Language & Literature: English
The Language & Literature subject encourages students to explore the power of words, think critically, and express themselves confidently across various contexts.
By fostering a deep appreciation for language, it equips learners with the skills to communicate effectively, analyze meaning, and connect with diverse perspectives.
Primary Years Programme (PYP)
Language & Literature: English Overview
The International School of Stuttgart (ISS) Language & Literature programme is closely connected with the transdisciplinary themes of Primary Years Programme (PYP). Language is involved in all learning that goes on in a school, in both the affective and effective domains. Learners listen, talk, read and write their way to negotiating new meanings and understanding new concepts. In the “knowledge” area of the PYP,
language is the most significant connecting element across the school’s curriculum, both within and outside its transdisciplinary programme of inquiry (PoI). At ISS we provide authentic contexts for language learning and teaching in all areas of the curriculum that area reflection of, and relevant to, the community of learners, and to the educational theories underpinning the programme.
Grade 3
Content:
- Design Cycle/Design Process
- Problem / issue identification
- Design proposal
- Idea/solution generation
- Testing methods
- Success evaluation
- Improvement explanation
Skills
- Creating/editing of 2D graphics
- Presenting / communicating
- Producing and editing film
- Developing brand / identity
- Using structure as function
Early Years 3
Content
Language Foundations
- Vocabulary Building: Expand vocabulary, conversation, exposure to books
- Sound Discrimination: Different sounds in spoken words
- Rhyming: Rhyming words through songs, rhymes, and word play
- Letter Recognition: Uppercase and lowercase letters in the alphabet
Emergent Reading
- Print Awareness: Print has meaning and book exploration
- Environmental Print: Logos, signs, and labels in the environment
- Book Handling Skills: Holding a book, turning pages, left to right, print meaning
- Storytelling: Pictures, props, simple stories
- Sequencing: Event order, visual cues, storyboards
Emergent Writing
- Scribbling and Drawing: Expressing ideas, drawing, scribbling, making marks on paper
- Fine Motor Skills: hand-eye coordination, draw, colour and manipulate objects
- Letter Formation: Letter shapes, tracing activities, guided practice
Speaking and Listening
- Basic vocabulary related to personal experiences, objects, and actions
- Simple instructions and questions
- Awareness of turn-taking and sharing during conversations and play
- Needs, feelings, and ideas
Skills
Language Foundations
- Recognizing and producing rhyming words
- Identifying and manipulating sounds in spoken words
- Practicing sound discrimination and repetition activities
- Expanding vocabulary through conversations and exposure to a variety of topics and texts
- Understanding and using basic words and phrases
- Identifying and labeling common objects, animals, and people
- Exploring new words through stories, songs, and rhymes
- Discriminating between visual representations (symbols, letters, numbers, words)
Emergent Reading
- Exploring and handling books independently
- Understanding that print carries meaning
- Demonstrating an interest in books and print awareness
- Engaging in imaginative play and creating stories using toys or props
- Retelling familiar stories using their own words and actions
- Understanding basic story elements like characters, setting, and plot
Emergent Writing
- Exploring writing tools and materials
- Experimenting with making marks and scribbles resembling writing
- Dictating stories or ideas to an adult
- Attempting to write some letters or letter-like shapes
- Understanding that writing represents thoughts and ideas
Speaking and Listening
- Engaging in conversations with peers and adults
- Following simple oral instructions
- Responding to questions and prompts
- Using basic vocabulary to express needs and desires
- Participating in group activities and discussion
Early Years 4
Content
Language Foundations
- Vocabulary Building: Expand vocabulary through conversation and exposure to books
- Sound Discrimination: Different sounds in spoken words
- Rhyming: Rhyming words through songs, rhymes, and word play
- Letter Recognition: Uppercase and lowercase letters in the alphabet
Emergent Reading
- Print Awareness: Print has meaning and book exploration
- Environmental Print: Logos, signs, and labels in the environment
- Book Handling Skills: Holding a book, turning pages, left to right, print meaning
- Storytelling: Pictures, props, simple stories
- Sequencing: Event order, visual cues, storyboards
Emergent Writing
- Scribbling and Drawing: Expressing ideas, drawing, scribbling, making marks on paper
- Fine Motor Skills: Hand-eye coordination to draw, colour, and manipulate objects
- Letter Formation: Letter shapes, tracing activities, guided practice
Speaking and Listening
- Basic vocabulary related to personal experiences, objects, and actions
- Simple instructions and questions
- Awareness of turn-taking and sharing during conversations and play
- Expressing needs, feelings, and ideas
Skills
Language Foundations
- Recognizing and producing rhyming words
- Identifying and manipulating sounds in spoken words
- Practicing sound discrimination and repetition activities
- Expanding vocabulary through conversations and exposure to a variety of topics and texts
- Understanding and using basic words and phrases
- Identifying and labeling common objects, animals, and people
- Exploring new words through stories, songs, and rhymes
- Discriminating between visual representations (symbols, letters, numbers, words)
Emergent Reading
- Exploring and handling books independently
- Understanding that print carries meaning
- Demonstrating an interest in books and print awareness
- Engaging in imaginative play and creating stories using toys or props
- Retelling familiar stories using their own words and actions
- Understanding basic story elements like characters, setting, and plot
Emergent Writing
- Exploring writing tools and materials
- Experimenting with making marks and scribbles resembling writing
- Dictating stories or ideas to an adult
- Attempting to write some letters or letter-like shapes
- Understanding that writing represents thoughts and ideas
Speaking and Listening
- Engaging in conversations with peers and adults
- Following simple oral instructions
- Responding to questions and prompts
- Using basic vocabulary to express needs and desires
- Participating in group activities and discussion
Early Years 5
Content
Language Foundations
- Letter Recognition: Identifying uppercase and lowercase letters
- Phonemic Awareness: Recognizing and manipulating individual sounds in words, rhyming words
- Print Concepts: Understanding that print carries meaning, left-to-right directionality
- Vocabulary: Acquiring new words, understanding word meanings
- Grammar and Conventions: Capitalization, punctuation, using complete sentences
- Language Usage: Using appropriate language in different contexts, greetings, basic phrases
Reading
- Story Elements: Characters, setting, events
- Retelling Stories: Recalling key details and sequencing events
- Text Analysis: Identifying illustrations and connecting them to the text
- Main Topic and Key Details: Identifying the main topic and finding key details
- Text Features: Labels, captions, photographs
- Text Structure: Identifying how information is organized
Writing
- Writing Process: Drawing, dictating, and writing to express ideas
- Narrative Writing: Drawing and writing about personal experiences
- Labeling: Using labels to identify objects and pictures
Speaking and Listening
- Collaborative Discussions: Participating in conversations, listening to others, taking turns
- Following Instructions: Listening attentively and following simple directions
Skills
Language Foundations
- Recognizing and producing rhyming words
- Identifying and manipulating individual sounds in spoken words
- Matching letters to their sounds
- Blending sounds to read simple words
- Expanding vocabulary through conversations and exposure to a variety of texts
- Recognizing and using frequently occurring nouns and verbs
- Using correct capitalization and ending punctuation in writing
- Using basic sentence structure to convey meaning
- Using age-appropriate vocabulary in conversations and providing simple explanations
Reading
- Identifying and understanding basic story elements, such as characters and settings
- Retelling familiar stories using illustrations and key details
- Engaging in shared reading activities with guidance
- Answering questions about key details in a text
Writing
- Using drawings, letters, and inventive spelling to express ideas in writing
- Writing letters and some high-frequency words with correct formation
- Experimenting with different writing tools and materials
- Using drawings, dictation, and writing to communicate ideas
Speaking and Listening
- Participating in conversations by listening and responding appropriately
- Following simple oral instructions
- Speaking audibly and expressing thoughts clearly
- Describing familiar people, places, objects, and events
Grade 1
Content
Language Foundations
- Phonics and Word Recognition: Letter sounds, short vowels, consonant blends
- Sight Words: High-frequency words
- Fluency: Accurate and appropriate pacing
- Vocabulary: New words, word meanings
- Grammar and Conventions: Capitalization, punctuation, sentence structure, complete sentences
- Language Usage: Language in different contexts – greetings, polite expressions
Reading
- Story Elements: Characters, setting, events
- Retelling Stories: Key details and sequence of events
- Text Analysis: Main idea and supporting details
- Text Features: Headings, labels, photographs
- Text Structure: How information is organized
Writing
- Writing Process: Prewriting strategies, drafting, revising, editing, publishing
- Narrative Writing: Stories with a beginning, middle, and end
- Informative Writing: Facts, sharing information through writing
- Opinion Writing: Opinions and supporting details
Speaking and Listening
- Collaborative Discussions: Participating, listening, questioning
- Presentation Skills: Clear speaking, volume, eye contact
- Following Instructions: Attentive listening, multi-step directions
Skills
Language Foundations
- Identifying and producing rhyming words
- Decoding and blending sounds in words
- Reading high-frequency words accurately and fluently
- Constructing sentences with subject-predicate structure
- Capitalizing the first word and proper nouns
- Using end punctuation correctly
- Utilizing new vocabulary in speech and writing
- Spelling common words accurately
Reading
- Comprehending basic reading through predictions and connections
- Identifying story elements such as characters, setting, and plot
- Retelling stories with proper sequencing
- Using text features to find information in nonfiction
- Identifying the main topic and key details in nonfiction
- Making connections between texts on the same topic
Writing
- Planning and organizing ideas with graphic organizers or outlines
- Writing focused, organized, and coherent texts
- Using descriptive language, sensory details, and dialogue effectively
- Incorporating a variety of sentence types and structures
Speaking and Listening
- Participating actively in conversations and discussions
- Following oral instructions
- Asking and answering questions
- Recounting stories and experiences orally
Grade 2
Content
Language Foundations
- Phonics and Word Recognition: Short and long vowel sounds, consonant blends, digraphs
- Fluency: Reading with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression
- Vocabulary: Understanding and using new words, context clues
- Grammar and Conventions: Capitalization, punctuation, sentence structure (subject, predicate, simple and compound sentences), subject-verb agreement
- Language Usage: Using complete sentences, proper nouns, past/present tense, adverbs
Reading
- Character Analysis: Traits, feelings, actions of characters
- Story Elements: Characters, setting, plot
- Text Analysis: Structure, main idea, key details
- Main Idea and Supporting Details: Identifying main idea, finding supporting details
- Text Features: Headings, captions, labels, diagrams
- Text Structure: Sequence of events, cause and effect
Writing
- Writing Process: Prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing
- Narrative Writing: Storytelling, beginning-middle-end structure, descriptive details
- Informational Writing: Sharing information, facts, labeling, organizing ideas
- Opinion Writing: Opinions, reasons, persuasive language
- Grammar, Capitalization, Punctuation, and Spelling Rules
Speaking and Listening
- Collaborative Discussions: Conversations, listening to others, turn-taking
- Presentation Skills: Speech adaptation for audience, appropriate volume and eye contact
- Listening Comprehension: Oral instructions, active listening, appropriate response
Skills
Language Foundations
- Decoding and understanding unfamiliar words
- Reading fluently and expressively
- Using context clues to determine word meaning
- Constructing proper sentences with punctuation
- Applying grammar and capitalization rules
- Expanding vocabulary through reading and word study
- Spelling common words accurately
Reading
- Comprehending and retelling stories
- Identifying story elements and their impact
- Determining main idea and supporting details
- Making connections between text and personal experiences
- Summarizing key ideas from nonfiction texts
- Using text features and structure effectively
- Making connections and comparisons across texts
Writing
- Planning and organizing ideas with focus and organization
- Writing narratives, informational/explanatory texts, and opinion pieces
- Using descriptive language and precise vocabulary
- Applying grammar, punctuation, and spelling accurately
Speaking and Listening
- Participating actively in discussions
- Delivering clear oral presentations
- Following and giving multi-step instructions accurately
- Engaging in respectful conversations
Grade 3
Content
Language Foundations
- Phonics and Word Recognition: Complex spelling patterns, prefixes, suffixes, multisyllabic words
- Fluency: Accuracy, rate, expression
- Vocabulary: Context clues, word meanings, figurative language
- Grammar and Conventions: Standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, spelling
- Sentence Structure: Varied sentence structures, subject-verb agreement, noun-verb agreement
- Language Usage: Formal and informal language, pronouns, verb tenses
Reading
- Character Analysis: Traits, motivations, changes, contribution to the story
- Theme: Central message and supporting evidence
- Text Analysis: Structure, elements, literary devices
- Main Idea and Supporting Details: Identification and analysis
- Text Features: Headings, captions, diagrams, purpose
- Text Structure: Organizational structures, cause and effect, problem and solution
Writing
- Writing Process: Prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing
- Narrative Writing: Plot, characters, descriptive details, dialogue
- Informational Writing: Topic examination, facts, organizational structures, relevant details
- Opinion Writing: Claim, reasons, evidence, persuasive techniques
Speaking and Listening
- Collaborative Discussions: Participation, expression, building on others’ ideas
- Presentation Skills: Organization, clear delivery, visual aids
- Listening Comprehension: Active listening, summary, questions
Skills
Language Foundations
- Decoding and reading unfamiliar words
- Fluent reading with accuracy and expression
- Using context clues for word meaning
- Expanding vocabulary through complex texts
- Applying proper writing mechanics and grammar
Reading
- Analyzing story elements and their impact
- Understanding genres and their characteristics
- Determining main ideas and supporting details
- Making inferences and drawing conclusions
- Summarizing nonfiction texts
- Analyzing text features and structure
- Making connections between texts
Writing
- Planning and organizing ideas
- Writing narratives, informative/explanatory texts, and opinions
- Using descriptive language and precise vocabulary
- Applying grammar and spelling rules
Speaking and Listening
- Actively participating in discussions
- Delivering clear oral presentations
- Following and giving multi-step instructions
- Engaging in respectful conversations
Grade 4
Content
Language Foundations
- Phonics and Word Recognition: Advanced phonics patterns, prefixes, suffixes
- Fluency: Accuracy, rate, expression
- Vocabulary: Meaning, context clues, word parts, idioms, figurative language
- Grammar and Conventions: Grammar rules, usage, capitalization, punctuation, spelling
- Sentence Structure: Varied sentence structures, subject-verb agreement, verb tenses
- Language Usage: Standard English grammar and usage, verb tenses, pronoun-antecedent agreement, formal and informal language
Reading
- Character Analysis: Traits, motivations, changes, contribution to the plot
- Theme and Central Message: Theme, central message, evidence
- Text Analysis: Structure, elements, literary devices (figurative language, symbolism)
- Main Idea and Supporting Details: Main idea, supporting details, analysis
- Text Features: Headings, captions, diagrams, effectiveness
- Text Structure: Organizational structures, cause and effect, compare and contrast
Writing
- Writing Process: Prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing
- Narrative Writing: Plot, characters, sensory details, dialogue
- Informational Writing: Topic examination, ideas, structures, evidence
- Opinion Writing: Claim, reasons, evidence, persuasive techniques
Speaking and Listening
- Collaborative Discussions: Collaboration, expression, idea development
- Presentation Skills: Organization, eye contact, visual aids
- Listening Comprehension: Active listening, summary, questions
Skills
Language Foundations
- Developing proficient decoding and word analysis
- Using context clues and word relationships
- Fluent reading with comprehension
- Expanding vocabulary and academic language
- Proficiency in figurative language and grammar
Reading
- Analyzing story elements and genres
- Explaining literary devices
- Making evidence-based claims and conclusions
- Summarizing nonfiction texts
- Evaluating author’s purpose and point of view
- Using text features and structures effectively
Writing
- Planning and organizing ideas
- Writing with focus, organization, and evidence
- Engaging language and varied sentence structures
- Applying grammar and spelling conventions
Speaking and Listening
- Actively participating in discussions
- Delivering clear presentations
- Adapting speech to different contexts
- Following and giving multi-step instructions
Grade 5
Content
- Phonics and Word Recognition: Advanced phonics patterns, prefixes, suffixes
- Fluency: Accuracy, rate, expression
- Vocabulary Acquisition: Context clues, word parts, reference materials
- Vocabulary: Meaning, figurative language, connotations, idioms, academic vocabulary
- Grammar and Conventions: Grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, spelling
- Language Usage: Standard English, verb tense consistency, subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement
- Sentence Structure: Varied structures, phrases, clauses
Reading
- Character Analysis: Traits, motivations, changes, contribution to the story
- Theme and Central Message: Theme, central message, analysis, evidence
- Text Analysis: Structure, elements, literary devices
- Main Idea and Supporting Details: Main idea, supporting details, analysis
- Text Features: Headings, graphs, charts, effectiveness
- Text Structure: Organizational structures, text features, comparison
Writing
- Writing Process: Prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing
- Narrative Writing: Plot, characters, sensory details, dialogue
- Informational Writing: Topic examination, ideas, structures, evidence
- Opinion Writing: Claim, reasons, evidence, persuasive techniques
- Grammar, Capitalization, Punctuation, and Spelling Rules
Speaking and Listening
- Collaborative Discussions: Collaboration, expression, building upon ideas
- Presentation Skills: Organization, purposeful language, visual aids
- Listening Comprehension: Active listening, comprehension, summary, questions
Skills
Language Foundations
- Developing proficient decoding and word analysis
- Using context clues and word relationships
- Vocabulary expansion through word study and complex texts
- Fluent reading with comprehension
- Applying standard English conventions
- Applying grammar and sentence structures effectively
Reading
- Analyzing complex story elements and their impact
- Understanding genres and characteristics
- Analyzing author’s use of literary devices
- Making evidence-based claims and conclusions
- Summarizing complex nonfiction texts
- Evaluating author’s purpose, point of view, and claims
- Synthesizing information from multiple sources
- Using text features, structures, and evidence
Writing
- Understanding the writing process
- Planning and organizing ideas
- Writing with focus, organization, and evidence
- Using precise language and varied sentence structures
- Applying grammar and spelling conventions
Speaking and Listening
- Participating actively in collaborative discussions
- Delivering formal presentations with clarity and organization
- Adapting speech to different contexts
- Active listening and appropriate responses
Middle Years Programme (MYP)
Language and Literature Programme Overview
The six skill areas in the Middle Years programme (MYP) Language and Literature subject group – listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing and presenting—develop as both independent and interdependent skills.
As well as being academically rigorous, MYP Language and Literature equips students with linguistic, analytical and communicative skills that can also be used to develop interdisciplinary understanding across all other subject groups.
Grade 6
Content:
- Design Cycle/Design Process
- Problem / issue identification
- Design proposal
- Idea/solution generation
- Testing methods
- Success evaluation
- Improvement explanation
Skills
- Creating/editing of 2D graphics
- Presenting / communicating
- Producing and editing film
- Developing brand / identity
- Using structure as function
Grade 6
Content
Units
- Exploring Other Worlds: The dystopian world through The Giver by Lois Lowry
- Poetry
- Changing World: Understanding how the environment is expressed in a variety of non-literary texts
Textual Features
- Narrative Story Arc
- Characters & Characterization
- Poetic Forms and Structure: Haiku, lyrical, free verse, erasure, concrete, sonnet, volta, rhyme schemes
- Sensory Language Details
- Figurative Language: Simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, alliteration, personification
- Persuasive Language & Building Arguments
Skills
Reading
- Summarizing & paraphrasing
- Reading for detail
- Inferencing
- Synthesizing
- Interpretation & analysis
- Vocabulary building
Writing
- PEE Paragraphs
- Thesis statements
- Essay writing
- Poetic forms
- Rationale
- Monologue
- Editorial writing/persuasive writing
Speaking
- Collaborative work in groups
- Collaborative class work
Media Competencies
- In-text citations
- Bibliography
- Evaluating sources
Grade 7
Content
Units
- Personal Narratives: Exploring and creating personal narratives
- The Best Words in the Best Order: Understanding the elements of poetry
- Non-Literary Texts: An introduction to various non-literary texts
- The Breadwinner: Exploring bildungsroman through Deborah Ellis’s The Breadwinner
Textual Features
- Figurative Language: Simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, idiom, cliché, alliteration, personification, imagery, symbolism, repetition
- Sensory Language
- Poetic Devices: Enjambment, caesura, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia, rhyme
- Point of View: First person, second person
- Tone
- Theme
- Style
- Register
- Context
Skills
Reading
- Comprehension
- Inference (implicit/explicit)
- Analysing character traits
- Making predictions
- Making connections
Writing
- Descriptive writing
- Narrative writing
- Sensory writing
Speaking
- Role play
- Interviews
- Group and pair presentations
Grade 8
Content
Units
- Power of Persuasion: Exploring persuasive essay writing
- Power of Justice: Justice portrayed in Reginal Rose’s Twelve Angry Men
- Power of Pictures: Storytelling through graphic novels
- Power of Love: Depiction of love in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
Textual Features
- Discourse Markers
- Forms: Soliloquy, monologue, tragedy, rhetoric, graphic novels, plays
Stylistic Devices
-
(Literary):
- Figurative language: Simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, idiom, cliché, alliteration, personification, imagery, symbolism, repetition
- Forms and Techniques: Sonnets, iambic pentameter, 5-act structure, paradox, prologue
- Shakespearean language
- Narrative Structures in Prose: Linear and non-linear
-
(Non-literary):
- Appeals: Ethos, pathos, logos
- Conventions of Graphic Novels: Panels, layout, composition, dialogue, speech bubbles, gutters
Skills
Reading
- Comprehension
- Inference (implicit/explicit)
- Research
- Validating sources
Writing
- Referencing/citations
- Sequencing
- Essay writing conventions: PEEL/PEEZY paragraphs, thesis statement, topic sentences, juxtaposition
- Persuasive writing
- Rationale writing
- Annotating
Speaking
- Independent persuasive presentation
- Narration (plays)
- Performance skills: Soliloquy – voice modulation, intonation, pacing, expression
Media Competencies
- Use of generative AI for illustration
- Use of generative AI to create graphic novels
- Videography
Grade 9
Content
Relevant Units
- My Story, Her Voice: An exploration of culture and identity in The House on Mango Street
- When Emotion has Found Words: War and conflict in poetry
- The Art of Persuasion: Advertisement
- The Danger of a Single Story: Perspectives on Africa through a variety of texts
Textual Features
- Forms: Prose, poetry, vignette, short story, multimodal texts
- Structure and Syntax
Stylistic Devices
-
(Literary):
- Figurative language: Simile, metaphor, hyperbole, idiom, alliteration, personification, imagery, symbolism
- Poetic Devices: Assonance, consonance, sibilance, cacophony, euphony, rhyme, meter, feet, onomatopoeia
- Point of View: First person, second person, third person limited, third person omniscient
- Voice
- Tone
- Themes
-
(Non-literary):
- Advertisement Techniques: Bandwagon, testimonials, association, problem and benefit, etc.
- Visual: Colour, typography, AIDA, scale
- Appeals: Pathos, logos, ethos
Skills
Relevant Units
- My Story, Her Voice: An exploration of culture and identity in The House on Mango Street
- When Emotion has Found Words: War and conflict in poetry
- The Art of Persuasion: Advertisement
- The Danger of a Single Story: Perspectives on Africa through a variety of texts
Textual Features
- Forms: Prose, poetry, vignette, short story, multimodal texts
- Structure and Syntax
Stylistic Devices
-
(Literary):
- Figurative language: Simile, metaphor, hyperbole, idiom, alliteration, personification, imagery, symbolism
- Poetic Devices: Assonance, consonance, sibilance, cacophony, euphony, rhyme, meter, feet, onomatopoeia
- Point of View: First person, second person, third person limited, third person omniscient
- Voice
- Tone
- Themes
-
(Non-literary):
- Advertisement Techniques: Bandwagon, testimonials, association, problem and benefit, etc.
- Visual: Colour, typography, AIDA, scale
- Appeals: Pathos, logos, ethos
Grade 10
Content
Units
- Global Issues: How are human-made systems and communities interconnected?
- Dystopian Societies: What does it mean to be human?
- Magical Realism: How can we express ideas, feelings, beliefs, and values?
- Marginalisation: To what extent do all have access to equal opportunities?
Textual Features
- Context, theme, point of view
- Character, genre, setting
- Self-expression, style, intertextuality
- Audience imperatives, structure, purpose
Stylistic Devices
-
(Literary):
- Narrative perspective
- Dialogue, foreshadowing
- Sensory imagery, figurative language
- Rhetorical/persuasive techniques, register
-
(Non-literary):
- PEEL paragraphing
- Visual literacy
- Audience-message-purpose
- Ethos-logos-pathos
Skills
Reading
- Evaluate the similarities and differences between texts (familiar and unfamiliar)
- Explore aspects of global contexts
- Revision: MYP command terms
Writing
- eAssessment task preparation
- Revision: Narrative/descriptive/persuasive writing
- Revision: Structuring a literary argument
- Revision: Compare and contrast essays
- Revision: Integrating quotations
- Revision: Linking and transition words
Speaking
- Speaking for different audience imperatives
Media Competencies
- Working on the IB eAssessment Player
- Using AI to model and improve writing
- Using formal citation styles
Diploma Programme (DP)
IB Diploma Language and Literature
The IB Diploma Language and Literature course introduces the critical study and interpretation of written and spoken texts from a wide range of literary forms and non-literary text-types.
The formal analysis of texts is supplemented by awareness that meaning is not fixed but can change in respect to contexts of production and consumption.
Grade 6
Content:
- Design Cycle/Design Process
- Problem / issue identification
- Design proposal
- Idea/solution generation
- Testing methods
- Success evaluation
- Improvement explanation
Skills
- Creating/editing of 2D graphics
- Presenting / communicating
- Producing and editing film
- Developing brand / identity
- Using structure as function
Grades 11 & 12
Content
Areas of Exploration
- Readers, writers, and texts
- Intertextuality (connecting texts)
- Time and space
Assessment
- Paper 1 and Paper 2
- Individual Oral
- HL Essay
- Learner Portfolio
Literary Texts
- HL: Six texts, three different literary forms, three time periods, three places
- SL: Four texts, two different literary forms, two time periods, two places
Non-Literary Body of Work
- Any collection of non-literary texts that can be organized or grouped into a specific category
Global Issues
- Culture, identity, and community
- Beliefs, values, and education
- Politics, power, and justice
- Art, creativity, and the imagination
- Science, technology, and the environment
Skills
Develop
- Skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, presenting, and performing
- Skills in interpretation, analysis, and evaluation
- Sensitivity to the formal and aesthetic qualities of texts and an appreciation of how they contribute to diverse responses and open up multiple meanings
- An understanding of the relationships between studies in language and literature and other disciplines
- Confidence and creativity in communication and collaboration
- A lifelong interest in and enjoyment of language and literature
Know, Understand, and Interpret
- Contexts in which texts are written and/or received
- Elements of literary, stylistic, rhetorical, visual, and/or performance craft
- Features of particular text types and literary forms
Analyse and Evaluate
- Ways in which the use of language creates meaning
- Uses and effects of literary, stylistic, rhetorical, visual, or theatrical techniques
- Ways in which texts may offer perspectives on human concerns
Communicate
- Ideas in clear, logical, and persuasive ways
- In a range of styles, registers, and for a variety of purposes and situations
Resources:
- Henrik Ibsen, A Doll’s House (1879)
- Bessie Head, When Rain Clouds Gather (1968)
- Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis (2003)
- Alice Walker, The Color Purple (1982)
- Bob Dylan, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963)
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road (2006)
- Gabriel García Márquez, Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1981)
- Yukio Mishima, The Sound of Waves (1954)
- Albert Camus, The Stranger (1942)
- Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale (1985)
- George Orwell, 1984 (1949)
- Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly (2015)
- Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye (1970)
- William Blake, Songs of Innocence and Experience (1789)
- Bodies of Work: Fairey, Banksy, Flanagan, KAL, among others
Downloadable Curriculum
Access detailed curriculum overviews and guidelines in PDF format.
Glossary of Terms
Familiarize yourself with key abbreviations and terminology used throughout our curriculum.
Learning & Assessment
Discover our curriculum’s learning objectives, assessment strategies, and resources.