MYP+5+LA+2012-2013

Course outline



Unit 1: Genres of Literature

AOI Focus:

Health and Social Education

ATL Focus:

Organisation & Communication

Learner Profile Focus:

Communicator & Principled

Unit Questions:

What literature out there is for me? How do writers conform to and manipulate genres?

Formative Assessments:

Guided Essay

PowerPoint Presentations

Reading Logs

Summative Assessment:

Essay





Creative Writing

Weeks 2 & 3

PowerPoint Presentations

The students began the unit by conducting research into a genre of fiction that they were interested in. The choices included - ghost stories, horror, crime fiction, fairy tales and science fiction.

//'The purpose of the presentation was to give classmates a brief introduction about each of the genres and to practice our presentation skills. .. during the unit, I’ve learned the better way of presenting and writing organized essays with plans beforehand. Not only presenting my powerpoint, but listening to others was interesting.' (Ji Won)//



//'The genre that I chose was horror. I enjoyed doing research into the horror genre, because i enjoy reading books of this genre and I learned some new tips on how to write better in this genre. I think that i could have improved my PowerPoint presentation because I came unprepared and had to do everything at the last minute. I also could improve on my presentation skills. I need to speak more clearly and connect with the audience, but I think I improved the speed of my speech a lot.' (Ola)//



'//I chose science fiction and presented my PowerPoint so when we read a science fiction story, we;d know the main characteristics of it. I think my presentation had enough knowledge but I thought I got nervous and stuttered a bit.' (Minhae)//



//' I chose crime and mystery fiction... I think that I did well on the presentation. Some things I should do better next time are that I should use even more eye-contact while speaking and I should connect more with my PowerPoint.' (Unna)//



//'My presentation was about fairy tales. I explained the origins and some general features it had along with some famous author of the genre. I could find lots of information. I think I did well in researching but when I was presenting I think it wasn't smooth enough. I need to practise more on presentation skills. I need to be sure that I really know all the sources that I found so that I can talk freely without being nervous.'// //(Ji Won)//



//'My topic was ghost stories and I didn't do very well on it. My work wasn't on time and i didn't have all the information I needed, but I tried my best. Also in my presentation, I got nervous and started talking at a fast speed and in the end I just passed through the whole thing.' (Emmi)//

Week 4 Comparing and contrasting works within genres

Ghost Stories

After the PowerPoint presentations, the students read two ghost stories - one was a traditional ghost story and the other was written more recently. After analysing the texts, the students wrote an essay plan to compare and contrast the two stories. They worked hard on thesis statements and topic sentences in order to give their essays good structure. They will then write the essay in timed conditions to give them both essay writing practice and exam practice.









Week 5 The students are now reading two stories from the crime fiction genre - one a traditional story in the genre, featuring the most famous fictional detective of all time, Sherlock Holmes. The other is a more modern short story, //Forever after//, by Jim Thompson, which pushes the boundaries of the genre. After reading these stories, we will look at writing a good introduction and providing evidence and examples to support opinions.
 * Crime Fiction **



Week 6 & 7 This week we are looking at Fairy Tales. We will read two modern versions of traditional fairy tales, //The Werewolf// by Angela Carter and //The Sweet Shop// by Marc Alexander. With the first tale, the students will analyse the text closely and practise commentary writing. We will then compare the texts with the original tales and the students will write an essay as their summative assessment.
 * Fairy Tales **









Weeks 7-10 **Unit 2 Science Fiction - Independent Reading Unit**

We will also start reading the novel Unwind by Neal Shusterman this week. We will begin reading together and then the students will continue reading independently. They will keep a reading log to demonstrate their understanding of the novel and we will discuss some of the issues that come up in class. This novel is a science fiction novel and discusses the idea of genetic engineering which relates to the MYP 5 science unit on genetics. Every week, students will be assessed on their reading log and their discussion. there will also be a timed essay on the book at the end of the unit.



= Unit 3: Perspectives =

AOI Focus:

Health and Social Education

ATL Focus:

Inquirer & Open-minded

Learner Profile Focus:

Information Literacy, Thinker & Transfer

Unit Questions:

Who's right?

Formative Assessments:

Reading log & Discussions



Presentation



Timed Essay



Summative Assessment

Research Essay