IOPs commence Monday November 28th - who wants to go first?

Hi everyone - let's use the time this week to make sure that you are fully prepared with both your title and your direction. Study the assessment criteria (rubric). Study the long post below and all other data which has been issued to you in hardcopy and online. This is your responsibility.
Ignoratia juris non excusat.

We will hold the lottery for order of speakers on Monday November 21st and subsequent days until all classes are organised. If you particularly want to go first or sooner rather than later then I can offer that option and we will then hold a lottery for the remainder of students.
Important - no matter what your activity you must demonstrate knowledge of the text and its author, cultural and social context. 
Most important: This is a literary activity and students must explicitly refer to the original novel.
 Be prepared to photocopy a key passage of the original text and give one to each student. Then in your introduction explain how this passage particularly inspired you and how it fits with your general topic. So there will be a specific literary analysis and focus to all presentations.

Next week from Tuesday 15th all students will be expected to face the class with a two minute only statement of the topic and a brief introduction.

Guidelines for the oral presentation Monday 28th November

Individual oral presentation Note: The individual oral presentation is internally assessed and IB moderation takes place through the individual oral commentary.
Duration: 10–15 minutes The individual oral presentation is based on a work or works studied in part 4 of the syllabus. Each student chooses a topic for this exercise in consultation with their teacher. Choice of topic Students should choose topics that reflect their personal interests. Topics may be based on any aspect(s) of the work(s) studied, including: • the cultural setting of the work(s) and related issues • thematic focus • characterization • techniques and style • the author’s attitude to particular elements of the works (for example, character(s), subject matter) • the interpretation of particular elements from different perspectives. Focus of the individual oral presentation The focus of each oral presentation will depend on the nature and scope of the topic chosen. Whatever the topic and type of presentation chosen, students will be expected to show:
• knowledge and understanding of the works • thorough appreciation of the aspect discussed • good use of strategies to engage an audience • delivery of the presentation in a manner that is appropriate to the task. Structure of the individual oral presentation The structure of each oral presentation depends largely on the type of activity selected for the topic. It is the responsibility of the student to select the type of presentation that most effectively enables the objectives of the topic to be realized. Whatever the activity chosen, all presentations must have a coherent structure.
Preparation for the individual oral presentation It is expected that students will prepare for their presentation outside class hours. When students have chosen the topic for their presentation it will be their responsibility to: • select appropriate material for the presentation • organize the material into a coherent structure • choose a means of presentation and delivery that is suited to the activity and topic.
Suggested activities
The following list applies to all the options studied in part 4 of the course and contains examples of the wide range of activities that are acceptable for the individual oral presentation. This list is neither exhaustive nor prescriptive. The examples are only suggestions and may be added to by teachers, or by students with the approval of teachers. Students should select the activity most appropriate to the topic chosen.
The individual presentation may be done in a pair or as part of a small group of students. In that case, each student must give an individual presentation 10–15 minutes in length that can be individually assessed by the teacher. • A critique of the student’s own writing that has been produced in the style of one of the literary genres studied • An explanation of a particular aspect of an author’s work • The examination of a particular interpretation of a work • The setting of a particular writer’s work against another body of material, for example, details on social background or political views
*A commentary on the use of a particular image, idea or symbol in one text or in a writer’s work
• A performance or a pastiche of a poem being studied—this activity should be followed by some explanation and discussion of what the student attempted to do • A comparison of two passages, two characters or two works • A commentary on a passage from a work studied in class, which has been prepared at home • An account of the student’s developing response to a work • The presentation of two opposing readings of a work • A monologue or dialogue by a character at an important point in the work • Reminiscences by a character from a point in later life • An author’s reaction to a particular interpretation of elements of his or her work in a given context (for example, a critical defence of the work against a charge of subversion, or immorality, before a censorship board) Please note that students who choose creative presentations should provide a rationale for what they have done. Conduct of the presentation and subsequent discussion Teachers must allow students to do their presentation without any interruption or assistance. When the presentation is completed teachers may engage in a discussion with students in order to probe further into their knowledge and understanding of the work(s) or topic.

Dec - Romanticism, Realism, Modernism, Postmodernism

http://bw1950.com/2.html

Hi everyone, this website has some student friendly data on these great movements in literature.
Students who wish to know how to achieve the highest scores in English and ToK and the EE, need to understand these terms to join the contemporary academic discourse.
This website and Mr Hoye's website are excellent resources for all students.
Please acknowledge your online sources in any work done as you would with any other text.

YOur Dec Test will include definitions of these terms :
Romanticims
REalism
Modernism
Postmodernism

ALL GRADE X1 STUDENTS in ALL TOK CLASSES George Orwell 1984

MR.C.'s TOK Blog: January 2012 TOK SPECIAL TOPIC George Orwell 1984

January 2012 -STUDENT WORKSHOP LEADERS NEEDED -
- read the book and lead the group discussion.

The book has been distributed in English class but I will arrange with all Grade X1 ToK teachers to take the whole year group for a special Saturday TOK workshop early next year. Students are invited to read the book now and help me plan a student led workshop on the book and its relevance to literature and Theory of Knowledge. There will be a series of presentations by students on the book and lots of discussion for the whole group. I will prepare a talk on films inspired by the themes of Orwell's Dystopia. Our theme will be "1984-how many ways of knowing are there?"

IB REPORT ON GRADES -percentages of 7s per subject - WOW

http://ibo.org/newsletter_recognition/march_2006/articletwo/

Click on this link to read an IB report on Grades in 2006. Don't worry, the percentages are still accurate.
Can you see the 3 under the Grade 7 beside English? That's right, 3% get a 7 annually.

This is posted to help students and parents understand that on average 3% of all students in the world achieve a 7 in English. It might be argued that this percentage puts a lot of pressure on students, parents and teachers or that it creates a feeling that to score a 6 or 7 in English your skills have to be similar to a university student or graduate. You do have to work hard and it takes two years of that hard work to achieve your potential.
Indeed, 73% of the students in the graph got either a 4 or 5 in English. Only 22% achieved a 7 or 6.  It might be argued that  only 3% got an A, 19% Grade B and a whopping 73% 'only' achieved Grade C. Our English IB results in 2011 were significantly above the global average and will be in 2013, Please bear in mind that the IB is a rigorous programme and that students should expect to develope their skills and knowledge over the course of the programme. The IB demands critical thinking, imaginative response to texts and elegance in writing literary analysis. Clearly the statistics show that this is the hardest subject of the lot to score a 6 or 7. But students can and do improve with teaching which challenges them to think and discuss texts in class, while doing most of the reading at home.
The way students write about texts, including their commentaries will improve with good listening and note-taking in class, ask yourself here - do I take notes in class -the practice  of writing commentaries over the 2 years and by thinking about their thinking. Discussions in literature class should be closer to the model in university tutor groups than in the model of 'teacher tells me the answer.'
IB Literature has more in common with TOK, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology than anything resembling a literature course in most non-IB programmes. There is simply no comparison. Read the IB Learner Profile and then live it!

So statistically, 78% of all IB English students do not achieve a 7 or 6 in the final diploma grade - in other words a Grade A or B.  So comparing IB grades in English with other less rigorous systems is simply not going to make you happy or make any sense at all.
I hope this helps put our recent discussions in perspective. Please do feel free to post here if you find this report useful.  This article from the rather sensationalist 'Daily Mail' UK newspaper, suggest that there has been 'grade inflation' in the  A Level system while the IB students achieved grades in the same proportion of the total cohort year after year.
The IB regards the 7 and 6 or Grade A and Grade B in English as an honour grade, worthy of respect and so should we. Only 22% of all the students in the world achieve these grades.
If 73% of IB students attain a Grade 4 or 5 - that is arguably a C in some systems, we should be very very pleased with our recent results. Over the moon, actually.Now let's make sure that we can justify and sustain them in the second quarter.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-394399/A-level-blow-Baccalaureate-given-rating-5-A-grades.html

ORAL TOPICS - feedback in class, not online

Thanks for posting your topics and also being willing to fine tune them after some critical thinking.
If you do not get an email from me by Thursday, then there is no problem, just keep working on it.
It's not possible to send 60 plus emails right now, but I am checking all titles and will contact you if I see you need direction and guidance. So no email from me means just keep going. Your title is ok.

Diwali - Festival of Lights

HAPPY DIWALLI to Everyone from Mr. C