MYP+1+LA+2012-2013

Course Outline



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Welcome Back!

'//In Language A, we revised the writing process. First we planned, wrote and then revised our summer vacation recount. At the end we will edit and publish it.'// (Ho Jun)

Our Summer Holiday Writing





Unit 1: Reading Bug

AOI Focus:

Approaches to Learning

ATL Focus:

Organisation & Communication

Learner Profile Focus:

Principled & Communicator

Unit Question:

How can we motivate ourselves and others to read and how can we share our reading experiences?

Formative Assessments:

Reading Journal Rubric





Students have been introduced to the idea of reading journals and how to write a reading journal entry. They will now be assessed on this using the short story //The Secret of the City Cemetery// by Patrick Bone (please see the handout above) They will be marked according to the rubric above. This assignment is due on Monday 15th October.

After this assignment, students will be expected to read independently and turn in their reading journals every Thursday. They will receive a final trimester mark, based on all the entries over the trimester.

The first journal entry is due on Thursday 25th October and then every Thursday after that (Except November 8th because the students are giving their book talks that day).

Writing a Blurb



Summative Assessment

Book Talk The students will read a book in English and give a book talk about that book on November 8th (the week after the holiday) This is to give students enough time to finish the book they are reading now. The instructions and rubric are below.



I have attached a planning sheet to help you to plan your talk.



Remember - Students need to present on Thursday November 8th!!!!!!! However, this will be a practice. I will give feedback and the real presentation to the rest of the class will be one week later on Thursday November 15th!

A good book...

// 'A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever' // (Martin Tupper 1818-1889)

// 'A Lonesome man on a rainy day (is one) who does not know how to read' // (Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

// 'Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body' // (Richard Steel 1672-1729)

After brainstorming exactly what a good book is and coming up with interesting metaphors, the students arranged their ideas into a poem.



We've also been sharing the great books we've read and trying to motivate each other to read and to catch the reading bug!

//'Our first unit was about reading and we had to catch the reading bug!'// (Ho Jun)

Seung Myeon has caught the reading bug!!!!!!!

//'The thing I enjoyed the most was reading books. At first I didn’t like reading English books, but now I like it very much.'// (Seung Myeon)

//'We also learned to write a book response in which we write a summary, what we think will happen next and why we like or don’t like what we read. My favourite part was reading the story Feeding the Dog by Susan Price. It was a really interesting story. And of course I liked reading and writing poems!'// (Dhaya)

The reading journal will be an ongoing activity throughout the year. This is to encourage students to read independently and to practise giving personal responses to what they have read. The MYP objective that is being addressed through this task is:

//Students express a relevant personal response to literary and non-literary texts and demonstrate the ability to approach age-appropriate texts independently.//

At the moment the students are learning how to give a good personal response to their reading. At the end of the unit, they will demonstrate their understanding by writing a journal entry on a short story which will be assessed as part of the unit's summative assessment. They will then be required to read independently every week and hand in their reading journal once a week. They will be given feedback and will receive a grade at the end of each trimester (see the rubric above - MYP 1 Reading Journal Rubric).

Students should read regularly in English and I would recommend about **30 minutes a day**!

Student Blurbs



Fantastic Mr fox by Roald Dahl

There was a fox who was very clever....

He is as clever as everything and three men want to catch him but he is too smart for them. And one day the three men plan to catch him....Will they catch him or not?

By Seung Myeon



Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

 ...HARRY IS USED TO PEOPLE LYING TO HIM...

3 years ago, he thought he was a common human, he thought his parents died in a car crash. BUT ALL THOSE WERE LIES!!!He’s much more than a human. He’s a wizard, and mind you he’s not a usual one. His parents died an unfortunate death. Everyone believes they would’ve lived if it was not for Harry’s criminal godfather “Sirius Black”. Will Harry ever unveil the truth about his parents’ death??????????????

By Dhaya

Feeding the dog by: Susan Price

This story is about 1 bad man called DOWNING!!!. He had a witch power. There is a farmer called HOLLIS. He upset DOWNING so the witch made that thing and made HOLLIS disappear. Next day HOLLIS was not in his bed….. If you want to read a scary story then open this book …

By Ho Jung



Awful End by Philip Ardagh Little gentlemen are always patient and under control even if they have to do something very mad (don’t ask me how they handle it). Take Eddie Dickens for example, a fine little gentleman with parents that are yellow and crinkly around the edges, suck ice cubes that look like famous generals, and smell like old water bottles.

And don’t get me started on his relatives, but I will introduce them anyway, mad Uncle Jack and even madder Aunt Maud with a stuffed stoat at her side named Malcolm (or is it Sally Stoat?). Eddie Dickens goes on a huge adventure, but will he survive the awful end? By Areez

Images taken from Amazon.co.uk

The Book Corner In order to try and motivate ourselves and others to read, the MYP 1s have started The Book Corner. When students read a book that they think others will enjoy, they write a short review and post it on the bookshelf display - What could be easier!



Unit 2: Expressing Opinions

AOI Focus:

Health & Social Education

ATL Focus:

Organisation & Communication

Learner Profile Focus:

Communicator

Unit Question:

How can I get my point across effectively?

Formative Assessment;

Paragraph writing Paragraph writing test Discussion Essay

Summative Assessment:

2 Essays, one timed essay and one essay that requires the student to go through the writing process.

The first essay is due on **Friday December 14th 2012**





Unit 3: All about me! (Autobiography)

AOI Focus:

Health & Social Education

ATL Focus:

Communication & Reflection

Learner Profile Focus:

Communicator & Reflective

Unit Question:

What's so interesting about me? How can I make my writing more engaging?

Formative Assessments:

Timeline and mini presentation Autobiography introduction

Summative Assessments:

Autobiography episodes

Timeline Presentations - the students in action!