MAY 2021 – MYP LANGUAGE ACQUISITION CAPABLE LEVEL

Subject group and level Language acquisition – capable communicator Unit duration About 20 hours
Unit title

Global context and exploration Identity and relationships - Physical, psychological and social development; transitions;
Key concept Culture
Related concept(s) Function, Meaning
Statement of inquiry A function of language is to give meaning to our culture and establish connections.
Inquiry questions (questions like these will be developed by teachers and students)
Factual What is culture?
Conceptual How do we use language to construct our identity?
Debatable Does culture define who we are?

Objectives Summative assessment tasks Relationship between summative

A: Comprehending spoken and visual Task 1: Comprehending spoken and visual text
text Task set by school, based on this unit and the global context for the
session.
1 or 2 audio-visual texts, maximum total length: 7 minutes.
Questions must assess the spoken and visual aspects of the text(s)
and cover all strands of criterion A.
Clearly indicate which strand is being assessed in each question.
Questions and responses must be in the target language.
The task must be completed in one sitting and assessed against
phase 4 criteria.
assessment tasks and statement of inquiry
Students will engage with and respond to
the spoken and visual text by identifying
ideas, opinions and attitudes and by
making a response to the text based on
personal experiences and opinions. They
will construct meaning and draw
conclusions from information, main ideas
and supporting details and interpret
conventions.

B: Comprehending written and visual Task 2: Comprehending written and visual text
text Task set by school, based on this unit and the global context for the
session.
1 or 2 written-visual texts, maximum total length: 800-900 words
(Chinese: 600–700 characters, non-Roman alphabetical: 560–720
words).
Questions must assess the written and visual aspects of the text(s)
Students will engage with and respond to
the written and visual text by identifying
ideas, opinions and attitudes and by
making a response to the text based on
personal experiences and opinions. They
will construct meaning by identifying
stated and implied information, main ideas
MAY 2021 – MYP LANGUAGE ACQUISITION CAPABLE LEVEL

and cover all strands of criterion B.
Clearly indicate which strand is being assessed in each question.
Questions and responses must be in the target language.
The task must be completed in one sitting and assessed against
phase 4 criteria.
and supporting details, including aspects of
format, style and the author’s purpose for
writing.

C: Communicating in response to Task 3: Interactive Oral Students will engage in an unrehearsed

spoken and/or written and/or visual
text
D: Using language in spoken and/or
written form
Students will engage in a conversation with their teacher in
response to one of the following written, visual or written-visual
stimuli. The student must speak for 3-4 minutes and the whole
recording must not last more than 6 minutes.
The task must be assessed against phase 4 criteria.
Preparation time: 10 minutes.
1. Written stimulus
conversation with their teacher in response
to one of the stimuli provided. They will
share ideas and express opinions and
feelings using a range of vocabulary,
grammatical structures and conventions.
Students will use clear pronunciation,
intonation and language to suit the
context. Students will organize information
and ideas and use a wide range of cohesive
devices.

“Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its

people come from and where they are going.” - Rita Mae Brown.

Have a discussion with your teacher about this quote.

2. Visual stimulus

Discuss with your teacher the various traditions in your

community.

3. Written-visual stimulus

Is your identity influenced by culture? Why or why not? Discuss

with your teacher.
MAY 2021 – MYP LANGUAGE ACQUISITION CAPABLE LEVEL
C: Communicating in response to
spoken and/or written and/or
visual text
D: Using language in spoken and/or
written form
4. Written stimulus
Who in your community do you admire most? Discuss this with
your teacher.
5. Visual stimulus
In what ways do you express yourself and why? Discuss with your
teacher.
6. Written visual-stimulus
“The beauty of the world lies in the diversity of its people” - Anon.
Have a discussion with your teacher about this quote.
Task 4: Writing Task Students will respond in written form to
Students will respond to one of the following written, visual or one of the stimuli provided. They will write
written-visual stimuli. using a range of vocabulary, grammatical
structures and conventions. They will
The task must be completed in one sitting and assessed against organize information and ideas and use a
phase 4 criteria. wide range of cohesive devices. Students
will express their ideas and feelings and
Students must write 200-250 words (Chinese: 250–350 characters, communicate with a sense of audience and
non-Roman alphabetical: 160–220 words). purpose appropriate to the text type
specified.
1. Written stimulus
You are planning to organise a new culture club in school. Write a
letter to the principal explaining why this would be a good idea.
2. Visual stimulus
MAY 2021 – MYP LANGUAGE ACQUISITION CAPABLE LEVEL

Your friend from overseas is coming to visit you. What might

surprise them about your rituals and customs? Write a diary entry
reflecting on their responses to your culture.

3. Written-visual stimulus

Your school is going to celebrate “Cultural Diversity Day”. You are

the representative of the student council. Write a welcome speech .

4. Written stimulus

For your Personal project, you are going to research your family’s
traditions. Create a booklet to express your research results.

5. Visual stimulus:

Consider your experiences of food, clothing, music and dance from

a different culture? How do they compare/differ from those of
your own culture?
Write an article for the school magazine .
6. Written-visual stimulus

Recently you had an opportunity to visit a country where you have

never been to before. How do you feel when you arrive in an
unfamiliar place and experience a new culture? Write an email to a
member of your family.

Resources - The following resources are suggestions only. They may be used during the teaching of the unit.
MAY 2021 – MYP LANGUAGE ACQUISITION CAPABLE LEVEL

Diversity and Self-Expression

Spoken-Visual
https://study.com/academy/lesson/self-expression-definition-examples.html
https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/individuals-and-society/attributing-behavior-to-persons-or-situations/v/self-concept-self-identity-social-
identity
https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/self/themes/identity

Written Text
https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/language-and-politics-self-expression
https://rampages.us/thyagarajana/2016/04/04/does-language-impact-personal-identity/
https://yourauthenticimage.com/the-language-of-self-expression/

Cultural Diversity Day

Spoken – Visual
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_WOWvfzt84
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS70FKV35M0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcSUB4OhiRs

Written-Visual
https://www.participatelearning.com/blog/hosting-a-successful-family-night-or-cultural-event/
https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/ab/en/scds.php
https://classroom.synonym.com/ideas-multicultural-day-8308059.html

Arriving to a new country

Spoken-visual
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5EEz_R_RiE
Written-Visual
https://ipeicc.com/en/feelings-linked-to-the-arrival-in-a-new-country-by-ophelie-c/
https://www.thespruce.com/culture-shock-from-international-move-2436081

Family traditions
MAY 2021 – MYP LANGUAGE ACQUISITION CAPABLE LEVEL

Spoken-Visual
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gmazdu2L64E

Written-visual
https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/family/family-traditions
https://www.choosingwisdom.org/family-traditions-proven-valuable/

Guide to MYP eAssessment (first examinations May and November 2017)

https://ibpublishing.ibo.org/server2/rest/app/tsm.xql?
doc=m_0_mypxx_guu_1607_1_e&part=1&chapter=1&CFID=958687&CFTOKEN=16953580&jsessionid=bc30b7362c6aa92fca841c40345a3d526341