IB English Language & Literature (Year 1)

2021-2022
Ms. Riley Roberts

In this course, students are introduced to a range of texts from different periods, styles and genres. The
study of language and literature in the IB program is designed to help students develop the ability to
engage in close, detailed analysis of individual texts and make relevant connections and to develop the
students’ powers of expression, both in oral and written communication. The course also encourages
students to recognize the importance of the contexts in which texts are written and received through the
study of texts to develop an appreciation of the different perspectives of people from other cultures,
and how these perspectives construct meaning. Students will develop an understanding of the ways in
which formal elements are used to create meaning in a text combined with an exploration of how that
meaning is affected by reading practices that are culturally defined and by production and reception. In
view of the international nature of IB and its commitment to intercultural understanding, the course
does not limit the study of texts to the products of one culture or of the cultures covered by any one
language. The study of literature in translation from other cultures is especially important to IB
students because it contributes to a global perspective, thereby promoting an insight into, and
understanding of, the different ways in which cultures influence and shape the experiences of life
common to all humanity.

“Meanwhile, while we are among human beings, let us cultivate our humanity”. We are all cultivating
our humanity, defining what it means to be human and what it means to live meaningfully. This
sentiment is what defines the culture of this class.

Reading List:
Four IB Anchor Texts:

The Oresteia by Aeschylus

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Essays by Amy Tan and James Baldwin

Assorted Literary & Non-Literary Supplementary Texts:

Personal narratives/essays
Speeches & Letters
Poetry (Walt Whitman, Lord Tennyson, Sappho, Langston Hughes, Audre Lorde, Li-Young Lee)
Short stories
Articles on topics discussed in texts and in relation to Global Context

IB Seven Global Context Focus Topics for all texts:

• Perspective
• Culture
• Transformation
• Representation
• Communication
• Identity
• Creativity
1
Assessments

2
  Reading Quizzes
 In-class essays
 Socratic Seminars
 Graded discussions
 Oral Presentations
 Exams covering literature studied
 Persuasive essays
 Creative writing
 Analytical Essays

Year 1
Dates Unit of inquiry
Aug-Sept Intro to Lang & Lit
Conflict and transformation Nietzsche (philosophy)
Oct-Nov Oppression and power
Nov-Dec  Representation
Jan-Feb Perspective, Identity
Mar-Apr Transformation
May
Literary works, non-literary bodies of work (BOWs) and curated collections Assessment
The Oresteia by Aeschylus (plays) HL Essay
Sappho (poetry)
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (autobiography) Individual oral
“The Strangers” by Toni Morrison (essay)
Walt Whitman (poetry)
Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. (speech)
William Faulkner’s Nobel Prize (speech) Individual oral
Will McAvoy-The Newsroom (speech)
Free State of Jones (film)
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (novel) HL Essay
Research technique and strategies
Haruki Murakami (essays) HL essay
Blade Runner (film)
HL essay drafting and revising HL essay

MLA Formatting:
See handout (discussed in class and posted on school webpage). You will be responsible for command
of MLA formatting and it will contribute to your grade as it has been part of your English class since
8th grade.

See student handbook regarding Attendance Policy & Late Work Policy

Plagiarism/Cheating:
Plagiarism is defined by the Uplift North Hills Handbook as:
the attempt to represent the work of another one’s own work. This relates to written and
oral works, computer-based work, and/or music and media. Examples include: quoting
another person’s actual words, failing to accurately document information or obtained on the
internet, or submitting someone else’s paper as one’s own. It is at the discretion of the teacher to
decide the punishment for plagiarism. In all classes, but especially in English, plagiarism is
intellectual theft. If you are caught plagiarizing, the consequence is as follows: a zero on the
assignment, parent and administrative contact, and a submission to your file.

3
Submitting Work:
 All work must be submitted in complete sentences/fully polished and edited (unless otherwise
specified).
 Work must be neat, legible, with your first and last name written on the first page.
 For out-of-class essays, all work must be in MLA format (see MLA format requirements).
 If students have an excused absence, any assignments due on the day they missed must be turned
in on the first day they return from their absence. If students are absent the day before an exam
when no new material is covered they must take the exam on the first day they return to class. It
is the student’s responsibility to find out about missed assignments, turn in late work or to
schedule a make-up quiz or test.
 If a student does not score 80% on a major assessment, they have the ability to retake the
assessment for a maximum grade of 80%. I will announce a single date on which all students
who did not pass initially may take a make-up test. There will be only one date and time for a
make-up test and it will be up to the student to inform me that they will come and to actually
arrive on-time and take the test.
 If you neglect to participate in a graded summative discussion, neglect to turn the assignment in,
or cheat, resulting in a zero, it will not be taken out of the grade book under any
circumstances. Plainly, I do not take zeroes out of the gradebook when exempting.

This course will often include discussion of subjects that are controversial, such as religion, politics,
social interactions, and profound historical events. When discussing such events, students must speak
and act respectfully about the topics and with others in the class, even when they possess opposing
viewpoints. Insults, racism, cultural insensitivity, and crude joking are antithetical to authentic discourse
and are not tolerated.

Any rules not explained in this syllabus follow the rules in the North Hills Student Handbook.

Materials

1. Three-ring binder with pockets (with only my class in it)—it MUST be a larger
one (beyond 1 inch) so you can fit everything in it.
2. One Composition journal
3. Loose-leaf notebook paper
4. Class opener packets and all materials handed out in class.
5. The text we are studying at the time

Grading Policy:
 
Percentage of Grade Grade Type
Summative (Major) Grades:
60% Tests, Essays, Presentations, Debates, etc.

Formative (Minor) Grades:

40% Quiz, In-Class Essays, Quick Write, Class Opener,
4
 Discussions, etc.

Teacher Contact Information

For Parents and Students:

Please contact me by email. I will respond promptly. If you contact me by voicemail, my response will
not be as prompt.

Email (my preference): riroberts@uplifteducation.org

Office: 414

Do not send an email to rroberts@uplifteducation. I will not receive it. That email belongs to a woman
at CMO.

If there is an issue about grading policies, school work, or rigor, please reach out to me first before
consulting a Dean or Director. If the issue continues to be pressing, only then should Admin be
contacted.

Student/Parent Information
Please consult the Course Guidelines and sign the following statement:

5
I, _____________________________________ (student—please print), have read the Course
Description/Syllabus, Teacher Contact Information, Classroom Expectations, and Grading Policy. I
agree to follow the guidelines explained in these documents and ensure that all work I submit for a grade
is my own. I have read and agree to the plagiarism policy in which I accept the consequences (earning a
zero in the gradebook) of academic misconduct.

Student Signature: _________________________________________

Date: ______________

I, ________________________________ (parent/guardian—please print), have read the Course

Description/Syllabus, Teacher Contact Information, Classroom Expectations, and Grading Policy. I
agree to follow the guidelines explained on these documents and will help ensure that the work my
student submits for a grade is his or her own. I have read and agree to the plagiarism policy in which my
child will accept the consequences of academic misconduct.

Parent/Guardian Signature: _______________________________________

Date: _______________

PLEASE ENTER MOST RECENT CONTACT INFORMATION:

Parent email _____________________________________

Parent phone number____________________________

Student email ____________________________________