Grades 11 to 12

This course is the first half of the rigorous IB English A Literature Higher Level course. Readings focus on authorial choice with respect to narrative voice, style, structure, and themes. The syllabus includes Roberto Bolano’s Amulet, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s This Side of Paradise, Ismail Kadare’s Broken April, Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake, Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice, Alice Munro’s short stories, and William Shakespeare’s As You Like It. While reading, students are also writing constantly, in both short and long contexts, during homework and in-class assessments. Ultimately, they produce a 1500-word paper, closely analyzing one of the texts, accompanied by a 400-word reflection, closely analyzing their own analyses. Their verbal-expression abilities are sharpened and assessed through full-class and small-group forums. Students must also perform the IB Oral Presentation, a fifteen-minute oral report grounded in detailed textual analysis.

This course is the first half of the IB English A Literature Standard Level course. Readings focus on authorial choice with respect to narrative voice, style, structure, and themes. The syllabus may include works such as Jean Anouilh’s Antigone, Daniel Clowes’s Ghost World, Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch, Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac, and Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We. While reading, students are also writing constantly, in both short and long contexts, during homework and in-class assessments. Ultimately, they produce a 1500-word paper, closely analyzing one of the texts, accompanied by a 400-word reflection, closely analyzing their own analyses. Their verbal-expression abilities are sharpened and assessed through full-class and small-group forums. Students must also perform the IB Oral Presentation, a fifteen-minute oral report grounded in detailed textual analysis.

This course is the first half of the rigorous IB English A Language and Literature Higher Level course. Readings are split evenly between literary texts – the most recent syllabus included F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, and poetry by Wilfred Owen – and non-literary texts chosen from multiple sources, genres, and media, including product and service advertisements, political campaigns, blogs, speeches, essays, films, propaganda, editorial cartoons, social media, opinion columns, newspaper articles, interviews, public service announcements, websites, letters, memoirs, song lyrics, and screenplays. While reading, students are also writing constantly, in both short and long contexts, through homework and in-class assessments. Ultimately, they produce two 1000-word papers, one closely analyzing a literary text and one closely analyzing a non-literary text. Students’ verbal-expression abilities are honed and assessed through the IB Individual Oral Commentary, a fifteen-minute recorded oral exam on one of the literature texts, and an IB Oral Activity, such as a dramatic presentation or a formal debate, on one of the non-literary texts.

This course is the first half of the IB English A Language and Literature Standard Level course. Readings are split evenly between literary texts – past works have included Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and Richard Wright’s Black Boy – and non-literary texts chosen from multiple sources, genres, and media, including product and service advertisements, political campaigns, blogs, speeches, essays, films, propaganda, editorial cartoons, social media, opinion columns, newspaper articles, interviews, public service announcements, websites, letters, memoirs, song lyrics, and screenplays. While reading, students are also writing constantly, in both short and long contexts, through homework and in-class assessments. Ultimately, they produce two 1000-word papers, one closely analyzing a literary text and one closely analyzing a non-literary text. Students’ verbal-expression abilities are honed and assessed through the IB Individual Oral Commentary, a fifteen-minute recorded oral exam on one of the literature texts, and an IB Oral Activity, such as a dramatic presentation or a formal debate, on one of the non-literary texts.

This course is the first half of the IB English B Literature Higher Level course, designed for students for whom English is not a native language. Readings focus on voice, style, structure, and themes. Past syllabus texts have included Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Moises Kaufman’s The Laramie Project, and a selection of shorter texts in a wide range of literary genre and language type. While reading, students are also writing and analyzing in both short and long contexts, through homework and in-class assessments. They produce several essays throughout the year, honing their comprehension and expression skills. Their verbal abilities are sharpened and assessed through class participation and the IB Interactive Oral Presentations, in which they demonstrate their ability to craft and articulate detailed textual interpretations.

This course is the second half of the rigorous IB English A Literature Higher Level course. The syllabus includes Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange, Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories, William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, David Mamet’s Oleanna, David Foster Wallace’s A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, and a selection of poetry by Seamus Heaney. As they study these works, students sharpen their ability to recognize recurring themes, styles, narrative identities, and literary devices that transcend culture, genre, and time periods. Students strive to exhibit mastery in both written and spoken literary analysis, as assessed in the IB Oral Commentary, a twenty-minute recorded oral exam, and the two two-hour analytical essays that comprise their IB Literature final examination.

This course is the second half of the IB English A Language and Literature Higher Level course. Readings are split evenly between literary texts – the most recent syllabus included Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, and Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex – and non-literary texts chosen from multiple sources, genres, and media, including product and service advertisements, political campaigns, blogs, speeches, essays, films, propaganda, editorial cartoons, social media, opinion columns, newspaper articles, interviews, public service announcements, websites, letters, memoirs, song lyrics, and screenplays. While reading, students are also writing constantly, in both short and long contexts, through homework and in-class assessments. Ultimately, they produce two additional 1000-word papers, one closely analyzing a literary text and one closely analyzing a non-literary text; they also continue to hone their verbal-expression skills through another IB Oral Activity, such as a dramatic presentation or a formal debate, and the two two-hour analytical essays that comprise their IB Language and Literature final examination.

This course is the second half of the IB English A Language and Literature Standard Level course. Readings are split evenly between literary texts – the most recent syllabus included Merce Rodereda’s The Time of the Doves and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein – and non-literary texts chosen from multiple sources, genres, and media, including product and service advertisements, political campaigns, blogs, speeches, essays, films, propaganda, editorial cartoons, social media, opinion columns, newspaper articles, interviews, public service announcements, websites, letters, memoirs, song lyrics, and screenplays. While reading, students are also writing constantly, in both short and long contexts, through homework and in-class assessments. Ultimately, they produce an additional 1000-word paper; they also continue to hone their verbal-expression skills through another IB Oral Activity, such as a dramatic presentation or a formal debate, and the two ninety-minute analytical essays that comprise their IB Language and Literature final examination.

IB Mathematical Studies I is the first half of a comprehensive IB Diploma mathematics course. Students begin this course by developing their knowledge of the mathematical notation and language essential for successful mathematical thinking. Following this unit, students explore advanced techniques in data analysis, geometric and trigonometric properties of shapes and figures, applications of functions, and other mathematical concepts. In addition to the class’s core coursework, each student in this course designs and implements an independent study project that finds practical, real-world applications for the course’s theoretical concepts.

IB Mathematical Studies SL II is the second half of a comprehensive IB Diploma mathematics course. It is designed to encourage appreciation of mathematics in students who do not anticipate the need for further studies in this area through interesting applications. Students begin this half of the course by examining arithmetic and geometric sequences and series and their relationships to financial mathematics. During this half of the course, students also have the opportunity to explore more complex concepts in mathematics such as mathematical modeling and differential calculus. Much of the work done within these topics is at an introductory level.

IB Mathematics SL I is the first half of a comprehensive IB Diploma mathematics course. This course is designed for students who need mathematics in college for chemistry, economics, and business. During the year students will build on the skills that they developed during the Algebra II & Trigonometry Honors course, becoming better at analyzing problems, at working accurately, and at explaining their methods. They deepen their knowledge of trigonometry and algebra, and are introduced to the differentiation and integration of simple functions. They use these calculus skills to solve problems involving kinematics as well as problems involving slopes of lines and areas under curves. As part of the course, students have to complete a research investigation using topics they encounter during the course.

IB Mathematics SL II is the second half of a comprehensive IB Diploma mathematics course. This course is the second year of a two-year course. At the end of their senior year they will take the International Baccalaureate Standard Level Mathematics examination. Topics studied this year were advanced techniques of differentiation and integration including trigonometric and logarithmic functions, and problems on application including finding areas and volumes. Advanced problems on vectors, statistics, and trigonometry of the general triangle, complete the course.

This is the first of a two-year course and is the most challenging mathematics course offered by the International Baccalaureate. This course is intended for students who are likely to go on to major in mathematics, physics, or engineering in college, and are willing to devote a substantial amount of their time to master the topics involved while developing their ability to analyze, solve problems, and communicate their ideas clearly. It involves an introduction to differential and integral calculus, both the underlying concepts and the techniques. Other topics studied are the vector geometry of the plane, probability and statistics, algebra, and trigonometry. As part of the course, students have to complete a research investigation using topics they encounter during the course. At the end of the first year of this course, the students take the International Baccalaureate examination at Standard Level.

This course is the second year of a two-year course. During this course, students learn topics such as complex numbers and mathematical induction, while deepening their knowledge of trigonometric functions and identities and calculus. After completing their study of core content, students get the opportunity to explore one of the following Options at a more advanced level: Statistics & Probability, Sets, Relations & Groups, Calculus or Discrete Mathematics. At the end of their senior year, students take the IB Higher Level examination.

Students will study the basic principles and methods of statistics. Course objectives include knowledge of concepts, terms, and symbols to analyze data, as well as learning to perform appropriate operations, interpret, and communicate quantitative information. Topics include frequency distributions, measure of central tendency, probability, samples, estimation, hypothesis testing, and linear regression. Assessments will be by quizzes, tests, projects, and a final examination.

This course is the first half of the intensive two-year IB Diploma Program course. This Higher Level course covers topics at a level similar to an introductory biology course at the college level. Students rigorously engage in a detailed exploration of biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, genetics, biostatistics, and the human gastrointestinal and cardiovascular systems. Students also spend a significant amount of time linking the various biological concepts they learn to relevant global issues such as nutrition, health, and the politics of the food and drug industries. They are encouraged to challenge many of the established scientific paradigms and to examine the discipline from multiple perspectives. Students complete a multiplicity of formative and summative assessments that include specific homework questions, quizzes and exams, critical thinking problems, mini-essays, data interpretation, and several hands-on laboratory investigations that include, but are not limited to, enzyme catalysis, light microscopy, DNA extraction, photosynthetic chromatography, osmosis, and clinical skills. SAT Subject Test practice is incorporated and materials are made available for those students interested in taking the test at the end of the school year.

This course is the second half of the rigorous two-year Diploma Program course. Students continue their exploration into the various human organ systems and embark on a detailed examination of evolution from a variety of perspectives. As students have already mastered a significant number of skills and concepts from IB Biology I, they are now expected to ascend to new levels of mastery that involve synthesizing the material in new ways and applying these concepts to global perspectives. Students complete a variety of formative and summative assessments but particularly focus on questions taken directly from previous IB exams. Their study of human organ systems culminates in the full dissection of a fetal pig. Students also design and carry out their own unique experimental investigation as a final requirement for their laboratory portfolio. During the final two months of class, students sit for daily quizzes consisting solely of questions from former IB Biology papers as to provide a solid preparation for the actual exams in May.

This course is the first half of the rigorous IB Diploma Program course. The first part of the year focuses on students gaining familiarity with the procedures of the chemistry lab along with the units, conversions, and mathematics of chemistry — known as stoichiometry. Students build their understanding of matter from the most microscopic level of atoms, subatomic particles, and chemical bonding up through the macroscopic chemical and physical properties they can observe and measure. The final topics of the year include chemical bonding, oxidation and reduction, and energetics, which are full of real-world examples and connections. SAT Subject Test practice will be incorporated and materials will be made available for those students interested in taking the test at the end of the school year. The course provides a variety of ways for students to engage and display their understanding of the material, however, the majority of the emphasis is placed on the types of assessments on which they will be officially graded by the IB at the end of the senior year: lab reports and the IB examination. Lab reports are written regularly to provide students with opportunities to improve their ability to plan their own investigations, present processed data, and evaluate results and procedures. As the IB examination is a challenging test that draws on students’ ability to make conceptual connections and solve problems in unfamiliar situations, students are tested with questions from past IB exams to become familiar with the styles of questions and the best approaches to solving them.

This course is the second half of the rigorous IB Diploma Program course. While fewer topics are explicitly covered than during the junior year, those that are covered are of an increased complexity. Students learn key ideas of kinetics and equilibrium and how they affect the productivity of the chemical industry. Through studying core topics such as acids and bases, organic chemistry, the options of human biochemistry, and medicines and drugs, students learn about chemical details that influence their everyday lives. These real-world connections include discussions about the Earth’s atmosphere, the uses of crude oil, and factors that impact the health of the human body. While the course provides a variety of ways for students to engage and display their understanding of the material, the official IB grade is based on two components: the internally assessed lab report and the externally assessed IB examination. Lab investigations are carried out frequently so that students will be familiar with important laboratory techniques and to get students observing and testing the concepts they have been discussing in class. Lab reports are written regularly to provide students with opportunities to improve their ability to plan their own investigations, present processed data, and evaluate results and procedures. The IB examination is a challenging test, drawing on students’ ability to make conceptual connections and solve problems in unfamiliar situations.

As the second half of the rigorous IB Diploma Program course, students learn key ideas of kinetics and equilibrium and how they affect the productivity of the chemical industry. Through studying core topics such as acids and bases, organic chemistry, the options of human biochemistry, and medicines and drugs, students learn about chemical details that influence their everyday lives. While continuing to complete their Standard Level requirements, students dedicate time outside of class and after school to complete extra hours in the lab and to cover the more advanced additional topics of the Higher Level syllabus. Additional topics include atomic and molecular orbital theory, expanded octets and electron delocalization; the relationship of entropy, enthalpy, and free energy in the spontaneity of chemical processes; rate expressions and experimentally determining activation energies; the chemistry of buffer solutions; geometric and stereoisomerism; as well as elimination reactions and condensation polymerization. While the course provides a variety of ways for students to engage and display their understanding of the material, the official IB grade is based on two components: the internally assessed lab report and the externally assessed IB examination. Lab investigations are carried out frequently so that students are familiar with important laboratory techniques and to get students to observe and test the concepts that are discussed in class. Lab reports are written regularly to provide students with opportunities to improve their ability to plan their own investigations, present processed data, and evaluate results and procedures. The IB examination is a challenging test that draws on students’ ability to make conceptual connections and solve problems in unfamiliar situations.

As the first half of the IB transdisciplinary course, it uniquely contains various sciences, coupled with a societal viewpoint, all intertwined to help students understand the environment and its sustainability. Students will write and communicate findings throughout the lab and field experiences in creative ways. The course provides avenues for students to discover and develop an international dimension. The students will consider the interdependence of individuals, communities, and nations around the world as governmental and nongovernmental agencies work to manage and preserve the resources of our globe’s environment. As a result of this course, the students will develop a holistic appreciation of complexities of local and global environmental issues and also how different societies influence them. The content is directed towards the understanding of ecosystems and their functions, as well as the resources present now and those that will project into the future. Units such as systems and models, ecosystem structure, ecosystem function, biomes, ecosystem changes, population dynamics, natural capital and sustainability, and energy resources are covered in depth. Yearly assessments include numerous internally assessed pieces of practical work coupled with lab reports (e.g. predatory-prey relationships, the rate of photosynthesis, fungal succession and the colonization of bread, the ideal habitat of a mealworm, food webs, population growth studies, classification keys), online simulations (e.g. population dynamics and census case studies), class presentations (e.g. energy resources for our future), unit tests, and finally, the junior final examinations.

This is the second half of the IB transdisciplinary subject, Environmental Systems & Societies. The curriculum focuses on providing students with a coherent perspective of the interrelationships between environmental systems and societies — one that enables them to adopt an informed personal response to the wide range of pressing environmental issues that they will inevitably come to face. Students evaluate the scientific, ethical, and socio-political aspects of various issues. This course will provide the students with necessary skills to analyze and promote cultural awareness, connect technology and its influence on the environment, and realize that global societies are linked to the environment at a number of levels and variety of scales. They will, in turn, learn that the resolution of many of these issues rely heavily on international relationships and agreements. The content is directed towards the understanding of human impact on the environment. Students will consider the costs and benefits of human activities both for the environment and societies. Units such as soil systems, food production systems, water resources, ecological footprints, global warming, ozone depletion, acid deposition, eutrophication, urban air pollution, and domestic waste are covered in depth. Yearly assessments include numerous internally assessed pieces of practical work coupled with lab reports (e.g. factors affecting food production systems, eutrophication and biological oxygen demand, effects of harmful ultraviolet rays on bacterial growth), survey analysis (e.g. viewpoints on global warming), online simulations (e.g. ecological footprint calculations, car-emission comparison studies and population dynamics), unit tests, the mock IB examinations, and finally, the IB final examinations.

This is the first year of the IB Diploma Program course. The course is taught at the Higher Level, leaving students with the option of taking the Higher or Standard Level exam in their senior year. Continuing from the topics covered in tenth grade physics, students study simple harmonic motion, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics, nuclear physics, and an introduction to quantum physics. Testing is comprised of a blend of introductory calculations as well as the more sophisticated IB exam questions. Practical work includes traditional lab exercises as well as student-designed labs, using both mechanical and electronic data measuring apparatus. Emphasis is placed on developing a conceptual grasp of basic data analysis. There is a brief introduction to optics and rotational motion in preparation for the optional SAT Subject Test at the end of the year.

In this second year of the IB Physics course, the syllabus turns to topics that draw upon the foundation of skills and content that has been previously established. Frequent revisions of the IB Physics syllabus ensure that very recent discoveries are included in the material. Students are introduced to the modern fields of relativity and astrophysics, as well as the physics of energy resources. Practical work is focused sharply on experiments of the students’ own design in areas of their preference. As the year comes to a close, an intensive period of review and exam practice prepares students for the IB exams in May.

This is the first year of a two-year business course with an emphasis on scientific decision-making in the business environment. Students cover a wide breadth of material including business organization as an environment, accounting and finance, human resources, marketing, operations, and business strategy. The first year of the course covers four broad areas. First, students investigate the purpose of businesses and the advantages and disadvantages of various organizational structures. The financial language of business is introduced during the accounting and finance unit in which students learn not only how to build the three basic final accounts but also how to conduct ratio analysis while analyzing the meaning behind these calculations. In the marketing unit, students categorize and discuss many intuitive concepts, and assess the fit of a marketing mix to a good or service. At the culmination of the first year, students learn to assess the external environment and practice utilizing both qualitative and quantitative decision-making tools. In addition to frequent reading quizzes, students complete several case studies and compete in Jeopardy-style review sessions. The course culminates with a final exam consisting of both short-answer and IB case questions.

The course is the second year of a two-year business course with an emphasis on scientific decision-making in the business environment. The course covers a wide breadth of material including business organization and environment, accounting and finance, human resources, marketing, operations, and strategy. During the second year of the course, students review the four areas covered during the prior year and build upon this with two new units. When investigating human resources, students recall the corporate cultures at Hershey and Mars and discuss how leadership styles can affect the performance of a business. Students then delve into the operations side of the business, where they compare just-in-case and just-in-time production techniques while learning to calculate the number of units required for a business to break even. The Internal Assessment requires that students examine a forward-looking business problem and create a report that recommends a specific course of action. Students practice utilizing various business techniques and learn to collect both primary and secondary research. In March, students take a full-length practice IB exam: the Mock IB.

This course is the first year of a demanding two-year sequence in modern world history with an emphasis on Europe. Students examine a variety of themes, ranging from the causes and effects of World War I and II to the state of Europe after the wars. With the incorporation of primary documents along with a variety of historical viewpoints, students hone their critical thinking skills by looking at major themes such as causes and effects of war, the rise and development of single party states, and the causes of the Cold War. Through a variety of essays, mini-research papers, term quizzes, and document analyses, students develop numerous tools required for historical analysis while demonstrating an understanding of information within a historical and geographical context, evaluating both secondary and primary resources.

This is the last year of a two-year course in modern world history with an emphasis on Europe. Causes and effects of war, the rise and development of single-party states, and the Cold War are the largest thematic areas covered. Students begin the year with a brief introduction to colonial empires and their impact on European relations pre-WWI. As a fast-paced course designed to prepare students for the IB exams in May, it requires an in-depth understanding of topics such as the economic failures and success of Hitler’s government, and the ineffectiveness of the policy of appeasement in establishing collective security. Students learn to evaluate different types of source material from government archives to academic journal articles, and then to assess conflicting interpretations. Through an IB research paper investigation, and a comparative essay on two single-party states, students develop the skills needed to succeed. They demonstrate an understanding of the information within a historical and geographical context, evaluating both secondary and primary resources. In March, students take a full-length practice IB exam: the Mock IB.

The course is the first year of a demanding two-year sequence in modern world history with an emphasis on single-party states. The course analyzes the cause and effects of both World Wars. These wars are evaluated with an emphasis on evolving historiography but always in the context of the development of totalitarianism. The course examines the rise and rule of single-party state leaders such as Mussolini, Hitler, and Stalin. The similarities of their tactics and personal appeal are evaluated in detail. The year includes a close survey of modern China from the Boxer Rebellion through the economic reforms of Deng Xiao Ping. The final unit of the year is on the Cold War. Students are required to look at the evolving saga from American, Soviet, and Western Europe perspectives.

Through a variety of essays, mini-research papers, term quizzes, and document analyses, students develop numerous tools required for historical analysis. Through this, they also demonstrate an understanding of information within a historical and geographical context, evaluating both secondary and primary resources. Students complete an IB Internal Assessment research paper during the year and practice writing on a variety of IB exam essay topics.

The course is the first year of a demanding two-year sequence in modern world history with an emphasis on single-party states. The course analyzes causes and effects of WWI and WWII, and specifically the impact it has on subsequent world events. We evaluate sources with an emphasis on evolving historiography but always in the context of the development of totalitarianism. The course examines the rise and rule of single-party state leaders such as Mussolini, Hitler, and Stalin. The similarities of their tactics and personal appeal are evaluated in detail. The year includes a close survey of modern China from the Boxer Rebellion through the economic reforms of Deng Xiao Ping. The final unit of the year is on the Cold War. Students are required to look at the evolving saga from American, Soviet, and Western Europe perspectives.

Through a variety of essays, mini-research papers, term quizzes, and document analyses, students develop numerous tools required for historical analysis. Through this, they also demonstrate an understanding of information within a historical and geographical context, evaluating both secondary and primary resources. Students complete an IB Internal Assessment research paper during the year and practice writing on a variety of IB exam essay topics.

IB Language A HL is a literature course for native speakers. Students read two to three foreign novels in translation and seven to ten major works of literature written in the language studied. All books are chosen from a prescribed list published by the IB. This program includes literature from a variety of countries where the language is spoken and comprises works from at least three different eras. Beyond the content of the works studied, students familiarize themselves with the specific conventions of various genres and learn to conduct literary analysis. During the two-year course, assessments include essay writing, oral presentations as well as oral and written literary commentary. The final assessment of the course includes an internal oral (text analysis) and an external written exam prepared by IB.

The course covers contemporary issues through the core topics of communication and the media, social relationships, and global issues. Students also study two options, chosen between the topics of health, leisure, cultural diversity, customs, and traditions or science and technology. Through these topics, students practice oral and written communication in preparation for the external IB exam in the senior year. They produce a range of text types, such as a persuasive speech, journal entry, and article, and reach a high level of proficiency and are able to debate, analyze, and respond to a variety of visual and written texts.

Reading comprehension, oral presentations, and class discussions are major aspects of the course, in addition to grammar review in order to hone skills. Students are required to complete a “Written Assignment:” a paper and rationale on a topic of their choice, which demonstrates their analytical skills.

In this course, students also develop intercultural understanding and an awareness of language the role of the relationship between language and the cultures they know and those they are learning about.

This is a two-year IB program. The course covers contemporary issues through the core topics of communication and the media, social relationship, and global issues. Students also study two options, chosen between the topics of health, leisure, cultural diversity, customs and traditions or science and technology. Through these topics, students practice oral and written communication in preparation for the external IB exam in the senior year. They produce a range of text types, such as a persuasive speech, journal entry, and article, and reach a very high level of proficiency through which they are able to debate, analyze, and respond to a variety of visual and written texts.

Reading comprehension, oral presentations, and class discussions are major aspects of the course, in addition to grammar review in order to hone skills. Students are required to complete a “Written Assignment,” a paper and rationale on a topic of their choice, which demonstrate their analysis skills. Students also develop deeper intercultural understanding, and a stronger awareness of the relationship between language and the cultures they know and those they are learning about.

In addition to the above, students study two texts of literature and analyze them in the target language.

The course covers contemporary issues through the core topics of communication and the media, social relationships, and global issues. Students also study two options, chosen between the topics of health, leisure, cultural diversity, customs, and traditions or science and technology. Through these topics, students practice oral and written communication in preparation for the external IB exam in the senior year. They produce a range of text types, such as a persuasive speech, journal entry, and article, and reach a high level of proficiency and are able to debate, analyze, and respond to a variety of visual and written texts.

Reading comprehension, oral presentations, and class discussions are major aspects of the course, in addition to grammar review in order to hone skills. Students are required to complete a “Written Assignment:” a paper and rationale on a topic of their choice, which demonstrates their analytical skills.

In this course, students also develop intercultural understanding and an awareness of language the role of the relationship between language and the cultures they know and those they are learning about.

This is a two-year IB program. The course covers contemporary issues through the core topics of communication and the media, social relationship, and global issues. Students also study two options, chosen between the topics of health, leisure, cultural diversity, customs and traditions or science and technology. Through these topics, students practice oral and written communication in preparation for the external IB exam in the senior year. They produce a range of text types, such as a persuasive speech, journal entry, and article, and reach a very high level of proficiency through which they are able to debate, analyze, and respond to a variety of visual and written texts.

Reading comprehension, oral presentations, and class discussions are major aspects of the course, in addition to grammar review in order to hone skills. Students are required to complete a “Written Assignment,” a paper and rationale on a topic of their choice, which demonstrate their analysis skills. Students also develop deeper intercultural understanding, and a stronger awareness of the relationship between language and the cultures they know and those they are learning about.

In addition to the above, students study two texts of literature and analyze them in the target language.

This is not an IB course. Students in this program focus on functional language in selected situations. In this phase of Spanish language learning, students will understand linguistic, cultural, and grammatical concepts in second language study. The lessons incorporate visual resources from a variety of materials to provide students with a wide comprehension of Hispanic culture and history. Students practice the integrated skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) daily. At the conclusion of Spanish IV, students will possess a greater understanding of the Hispanic communities in their area and students will understand that the Spanish language widens their horizons as well as enriches their own culture and allows them to communicate worldwide.

Language and Literature SL and HL is a course for native speakers of Mandarin. The course aims to develop in students skills of textual analysis and the understanding that texts, both literary and non-literary. Students explore how language develops in specific cultural contexts and consider the way language is used in the mass media. Further questions seek to explore the nature and meaning of art through an understanding of its social, cultural or historical context and the role of the reader or audience’s response to the text in generating meaning. Students also read two to three foreign novels in translation and two to three major works of literature originally written in Mandarin. All books are chosen from a prescribed list published by the IB. During the two-year course, assessments include essay writing and oral presentations as well as oral and written literary commentary. The final assessment of the course includes an internal oral (text analysis) and an external written exam prepared by IB.

IB Language A HL is a literature course for native speakers. Students read two to three foreign novels in translation and seven to ten major works of literature written in the language studied. All books are chosen from a prescribed list published by the IB. This program includes literature from a variety of countries where the language is spoken and comprises works from at least three different eras. Beyond the content of the works studied, students familiarize themselves with the specific conventions of various genres and learn to conduct literary analysis. During the two-year course, assessments include essay writing, oral presentations as well as oral and written literary commentary. The final assessment of the course includes an internal oral (text analysis) and an external written exam prepared by IB.

The course covers contemporary issues through the core topics of communication and the media, social relationships, and global issues. Students also study two options, chosen between the topics of health, leisure, cultural diversity, customs, and traditions or science and technology. Through these topics, students practice oral and written communication in preparation for the external IB exam in the senior year. They produce a range of text types, such as a persuasive speech, journal entry, and article, and reach a high level of proficiency and are able to debate, analyze, and respond to a variety of visual and written texts.

Reading comprehension, oral presentations, and class discussions are major aspects of the course, in addition to grammar review in order to hone skills. Students are required to complete a “Written Assignment:” a paper and rationale on a topic of their choice, which demonstrates their analytical skills.

In this course, students also develop intercultural understanding and an awareness of language the role of the relationship between language and the cultures they know and those they are learning about.

The language ab initio course encourages the students to reflect on cultural values and behaviours in different ways. The course is divided into three broad themes (individuals and societies, leisure and work, urban and rural environment), all of which are well suited to fostering an international perspective. The language ab initio course, albeit at a basic level, seeks to develop intercultural understanding and foster a concern for global issues, as well as to raise students’ awareness of their own responsibility at a local level. Students learn to communicate using a wide range of vocabulary and structures. They organize their writing following the conventions for a number of text types, writing logical texts and expressing ideas and opinions. In oral activities, students are taught to express themselves using appropriate pronunciation and intonation.

The course covers contemporary issues through the core topics of communication and the media, social relationships, and global issues. Students also study two options, chosen between the topics of health, leisure, cultural diversity, customs, and traditions or science and technology. Through these topics, students practice oral and written communication in preparation for the external IB exam in the senior year. They produce a range of text types, such as a persuasive speech, journal entry, and article, and reach a high level of proficiency and are able to debate, analyze, and respond to a variety of visual and written texts.

Reading comprehension, oral presentations, and class discussions are major aspects of the course, in addition to grammar review in order to hone skills. Students are required to complete a “Written Assignment:” a paper and rationale on a topic of their choice, which demonstrates their analytical skills.

In this course, students also develop intercultural understanding and an awareness of language the role of the relationship between language and the cultures they know and those they are learning about.

Latin is taken as an elective course, with classes meeting twice per cycle. Homework is assigned after each lesson, and tests are given at the end of each chapter in the textbook Ecce Romani. There are review tests every few chapters. At the advanced level, students are able to translate texts with all declensions of nouns and all conjugations of verbs in the present, imperfect, future, perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect tenses. The verbs in the passive voice are added. Students are expected to apply the grammar they have learned in multiple contexts. In their word study, students become proactive in identifying words with Latin derivations.

Students who elect to study languages not taught at Dwight may choose to study independently with the help and guidance of the Head of World Language. The students are supported by the language A coordinator regarding deadlines and methodologies, but they work individually on literature analysis. Assessment consists of an analytical paper based on works read, an oral prepared by the IB, and a final exam administered at the end of the senior year.

Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is a unique course available to all grade eleven Dwight students. TOK is a compulsory course for full IB diploma students. In this course, students examine the nature of knowledge, learn to question assumptions, and develop a broader understanding of the world in which they live.

TOK I is centered on a study of Ways of Knowing (the methods we use to acquire knowledge) and Areas of Knowledge (the subject areas or disciplines into which knowledge is frequently classified). Students investigate these concepts through an in-class presentation that explores a knowledge question based on a real-life situation.

Throughout the TOK course, students question themselves and analyze concepts in order to gain a critical awareness of what they know. Some of the questions students analyze are:

• How do the limits of our abilities to perceive impact our abilities to know?
• Does knowledge require a rational foundation?
• Is there any kind of knowledge that can be acquired through purely emotional means?
• How might history be considered a study of the records of the past rather than a study of the past?

• Must art have meaning?

In Theory of Knowledge (TOK), students examine the nature of knowledge, learn to question assumptions, and develop a broader understanding of the world they live in. To open the year, we examined ‘knowledge issues,’ questions that directly refer to the acquisition of knowledge. We have also built upon the students’ understanding of the role of language, reason, and emotion in the knowledge acquisition process.

While we are careful to maintain a clear distinction between TOK and the Extended Essay research paper, the class also acts as a classroom ‘home’ for the Extended Essay. Additionally, students are in the process of developing TOK essays based on philosophical prompts provided by the IB. Strong performance on these two key assignments can earn students bonus points toward their IB Diploma.