IB Language A1: English Part 1

[11th Grade Honors HL]

Clarke County High School
Mrs. Kimberley H. Wilt, TR. 9
wiltk@clarke.k12.va.us
[or better yet: wiltkcchs@gmail.com]
955.6130ext. 242

A [play, book, short story, film, poem, article, essay, etc] should give
you something to think about. When I…understand it the first time,
then I know it can't be much good.
--T. S. Eliot

IB ENGLISH 11 HL: Out of the Blue, Into the Black

Goals

• The official goals for the course, from the IB Language A1 Subject Guide include:
a. to develop the power of expression, both in oral and written communication, and
provide the opportunity for practicing and developing the skills involved in writing and
speaking in a variety of styles and situations;
b. to encourage a personal appreciation of literature of literature and develop an
understanding of techniques involved in literary study and criticism;
c. to introduce students to literary classics and to a range of modern writing in different
literary genres, styles and contexts;
d. to promote an international perspective through the comparative study of works from
the students’ own culture and from other cultures;
e. to introduce students to ways of approaching and studying literature, leading to the
development of an understand and appreciation of the relationships between different
works;
f. to develop the ability to engage in close, detailed and critical examination of written
text;
g. to promote in students an enjoyment of, and learning lifelong interest in, literature.

• In addition to these laudable goals, I hope you will:

a. surprise yourself with the power and value of your own thought processes;
b. learn discipline & responsibility and cultivate a work ethic you can be proud of;
c. encounter some memorable stories, characters, and turns of phrases that will stick
with you for life;
d. discover the value of thinking, writing, and learning for your own sake; irrespective of
more tangible rewards.
Classroom Rules & Procedures

The Basic: In this classroom, we follow all school rules. This means, among other things:

• There is no eating or drinking in class. Quench your thirst and fill your
stomach before you come to class.
• You may not have electronic devices visible in class. This includes cell
phones, iPods or any other mp3 devices, games/DVD players, etc., etc (i.e.
anything else you can imagine). If I see them (or hear them?), I must take
them away. Let us not put each other in this position.
• You must come to class fully clothed in a respectable manner. Please do
not make me call attention to your indiscreet fashion choices.
• Don’t complain about anything (the amount of work, the temperature in the
trailer, not getting enough sleep, yadda yadda). Such may not suit
everyone, but remember what Kurt Vonnegut said: “So it goes.” Suffering in
silence builds character.

The Intangibles: There are two essential operating principles in my classroom: RESPECT & FAIRNESS.
Please show respect by:

• Arriving in class on time and prepared, with homework, your text, notebook/binder/folder,
a writing implement, and some extra paper just in case.
• Participating fully in class; not speaking when someone else has the floor, distracting
others or interrupting class unnecessarily.
• Paying attention the first time around.
• Taking the efforts of everyone in class—you, me, the other students—seriously. I try hard
to create an interesting curriculumwith texts and questions to engage your minds. I
expect you to give your best thought and energy to the work in this class. It is important
to me that my students find value in the work that we do in class other than the crass
bottom-line of grades and college acceptance. If these are the only reasons for taking
this course, please have the courtesy to keep that information to yourself. Trust your
own intelligence and instincts; eschewCliff, Spark and Wiki. Those are hackneyed,
surface-level interpretations compared to the explication of which you are capable.
Never indicate that any work you are giving me is less than your best; if I hear you say
how little time or effort you put into an assignment, I will certainly grade it accordingly.
• You receive FAIRNESS by having the opportunity to share your ideas, revise your work,
do meaningful assignments for extra credit and by having my expectations for you grow
as you master new material and complexity of thought.
• And if you can’t take a joke—well, you know…

Reading: This is an advanced course which requires that students read much and with purpose. You
must demonstrate that you are prepared for class discussions. The only way to do this is by making sure
you bring your marked-up text, notes and ideas to class. It is certainly fine to forge ahead (practicing
courtesy towards those who don’t know what happens next!), but you must, at the very least, keep up…
There may be times that you do not enjoy a particular text we are reading. You may even come to
despisean author or work. So be it! That is fine: good literature should stir emotion and be controversial.
Use those feelings to learn how to express your opinions succinctly and support them with text-based
rationales. Regardless of your opinion of the work, I ask that you try always to be objective and develop
respect for the work. Remember, literature is a STUDY, just like any other discipline, and is meant to
inspire thinking

Speaking: Especially as we prepare for the Formal Oral Exam (your FOE, if you will--a senior year
standard), a large portion of your grade will be based on oral presentations (OPs), Surprise Oral
Commentaries (SOCs), classroom discussions (CDs) and seminars (SEMSs?). I will provide detailed
information about this component of class as we move forward.

Writing: Assuming you have mastered the basics of correct formal writing, now is the time for you to own
voice in literary analysis. In class you will write in a variety of formal and informal ways, from major
papers (MPs) to informal reactions (IRs)to questions posed for classwork or homework. OTR, revisions
of formal assignments are permitted at my discretion and only after conferencing with me about the
assignment.

Assessment:

• Assessment is varied and ongoing. I will be evaluating your skills in accordance to the IB
Program. This includes:
○ Writing analytically and creatively
○ Writing commentary and mature, convincing, disciplined analytical essays.
○ Effectively revising and editing your work and the prose of others
○ Explicating literature
○ Making formal and informal presentations discussing literary works
○ Building vocabulary
○ Demonstrating an understanding of and a functional use of grammatical
structures
○ Empathizing with others by learning about cultures, ideas and philosophies
beyond one’s immediate experience.

Classroom Assessment (or the clamoring of “What about my grade?!? Seriously, What
About My Grade?”)

Each quarter you will complete a number of assignments in and out of class, from major papers,
assessments, tests, quizzes, classroom presentations, class participation, etc, Each assignment
is weighted accordingly to its relative difficulty and importance; a test may be 100 points while an
in class reflection on a literary passage might be 25 points.

Please keep in mind the following:

○ Grades must be earned, not given. As part of your growing up experience, you
will make choices about how you spend your limited time and energy—this is
good, and to be expected. Just be mature enough to accept the consequences
of your choices.
○ Clarke County gives you extra points on your GPA just for attempting this course.
Keep this in mind. Grading is, accordingly, rigorous.
 ○ Good and excellent grades in class result NOT from guessing or listening to what
I think and parroting it back, but from engaging thoroughly with the texts, creating
your own original interpretations, and grounding them thoroughly with textual
support.
○ Late and missing work: Late work is accepted only at the teacher’s discretion
and only then if we have come to an agreement BEFORE the assignment is due.
Part of learning is time management. Never wait until the last moment to begin
a major assignment—I will always give you ample notice of due dates. Do not
expect pity for last minute problems. You should finish assignments before the
last moment, as it were.
○ I follow CCPS/CCHS’s policy regarding missing work for excused absences.

My My, Hey Hey--The Small Print:

**Important Note About Texts: It is quite important for students to own their copies of the novels we
study. One of the skills we will work extensively on will be the annotation of passages, and you need to
be able to write in your book. We will have novels available for students to purchase at reasonable
prices. You may choose to get your books on your own; however, wehighly recommend that you
purchase the books directly from us.

The material in this eleventh-grade course has been designed to fulfill the first year of the International
Baccalaureate Diploma Programme’s English A1 requirement. The curriculum is stimulating and
challenging. Texts have been chosen from the International Baccalaureate’s Prescribed Book List and
Prescribed World Literature List. Assessments will be conducted in accordance with IBO’s requirements.

Alternative texts will be provided pending a formal request and a parent conference with the teacher.
Please contact the teacher if deemed necessary. Copies of texts will be provided for parental perusal per
request.

The course content is tentative and is subject to revision by the teacher; this includes addition and
subtraction of texts pending individual class progress and/or academic prowess. In the event of
extenuating circumstances texts may be abridged and or cut as needed. Supplementalmaterials
including poetry, short stories, articles, films, songs and reviews will be distributed throughout the year.
Most of these selections come from the following textbooks: Charter’s Literature and Its Writers,
Perine’s Literature: Structure, Sound and Sense, The Norton Anthology of American Literature, and
Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience.

Honor Code and Pledge

By putting your name on your work you are pledging your integrity and pride. All work, even
group assignments require individual effort and work. Your name indicates your honor. Thus, you
are identifying that you did not use unauthorizedhelp or assistance on your assignments. Please
be self-reliant. Students acknowledge receipt of the IB Academic Honesty Statement (i.e. The
Explanation of Malpractice) and the CCHS policy entitled Cheating and sign a certification that
they received, understood and agreed to abide by these documents as requested by the IBO.
Cheating and plagiarism will result in loss of credit for that assignment. Repeated incidents of
honor code violations will result in failure for the quarter and disciplinary action.

Please note: during assessments all cell phones and electronic devices will be collected in a
centralized location.
Texts covered this year include, but are not limited to:

August / September/October

And Once You're Gone, You Can Never Come Back: Modern Wastelands & Hollow Men

The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald

“The Swimmer” – John Cheever

“Babylon Revisited” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Selections for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Crack-up”, The Beautiful and the Damned / This Side of Paradise

“From Another Country” – Ernest Hemingway

“The Far and the Near” –Thomas Wolfe

“The Destructors” – Graham Greene

Selections from John Dos Passos

T.S. Eliot poems

James Merrill Poems

Possible Film: Citizen Kane or Sunset Blvd.

October / November

This is the story of…: Impressionism, Tone, Mood, Character and Conflict

My Antonia – Willa Cather

“Paul’s Case” – Willa Cather

“The Story of an Hour” – Kate Chopin

“The Storm” – Kate Chopin

“Araby” – James Joyce

“The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” – Garcia Marquez

Poetry Selections from Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson

December

There's More to the Picture Than Meets the Eye: Temptation and Manipulation

The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde

“Death and the Librarian” –Esther Friesner

Essays by George Orwell

Possible Film: Citizen Kane or Sunset Blvd.

January / February

…Better… Than It Is to Rust, The King is Gone (But He's Not Forgotten): Maturity, Foolishness and Family Turmoil
 King Lear – William Shakespeare

“Portrait of a Girl in Glass” –Tennessee Williams

Selections for Eugene O’Neil’s A Long Day’s Journey Into Night w/ selections from French Romantic Poets

[A Sub-Section on the Power of Nature Featuring “The Open Boat” – Stephen Crane]

Possible Film: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

March/April/May

They Give You This, But You Pay for That: Consumerism, Greed, Self-Exile & Other Existential Quandaries of the
Modern Era

The Metamorphosis – Franz Kafka

Formal IB Orals

The Visit – Friedrich Dürrenmatt

“The Myth of Sisyphus” – Albert Camus

Selections from “Six Characters in Search of and Author” --Luigi Pirandello

Possible Film Clips from Avant Garde Silent Era Expressionistic Films

June

Rock and Roll is Here to Stay: Wrapping Things Up

SOL Review/Exam Review/Final Projects/Prep for Senior English

Student’s Name: _________________________________________ (Print)

IB Language A1: English Part 1

[11th Grade Honors HL]
Clarke County High School
Mrs. Kimberley H. Wilt, TR. 9
wiltk@clarke.k12.va.us
[or better yet: wiltkcchs@gmail.com]
955.6130ext. 242

Student and Parent/Guardian Acknowledgement

Please read over the entirety of the syllabus. If you have any questions
about the course outline or policies for this course, please contact Mrs.
Wilt [wiltkcchs@gmail.com] or call the school at (540) 955-6130 ext. 242.
Generally speaking, it is easier to make contact with me via email. Please
initialeach statement below, then sign and date this form at the bottom.
This form must be returned back to me for my files.

Student Parent/Guardian
___ ____ I have read the syllabus in its entirety and fully understand it.

___ ____ I have read the IB/CCHS Academic Honest Statements that and fully understand it.

Parent/Guardian Information: Please use the space below to provide your contact information (names,
addresses, phone numbers, etc). Please Print.

Student’s Signature: ________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature: ____________________________________

Date: _______________________________