IB Written Assignment (aka the World Lit Paper)

At HL students are required to complete an assignment of 1,200–1,500 words, with a reflective statement of 300–400 words, based on a work studied in part 1 of the course and assessed externally. The following are the criteria by which you will be scored:

 

Criterion A: Fulfilling the requirements of the reflective statement

Marks	Level descriptor
0	The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
1	Reflection on the interactive oral shows superficial development of the student’s understanding of cultural and contextual elements.
2	Reflection on the interactive oral shows some development of the student’s understanding of cultural and contextual elements.
3	Reflection on the interactive oral shows development of the student’s understanding of cultural and contextual elements.

Criterion B: Knowledge and Understanding

Marks	Level descriptor
0	The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
1-2	The essay shows some knowledge but little understanding of the work used for the assignment.
3-4	The essay shows knowledge and understanding of, and some insight into, the work used for the assignment.
5-6	The essay shows detailed knowledge and understanding of, and perceptive insight into, the work used for the assignment.

Criterion C: Appreciation of the writer’s choices

Marks	Level descriptor
0	The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
1-2	There is some mention, but little appreciation, of the ways in which language, structure, technique and style shape meaning.
3-4	There is adequate appreciation of the ways in which language, structure, technique and style shape meaning.
5-6	There is excellent appreciation of the ways in which language, structure, technique and style shape meaning.

Criterion D: Organization and development 

(Note: The word limit for the essay is 1,200–1,500 words. If the word limit is exceeded, 2 marks will be deducted.)

Marks	Level descriptor
0	The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
1	There is some attempt to organize ideas, but little use of examples from the works used.
2	Ideas are superficially organized and developed, with some integrated examples from the works used.
3	Ideas are adequately organized and developed, with appropriately integrated examples from the works used.
4	Ideas are effectively organized and developed, with well-integrated examples from the works used.
5	Ideas are persuasively organized and developed, with effectively integrated examples from the works used.

Criterion E: Language

Marks	Level descriptor
0	The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
1	Language is rarely clear and appropriate; there are many errors in grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction, and little sense of register and style
2	Language is sometimes clear and carefully chosen; grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction are fairly accurate, although errors and inconsistencies are apparent; the register and style are to some extent appropriate to the task.
3	Language is clear and carefully chosen, with an adequate degree of accuracy in grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction, despite some lapses; register and style are mostly appropriate to the task.
4	Language is clear and carefully chosen, with a good degree of accuracy in grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction; register and style are consistently appropriate to the task.
5	Language is very clear, effective, carefully chosen and precise, with a high degree of accuracy in grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction; register and style are effective and appropriate to the task.

Total: 25 marks

Last Minute Advice for the IB Presentations

What you need to do:

1. Read book.
2. Choose one major literary device: plot, character(s), theme(s), symbol(s), other.
3. Watch movie.
4. Compare how the movie handled--or didn't handle--the [insert major literary device] found in the novel.
5. Prepare a 10-12 minute class presentation on book's use of [insert major literary device] vs. the movie's use of the same.

Suggestions for how to do Step 5 (any of the following used individually or in concert could help your presentation):

1. Talk about what interested you about the novel/film, and how the subtle/obvious nature of the [major literary device] that was present in the novel was/wasn't handled in the film satisfactorily.
2. Write a simple compare-and-contrast paper about the your topic and read it to the class. (You really need to be more creative than this, but this would be the bare minimum needed to "pass.")
3. Create a slide show/PowerPoint with highlights from your presentation to guide your audience as you teach your topic.
4. Bring in the DVD (or a link on the Internet) and show a BRIEF clip from the movie to illustrate your claim(s) about your topic. By "brief" I mean anything up to the length of a movie trailer, but could include a series of shorter clips used to support your findings. 
5. Dress up in a school-appropriate costume to narrate your presentation. Note: you really should not dress up like a Spartan warrior to talk about Pride and Prejudice, but dressing up like a samurai to discuss Kurosawa's interpretation of Shakespeare would be acceptable as long as the costume is not a substitute for analysis. Costumes are only window dressing; therefore, this is entirely optional.
6. Interpretive dance followed by a 10-12 minute class presentation on book's use of [insert major literary device] vs. the movie's use of the same.
7. Watch the "making of" section of the DVD and find out if the filmmakers had to make compromises/refused to make compromises in the translation of the novel to film. There may even be some kind of production notes online that discuss similar topics, particularly for popular older films or newer films with big marketing budgets. Note: this is called "research," and its inclusion is always encouraged in a scholarly presentation.
8. Be creative and come up with another way to impart information about a topic to an audience of your peers. Your target audience is about 15-17 years old; don't bore them.

Heart of Darkness - Book Summary & Analysis by Thug Notes

Just in case you missed something in class...


Click here for Thug Notes - Classical Literature. Original Gangster.

IB Oral Presentation Calendar

Here is the schedule of presenters for the Oral Presentation for IB English III. If you have a conflict with the schedule, you need to tell me at your earliest convenience. I am not certain how, exactly, the days will be arranged on the STAAR testing days, so I have built in some elasticity in the schedule, but not much.

AP Students: while the presentation schedule doesn't mean much to you, a wise student would note the testing dates, and an even wiser student would already have them.

NOTE: I will not require someone to go before his/her appointed day unless that person volunteers to do so. I reserve the right to amend the schedule as necessary, and may require some people to present on a day subsequent to the original date.

Feb V24	24 Begin 5th 6-Wks	25	26 SAT Exam	27	28
Mar V25	3 STAAR	4 STAAR	5 STAAR	6 STAAR	7
Mar Spr. Brk.	10	11	12	13	14
Mar V26	17 Madison Kaley DB Angelica	18 Sarahi Emily Meghan Andrew	19 Jennifer Ren Ernesto Rosalie	20 Jalecia Oliver John Erin	21 Maren --- --- Zane
Mar V27	24 Mac Roberto Virginia	25 Aileen Morgen John	26 Tania Caroline Hannah	27 Shelby Craig Corley	28 Katherine P. --- Katie
Mar /Apr V28	31 STAAR Cain Ismael Bridgette	1 STAAR Devvyn Dennis Leslie M.	2 STAAR Summer Emery Brianna	3 STAAR Alexis Menab Meaghan	4 STAAR Araceli --- Claire
Apr V29	7 Galit Hassan Charley	8 Nazanne Jackie Leslie S.	9 Addama --- Noah	10 Leah --- Sydney	11
Apr V30	14	15	16	17	18 End of 5th 6-Wks

Class Assignment for 02/10/2014--AP and IB English

Hello, True Believers.

I'm still sick. As such, I will not be at school on Monday, so I am posting the assignment in a novel fashion (for our classes, that is).

Thus, here are your assignments for Monday, 02-10-2014, for both AP and IB:

1. Sign in like normal.
2. Bellringer: Verify that your vocab assignment is complete--all parts: definition, part of speech, sentence, synonym. When I check them upon my return, the grade will be a do-it-or-screw-it grade, all or nothing, no make up. You have been given time in class to complete the assignment; it's time to spread your tiny wings and glide past the gaping maws of the ground creatures below. (Note: this takes less than 3 minutes; you should have already done this at home and still have a chance to finish it there before tomorrow. Move on.)
3. Classwork: Read Kipling's "The Gods of the Copybook Headings". If you have mislaid your text, then another copy can be found by clicking the title of the text above. Read the poem solo, then read it again with your buddy. TPCASTT the poem on a sheet of paper with the help of your partner. Consider the implications of this poem and their relation to the novel we are studying. At the bottom of the page, make like Kurtz and hand-write your understanding of the link between this poem and Heart of Darkness in one succinct sentence. Every individual student will turn in their version of their team's TPCASTT notes as you exit class. Budget your time. You do not need to work with a partner. In fact, several of you work better WITHOUT a partner, even those of you who love to prate with your confreres (*cough* second period *cough cough*).
• Link to the poem, "The Gods of the Copybook Headings", again
• Link the Wikipedia article that may help decode the poem
• Link to a PDF that explains TPCASTT to you, again
4. Homework: Find a complete copy of T. S. Eliot's "The Hollow Men". Print it out, if possible, or at least have the text available to you on your person. If one of your family members went to college and took an English class, they may have an old copy of a Norton's Anthology of Literature. I love that book series. The footnotes are AMAZING (hint hint hint). Having acquired the text of the poem, make whatever notes you deem proper and useful, and bring it to class tomorrow. 
• Link to a VERY handy hypertext of the poem.

 So, that's it. Let's break this down one more time:

• Vocab 22 - 3 minutes
• Read Kipling's poem - 10 minutes
• TPCASTT Kipling's poem - 34 minutes
• Write a one-sentence thematic statement - 1 minute
• Turn in individual work - 0 minutes, turn it in to the appropriate class box as you leave
• Check out Eliot's poem in anticipation of tonight's homework - final few moments of class

Anyone without a web-enabled communication device is welcome to use the desktop terminal in my classroom individually or with a partner, but you have been issued a packet with "The Gods of the Copybook Headings" a while ago and should still possess it. It's the packet with "If" and "The White Man's Burden" in it, too.

AP Elements of Style Project

AP Students, this project is due February 13, 2014.

Each student will write five (5) essays on elements of style found in The Heart of Darkness:

• allusion
• atmosphere
• connotation
• details (concrete or abstract)
• diction
• figurative language
• figures of speech
• imagery
• irony
• metaphor
• mood
• narrative devices
• point of view
• stylistic devices
• symbols/symbolism
• syntax
• theme
• tone
• voice

You will need to make sure that you clearly distinguish and define the elements that you choose.

Each essay must be a minimum of one typewritten, double-spaced, no-larger-than-12-font-sized, page long. Begin your essay with the definition of the element; then apply this definition in a general sense to the novel. The rest of the essay consists of specific details, quotations, plot and character references from the novella to prove your point about the particular element of style. Document internally citing chapter and page number. This essay is NOT to be written in a standard introduction-body-conclusion format. You are essentially writing several EXCELLENT paragraphs of commentary on the element. (This is good preparation for the Big Exam in May because you will need to focus on body paragraphs more intently than on flowery introductory and concluding paragraphs.) You will need to make brief introductory and concluding statements within each paragraph.

You will need to have a title page and a table of contents for your elements. Full credit is achieved in two areas: completion and content. Completion is based on having all five elements covered, each page written clearly and without errors in syntax, spelling, or grammar. The second grade is based on being able to defend clearly the assertions about the elements. For example, if you do not clearly define an element, or your thesis is unproved in your paper, you lose points. Incomplete projects will not be graded.

Fair warning:

• Do not use Cliff's Notes or Sparknotes.
• Do not leave this until the night before.
• Do not use first person or other forbidden elements (consult an MLA guide as necessary).

An example:

      Diction is the author's distinct word choice used to establish an idea within the work. Conrad uses diction in Heart of Darkness to portray the nature of death and mystery in the Congo. In the jungles of Africa, one can find "...death skulking in the air, in the water, in the bush..."(Signet 69). "Skulking" denotes death merely lying in hiding; however, its connotation depicts a more active role, waiting to seize its victims. By nature, death "lurks" in dark corners to conceal its "hidden evil" (Signet 105). It creeps up on its victims without being seen or anticipated. This "concealed" image of death depicted by Conrad's diction serves to intensify the fear of death and establish death's role in the novel. In the sunshine, "pure, uncomplicated savagery was a positive relief" (Signet 139). In the daylight, evil is "uncomplicated;" this connotes a simple danger known to all. It is a "relief" to know that the potential hazards are visible and are not going to be a surprise. Conrad also uses mysterious diction throughout the novel: "It had ceased to be... a white patch for a boy to dream gloriously over. It had become a place of darkness." The "white" connotates a blank space for the imagination to run. However...

Get the picture?

AP/IB Character Mandala Project

This mandala project is due Thursday, February 6, 2014.

 Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning center and circle. It conveys the notion that any center is tied to its circumference and any circumference is always determined by its center. Together they represent wholeness. The character mandala project represents the student's analysis of the whole character in The Heart of Darkness.

After choosing your character, consider what traits that character displays and what happens to him/her in the story. Using the color symbolism chart, color the mandala according to the characteristics you have determined about your character. Whichever traits/characteristics are the most important or most evident should be represented by the corresponding colors from the chart and be dominant on the mandala. Any character you choose should have at least three characteristics and/or traits, and those colors should be evident on your mandala. Under the mandala, write the name of your character. On a separate page, type one paragraph about your character by first introducing him/her, followed by an explanation of what each color represents, the significance of their placement, and textual evidence and personal commentary for support of each characteristic you displayed. Conclude your paragraph with a theme statement of the selection. Be prepared to present your finished product to the class. Yes, you will have to read your paragraph.

The completed project should meet these criteria:

1. a choice of characteristics appropriate to the character showing careful, close reading,
2. a pattern of colors that are pleasing to the eye (or meaningfully harsh) and represent the characteristics the colors symbolize,
3. effective paragraph organization, sentence fluency, word choice, and attention to conventions,
4. and appropriate evidence correctly notated.