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 Educacin 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
Interaction
ATL

Significant
Concept(s)
Change is
inevitable. Change
affects us, our
world and all of the
people in it. Even
the rules of the
English language
change!
Students will
understand the idea
of theme. Students
will understand how
to find evidence of
themes in literature.

Unit Question

Content

How am I changed
by my experiences?
How are other
people changed by
their experiences?
Is change good?

class read alouds,

reading comprehension questions,
chapter vocabulary,
model character essay,
graphic organizer for essay

What is a theme?
How do I find
evidence of theme
in a novel?

Skills
Simple Past
Question forms/writing interview
questions
Learning how to write a complete
and correct response in English
Character traits vocabulary
Learning how to identify
characters in a novel as having
those characteristics
Learning to provide support and
proof for an assertion
Learning to write a FiveParagraph Essay
Interviewing skills
Learning how to make a Visual
Essay with iMovie
Writing in Present and Past time
axes

Summative
Assessment(s)
Five-Paragraph Essay
on a character
Five -Paragraph
Personal Change
Essay
Five Paragraph
Visual Essay on
theme Using iMovie
Self and Peer
Assessments of
iMovies
Quizzes on Writing
in Present and Past
time axes
Vocabulary qizzes

Unit 2: Home Country Presentations

Area(s) of
Interaction
ATL

Significant
Concept(s)
How to present
important
information on
one's home country

Area(s) of
Interaction
ATL

Significant
Concept(s)
Myths explain how
the world came to
be.

Unit Question

Content

What are the

important aspects of
my home culture?
How do I teach
people about my
home culture?
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?

Students will research and compile

information on home countries.
Students will choose an appropriate
delivery method to teach about their
home countries (presentation, visual &
presentation, game etc)

Skills
Library research,
Notetaking,
Inspriation Brainstorm, public
speaking skills

Summative
Assessment(s)
Oral presentation(Criteria A, B)

Unit 3: The Lightning Thief

Unit Question
How do literature
genres connect and
how does literature
connect to the real
world?

Content
Greek Mythology
Novel Study: The Lightning Thief

Skills
Reading comprehension
Grammar
Compare-contrast
Prefixes/suffixes
Fact/opinion

Summative
Assessment(s)
Chapter quizzes
Vocabulary quizzes
Gods and monsters
presentation
Book/movie compare
contrast essay


Unit 4: Poetry
Area(s) of
Interaction

Significant
Concept(s)
Everyone is a poet

Unit Question
What are different
poetry forms? How
do I write poetry?

Content
Poetry packet-models of cinquain,
limerick, shape, etc

Skills
Practice with rhyme
Descriptive writing
Parts of speech

Summative
Assessment(s)
Students will compile
a collections of 5-7
different poems.

Unit 5: Descriptive writing

Area(s) of
Interaction

Significant
Concept(s)
Good descriptive
writing shows
rather than tells the
reader about
something.

Unit Question
How can I write
descriptively?

Content
Models of descriptive paragraphs
The writing process

Skills
Vocabulary
The writing process

Summative
Assessment(s)
Descriptive essay

Grammar - Ongoing throughout the year

Area(s) of
Interaction

Significant
Concept(s)

Unit Question

Content
Verb tenses
Passive voice
Prepositions
Conditionals
Adjective order
Dialogue
Count/noncount nouns
Other structures and functions as
needed

Skills

Summative
Assessment(s)
Quizzes


Language B English (Standard) Grades 9 & 10
Unit 1: Making decisions (9-10 weeks)
Area(s) of
Interaction
HSE

Significant
Concept(s)
Our decisionmaking is based on
the influences of
our everyday
experiences.

Unit Question
How do our
everyday
experiences
influence our
decision-making?

Content
Text: The Alchemist
Biography of Paulo Coelho
The decision-making process
Alchemy and its history
Islam

Skills
Acquiring vocabulary through
context
Identifying the main ideas and
supporting details in a chapter
Identifying stated and implied
information from the novel
Learning how to write a 5paragraph essay (components of an
introduction, body paragraph and
conclusion).
Demonstrating how characters
decisions are influenced by their
everyday experiences
Weekly journal writing

Summative
Assessment(s)
Oral presentation
(Criteria A, B)
Reading
comprehension:
Text Interpretation
(Criteria E)
Writing a fiveparagraph essay
(Criteria C and D)

Unit 2: Friendship (9-10 weeks)

Area(s) of
Interaction
ENV

Significant
Concept(s)
We are all
dependent on each
other for survival

Unit Question
How do we depend
on others?

Content
Text: Of Mice and Men
(Heinemann Guided Reader Upper
level)
Setting (time, place, atmosphere,
objects, culture)
Themes
The Great Depression and migrant
workers
OMAM as an allegory for our
society

Skills
Acquiring vocabulary through
context
Exploring the meaning of
friendship
Speaking in formal register
Consolidating the skills for
writing an essay
Weekly journal writing
Peer revision and editing

Summative
Assessment(s)
Text interpretation:
Migrant workers
(Criteria E)
Debate
(Criteria A, B)
Writing a fiveparagraph essay
(Criteria C, D)

Unit 3: Identity (8-9 weeks)

Area(s) of
Interaction
HSE

Significant
Concept(s)
We reveal ourselves
in a variety of ways.

Unit Question
How do we reveal
our identities?

Content
Text: Poetry
Poems by various authors from
multiple cultures (compiled poem
book)
Setting
Tone and theme
Write their own poetry
(genre/form/type of poem) using
poetic devices

Skills
Read and analyze poetry
Identify common sound and sight
devices used in poetry and their
impact on tone and theme.
Use poetic terminology
appropriately in writing
Identify setting (time, place,
atmosphere, objects, culture)
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.

Summative
Assessment(s)
Multimedia
Presentation
(Criteria A, B)
Response to
literature:
commentary
(Criteria C, D)


Unit 4: Limitations (8-9 weeks)
Area(s) of
Interaction
HI

Significant
Concept(s)
Limits help us
create

Unit Question

Content

Skills

How can limits help

us create?

Text: Romeo and Juliet (adapted

version by Globe Fearon)
Shakespeare and the Elizabethan era
Objectivity vs. Subjectivity
Persuasiveness
Plot and structure

Recognizing the benefits of limits

for creation
Reading and choosing
appropriate online sources
Applying persuasive language
and techniques to their spoken and
written language
Subjective writing
Identifying the elements of plot
and structure
Identifying events and conflicts in
the play
Performing a scene from the play

Summative
Assessment(s)
Text Interpretation:
The Globe Theater
(Criteria E)
Writing an opinion
editorial
(Criteria C, D)
Reflection on
performance, limits
encountered
(Criteria C)


Language B English (Advanced) Grades 9 & 10
Unit 1: One Thing Leads to Another (9-10 weeks)
Area(s) of
Interaction
HSE

Significant
Concept(s)
Every decision we
make has a great
effect on ourselves
and those around
us.

Unit Question
How do our
decisions affect our
lives and the lives
of others around us?

Content
Moral and Ethical behavior
Discrimination
Racism during the 1950s US and
worldwide

Skills
Presenting/dramatizing
Identify main ideas and message
of a scene
Subjective writing skills (writing
process)
Demonstrating how characters
decisions have an effect on events
and other characters behavior
Identifying and exploring the
themes of the play
Recognizing characterization

Summative
Assessment(s)
Opinion editorial
(Criteria C, D)
Adaptations of a
scene along with the
dramatization of the
scene
(Criteria A, B)
Passage Analysis:
Text Interpretaion
(Criteria E)

Unit 2: Childhood Experiences (9-10 weeks)

Area(s) of
Interaction
C&S

Significant
Concept(s)
Events from our
childhood have a
great effect on who
we are.

Unit Question

Content

Skills

How do our
childhood
experiences effect
who we are?

Setting
Themes
Characterization
Vignette writing
Literary devices such as similes,
metaphors, personification, imagery,
and what they are and why writers use
them, and what their affect on the
reader are

Identifying themes
Exploring how events in any
story have an effect on other events
Analytical writing skills
Revision and editing skills
Peer revision and editing

Summative
Assessment(s)
Vignette writing
(Criteria C, D)
Text Interpretation
(Criteria E)
Dramatization of a
selected scene
(Criteria B)

Unit 3: Identity (8-9 weeks)

Area(s) of
Interaction
HSE

Significant
Concept(s)
We reveal ourselves
in a variety of ways.

Unit Question

Content

Skills

How do we reveal
our identities?

Read poetry
Identify common sound and sight
devices used in poetry as well as
words to describe tone.
Write their own poetry
(genre/form/type of poem) using
poetic devices
Reflect on poetry and how it reveals
one's identity.
Create multimedia presentation
based on one of their personal poems.
Using commentaries as a tool to
learn more about themselves, and
others, through poetry

Identify poetic features in poetry

and discuss their impact
Use poetic terminology
appropriately in writing
Analyze figurative language
Identify setting (time, place,
atmosphere)
Recognize the power of
combining words, image and sound
to create one work

Summative
Assessment(s)
Multimedia
Presentation on a
poem the student has
written.
(Criteria A, B)
Response to
literature:
commentary
(Criteria C, D)

Unit 4: Limitations (8 weeks)

Area(s) of
Interaction
HI

Significant
Concept(s)
Limits help us
create.

Unit Question
How can limits help
us create?

Content
Objectivity vs. Subjectivity
Persuasiveness
Plot

Skills
Recognizing the benefits of limits
Applying persuasive language
and techniques
Subjective writing
Identifying events and conflicts

Summative
Assessment(s)
Speech writing
(Criteria C, D)
The Globe Theater:
Text Interpretation
(Criteria E)
Final Exam:
(Criteria C, D, E)