MYP UNIT OVERVIEWS

LANGUAGE B ENGLISH
Grades 6-10

All units taught in the IB Middle Years Programme are continuously

being developed and improved to best meet the needs of the
students at FDR. Therefore, the following unit plans are only a guide
of what will be covered in 2011-2012. Some new courses for
2011-2012 are currently being constructed and may not appear in
this overview.
 
Glossary:
ATL – Approaches to Learning (Aprender a Aprender)
ENV – Environments (Entornos)
C&S – Community and Service (Comunidad y Servicio)
HI – Human Ingenuity (Ingenio Humano)
HSE – Health and Social Education (Salud y Educación Social)

Criteria (A,B,C,D,E,F) refer to the individual subject assessment criteria

 
Language B English (Foundation) Grades 6, 7, 8
Units may change based on student proficiency levels, interest, and linguistic needs.

Unit 1: Holes – A Novel Study

Area(s) of Significant Summative
Unit Question Content Skills
Interaction Concept(s) Assessment(s)
ATL Change is How am I changed • class read alouds, • Simple Past Five-Paragraph Essay
inevitable. Change by my experiences? • reading comprehension questions, • Question forms/writing interview on a character
affects us, our How are other • chapter vocabulary, questions
world and all of the people changed by • Learning how to write a complete Five -Paragraph
• model character essay,
people in it. Even their experiences? and correct response in English Personal Change
the rules of the Is change good? • graphic organizer for essay Essay
• Character traits vocabulary
English language
change! What is a theme? • Learning how to identify Five Paragraph
How do I find characters in a novel as having Visual Essay on
Students will evidence of theme those characteristics theme Using iMovie
understand the idea in a novel? • Learning to provide support and
of theme. Students proof for an assertion Self and Peer
will understand how • Learning to write a Five- Assessments of
to find evidence of Paragraph Essay iMovies
themes in literature. • Interviewing skills
• Learning how to make a Visual Quizzes on Writing
Essay with iMovie in Present and Past
• Writing in Present and Past time time axes
axes
Vocabulary qizzes

Unit 2: Home Country Presentations

Area(s) of Significant Summative
Unit Question Content Skills
Interaction Concept(s) Assessment(s)
ATL How to present What are the • Students will research and compile • Library research, Oral presentation-
important important aspects of information on home countries. • Notetaking, (Criteria A, B)
information on my home culture? • Students will choose an appropriate • Inspriation Brainstorm, public
one's home country How do I teach delivery method to teach about their speaking skills
people about my home countries (presentation, visual &
home culture? presentation, game etc)
How do I use book
and encyclopedias
to research specific
information? How
do I use online
sources to find
specific
information? How
do I take notes?
How do I make a
Power Point
Presentation? What
are the skills I need
to make a
presentation using
Power Point?

Unit 3: The Lightning Thief

Area(s) of Significant Summative
Unit Question Content Skills
Interaction Concept(s) Assessment(s)
ATL Myths explain how How do literature • Greek Mythology • Reading comprehension Chapter quizzes
the world came to genres connect and • Novel Study: The Lightning Thief • Grammar
be. how does literature • Compare-contrast Vocabulary quizzes
connect to the real
• Prefixes/suffixes
world? Gods and monsters
• Fact/opinion presentation

Book/movie compare
contrast essay
 
Unit 4: Poetry
Area(s) of Significant Summative
Unit Question Content Skills
Interaction Concept(s) Assessment(s)
Everyone is a poet What are different • Poetry packet-models of cinquain, • Practice with rhyme Students will compile
poetry forms? How limerick, shape, etc • Descriptive writing a collections of 5-7
do I write poetry? • Parts of speech different poems.

Unit 5: Descriptive writing

Area(s) of Significant Summative
Unit Question Content Skills
Interaction Concept(s) Assessment(s)
Good descriptive How can I write • Models of descriptive paragraphs • Vocabulary Descriptive essay
writing shows descriptively? • The writing process • The writing process
rather than tells the
reader about
something.

Grammar - Ongoing throughout the year

Area(s) of Significant Summative
Unit Question Content Skills
Interaction Concept(s) Assessment(s)
• Verb tenses Quizzes
• Passive voice
• Prepositions
• Conditionals
• Adjective order
• Dialogue
• Count/noncount nouns
• Other structures and functions as
needed
 
Language B English (Standard) Grades 9 & 10

Unit 1: Making decisions (9-10 weeks)

Area(s) of Significant Summative
Unit Question Content Skills
Interaction Concept(s) Assessment(s)
HSE Our decision- How do our • Text: The Alchemist • Acquiring vocabulary through Oral presentation
making is based on everyday • Biography of Paulo Coelho context (Criteria A, B)
the influences of experiences • The decision-making process • Identifying the main ideas and
our everyday influence our supporting details in a chapter Reading
• Alchemy and its history
experiences. decision-making? • Identifying stated and implied comprehension:
• Islam Text Interpretation
information from the novel
(Criteria E)
• Learning how to write a 5-
paragraph essay (components of an
Writing a five-
introduction, body paragraph and
paragraph essay
conclusion). (Criteria C and D)
• Demonstrating how characters’
decisions are influenced by their
everyday experiences
• Weekly journal writing

Unit 2: Friendship (9-10 weeks)

Area(s) of Significant Summative
Unit Question Content Skills
Interaction Concept(s) Assessment(s)
ENV We are all How do we depend • Text: Of Mice and Men • Acquiring vocabulary through Text interpretation:
dependent on each on others? (Heinemann Guided Reader Upper context Migrant workers
other for survival level) • Exploring the meaning of (Criteria E)
• Setting (time, place, atmosphere, friendship
objects, culture) • Speaking in formal register Debate
• Themes (Criteria A, B)
• Consolidating the skills for
• The Great Depression and migrant writing an essay
Writing a five-
workers • Weekly journal writing paragraph essay
• OMAM as an allegory for our • Peer revision and editing (Criteria C, D)
society

Unit 3: Identity (8-9 weeks)

Area(s) of Significant Summative
Unit Question Content Skills
Interaction Concept(s) Assessment(s)
HSE We reveal ourselves How do we reveal • Text: Poetry • Read and analyze poetry Multimedia
in a variety of ways. our identities? • Poems by various authors from • Identify common sound and sight Presentation
multiple cultures (compiled poem devices used in poetry and their (Criteria A, B)
book) impact on tone and theme.
• Setting • Use poetic terminology
Response to
• Tone and theme appropriately in writing
literature:
• Write their own poetry • Identify setting (time, place,
commentary
(genre/form/type of poem) using atmosphere, objects, culture)
(Criteria C, D)
poetic devices • Recognize the power of
combining words, image and sound
to create one work
• Create multimedia presentation
based on one of their personal
poems
• Using commentaries as a tool to
learn more about themselves, and
others, through poetry
• Reflect on poetry and how it
reveals one's identity.
 
Unit 4: Limitations (8-9 weeks)
Area(s) of Significant Summative
Unit Question Content Skills
Interaction Concept(s) Assessment(s)
HI Limits help us How can limits help • Text: Romeo and Juliet (adapted • Recognizing the benefits of limits Text Interpretation:
create us create? version by Globe Fearon) for creation The Globe Theater
• Shakespeare and the Elizabethan era • Reading and choosing (Criteria E)
• Objectivity vs. Subjectivity appropriate online sources
• Applying persuasive language Writing an opinion
• Persuasiveness
and techniques to their spoken and editorial
• Plot and structure (Criteria C, D)
written language
• Subjective writing
Reflection on
• Identifying the elements of plot performance, limits
and structure encountered
• Identifying events and conflicts in (Criteria C)
the play
• Performing a scene from the play
 
Language B English (Advanced) Grades 9 & 10

Unit 1: One Thing Leads to Another (9-10 weeks)

Area(s) of Significant Summative
Unit Question Content Skills
Interaction Concept(s) Assessment(s)
HSE Every decision we How do our • Moral and Ethical behavior • Presenting/dramatizing Opinion editorial
make has a great decisions affect our • Discrimination • Identify main ideas and message (Criteria C, D)
effect on ourselves lives and the lives • Racism during the 1950’s US and of a scene
and those around of others around us? worldwide • Subjective writing skills (writing Adaptations of a
us. scene along with the
process)
dramatization of the
• Demonstrating how characters
scene
decisions have an effect on events (Criteria A, B)
and other characters’ behavior
• Identifying and exploring the Passage Analysis:
themes of the play Text Interpretaion
• Recognizing characterization (Criteria E)

Unit 2: Childhood Experiences (9-10 weeks)

Area(s) of Significant Summative
Unit Question Content Skills
Interaction Concept(s) Assessment(s)
C&S Events from our How do our • Setting • Identifying themes Vignette writing
childhood have a childhood • Themes • Exploring how events in any (Criteria C, D)
great effect on who experiences effect • Characterization story have an effect on other events
we are. who we are? • Analytical writing skills Text Interpretation
• Vignette writing
(Criteria E)
• Literary devices such as similes, • Revision and editing skills
metaphors, personification, imagery, • Peer revision and editing Dramatization of a
and what they are and why writers use selected scene
them, and what their affect on the (Criteria B)
reader are

Unit 3: Identity (8-9 weeks)

Area(s) of Significant Summative
Unit Question Content Skills
Interaction Concept(s) Assessment(s)
HSE We reveal ourselves How do we reveal • Read poetry • Identify poetic features in poetry Multimedia
in a variety of ways. our identities? • Identify common sound and sight and discuss their impact Presentation on a
devices used in poetry as well as • Use poetic terminology poem the student has
words to describe tone. appropriately in writing written.
• Write their own poetry • Analyze figurative language (Criteria A, B)
(genre/form/type of poem) using • Identify setting (time, place,
poetic devices Response to
atmosphere)
literature:
• Reflect on poetry and how it reveals • Recognize the power of commentary
one's identity. combining words, image and sound (Criteria C, D)
• Create multimedia presentation to create one work
based on one of their personal poems.
• Using commentaries as a tool to
learn more about themselves, and
others, through poetry

Unit 4: Limitations (8 weeks)

Area(s) of Significant Summative
Unit Question Content Skills
Interaction Concept(s) Assessment(s)
HI Limits help us How can limits help • Objectivity vs. Subjectivity • Recognizing the benefits of limits Speech writing
create. us create? • Persuasiveness • Applying persuasive language (Criteria C, D)
• Plot and techniques
• Subjective writing The Globe Theater:
Text Interpretation
• Identifying events and conflicts
(Criteria E)

Final Exam:
(Criteria C, D, E)