MYP Syllabus Course:

6th Grade Language and Literature 

MYP Level: Year 1 

Teachers: Ms. DiCicco, Ms. Cabano, Mr. Coca, Mr. Lamb

Course Description: 

myPerspectives is an English language arts curriculum that values the perspective of the learner, collectively and individually, and provides next-gen learning experiences that promote higher achievement and develop the competencies needed for college and career readiness. Interactive learning blends print and technology in a student-centered, teacher-inspired classroom. This dynamic Pearson program creates an interactive, engaging, and relevant learning environment through readings, meaningful activities, and purposeful performance tasks. myPerspectives encourages social collaboration as well as student ownership of learning through goal setting, choice, and reflection. 

IB Aims and Objectives: 

The objectives of the teaching and learning of MYP Language and Literature are: 

A: Analyzing 

B: Organizing 

C: Producing Text 

D: Using Language 

As a part of the Middle Years Program (MYP), of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, the aim of the teaching of language and literature are to encourage and enable the student to: 

• Identify and explain the content, context, language, structure, technique, and style of text(s) and the relationship among texts 
• Identify and explain the effects of the creator’s choices on an audience 
• Justify opinions and ideas, using examples, explanations, and terminology 
• Interpret similarities and differences in features within and between genres and texts 
• Employ organizational structures that serve the context and intention 
• Organize opinions and ideas in a coherent and logical manner 
• Use referencing and formatting tools to create a presentation style suitable to the context and intentions 
• Produce texts that demonstrate thought, imagination, and sensitivity while exploring and considering new perspectives and ideas arising from personal engagement with the creative process 
• Make stylistic choices in terms of linguistic literary and visual devices, demonstrating an awareness of the impact on an audience 
• Select relevant details and examples to develop ideas 
• Use appropriate and varied vocabulary, sentence structures, and forms of expression 
• Write and speak in an appropriate register and style 
• Use correct grammar, syntax, and punctuation 
• Spell, write and pronounce with accuracy 
• Use appropriate non-verbal communication techniques 

Topics: 

• Quarter 1: Childhood: What are some of the challenges and triumphs of growing up? Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences. 
• Quarter 2: Imagination: Where can imagination lead? 

Which is more important: knowledge or imagination? Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences. 

• Quarter 3: Exploration: What drives people to explore? Students will complete a short argumentative essay where they state and support their position on the question, Can anyone be an explorer? Students will also present an argument in the form of an advertisement to answer the question, why should we explore new frontiers? The final writing assessment is an argumentative essay that takes a position on whether or not kids today should be encouraged to become explorers. Students will support their position with relevant textual evidence and present their work to the class in the form of a speech. 
• Quarter 4: Animal Allies: How can people and animals relate to each other? And How can people and animals help one another? write text-based explanatory essays and use research skills to create a multimedia presentation during this unit. 

Service Learning: 

• How children can help others overcome physical challenges by raising money to help those that require prosthetics. 
• How can people help one another: Funding clean water for underdeveloped countries through projects such as The Gigi Foundation.
• What drives people to explore: Creating innovative solutions for global problems. 

Internationalism 

Over the course of the year internationalism, is taught in ELA within the quarterly topics. 

• In Quarter 1, students will be reading multiple selections on the topic of childhood from different cultural backgrounds. They will be working to clarify their understanding of the essential questions: What are some of the challenges and triumphs of growing up and as a society, how can we help ensure that children are protected as they face the challenges of their world? Students will write a personal narrative, present it in order to revise their writing, and also complete an explanatory paragraph with textual evidence to reflect their work on the overarching essential question. Students will be introduced to basic parts of speech, capitalization, and some figurative language, as well as academic and domain-specific vocabulary.

• In Quarter 2, students will be reading multiple selections from authors around the world on the topic of imagination. They will be working to clarify their understanding of the essential question: Where does imagination lead? Students will write two or more narratives about literary characters encountered in the unit. One narrative will be written in a group and performed in front of the class; while the final writing assessment is independent work that culminates in an oral presentation. Optionally, students can complete a research report that compares and contrasts written and video versions of Alice in Wonderland. This can be completed as just a research outline or completed as a short essay. Students will practice sentence parts and types, sentence structures, conjunctions and interjections, and pronoun-antecedent agreement. The novel study for this unit is Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin and Freak the Mighty by Rodman Phil brick for GATE. 

• In Quarter 3, Students will be reading multiple selections on the topic of exploration. The selections present how throughout time exploration has solved global dilemmas. They will be working to clarify their understanding of the essential question: What drives people to explore? Students will complete a short argumentative essay where they state and support their position on the question, Can anyone be an explorer? Students will also present an argument in the form of an advertisement to answer the question, why should we explore new frontiers? The final writing assessment is an argumentative essay that takes a position on whether or not kids today should be encouraged to become explorers. Students will support their position with relevant textual evidence and present their work to the class in the form of a speech. Students will analyze the author’s word choice to establish mood and tone, craft and structure, theme, central idea, and making inferences. Language work in the unit will introduce prepositions and prepositional phrases, participle, and gerund phrases, and subject complements. The novel study in this unit is The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. 

• In Quarter 4, Students will be reading multiple selections on the topic of animal allies. These selections cover a variety of cultural backgrounds demonstrating the international theme of how people and animals help one another. They will be working to clarify their understanding of the essential question: How can people and animals relate to each other? And How can people and animals help one another? Students will write text-based explanatory essays and use research skills to create a multimedia presentation during this unit. Additionally, students will practice comparing and contrasting texts. Students will practice using commas, parentheses, and dashes, as well as spelling and capitalization. They will be introduced to verbs and their tenses, as well as perfect tenses of verbs. 

Teaching Methods 

The teaching techniques that will be used in this course include direct instruction, guided practice, cooperative learning, project-based activities, visual aids, student-led instruction, and scaffolding. 

Assessment 

Students will be assessed utilizing multiple methods in this course including checklists, rubrics, multiple-choice assessments, in-class assignments, projects, Socratic Seminars, and writing pieces. 

Resources 

“Language and Literature Guide.” Edited by IBO, International Baccalaureate, International 

Baccalaureate, 2014, IBO.org. 

myPerspectives English Language Arts. Pearson. https://bit.ly/2LmUkwL Accessed July 26, 2018.

MYP Syllabus

Course: 7th Grade Language and Literature

MYP Level: Year 2

Teacher: 

Teacher Contact:

1. Course Description:

myPerspectives is an English language arts curriculum that values the perspective of the learner, collectively and individually, and provides next-gen learning experiences that promote higher achievement and develop the competencies needed for college and career readiness. Interactive learning blends print and technology in a student-centered, teacher-inspired classroom. This dynamic Pearson program creates an interactive, engaging, and relevant learning environment through readings, meaningful activities, and purposeful performance tasks. myPerspectives encourages social collaboration as well as student ownership of learning through goal setting, choice, and reflection.

1. IB Aims and Objectives:

The objectives of the teaching and learning of MYP Language and Literature are:

A: Analyzing
B: Organizing
C: Producing Text
D: Using Language

As a part of the Middle Years Program (MYP), of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, the aim of the teaching of language and literature is to encourage and enable the student to:

• Identify and explain the content, context, language, structure, technique, and style of  text(s) and the relationship among texts
• Identify and explain the effects of the creator’s choices on an audience
• Justify opinions and ideas, using examples, explanations, and terminology
• Interpret similarities and differences in features within and between genres and texts
• Employ organizational structures that serve the context and intention
• Organize opinions and ideas in a coherent and logical manner
• Use referencing and formatting tools to create a presentation style suitable to the context and intentions
• Produce texts that demonstrate thought, imagination, and sensitivity while exploring and considering new perspectives and ideas arising from personal engagement with the creative process
• Make stylistic choices in terms of linguistic literary and visual devices, demonstrating awareness of the impact on an audience
• Select relevant details and examples to develop ideas
• Use appropriate and varied vocabulary, sentence structures, and forms of expression
• Write and speak in an appropriate register and style
• Use correct grammar, syntax, and punctuation
• Spell, write and pronounce with accuracy
• Use appropriate non-verbal communication techniques

III.  Topics:

• Quarter 1: Facing Adversity: How do we overcome obstacles?  How do individuals overcome challenging environments?

Expository Writing and Multimedia Presentation

• Quarter 2: A Starry Home: Should we explore if there are other worlds beyond our galaxy?

Argumentative Writing and Multimedia Presentation

• Quarter 3: Turning Points: What can cause a sudden change in someone’s life?

Expository Writing and Multimedia Presentation

• Quarter 4: People and the Planet: What effects do people have on the environment? In what way are people and animals’ dependent on the planet?  

Argumentative Writing and Multimedia Presentation

1. Service Learning:

• Long Walk to Water and the Iron Giraffe Challenge to raise money for water wells in Africa in conjunction with Unit 1 in ELA.

• Yearlong focus on recycling plastic and aluminum to assist in our fundraising. 
• They will demonstrate Learner Profile attributes and will reflect on the Approaches to Learning skills they are strengthening. 

1. Internationalism

Over the course of the year, internationalism is taught in ELA within the quarterly topics.  

In the Quarter 1 Facing Adversity unit, we will focus on Sudan and the cultural differences and adversities in the expectations of male and female roles in the family and society.  Students deepen their understanding by reading A Long Walk to Water. The end project focuses on the students reenacting the walk that Nya took daily in which the students carry jugs of water around the soccer field.  The performance-based assessment focuses on an essay in which students discuss how they overcome obstacles using the readings as textual evidence. 

In quarter 2, Starry Home unit, we focus on the local and global benefits and risks of space exploration and whether it should be a priority.  This unit is taught in conjunction with the Science unit on Space so that students are viewing and understanding the statement of inquiry, “should we explore space,”  from two perspectives with the end project focusing on a performance-based assessment research project using a variety of readings as textual evidence. 

In Quarter 3, Turning Points,  internationalism is taught via the scope of change and how we cope with it.  The statement of inquiry is “What can cause a sudden change in someone’s life?” and we will discuss this beginning with the focal points from our studies in Qtr 1 and 2 then segue into research, readings, and discussions of classic literature and nonfiction articles with a focus on how technology has assisted in changing lives via 3D printed prosthetics. This ties into our project, Pennies for Peace, which is a student-led fundraising project which provides prosthetics to children in the Middle East. 

In Quarter 4, People and the Planet, internationalism is taught with a focus on the statement of inquiry, “Are the needs of people ever more important than the needs of animals and the planet?” Students research all aspects of the question through videos, prose, and poetry from the lens of how we as humans are dependent on the earth as well as how that dependence affects currently and in the long run.  One aspect of this unit ties into our research from Quarter 1 as we will continue to collect and recycle plastic bottles. 

1. Teaching Methods

The teaching techniques that will be used in this course include direct instruction, guided practice, cooperative learning, project-based activities, visual aides, student-led instruction, and scaffolding. 

VII.  Assessment

Students will be assessed utilizing multiple methods in this course including checklists, rubrics, multiple-choice assessments, in-class assignments, projects, Socratic Seminars, and writing pieces.

 VIII.  Resources

“Language and Literature Guide.” Edited by IBO, International Baccalaureate, International Baccalaureate, 2014, IBO.org.

myPerspectives English Language Arts. Pearson. https://bit.ly/2LmUkwL Accessed July 26,