Results Blog Checkpoint 1st Period

Dear all,

These are the results of the last blog checkpoint from the 1st period (Performance Assessment)

– Alberto García

a. TASK COMPLETION: 5 /5 pts

b. LANGUAGE USED: 5 /5 pts

c. PAPER 2: 5 / 5 pts

d. USE OF MEDIA:   5 / 5 pts

MARK: 70

– Cristóbal Léniz

a. TASK COMPLETION: 5 /5 pts

b. LANGUAGE USED: / 5 pts

c. PAPER 2: 5 / 5 pts

d. USE OF MEDIA: 5 / 5 pts

MARK: 70

– Dan Eidelstein

a. TASK COMPLETION: 5 / 5 pts

b. LANGUAGE USED: 5 / 5 pts

c. PAPER 2: 4 / 5 pts

d. USE OF MEDIA: 5 / 5 pts

MARK: 67

– Daniel Schiefelbein

a. TASK COMPLETION: 5/ 5 pts

b. LANGUAGE USED: 5 /5 pts

c. PAPER 2: 3 / 5 pts

d. USE OF MEDIA: 5 / 5 pts

MARK: 64

– Javier Elgueta

a. TASK COMPLETION: 5 / 5 pts

b. LANGUAGE USED: 5 / 5 pts

c. PAPER 2: 4 / 5 pts

d. USE OF MEDIA:  5 / 5 pts

MARK: 67

– José Kitzing

a. TASK COMPLETION: 5 / 5 pts

b. LANGUAGE USED:  5 / 5 pts

c. PAPER 2: 5 / 5 pts

d. USE OF MEDIA: 5 / 5 pts

MARK: 70

– José Tomás Gré

a. TASK COMPLETION: 5 / 5 pts

b. LANGUAGE USED: 5 / 5 pts

c. PAPER 2: 4 / 5 pts

d. USE OF MEDIA: 5 / 5 pts

MARK: 67

– Matías Weitz

a. TASK COMPLETION: 5 / 5 pts

b. LANGUAGE USED: 5 / 5 pts

c. PAPER 2: 4/ 5 pts

d. USE OF MEDIA: 5 / 5 pts

MARK: 67

– Pablo Romeu

a. TASK COMPLETON: 5 / 5 pts

b. LANGUAGE USED: 5/ 5 pts

c. PAPER 2:  5 / 5 pts

d. USE OF MEDIA: 5/ 5 pts

MARK: 70

– Vicente Rehbein

a. TASK COMPLETION: 5/ 5 pts

b. LANGUAGE USED: 5/5 pts

c. PAPER 2: 5/5 pts

d. USE OF MEDIA: 5/5 pts

MARK: 70

Results Paper 2 Essay – Important Considerations before the Exam!

Dear students,

These are your results and some comments based on the last Paper 2 Essays you carried out in class.

ALBERTO GARCÍA 

Criterion A Knowledge and understanding:        3 /5 marks
Criterion B Response to the question:          5  /5 marks
Criterion C Understanding of the use and effects of stylistic features:       2  /5 marks
Criterion D Organization and development;     5   /5 marks
Criterion E Language:    5    /5 marks
Total Score:       20   /25 marks

OVERALL COMMENT: Very deep insights regarding the question being asked. Organised structure and clear. Although, to start off a literary essay like this, you must begin from the most general and you must aim at attracting your audience. You might want to use a rhetorical question at the beginning, instead of referring directly to the elements needed for analysis in the introduction! Also, you need more analysis and specific reference to what each of the books provide in terms of author’s background, plot, characters, historical background, etc. and the way each author uses word choice and stylistic features to convey their messages. I sense you went too far in the theoretical side, and there was little reference to the books which you absolutely need in this essay.

CRISTÓBAL LÉNIZ

Criterion A Knowledge and understanding:       4  /5 marks
Criterion B Response to the question:          5  /5 marks
Criterion C Understanding of the use and effects of stylistic features:      4   /5 marks
Criterion D Organization and development;      4   /5 marks
Criterion E Language:      3 /5 marks
Total Score:       20   /25 marks

OVERALL COMMENT: A good attempt at responding the essay question. Even though you have managed to show understanding of both novels, you must remember that when you write your official Paper 2 Essay you will not have the original sources with you. Therefore, including specific quotes in this particular case is of no use. You must refer to the specific rhetorical elements, and also identify the reasons why the author uses them consistently throughout the novels. I would have liked you to put the question in the title. You must point out which question you’re answering very clearly. Also, be careful with subject-verb agreement, some grammar conventions and word order!

DAN EIDELSTEIN

Criterion A Knowledge and understanding:     3    /5 marks
Criterion B Response to the question:       3     /5 marks
Criterion C Understanding of the use and effects of stylistic features:       3  /5 marks
Criterion D Organization and development;      5   /5 marks
Criterion E Language:     4   /5 marks
Total Score:        18  /25 marks

OVERALL COMMENT: It’s important that at the moment you introduce the novels, you also refer to the authors and the years of publication: Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1960); Imre Kertesz’s “Fatelessness” (1975). You should also try to be more specific regarding the types of “behaviours” expected from males and females in the years being discussed, not only by saying “they’re completely accurate”. Your attempt to answer the question is fairly good, but you must go beyond just saying “they fit/don’t fit into the roles”. An explanation and connection to the historical background of each novel must be provided. It’s risky if you state “In conclusion, we are able to determine that it’s almost impossible to see whether the books reflect or not the roles of men and women according to their settings”. It’s actually very possible, and it’s your job to identify how! You must also refer to the way in which the authors use word choice, descriptions and rhetorical devices to present this. Be careful with some sentence structure, singular and plural forms, word order and punctuation.

DANIEL SCHIEFELBEIN

Criterion A Knowledge and understanding:     3    /5 marks
Criterion B Response to the question:        3    /5 marks
Criterion C Understanding of the use and effects of stylistic features:      2   /5 marks
Criterion D Organization and development;      3   /5 marks
Criterion E Language:     4   /5 marks
Total Score:        15  /25 marks

OVERALL COMMENT: I feel you were going in the right direction, but you should’ve specified and gone deeper into each of the points you presented in your essay! 310 words is a far too short essay. You must attempt to write between 800-1000 words, which is the word range for Language and Literature students! It’s not enough if you just identify how the authors’ backgrounds are linked to the stories they wrote, but what is the effect of this in the production of each piece, and how is it received by their potential audiences! You could have included more specific links to both novels and the way they are structured (author’s word choice, stylistic features, use of descriptions, etc). How does the word “negro” used consistently in Harper Lee’s work reflect the issue of discrimination and the social conventions of using that word in the 1940’s? How does the highly descriptive writing style of Imre Kertesz in “Fatelessness” help current audiences picture the atrocities of the Holocaust?

JAVIER ELGUETA

Criterion A Knowledge and understanding:      4   /5 marks
Criterion B Response to the question:         4   /5 marks
Criterion C Understanding of the use and effects of stylistic features:       2  /5 marks
Criterion D Organization and development;      5   /5 marks
Criterion E Language:       3 /5 marks
Total Score:        18  /25 marks

OVERALL COMMENT: Fairly good attempt at responding the essay question. It is necessary, though, that you include an analysis of how each writer’s language choices contribute to their messages being considered over generations. Careful with the use of -ing verbs in your very first sentence: “To begin with, throughout history, there’ve been universal themes that have been over the table for centuries” Wording is just confusing. Somtimes, it’s better to keep things simple. Also, careful with punctuation. There are a million ideas flowing and it’s usually difficult to follow the current. Watch some grammar conventions as well. I know you manage English grammar quite well, and lots of these mistakes could have been avoided with a careful revision of what you wrote after you finished.

JOSÉ KITZING

Criterion A Knowledge and understanding:       5  /5 marks
Criterion B Response to the question:        5    /5 marks
Criterion C Understanding of the use and effects of stylistic features:     4   /5 marks
Criterion D Organization and development;      5   /5 marks
Criterion E Language:    5    /5 marks
Total Score:       24   /25 marks

OVERALL COMMENT: Your essay is well-structured and clear. Language is also appropriate to the task. Be careful when identifying the genre of a novel. Both “Fatelessness” and “To Kill a Mockingbird” are fiction. All characters have been created by the authors. Non fiction refers to factual information, which includes texts such as essays, journals, memoirs, diaries, documentaries, scientific papers, biographies, journalism, etc. Remember that in both cases, it is said that the plot has been inspired by the authors’ personal lives, but they’re not fully auto-biographical.

JOSÉ TOMÁS GRÉ

Criterion A Knowledge and understanding:     4    /5 marks
Criterion B Response to the question:         4   /5 marks
Criterion C Understanding of the use and effects of stylistic features:     3    /5 marks
Criterion D Organization and development;      5   /5 marks
Criterion E Language:     3   /5 marks
Total Score:       19   /25 marks

OVERALL COMMENT: Be careful when referring to the historical context of each novel. You must be absolutely accurate regarding this. The plot of “To Kill a Mockingbird” takes place in the 1940’s. Also, watch subject-verb agreement, -s endings for 3rd person singular (present simple), some word order and punctuation. Also, it is necessary to refer to how stylistic features used by both authors contribute to your answering the essay question. The way in which Imre Kertezs chooses George Koves, in his teenage years, to narrate the story, as well as Harper Lee’s choice in using Scout as the narrator, and the effect of this in generations over time would have been a good element to explore.

MATÍAS WEITZ

Criterion A Knowledge and understanding:     4    /5 marks
Criterion B Response to the question:         5   /5 marks
Criterion C Understanding of the use and effects of stylistic features:       2  /5 marks
Criterion D Organization and development;       5  /5 marks
Criterion E Language:       3 /5 marks
Total Score:       19   /25 marks

OVERALL COMMENT: Be careful when referring to Harper Lee. She is a FEMALE author, so when you use the pronoun “he”, it creates confusion. Your essay is a good attempt at answering the essay question. The way in which you start off your essay is very engaging. However, you still need to refer to the way in which each writer’s writing style contributes to making their novels beloved by millions of people worlwide. Also, be very careful with the way in which you use language. I could identify various mistakes regarding subject-verb agreement, word order, tenses, and punctuation that can easily be avoided if you check after you write. I’m sure lots of these mistakes are due to the fact that you write too fast, so be careful with that!

PABLO ROMEU

Criterion A Knowledge and understanding:       4  /5 marks
Criterion B Response to the question:         5   /5 marks
Criterion C Understanding of the use and effects of stylistic features:       3  /5 marks
Criterion D Organization and development;      5   /5 marks
Criterion E Language:      3  /5 marks
Total Score:       20   /25 marks

OVERALL COMMENT: Fairly positive attempt at responding the essay question. I think you got it right from the moment you shared the following insight: “if history is not studied, it tends to repeat itself”. However, you also need to refer to each author’s writing style, the specific rhetorical strategies they consistently use throughout their works and the way it contributes to their messages being conveyed to different audiences at different times. Consider narrator’s point of view, use of descriptions to give account of historical settings, use of imagery, etc. Also, I felt you included more analysis for “Fatelessness” than “To Kill a Mockingbird”. Try to compare both works and provide an equal amount of analytical interpretation.

VICENTE REHBEIN

Criterion A Knowledge and understanding:      5   /5 marks
Criterion B Response to the question:          5  /5 marks
Criterion C Understanding of the use and effects of stylistic features:       3  /5 marks
Criterion D Organization and development;      5   /5 marks
Criterion E Language:      5  /5 marks
Total Score:       23   /25 marks

OVERALL COMMENT: Very good literary essay! I would say your attempt at answering the essay question is the one I’ve liked the most from all our group. Very well-thought insights on the meaning of a text over time and references to both texts are appropriate an fit perfectly in your thesis statement. I would say the only thing you must add in your response is the way in which each author’s writing style (their rhetorical choices regarding use of language, point of view, descriptions, imagery, etc) contribute to the fact that their messages can be conveyed succesfully among generations.

 

Blog Checkpoint April 28 – 1st Period

Dear students,

These are the posts you must have by April 28 (Monday):

• Truth Assumptions
• Idioms and Ambiguity
• Register: statements
• Abraham Lincoln Speech
• Paper 2 Essay

You will be assessed on the following criteria:

A. TASK COMPLETION: Student includes all assignments. (5 pts)

B. LANGUAGE USED: Grammar, spelling, register, and style used are appropriate. (5 pts)

C. PAPER 2: Student shows deep knowledge and understanding of the contents by carrying out Paper 2 . (5 pts)

D. USE OF MEDIA: Student manages to make his BLOG attractive by using a variety of media resources in his posts (pictures, videos, slide share presentations, audio, online concept maps, Prezi, etc.) (5 pts)

Total score: 20 pts

Preparation for Paper 1: Truth assumptions, idioms and ambiguity

Dear Language and Literature students,

This Thursday, we will be having our second test of the year, which will be in the format of a Paper 1 exam. The following concepts and tasks will help you prepare for it.

TO BE UPLOADED ON YOUR BLOGS:

Truth Assumptions

The use of  certain verbs can imply the actual or probable status of events in a statement. In the sentence “I know the dog died”, the verb “know” is FACTIVE as it assigns the death of the dog as true. In “I believe the dog died”, the verb “believe” is NON-FACTIVE as the clausal object (the dog died) may not be a true fact.

Are the following statements factive or non-factive?

• I thought that today was your birthday.
• I forgot that today was your birthday.
• The teacher scolded me for not studying hard enough.
• The teacher acknowledged that I hadn’t really studied.
• The teacher realized the student had cheated.
• The teacher assumed that the student had cheated.

Idioms and Ambiguity

Meaning can often be complicated through the use of metaphors, idioms, or simply through ambiguous relationships between words. What are the actual meanings of the first two idioms below? What are the possible meanings of the next ambiguous sentences?

• Bite your tongue
• Pull my leg
• He is my English teacher
• I saw the person with a telescope
• She doesn’t like short men or women

<Taken from Oxford IB Skills and Practice: English A Language and Literature for the IB Diploma by Rob Allison and Brian Chanen>

Paper 1 Skills and Practice

When you get to analyse texts in your Paper 1 Exam, one of the elements you should refer to is the register the author uses to convey meaning. Here are some notions of register to keep in mind:

• REGISTER refers to the level of formality in a variety of language use. It varies from speaker to speaker.
• In general, speakers or writers vary their register for a particular purpose or in a particular setting.
• Speakers and writers vary language use through vocabulary, sentence structure and pronunciation (oral language).
• In an attempt to sound more formal, speakers and writers will be careful not to use slang, will be attentive for the use of “who” or “whom”, will avoid using contractions (such as “do not” instead of “don’t”), and will replace words like “mum” with “mother”
• Always consider the implied audience of a text: Who is the author addressing? Is it, for example, the author’s superiors, peers, a judge or an audience of young school children?

Use the following terms as a starting point. Is the register uptight or relaxed? Is it elegant? Is it academic?

1. FROZEN register is pre-determined or scripted language used in prescribed, often ritualistic contexts such as a court of law or a church.
2. FORMAL register is used in speeches and presentations, as opposed to discussion, that demands precise technical jargon.
3. CONSULTATIVE register is language more often used in dialogue that includes some off-hand, informal language, impromptu corrections and non-technical explanation.
4. CASUAL register is used in group discussions with friends that can include gaps, interruptions, pauses, errors and personal “inside” words.
5. INTIMATE register is used in private converstaion between close friends and family where tone, volume and unspoken hints or suggestions may be just as important as the denotation of words.

CLASSROOM TASK

How would you describe the register of the following statements?

• “Honoured guests, members of the board, Superintendent Johnson, and most importantly, graduates of the class of 2012, it is an honour to speak to you on this ocassion.”
• “While I was pleasantly surprised by the menu selections for dinner service, I was disheartened by the lukewarm eggs at breakfast.”
• “Yeah, right”
• “I doubt it”
• “I’m tired of your rubbish”
• “I’m tired”

BLOG TASK FOR THIS WEEK

The following speech by Abraham Lincoln is famous for its brevity and effect. The speech was delivered from the back of a train as Lincoln was about to leave his home town to take up the presidency in Washington, DC in 1861. Many people have noticed the rhetoric (the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the exploitation of figures of speech and other compositional techniques) employed in the speech including ANTITHESIS (two opposites are introduced in the same sentence, for contrasting effect), PARALLEL STRUCTURE (use of the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance, using coordinating conjunctions such as “and” or “or”), and ANAPHORA (repetition of a sequence of words at the beginning of clauses). 

Read the speech  and consider the purposeful use of syntax (the way in which words are put together). Why would Lincoln have made the choices he did? Use PEE structure in your answer.

“My friends: No one, not in my situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this parting. To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything. Here I have lived a quarter of  a century, and have passed from a young to an old man. Here my children have been born, and one is buried. I now leave, not knowing when or whether ever I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of that Divine Being who ever attended him, I canot succeed. With that assistance, I cannot fail. Trusting in Him who can go with me, and remain with you, and be everywhere for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.”

Source: Abraham Lincoln. “Farewel Address at Springfield, Illinois”. The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Vol IV. Basler, RP (ed.) 1953.

Paper 1: Important Considerations!

Dear students,

Exams are very near and we need to take some measures regarding your knowledge and mastery of skills so as to tackle the IB Language and Literature (SL) Paper 1 Test.

After going through your tests (Thursday, March 13), I realise there are some technicalities that you need to be careful about when writing your text analyses. These are:

1. About the language you use for writing: KEEP IT FORMAL AND IMPERSONAL! Avoid using expressions such as “I think”, “From my perspective”, “From my point of view”. Use a third person point of view, rather than 1st person.

2. About the purpose of a text: Texts usually have more than one purpose. Remember that ALL texts are, in one way or another, INFORMATIVE, since they provide information to audiences, and from that it narrows down to “persuasion”, “instruction”, “description”, “opinion”, “explanation”, etc. Consider the following sample:

3. About the genre of a text: You always start deconstructing a text by identifying its genre: FICTION / NON-FICTION

4. About the TONE and MOOD: Tone is the AUTHOR’S attitude in a piece of writing. It’s given by his/her word choice. Mood refers to the atmosphere created by the text and its general emotional effect on a READER. Possible TONE words: admiring, amused, angry, anxious, celebratory, cheerful, confident, clear, determined, dignified, direct, encouraging, euphoric, formal, gloomy, hopeful, humorous, ironic, matter of fact, ominous, passionate, resigned, pessimistic, playful, sad, sarcastic, serious, witty / Possible MOOD words: depressed, desolate, disheartening, eerie, fanciful, frightening, frustrating, gloomy, happy, jolly, optimistic, romantic, sentimental, solemn, sorrowful, suspenseful.

NEVER FORGET:

1. Always structure your writing with an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

2. There is no “correct” formula for an introduction. Let the reader know what you will talk about, what your main focus is (a passage analysis can have a broad thesis that incorporates a couple of ideas and some main techniques, or it may focus on the element that you found most interesting and will eventually branch to other elements).

3. Be sure that you are writing a coherent, continuous text rather than a list of disjointed points or observations. Use formal connectors for paragraphing: “However”, “What is more”, “Moreover”, “Furthermore”, “In addition”, “In contrast”, “All in all”, etc.

4. Let the examiner know from the start, either in the introduction or in the next paragraph, that you know the basics in terms of what the piece you chose is about and its type / intention.

5. It is often helpful to start with a holistic view of the passage and then move to an analysis that goes from beginning to end. Some students organise by issue or idea instead (Big 5), which is also fine as long as important elements of the pasage are not skipped over in order to adhere to particular ideas.

6. Remember, the passages in front of you are interesting. Tell the examiner HOW and WHY the passages are interesting.

7. Always use PEE structure. When you incude direct references to the text, such as in quotations, always point out the line from where you took them

8. If the text has got pictures, graphs, or visuals, special fonts. and/or designs, always comment on them and analyse in which ways they contribute to the reading of the passage!

Consider the following sample. How would you improve it?

“The article, I think, is directed to people that don’t know very much about Bollywood, and also to people that aren’t very interested in it. I think this because it italks about a success story in the film business in INdia, because it makes people believe that they have as much opportunities to raise as in Hollywood”

 

Sample Student Response for Paper 1 + examiner’s commments!

Dear 4M LL students,

This is a sample of a student’s Paper 1 response to one of the texts from the selection. You can click below to download the text in pdf format. Please check the examiner’s comments regarding his response.

Sample text for Paper 1

SAMPLE STUDENT RESPONSE (SL)

Text 1 appears in a handbook on homekeeping and deals with cleaning products specifically. The text introduces homekeepers to a brief history of cleaning products and educates them in current cleaning products.

It is fair to say that this text is targeting women who are interested in housekeeping. We know women are the target audience, because the text refers to how women used to clean their homes. She would have been familiar with the bleaching properties of lemon juice (lines 7-8). This indicates that women are interested in the history of cleaning. These are not women who casually grab a cleaning product in the grocery store on the way home from work. These are women who have time to read an introduction to celaning products, study labels on cleaning products and carefully select the right products for the right jobs. In fact, they don’t just clean their floors, windows and clothes, they cared for them (line 2).

The purpose of this text is to enlighten women on the history of cleaning products and to inform them about current products. It is a kind of call to return to one’s roots. In lines 13-15 we see evidence of this, Because of the convenience offeed by many new products, much of that knowledge has faded. But it’s just as important today as it was a century ago. If the author can convince the reader of the importance of this subject, then she can get them to read on through this section on cleaning products. We see this especially in lines 19-21, Armed with a few facts, you can confidently choose the cleansers, polishes, and detergents that will allow you to clean more effectively and efficiently. We assume the reader wants to clean moreeffectively and efficiently, after learning about the theoretical side of cleaning.

The style of the text activates the reaer. This is primarily due to the grammar and vocabulary. The text is written in the second person, or “you” form. As you walk down the aisles of your grocery store you may have a hard time (ines 1-2). This makes the reader feel involved in the story. Furthemore the style is very explanatory. Two sentences in the second paragraph begin with the word because (lines 13 and 15). The reader gets the impression that this historical explanation will help her make sense of the “myriad” of products available today (line 5). Words like chemistry (line 6) and science (line 12) indicate that there is some sensible way of understanding soap from tallow and ashes, and cleaners from lemon juice, borax, vinegar; and baking soda (lines 3-5). It is almost as if the author walks the reader through a forest before showing her the clearing up ahead.

The author also uses a lot of imagery and parallel structures to convey her message. Lines like bleaching properties of lemon juice, the disinfecting power of vinegar; and the grease-cutting abilities of bakinf soda (lines 8-9) serve as visualisations of a tidy house (line 7). Gramatically speaking these are parallel structures that read smoothly for the reader. We see them again in line 10, tablecloth stained with blueberries and one marred by gravy (line 11), and again in lines 16-17, cupboards  can quickly become cluttered, and confusion about which products to use can abound. Again these images remind us what kinds of challenges the homekeeper must face. The author may have presented the reader with these images in order to scare her into reading the rest of the text about cleaning solutions.

Structurally speaking we can also see that this text is meant to activate homekeepers. There is a large clue that this is an introduction to cleaning products. Besides the title Cleaning Products 101, we see a few lines that indicate a new section of factual information on products will follow: A little knowledge about ingredients and their individual properties can help remedy that. Armed with a few facts, you can confidently choose the cleansers (lines 17-19). This indicates a structural shift in the text and a lot of the reader’s expectations hinge on these lines.

All in all the text suits its purpose in introducing the reader to the importance of cleaning products for homekeeping. Martha Stewart makes an effort to convince her readers to read on and learn more about the science of these cleaning products. She promises to prepare her readers with the essential knowledge to keep a proper home.

You may have noticed that the sample student response is structured using some of the Big 5. As a default method of analysing a text, you could focus on one aspect of the Big 5 per paragraph. If you come across a text that does not lend itself well to all five aspects, then you are free to deviate from this method. Think of the Big 5 as a support to guide you when outlining your Paper 1 answer rather than a list that has to be worked through at all costs.

 

EXAMINER’S COMMENTS

The following comments offer an indication of how an examiner might assess this student’s response, which on the whole met the top descriptors of the grading criteria.

CRITERION A: UNDERSTANDING OF THE TEXT – 4 out of 5

The analysis of the text is very insightful. The student understands correctly that the text introduces a chapter on cleaning products in a larger work on housekeeping. There is good awareness of the target audience, as the student notices how homekeepers “care” for their homes. This example also demonstrates critical thinking.

CRITERION B: UNDERSTANDING OF THE USE AND EFFECTS OF STYLISTIC FEATURES – 4 out of 5

The student understands the use of stylistic devices, citing the words science and chemistry, which are meant to mystify the reader. Furthermore, the student identifies the use of imagery and integrates relevant exmaples of it. Generally speaking, the illustrations are very well chosen, as they support the main ideas. Well done.

CRITERION C: ORGANISATION AND DEVELOPMENT – 5 out of 5

The student included excellent signposts for the reader. The paragraphs are organised around several textual aspects such as audience, purpose, style, imagery and structure. Everything in each paragraph is relevant to the topic sentence of the paragraph, including the examples. The quotes are well integrated into response, so that the points are backed up and explained properly. The introduction and conclusion are concise and effective. The main arguments are developed coherently. 

CRITERION D: LANGUAGE – 4 out of 5

The use of vocabulary is appropriate to the task, though there could have been more sophisticated use of linking words. Generally speaking, the text is fluent, which is due to proper use of grammar and punctuation.

<Taken from Brad Philpot’s English Language and Literature for the IB Diploma (Cambridge)>

Tips for Language and Literature Paper 1 (SL)

By the time you reach the Paper 1 exam, you will want to have practiced working with unseen texts in multiple ways. In fact, you can already prepare for Paper 1 from the first day in the English A: Language and Literature classroom. As the exam requires many skills, from outlining to vocabulary building, you will want to break down this larger task into several smaller ones. Here is a list of tips to help you practice for Paper 1.

1. Ask yourself: What would you expect to see in a good commentary? Create a checklist, and use the Big 5 Chart to plan your analysis. Are any points in the commentary missing?
2. Use technical language: “In the selected text, there is a…”, “When it comes down to analyzing theme, it must be said that…”
3. Use different-colored highlighters. With one color, highlight all of the points or statements that you might use as quotes in your analysis. With another color, highlight all of the rhetorical and stylistic elements. With the final color, highlight all of the explanations.
4. Find all of the vocabulary (adjectives) used in a sample response to describe the tone of the texts. Rank the words used from most effective to least. What words would have been better to describe the tone of the piece?
5. Use the assessment criteria to assess your analysis. Do you comply with all the basic requirements?

Lesson 1: 2014!

Welcome Back 4M Language and Literature Students!

In our first lesson 2014, we will be going through the basics on Paper1, which you will have to take in May as one of the official components of the IB examination.

To carry out LL Paper 1, you will have to master the following objectives:
1. Identify the intended audience and purpose of the selected text

2. Understand the differences between the content and the theme of the selected text

3. Describe the tone and mood of a text using appropriate vocabulary

4. Identify several stylistic elements of the selected text.

5. Recognise and analyse the structural elements of the selected text.

 

Key Concept: “Close Reading” refers to the practice of analysing and interpreting texts.

The Big 5

Use the Big 5 MOdel to help you analyse texts. You will find it useful when preparing for Paper 1, the written tasks or the individual oral commentary. Think of each aspect of the Big 5 as a lens through which you can look at texts, each revelaing new levels of understanding (Remember to use PEE structure for each of these elements)

1. Audience and purpose: Who wrote the text?, Who was it written for?, Why did the writer write it? What evidence is there i the text to show this?

2. Content and Theme: What is the text about?

3. Tone and Mood: What is the writer’s tone?, How does the text make the reader feel?  What evidence is there in the text to show this?

4. Stylistic Devices: What stylistic/rhetorical devices does the writer use? What effect is he trying to convey by using them?

5. Structure: What kind of text is it? (Genre, text-type), What structural conventions are used and to what effect?

 

 

Jane Eyre Written Task Results!

Dear IB Language and Literature students,

Here are the results of the Written Tasks you have produced, based on the Literary Option “Jane Eyre”, by Charlotte Brontë.

As a general comment, I would have to say it is still necessary to emphasise the connection between the task and the option being covered at the time of the writing process. In this case, we are looking at Jane Eyre through the glass of “Critical Study”, which focuses on what the text itself presents, such as the formal elements included in it (in this case: narrator’s voice, point of view, characterisation, themes, register, style, etc) and the effect of these on its readers!

I suggest you examine the way in which you explore all these elements through your Written Task, and especially how you present them in the Rationale. Nobody was able to achieve the highest score in this criteria, since there was always a component missing that needed to be explained more thoroughly. Ponder upon the following questions:

“Does the rationale for the written task explain how the task is linked to the aspect of the course being
investigated?”

“Does the rationale present quotes from the Written Task as supportive evidence? Are they explained?”

Also, as this is part of the module “Critical Study”, the use of register and style in the Written Task is essential and it must be coherent with the text-type chosen and the context of the literature work studied. Most of you decided to write Diary Entries, letters, and new chapters of the novel. If you think about it, in all these cases the narrative voice is “Jane” herself. Would Jane have used contractions such as “isn’t”, “doesn’t”, “till”, etc., especially considering the times in which she lived, and the kind of narrator she was? CONSISTENCY!

Cristóbal Léniz

Criterion A: Rationale 0/ 2
Criterion B: Task and content 6/8
Criterion C: Organization 4/5
Criterion D: Language and style 3/5
Total Score: 13/20

Mark: 44

Dan Eidelstein

Criterion A: Rationale 0/ 2
Criterion B: Task and content 7/8
Criterion C: Organization 5/5
Criterion D: Language and style 3/5
Total Score: 15/20

Mark: 51

Daniel Schiefelbein

Criterion A: Rationale 1/ 2
Criterion B: Task and content 8/8
Criterion C: Organization 5/5
Criterion D: Language and style 3/5
Total Score: 17/20

Mark: 60

Javier Elgueta

Criterion A: Rationale 1/ 2
Criterion B: Task and content 8/8
Criterion C: Organization 5/5
Criterion D: Language and style 4/5
Total Score: 18/20

Mark: 63

José Kitzing

Criterion A: Rationale 1/ 2
Criterion B: Task and content 8/8
Criterion C: Organization 5/5
Criterion D: Language and style 5/5
Total Score: 19/20

Mark: 66

José Tomás Gré

Criterion A: Rationale 1/ 2
Criterion B: Task and content 8/8
Criterion C: Organization 5/5
Criterion D: Language and style 5/5
Total Score: 19/20

Mark: 66

Matías Weitz

Criterion A: Rationale 1/ 2
Criterion B: Task and content 7/8
Criterion C: Organization 5/5
Criterion D: Language and style 3/5
Total Score: 16/20

Mark: 55

Pablo Romeu

Criterion A: Rationale 1/ 2
Criterion B: Task and content 8/8
Criterion C: Organization 5/5
Criterion D: Language and style 3/5
Total Score: 17/20

Mark: 60

Vicente Rehbein

Criterion A: Rationale 1/ 2
Criterion B: Task and content 8/8
Criterion C: Organization 5/5
Criterion D: Language and style 5/5
Total Score: 19/20

Mark: 66

Alberto García

Criterion A: Rationale ____/ 2
Criterion B: Task and content ____/8
Criterion C: Organization ____/5
Criterion D: Language and style ____/5
Total Score: _____/20

Mark: PENDING