Language and Literature
MYP Language and Literature (Year 1-3)
English Language and literature courses develop skills in six areas:
Listening
Speaking
Reading
Writing
Viewing
Presenting
Inquiry is at the heart of MYP language learning, and aims to support students’ understanding by providing them with opportunities to independently and collaboratively investigate, take action and reflect on their learning.
What is the significance of language and literature in the MYP?
All IB programmes value language as central to the development of critical thinking, which is essential for cultivating intercultural understanding and responsible membership in local, national and global communities. Language is integral to exploring and sustaining personal development and cultural identity, and provides an intellectual framework that supports the construction of conceptual understanding. As MYP students interact with a range of texts, they generate insight into moral, social, economic, political, cultural and environmental domains. They continually grow in their abilities to form opinions, make decisions, and reason ethically—all key attributes of an IB learner.
Key Concepts in English Language and Literature
Key concepts promote the development of a broad curriculum. They represent big ideas that are both relevant within and across disciplines and subjects. Below are listed the16 key concepts to be explored across the MYP. The key concepts contributed by the study of language and literature are communication, connections, creativity and perspective.
Aesthetics
Change
Communication
Communities
Connections
Creativity
Culture
Development
Form
Global interactions
Identity
Logic
Perspective
Relationships
Systems
Time, place and space
Related Concepts in English Language and Literature
Related concepts promote deep learning. They are grounded in specific disciplines and are useful for exploring key concepts in greater detail. Inquiry into related concepts helps students develop more complex and sophisticated conceptual understanding. Related concepts may arise from the subject matter of a unit or the craft of a subject—its features and processes.
Audience Imperatives
Character
Context
Genres
Intertextuality
Point of view
Purpose
Self-expression
Setting
Structure
Style
Theme
Objectives for English Language and Literature
Criterion A: Analyzing
i. identify and explain the content, context, language, structure, technique and style of text(s) and the relationship among texts ii. identify and explain the effects of the creator’s choices on an audience
iii. justify opinions and ideas, using examples, explanations and terminology
iv. interpret similarities and differences in features within and between genres and texts.
Criterion B: Organizing
i. employ organizational structures that serve the context and intention
ii. organize opinions and ideas in a coherent and logical manner
iii. use referencing and formatting tools to create a presentation style suitable to the context and intention.
Criterion C: Producing texts
i. produce texts that demonstrate thought, imagination and sensitivity, while exploring and considering new perspectives and ideas arising from personal engagement with the creative process
ii. make stylistic choices in terms of linguistic, literary and visual devices, demonstrating awareness of impact on an audience iii. select relevant details and examples to develop ideas.
Criterion D: Using language
i. use appropriate and varied vocabulary, sentence structures and forms of expression
ii. write and speak in an appropriate register and style
iii. use correct grammar, syntax and punctuation
iv. spell (alphabetic languages), write (character languages) and pronounce with accuracy
v. use appropriate non-verbal communication techniques.
*Information on these pages is from the MYP Subject Guides and the MYP Project Guide. International Baccalaureate Organization. 2014. Print.