, and understand
the expectations and goals of this course. I understand that any questions should be
directed to the teacher before signing this agreement.
Student Name ________________________________________________________________
Student Email: ________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Student Signature
Date
************************
Parent Name __________________________________Contact Number ___________________
Parent Email: __________________________________________________________________
Parent Name __________________________________Contact Number ___________________
Parent Email: __________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Parent Signature
Date
**This signed signature page and required class materials are due by Wednesday, August 26, 2015**