GROUP 1 - ENGLISH
LANGUAGE ARTS (LANGUAGE A) 6 CREDITS
All UAIS students complete six credits of English Language Arts over the course of four years. All students take Honors English 9, Honors English 10, and IB English 11 & 12 HL or SL. Speech and Production Teams develop speaking skills and college-level research guidance as students prepare to write their Extended Essay in the junior and senior year.
Course Descriptions:
HONORS ENGLISH 9 – 1.0
credit (Required)
Honors
English 9 is designed to ensure that every Academy student becomes proficient
in the study of English literature and analytical writing. Students will enjoy classics of western
literature, which includes Speak (Anderson), Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck),
and Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare). Course work is designed to
help students appreciate the complexities of language and prepare them for the
unique series of International Baccalaureate oral and written examinations. A
specific aim is to engender a lifelong interest in literature and a love for
the elegance and richness of human expression.
HONORS ENGLISH 10 – 1.0 credit
(Required)
Building
on skills learned and literary concepts studied in Honors English 9, Honors
English 10 will expand on the study of literature to include issues of global
and cultural relevance throughout the world. This study, therefore, can be seen
as a study of all the complex pursuits, anxieties, joys and fears that human
beings are exposed to in the daily business of living. It will promote a healthy respect for the
imagination and a perceptive approach to the understanding and interpretation
of literary works. Studied works include: The Kite Runner (Hosseini), The
Prophet (Gibran), Brave New World (Huxley), and a study of
poetry and short stories.
SPEECH/PRODUCTION TEAMS 9
– 1 credit (Required)
The purpose of this course is to develop effective communicators. Students will
demonstrate appropriate speaking and listening skills in both formal and
informal communication situations. The emphasis in the course is frequent
speaking experiences that build student confidence using the Projects in Speech Communication textbook. Given the value of oral communication skills
on IB assessments in the 11th and 12th grade, students at UAIS are required to
complete this course during their first year. Production Teams will
also serve as an introduction to research skills needed in the 11th/12th
grades.
PRODUCTION TEAMS 10 -- 1
credit (Required)
This
required elective course teaches all UAIS sophomores the college research
process that mirrors the independent work of the Extended Essay, which is an IB
diploma candidate requirement. Students will work in class to identify a
topic of study, formulate a research question, conduct research,
learn about plagiarism and proper documentation of sources, outline, and
draft an essay.
IB ENGLISH HL/SL (1 & 2) – 2.0
credit (Required)
Through
the study of a wide range of literature, the language A: literature course
encourages students to appreciate the artistry of literature and to develop an
ability to reflect critically on their reading. Works are studied in their
literary and cultural contexts, through close study of individual texts and
passages, and by considering a range of critical approaches. In view of the
international nature of the IB and its commitment to intercultural
understanding, the language A: literature course does not limit the study of
works to the products of one culture or the cultures covered by any one
language. The study of works in translation is especially important in
introducing students, through literature, to other cultural perspectives. The
response to the study of literature is through oral and written communication,
thus enabling students to develop and refine their command of language.
Language A: literature is a flexible course that allows teachers to choose
works from prescribed lists of authors and to construct a course that suits the
particular needs and interests of their students. It is divided into four
parts, each with a particular focus.
•Part
1: Works in translation
•Part
2: Detailed study
•Part
3: Literary genres
•Part
4: Options (in which works are freely chosen)
11th
grade studied works include: King Lear (Shakespeare), The Princess Bride (Goldman), Antigone
(Sophocles), A Doll's House (Ibsen), Persepolis (Satrapi), and To
Kill a Mockingbird (Lee).
12th
grade studied works include: Hamlet (Shakespeare), the satrical works of
Jonathon Swift, the poems of Robert Frost, Pride and Prejudice (Austen),
Beloved (Morrison), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain),
and 1984 (Orwell).
YEARBOOK –1.0 credit (11th/12th grade
elective)
The main objective of the class is to produce the school yearbook. The course
includes interviewing, copywriting, photographing school events, designing
layouts and graphics, advertising, and fund raising. Students should be able to
stay after school when needed to meet publication deadlines. In addition,
students are required to sell advertisements for their publication. Students
may take this class for credit more than once. Students in this class are
combined with the newspaper staff, whose goal is to produce the online school
newspaper.
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