IB Class Information

IB Junior English

Textbooks: Literature and the Writing Process

Writing from Sources

SUMMER READING : Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Course Description

The IB curriculum is a two year program, divided into four parts, with selections chosen from book lists prescribed by IBO for parts 1,2, and 3. Parts 3 and 4 are taught the senior year. Junior year IB consists of parts 1 and 2. Part one, World Literature, includes works from translation: Madame Bovary by Flaubert, A Doll’s House by Ibsen, and Antigone by Sophocles. Also in the first semester, junior year, the first world literature paper is due. This is a formal paper (1000 – 1500 words) discussing a common element of at least two of the three world literature works. Final paper (two final copies) will be turned in prior to leaving for Winter Break. We will also be preparing for the AP Language and Composition exam in May.

Second semester, part two, includes a detailed study of the following: Macbeth and Hamlet by Shakespeare, poetry by John Donne and Langston Hughes, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Angelou. World literature paper number two is a creative paper (1000 – 1500 words) using works from parts one and two. Final paper (two final copies) will be due in May. IBO requires each candidate tape a fifteen minute oral commentary. The oral exam will be administered in March or April, at school, under teacher direction, and on a Saturday. Specific dates and times will be announced in class.

Grade Distribution

The grading scale is: A = 90% - 100%, B = 80% - 89%, C = 70% - 79%, D = 60% - 69%, F = 59% and below. Nine weeks grades are weighted by the following distribution: quizzes/tests = 20%, essays/writing = 50%, and classwork = 30%

Attire and Behavior

The Student Code of Conduct will be enforced. Respect for all individuals at all times is required. Students must be seated and working when the tardy bell rings. A reminder, the teacher dismisses the class, not the bell. Writing on school books and/or desks is vandalism and will be dealt with accordingly. No food, drinks, nor gum are allowed in class. Cell phones or any other electronic devices are NOT allowed in the classroom. Students are required to dress appropriately according to the Student Code of Conduct. Females should make sure that midriff and upper body areas are not exposed. Male students should wear pants at the waist. Hats should be removed before entering the classroom.

Materials

Each student is required to bring regular sized white notebook paper, assigned textbook, and blue or black ink pens to class. All work is to be done in blue or black ink. Each student will maintain a writing portfolio; these will be kept in the classroom. Students may want to purchase sticky notes and highlighters to be used in class.

Attendance

Coming to class is mandatory! Students must have an official readmit to enter class after being absent. It is the student’s responsibility to inquire about make-up work or work missed due to an absence. Following Duval County Public School policy, a student has the number of days he is absent to make up work. For example, if a student misses three classes, upon returning to class, he has three classes to turn in all make up work. Students should inquire about make up work BEFORE class begins or check the class website for daily activities. Make up work should be turned in on time. See teacher if you have ANY questions.

Tutoring/Safety Nets

Our class time is vital. Make up work will be done outside of class. I am available from 7:30 – 8:00 most mornings and Tuesday afternoons until 4:00. My planning period times are: A and B days – 4^th period (1:55 – 3:25). To ensure that students are well prepared for the required AP writing, the following is required:

Go to the website www.chompchomp.com. Click on Grammar Bytes, EXERCISES, and then click on the assigned topic. After clicking on the topic, click on the appropriate handout, print, and complete. Access to computers in the classroom will be available each morning from 7:30 – 8:00 and of course, the computers in our Learning Center are accessible. Pay attention to the following topics and due dates:

	Subject/verb agreement exercises 1,3,5, due September 6/7
	Pronoun agreement exercises 1,3,5, due September 27/28
	Irregular verbs exercises 2,4,6, due October 11/12
	Word choice exercises 2,3,6,8, due November 1/2
	Fragments exercises 1,3,5,7, due November 29/30
	Comma Splices exercises 1,3,5, due December 7/8

Academic Integrity Policy

Students are expected to take pride in their own work. This means all work is done with honesty and integrity. All work is your OWN work. The school academic integrity policy will be enforced.

International Baccalaureate Standards

IB students will be expected to demonstrate:

An ability to engage in independent literary criticism in a manner which reveals a personal response to literature

An ability to express ideas with clarity, coherence, conciseness, precision, and fluency in both written and oral communication

A command of the language appropriate for the study of literature and a discriminating appreciation of the need for an effective choice of register and style in both written and oral communication

A sound approach to literature through consideration of the works studied

A thorough knowledge both of the individual works studied and of the relationships between groups of works studied

An appreciation of the similarities and differences between literary works from different ages and/or cultures

An ability to engage in independent textual commentary on both familiar and unfamiliar pieces of writing

A wide-ranging appreciation of structure, technique and style as employed by authors, and of their effects on the reader

An ability to structure ideas and arguments, both orally and in writing, in a logical, sustained and persuasive way, and to support them with precise and relevant examples.