WT1, the 'imaginative piece'
Posted on 27 March 2012 at 09:22h
I am currently examining the last batch of written tasks from the old A2 course, and I'm coming across a lot of issues that are relevant for the new Language and Literature course. Essentially the core idea of the written task has not changed. But does everyone understand that 'core idea'?
Written task 1 is a unique form of assessment that students are not always accustomed to. It is not a book report. It is not an essay. It is also not a creative writing assignmet. So what is it exactly?
First of all, for a detailed description, I recommend checking out the written task introductory page on this Subject Site. You will noticed I recently added the following hand out, which should help everyone define the nature of this assessment.
WT1: what it is and what it is not
The written task 1 can be difficult to write, if you do not understand the nature of the task. Here is a table to clarify this form of assessment.
The girl playwrights
Posted on 21 February 2012 at 19:24h
I took a critical look at the drama trio - dead, white, men - and decided to look at the female playwrights listed on the Language A list. First of all, there are only six of them. Second of all, I went to Waterstone's on Gower Street, four stories and where much of the University College of London folk go book shopping. I found two of the six. Caryl Churchill and Sarah Kane. Sarah Kane is not someone I can teach in my classroom. Rape, sex with guns, cannibalism, and she sadly committed suicide before age thirty. Has anyone taught this to their students? Is there an equivalent male playwright who has put these things into words, and on stage, and been taught in high school English classes? Who chose her to put on the list, and based on what criteria? Shock factor? Pulp fiction resemblances? I have nothing against experimental theatre and pushing the limits of the expressable, but am not sure this is the best choice for the Literature A book list. Have a look.
Benetton is at it again
Posted on 16 February 2012 at 11:19h
Many of you may be familiar the Benetton ads from the 1980s and 1990s. Their ads have always been controversial and bold, exploring themes of race, AIDS, poverty and religion. In November 2011, Benetton launched their 'Unhate' campaign, which has placed them in the news again (see film below and image right).
The relevance of Benetton ads to Language and Literature
Why are the Benetton ads perfect for the Language and Literature classroom?
- We should explore visual texts in preparation for Paper 1.
- Because these texts are so devisive, they lend themselves well to the further oral activity, where discussion and criticism are vital.
- For written task 2, you will find prescribed questions that are particularly relevant to these ads. We suggest you check out a sample written task 2 which deals with the controversial ad 'La Pieta'. This ad was written after a lesson on HIV and the (visual) language of taboos, a Part 1 topic.
- The 'Unhate' campaign also raises the question of the role of editing (i.e. Photoshop), which is a very relevant topic for Part 2. Did Barack Obama and Hu Jintao give their permission to Benetton to be included this way in this image? The Pope has already asked for his image in the 'Unhate' campaign (where he kisses Sheik Ahmed el-Tayeb) to be banned.
- We are bombarded with ads daily. Part of developing good media literacy skills includes the deconstruction of ads. Benetton ads are particular interesting because of their daring themes, use of camera angle, lighting, mis-en-scene, and more.
Discussion questions and video
Finally, let us not forget Benetton's use of moving image. The recent 'Unhate' campaign included this video which also created quite a stir. This video, like the print ads, raises several important questions about advertising in general, which are worth discussing in class.
- Can advertising lead to social progress?
- Are advertisements the pulse of a nation?
- What is the difference between propaganda and advertising?
- How do advertiser sell an abstract ideal or emotion? How might this help sell physical products?
Written task 2: debunking the myths
Posted on 09 February 2012 at 19:39h
At workshops some questions have arisen about the nature of written task 2. I put these questions to the IB and received answers that I'd like to share with everyone here. These questions about the written task 2, also known as the 'critical response', are almost myths that are spreading quickly. So to debunk the top 6 myths of the written task 2, here I go! (You may also simply want to skip the myth debunking and go straight to our pages that explain the requirements of the written task 2)
Myth 1 - WT2 is for Parts 3 and 4 only
No, actually the questions for written task 2 are supposedly so versatile, they can be applied to any part of the syllabus. You can see that we have samples that relate to both the literary and non-literary parts under WT2 Questions & samples. We will continue to post more of these samples as the site develops.
Myth 2 - You only have to write one critical response (WT2)
The main idea of the written task portfolio (see guide) is that students write more tasks than they submit. Through practice, results improve. Therefore, we recommend writing two or MORE critical responses.
Myth 3 - WT2 must be based on a text studied in class
The guide states: "The critical response is based on material studied in the course." The term 'material', I've been reassurred, may be interpreted broadly. If you have studied five famous speeches in class, and a student analyzes a sixth speech out of class, then he/she may write his/her written task 2 on the sixth speech. What is important here though is the outline. Notice the requirements of the outline:
- the prescribed question that has been chosen
- the title of the text(s) for analysis
- the part of the course to which the task refers
- three or four key points that explain the particular focus of the task
Ask yourself: Does the student's analysis still relate to the part of the course which was studied in class? Is the student applying some of the theoretical ideas that were explored with texts in class to texts out of class? This sounds like good practice to me. What's most important is that the critical response is rooted in a primary source and answers one of the prescribed questions.
Myth 4 - Examiners only want the task and the outline
In fact, if students want to submit the text on which their task is based, they may! If students are analyzing a print ad, they may include the actual ad with the outline. This will only help the examiner. If they critical of a novel, they may want to include a passage that they are critical of. What's most important is that the requirement is met that the file size does exced 2 megabytes (Yes, we are uploading these on to IBIS).
Myth 5 - WT2 is a take-home assignment
You may be surprised to learn that outline must be written in class. While the critical respons itself IS a take-home assignment, the outline must be conducted under teacher supervision. The outline may also be written after the task, which is being found most practical by many teachers. I've personally used the outline as a kind of proposal for the critical response which I, as a teacher, must approve before students are allowed to engage in the writing process.
Myth 6 - You can submit 2 critical responses at HL
Hopefully we all realize that the written task 2 is an HL requirement only. SL students do not have to write these. Confusing however is the line in the guide on page 41 that reads: "One of the tasks submitted for external assessment must be a critical response (task 2)." The explanation ends there. One would expect the next line to read: "The other task submitted for external assessment must be an imaginitive piece (task 1)." This assumption is correct. HL students submit one of each. Either you submit the X possibility or the O possibility:
| Parts 1 & 2 | Parts 3 & 4 | |
| Written task 1 (imaginitive piece) | O | X |
| Written task 2 (critical response) | X | O |
Specimen papers
Posted on 16 January 2012 at 09:35h
For those who have not noticed yet, specimen papers are available on the OCC. As I write, the OCC is slightly under construction. The papers can be found on the Language A1 section (soon to be found in the Language and Literature section) under 'Assessment'.
You may also notice that sample responses have been written on all of the specimen Paper 1 texts in the assessement section of our Subject Site. For each text, both a good and poor sample response have been given. Comparing these, together with your students, should help you gain a better understanding of these new forms of assessment. Notice there's a big difference in difficulty between the HL and SL texts.
Many German, French and Spanish colleagues have asked me when the specimen papers are coming out for their languages. I have contacted the IB about his matter, and it turns out that specimen papers for other languages will not be made, unfortunately. You may want to inform your colleagues.
FOA reflective statement
Posted on 16 January 2012 at 09:21h
As we start assessing this first cohort of Language and Literature students, we are already conducting further oral activities (FOAs). The Language and Literature guide states clearly that student must submit a 'reflective statement' upon completing a further oral activity, according to the guidelines found in the Handbook of Procedures. Since the Handbook of Procedures does not come out until September 2012 for the 2011-2013 cohort, we find ourselves doing orals with no paper work. What's the solution?
I have contacted the IB about this issue, and the official line from the academics department is that we are to have students write 200-300 words in which they comment on their performance. It should be done AFTER their FOA. Once the forms come out in September we can ask students to write out their statements on this form again.
This is all we can do for now. I hope everyone manages all right. If you have any tips and tricks to share with the rest of us on how you conduct the further oral activity, please feel free to write a comment on the FOA tips page.
Comments
Post a comment about the contents of this page. To post comments you need to log in. If it is your first time you will need to subscribe.
No one has yet posted any comment. Be the first to comment.