Windsor Forest High School
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
English A Literature: 11th Grade
2014-2015
Teacher: Mrs. Natalie Chase
Work Phone: (912) 395-3400
Website: chasefox.weebly.com
Room: G-4
Email Address: natalie.chase@sccpss.com
Tutorial Hours: Wednesdays from 3:15-4:15 or by appointment
Course Description
The IB English course is a two-year course that students will take during their junior and senior years in
the Windsor Forest High School IB program. Prior to beginning IB English, students will take advanced ninth
grade English (genre study) and American literature courses in order to fulfill Georgia graduation requirements
and prepare students for the rigor of the IB English curriculum.
The study of literature is a pathway for students to understand and relate to the world around them. The
goals of this course are to expose students to a wide variety of genres, periods, styles, and themes of literature;
to develop students’ abilities to think and respond critically to literature; to hone students’ writing skills and
communication skills in general; and to instill in students an appreciation for both the literary merit of the works
we will study and the cultures that these works represent.
Assessments for this course will include written and oral assignments. Through guided discussion and
practice, students will learn the skills necessary to critically comment upon works of literature that they have
studied in detail, as well as works that are new to them. Students will analyze, respond to, and evaluate
literature on a daily basis, and will develop their skills in oral and written expression. For further information
on the IB’s Aims and Objectives for English Literature, please see:
http://www.ibo.org/diploma/assessment/subjectoutlines/documents/d_1_a1lan_gui-out_1102_1a_e.pdf
Course Overview: The course is divided into four different sections, as outlined below. Semesters I and II will
be taught during students' junior year; semesters III and IV will be taught during the senior year.
Semester I: Part IV (Options)
The first semester’s course of study will begin with Part IV of the IB English A curriculum, the Options
segment. During the course of the semester, three selections will be taught: Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in
the Sun, selected poetry of Wislawa Szymborska, and Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior. Despite
the works’ differences in style and subject matter, all are linked by themes relating to integrity and the courage
of the human spirit.
Semester II: Part I (Works in Translation)
Semester II will consist of the Works in Translation (Part I) segment of IB English A (Literature). As in Part
IV, works will be linked by a common theme; for the World Literature selections, works relate to the theme of
the individual and society. Three works from the PLT will be studied: Albert Camus’s The Outsider/The
Stranger (translated from French), Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment (translated from Russian), and
Gabriel García Márquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold (translated from Spanish).
Semester III: Part II (Detailed Study)
Students’ second year of IB English Literature will begin with Part II, the Detailed Study segment. In the
Detailed Study section, students will study three works, each representing a different literary genre. Works
studied will be Shakespeare's Hamlet, selected poems of Robert Frost, and Tim O'Brien's The Things They
Carried.
Semester IV: Part III (Literary Genres)
The final semester of IB English Literature is Part III, the Literary Genres segment. Four works from the same
genre (in this case, prose fiction) will be studied. Works of study will be Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were
Watching God, Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day, Jane Austen's Persuasion, and Joseph Conrad’s The
Heart of Darkness.
Junior Year Breakdown:
Semester I: Options
Texts:
Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun
Selected poems of Wislawa Szymborska
Kingston's The Woman Warrior
Language focus:
Genre and character analysis
Close reading and annotating
Group and individual discussions and presentations
IB Assessment:
Preparation and presentation of Individual Oral Presentation (IOP)
Semester II: Works in Translation
Texts:
Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment
Camus's The Outsider/The Stranger
García Márquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Language Focus:
World perspectives and viewpoints, Roles of translators in literature
Developing and supporting an original thesis about a work
The research, writing, and revision process for longer essays
IB Assessment:
World Literature Papers
Assessments: Students will be provided with much more detail on the IB assessments, but a brief summary is
provided below.
IB Internal Assessment
There are two internal assessments for High Level English Literature: the Individual Oral Commentary (IOC)
and the Individual Oral Presentation (IOP). The IOP assessment will be based on the works studied in the first
semester (Options) of the course, and makes up 15% of students’ overall IB score. For the IOP, students will
present a topic based on Part IV works. The IOC is also 15% of students’ overall IB score, and consists of a
recorded commentary about a literary extract chosen by the teacher. The IOC is linked to the Detailed Study
segment of the English Literature curriculum (the focus of the first half of students’ senior year). The IOC will
focus on poetry studied in Part II (10 minutes), as well as a discussion based on another Part II work (also 10
minutes).
IB External Assessment
The external assessments for High Level English Literature are the written assignment based on a work studied
in Part I (Works in Translation) and the Written Paper Component. In the spring of their junior year, students
will write a reflective statement (300-400 words) and a literary essay (1,200-1,500 words) on a work studied in
Part I. The written assignments linked to Part I count as 25% of the students' overall IB score.
The two papers written during the spring of students' senior year will count as 50% of the IB score (25% per
paper). Paper 1 is a commentary on a poetry or prose passage (2 hours). Students will be given a choice of two
texts, and will respond to one. The paper will incorporate commentary on the techniques of literary criticism.
Paper 2 is an essay based on works from Part III (Literary Genres). Students will select a question to analyze,
basing their response on at least two works studied in Part III.
Quarterly Grades
Quarterly grades for students in the IB English Literature program will be based on a combination of
assessments. Grades will be given for essays, homework, in-class assignments, quizzes, and tests. Assessments
will be designed to measure students’ progress toward major goals of the English A course, and will focus on
analyzing literature insightfully, reading and thinking critically, and writing and speaking well. Students will
study vocabulary, grammar and writing skills, and supplementary literary texts along with the major works of
study.
Grading Breakdown
Assessments (major essays, tests, quizzes): 60%
Classwork/homework (summer reading, smaller writing pieces, etc.): 40%
Course Rationale
The course of study for WFHS’s HL English Literature includes works from a variety of genres, periods,
places, and cultures. Four genres are represented: drama (Hansberry and Shakespeare), poetry (Szymborska
and Frost), prose nonfiction (Kingston), and prose fiction (Hurston, Marquez, etc.). Three periods (as defined in
the PBL for English A) are represented: pre-1800 (Shakespeare), 1800-1900 (Austen, Conrad), and post-1900
(Hansberry, O’Brien, etc.). The curriculum includes authors from a variety of geocultural regions, including
North America, South America, and Europe, and also represents diverse ethnicities and cultures.
A pivotal concept in this course will be recognizing the interrelated themes evident in works of literature,
and how writers incorporate societal and global concerns into their work. Students will explore contributions
and connections of writers and literary movements on the development of world literature, and will read and
discuss works from a variety of cultures and perspectives. The authors of the works for this course provide us
with insights into the cultures of a variety of nations (Algeria, Columbia, Russia, the United States, and
England) and offer a range of perspectives within their individual cultures. The course will constantly examine
the point of view of the work, the author, and the reader, and will discuss how history and circumstances can
shape works of art. Internationalism will constantly be explored as students analyze, question, and critique
literature from a variety of perspectives, styles, and time periods.
Students will constantly be challenged to think critically, ask difficult questions, and examine the
relationship between art and life. Students will write, speak, and debate the validity of their ideas on a regular
basis. They will be challenged to take risks in their writing and in-class speaking, and will be challenged to
broaden their perceptions of the world around them, and their own role within that world.
Supplementary materials in literary criticism and history will be incorporated into the curriculum on a
regular basis. The course will also draw upon key concepts and unifying principles that students discuss in
other classes, such as Theory of Knowledge and the History of the Americas. Writing assignments completed
for English A will serve as scaffolding for the Extended Essay, and the course will be centered on core
components of IB, such as international mindedness and building well-rounded learners who aspire to meet all
aspects of the learner profile.
Required Materials
1. Novels, plays, and supplementary texts as assigned
2. Pen, pencil, and highlighter
3. Three-ring loose-leaf binder (1” – 1.5“)
4. Loose-leaf notebook paper
5. Assignment log, calendar, or similar method to keep track of assignments and deadlines
Policy on Honesty and Plagiarism
All submitted work and activities should be genuine reflections of individual achievement from which the
student should derive personal satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. Plagiarism and cheating subvert
these goals and will be treated according to the policy stated in the Student Handbook. The teacher reserves the
right to utilize electronic means to help prevent plagiarism.