American Community School
Mr. Sanford/Mr. Iyer
2013/14 IB English II HL/SL Course Syllabus
Welcome to IB English II.
Our shared mission will be to examine three genre—poetry, drama, and essay—which have substantial literary merit. We will concern
ourselves with content—the what, who, when, and where of story—but more importantly, we will investigate the how and why of
story, which will reveal theme (why) and literary feature (how). In other words: How is the story written in a way that gives us
meaning (typically about human nature)—or theme.
We will vigorously strive to improve our writing skills in terms of mechanics, organization/structure, development, and style since
that is the medium that we will most use to demonstrate our skills and knowledge. As importantly, we will endeavor to account for our
skills and knowledge in both informal and formal presentation.
IB English is not a particularly difficult pursuit so long as you do all the reading when it is due, complete all the work according to
due dates, attend class regularly, and be on time. Should you pursue another agenda, you will have chosen to make this class
exceedingly more difficult than it is and your success may be compromised. It’s a choice. Choose wisely.
Readings
Group 2
Sept. 3 – Oct. 18
Oct. 21 – Nov. 29
Dec. 2 – Dec. 20
Hamlet
Essays of George Orwell (5-10)
Poetry of Robert Frost (10-15)
HL/SL
HL/SL
HL/SL
Group 3
Jan. 7 – Jan. 31
Feb. 3 – Feb. 20
Mar. 10 – Mar. 21
Mar. 24 – Apr. 4
A Streetcar Named Desire
Death of a Salesman
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Glengarry Glen Ross
HL/SL
HL/SL
HL/SL
HL only
Feb. 19 – Mar. 5
TBA
Oral Commentary Practice
Exam Practice
HL/SL
HL/SL
Skill Sets
 Literary analysis
 Critical reading
 Critical writing
 Critical thinking
Assessments
 Daily (including weekends) reading assignments.
 Most reading assignments will be accounted for by a content reading quiz at the beginning of each class (You do not get extra
time if you are late to class!).
 To encourage discussion, you will answer, in writing, a series of analysis questions for each reading assignment and adjust
your answers during discussion as a note taking exercise. These notes will be critical for success on assessments.
 You will write a number of commentaries or essays on each work during our examination of each work.
IB English II Externally Moderated Assessment Due Dates
Mar. 6 – 8
Individual Oral Commentary
May 5 – 23
IB Exams
Grading Weights
Homework/participation/quizzes
Summative Assessments
Final Exam
10%
70%
20%
Expectations and Conduct
PLEASE . . .
 be respectful towards everyone.
 come to class with all pertinent material.
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do not disturb class in any way.
limit restroom activities in number and duration.
discuss personal issues with me in private.
do not sleep or appear to be sleeping.
This syllabus is subject to change.