Language B Curriculum Guide Description The primary aim of language B in the MYP is to encourage students to gain competence in a modern language other than their mother tongue, with the long-term goal of balanced bilingualism. The IBO acknowledges that learning additional languages greatly contributes to the holistic development of students. Proficiency in a second language gives students access to a broader range of input, experiences and perspectives, and is believed to raise achievement in other subject areas, as well as giving the student the enjoyment of being able to communicate in a language other than their mother tongue. The study of MYP language B aims to encourage in the student a respect for and understanding of other languages and cultures, and to provide a skills base to facilitate further language learning. (IB MYP Language B Guide 2006) Aims Language B aims and objectives The aims of the study of modern foreign languages are to: enable the student to use language(s) effectively as a means of practical communication, providing a sound base of communication skills necessary for future study, work and leisure enable the student to understand the nature of language and the process of total language learning, which comprises the integration of linguistic, cultural and social components enable the student to develop an appreciation of a variety of literary and non-literary texts offer insight into the cultural characteristics of the communities where the language(s) is (are) spoken encourage an awareness and understanding of the perspectives of people from other cultures promote involvement with different communities, where relevant provide access to varied sources of information foster curiosity, a lifelong interest and enjoyment in language learning. Objectives At the end of the course students should be able to: communicate information, ideas and opinions demonstrate comprehension of specific factual information and attitudes, expressed in spoken and written contexts identify main ideas and supporting details and draw conclusions from spoken and written texts understand and appropriately use structures and vocabulary request and provide information in both spoken and written contexts engage actively in oral production using comprehensible pronunciation and intonation take part in formal and informal exchanges related to the areas of interaction and to cultural and international issues. Language B assessment Periodically during the year, students are awarded a level of achievement for each criterion. For each assessment criterion a number of band descriptors are defined, which indicate the progress of the student. Students and parents will be made aware of all the band descriptors during the year. Criterion Levels Band descriptor for the highest level possible 0-8 Level 7-8 Communicates clearly and effectively, developing both simple and complex ideas. Opinions are justified. Understands and responds correctly in both familiar and spontaneous situations. Contributes to the flow of conversation and is actively engaged. A Speaking & listening message and interaction B Speaking language 0-8 Level 7-8 Occasional mistakes in pronunciation do not interfere with understanding. Uses a wide range of appropriate vocabulary and structures. Attempt to use idiomatic expressions. Very few errors. C Writing message and organisation 0-8 Level 7-8 Communicates information clearly and effectively. Both simple and complex ideas are relevant and supported. Structures work
clearly and effectively, adding clarity to the message, with effective use of linking phrases. D Writing- language 0-8 Level 7-8 Wide range of vocabulary and structures. Uses idiom appropriate to the context. Shows good command of spelling and writing. Consistently uses an appropriate register. E Reading comprehension 0-8 Level 7-8 Identifies complex ideas. Draws conclusions and recognizes opinions and attitudes implied in the text. Identifies some aspects of style. Shows a good understanding of the overall text. MYP1 Language B course description for Spanish Introduce themselves, greet someone and ask them how they are, using personal pronouns Ask for people's ages and birthdays, using ordinal numbers and possessive adjectives Say what they have in their backpack, using indefinite articles Name and spell things in the classroom, understand and say some useful phrases, using definite articles Name parts of a computer and use phrases for using a computer, using imperatives Say their nationality and where they come from, using the verb ser Say where they live and what languages they speak, using the present tense Talk about their families and pets, using adjectives Describe their eyes and hair, size and colouring, using verbs in the 1 st, 2 nd and 3 rd persons of the singular Listen to and understand short conversations Make a poster saying how old they are and asking about other people's birthdays Read and match texts with pictures Listen to their teacher s directions in Spanish Ask for explanation in Spanish and respond, showing they understand Follow written instructions in Spanish to perform an individual task on the computer In groups, paint a map of the world on the wall, write the names of some countries, and then do a written survey about the different nationalities and languages represented in the school. Finally, indicate the results by displaying pictures and short introductory sentences all over the map. Use their imagination to create a character of their own-it can be an animal, a human being, a monster or a hybrid- Give it a material form, and write a description to introduce it to the class Find out who can speak Spanish in the school or your neighbourhood, arrange an interview on the questions learned during this term and record it (audio or video) Talk about school subjects, expressing likes and dislikes: Te gusta? Me gusta, no me gusta Describe their school, using noun and adjective agreement Say how they get to school and at what time, using the verb llegar, and prepositions en, a Talk about their home and saying where it is, using the verb vivir in present tense Talk about what different towns are like Talk about the weather, using hace Ask and say the time and talk about timetables and meal times, using frequency adverbs Talk about daily routines and what they do after school Give opinions about school subjects, using adjectives and their agreement Describe the rooms in their house Listen to and understand small conversations Make a poster of the school map and label places Work with a map to locate places in a city Taking imaginary roles, record interviews about where people live and their type of house Read and understand descriptions of different towns Display a poster with times and routines of people from different places, in groups of two Write a letter describing an extraordinary day because of an extreme weather condition Create a board game in which a character would move from one place to another of a house, doing different routine action Display a mural presentation of different people describing briefly where they live, setting a geographical location, what their daily routines are and what the weather is like where they live
Describe their houses, using adjectives and expressing opinions Say where they are going, using ir + al/a la Give and understand directions, using verbs tomar and seguir Describe the location of places in a town, giving more detailed directions Talk about distance, using the verb estar Talk about sports, using practicar and jugar Talk about what they like doing in their free time, using appropriate verbs Talk about what they do during the week and at weekends, using new verbs Arrange to go out, using telephone conversation tips Say what they are going to do at the weekend, using ir + a + infinitive Say how they help at home and how they are going to help at the weekend Make a report of the house of their dreams, with pictures and descriptions Perform a conversation with a friend on the street, record it Using a map, give and understand directions to get to places In groups, design a card game to use distances Display different sports with corresponding sentences in the classroom Display a poster with times and routines of people from different places, in groups of two Play a game in which people have to say what they like to do in their free time, using flashcards Listen to and understand people talking about their activities Understand and improvise a telephone conversation for a date Write a letter saying what they are going to do this weekend Sing a song about house duties MYP2 Talk about themselves and other people using comparatives and superlatives Say how they do something, talk about their routine using adverbs and revision of present and future with ir + a + infinitive Make introductions using demonstrative pronouns Ask and say what they need using me hace(n) falta Buy gifts Describe someone s personality using indirect object pronouns and adjectives Write a thank you letter Say what they have to eat and talk about meal times Say what type of food they like and why using Por qué? and porque Buy food and deal with prices and quantities using numbers Say they are hungry and thirsty Order tapas and drinks using pronouns with prepositions Listen to people introducing themselves and answering specific questions Write a letter to a pen friend who is coming to visit you and tell her/him about their routines Create a poster to introduce their families In pairs, prepare a role play of guest and host and perform it in front of the class Describe five friends and choose the ideal gift for each one, using a dictionary and pictures After receiving a letter of invitation from a friend, write a letter of acceptance Read a letter about meal times in Spain and talk about their own meals Find pictures of food and write sentences about meals that they like and dislike Practise dialogues to be recorded (video or audio) Talk about clothes and prices using comparatives Talk about what clothes they like and what suits them, using demonstrative adjectives Shopping clothes, asking and saying what they are going to wear, using the immediate future Give opinions about the school uniform, adjective agreement and question pronouns Talk about types of shop, using donde and immediate future Asking what is of interest in a place and what they can do there, using se puede + infinitive Talk about where to go and what to do on holiday, using the present tense Say where they/others went, what for and who with, using the preterite of ir Say what they/others did on holiday, using other verbs in the preterite
Listen to descriptions of things and write down comparisons In pairs, talk about clothes, giving opinions Listen and read comprehension of a dialogue in a shop In pairs, prepare a role play of customer client and perform it in front of the class Make a poster about what people are wearing to go to different places Create a comic out of a reading comprehension about uniforms Listen to a song practising the immediate future Perform a dialogue of a shopping situation Answer class quiz questions on a reading comprehension Write an email about what they usually do on holiday Create a big dice with questions and cards with answers with the preterite Listen to dialogues and record their own similar dialogues Write a story in a holiday camp using the schedule and other notes Make arrangements to go out, using conmigo and contigo Say what sort of films you like justifying your opinion, using por que and porque Buy cinema tickets, learning related questions and new vocabulary Describe an event in the present tense, learning basic question words Describe an event in the past, using the preterite Describe what things were like, using the imperfect tense of three main verbs Say what s wrong, using reflexive pronouns Say that you are not feeling well, using the verb tener Have a conversation at the chemist, using the verb deber Talk about how long they have been doing something, saying what they should and should not do Talk about a healthy lifestyle, revising the immediate future Prepare in pairs a conversation planning a date using sms Have a conversation with the teacher giving opinions out of pictures representing films or events Design the poster for a film to be displayed in a cinema In pairs, perform a telephone conversation with a friend reporting a specific event Create a comic to tell about an adventurous day they had in a summer camp Listening to a story in the first person and put some pictures in the right order Understanding biographies of football players and write one about themselves to a pen friend Listen to and sing a song Write a note about an imaginary daughter/son apologizing for her/his absence at school Perform a dialogue at the chemist Interview their partners about their hobbies Tell the class what they are going to do for the summer holiday MYP3 There are no students studying Spanish in this year MYP4 Introduce themselves and their families, using tener, question words and present tense Describe people, using adjectival agreement, qualifying adverbs and present tense Describe marital status, children, nationality, and introduce people, using ser and estar Describe where they live, their homes and contents, using possessive adjectives and desde hace + present tense Describe the town/area where they live, using Lo + adjective and prepositions of place Express opinions about places, make comparisons and describe weather and climate, use comparative, hacer in weather expressions and estar a + distance Describe school subjects and the timetable, express likes and dislikes, use prepositions Understand classroom instructions and vocabulary, school uniforms, use imperative and adjectives Describe school buildings and facilities, express opinions, use hay Describe daily routines, use reflexive verbs Talk about extra-curricular activities, using impersonal verbs and negatives Talk about holiday plans, describe a school of the future, use future tenses
In pairs, introduce themselves and record it, then listen to their own voices Write a description of their families and a physical description of one of the members Understand spoken facts about personal circumstances Describe in detail their bedrooms out of a picture, giving opinions Understand detailed audiovisual descriptions and opinions of different towns and identify places in the town Make a power point presentation about places near their homes, saying how far away they are, how to get there, and how long it takes. Describe the climate they live in and give opinions Give a written account of a typical school day and express opinions about subjects Record interviews about what they bring to school, including school uniforms and expressing opinions Produce a poster about the school with maps, photos and written descriptions Understand short statements and longer texts describing routine activities Write a fictional web page for your ideal school, giving data about numerous activities Record, ask and answer questions about holiday plans Describe the weather using hay and hace Understand weather forecasts using the future tense Ask for tourist information using the near future (ir a + infinitive) Understand Spanish festivals using the future tense Book a table, order a meal and discuss problems and complaints in a restaurant using estar Read about holidays, using comparatives Talk about past holidays, using the past tenses Ask for and give directions, using imperatives and prepositions Get travel information, using key questions and reviewing the time Find their way with public transports, using hay que, tienes que Express opinions about travel and transport, using present and past perfect Report car breakdowns and road accidents, using que, como, cuando, donde for questions Conduct a role-play asking and answering questions about the weather Write to a tourist office requesting information. Ask and answer questions about the weather based on visual cues Conduct a role-play of people complaining in a restaurant Create a holiday brochure Understand people giving accounts of past holidays Dialogue in pairs, using a map to get to different places Write an email giving travel information Conduct role-plays in a metro station Understand statements of opinion about different modes of transport; understand a an account of a difficult journey Film a video about a tourist/motorist s breakdown and the emergency services Report illness and describe symptoms, using tengo dolor de, me duele(n), tengo y desde hace Report injuries, using the present perfect tense Book hotel rooms or campsite, using hay and Check in to a hotel or campsite using the impersonal se Describe lost property using object pronouns and understanding the use of past tenses Make complaints in a hotel, using the imperfect tense Say what they do to help at home and why, using personal object pronouns Describe part-time jobs and ways to spend the money earned, using key questions Talk about work experience, using the gerund Describe lifestyles and giving health advice, using impersonal verbs and imperatives Discuss TV programmes, films and books, using ser Understand dialogues in a chemist s, noting symptoms and recommendations Write an accident report with pictures Understand brochure information and write a reservation Conduct a role-play in a reception (audio recorded) Understand a conversation in a lost property office Write a letter to a friend giving advice about the problems in a hostel Prepare and record an interview talking about duties at home or a part-time job Read comprehension about work experiences Understand a video about healthy lifestyle Describe a film or a book Record a video about different people meeting during holidays who end up talking about their lifestyles back home and/or their favourite books/films
Language B course description for French MYP1 There are no students studying French in this year MYP2 Say how their daily life reflects wha they are as a person Talk about families, using er verbs Talk about jobs people do, using masculine and feminine nouns Talk about where people live, and for how long, using depuis Describe the weather, using quand and si Describe a typical day, using ir, -re and irregular verbs Say how what they did yesterday makes them reflect on tomorrow Talk about yesterday evening and last weekend, using the perfect tense with avoir and être, with regular and irregular past participles Talk about TV programmes they have watched, giving opinions using c était Talk about where they went and events in the past, extending and linking sentences, and reflecting on past experience Read and understand letters and emails Listen to family descriptions Write a description of their family from a photo, and talk about them with their peers Look at maps and explain where a place is Make sense of weather forecasts Practise interviewing techniques Describe a career person and his/her daily life Begin to watch and listen to French language TV, and give opinions on it Create a story-board of past events With the topics Going out and eating out; how do I communicate what I need and want? Make and react to invitations, using vouloir Make excuses using pouvoir and devoir Talk about clothes, using adjectives and agreement with the noun Discuss shops and shopping, comparing adjectives Understand a longer text about a shopping mall, using mixed tenses and the superlative Give opinions on school uniform Talk about food, using the definite article after aimer and préférer Talk about French meals, using the partitive article Prepare for a party, using il faut + infinitive Shop for food, using de with quantities Eat out at a French-speaking restaurant Describe a meal and regional cookery Understand a plan of a theme park Give opinions on offers to go out; accept or decline graciously! Appreciate the differences in register of language Write a letter to an agony aunt as part of the Problem Page of a newspaper Comment on a friend s clothing style Take part in a fashion show Act as a buyer for a clothing company and present your designs Design an ideal school uniform and describe it Converse with a shop assistant whilst trying on clothes to buy Create a design for an ideal shopping mall, and write an account of a day spent there Present this account to an audience using visual aids Put together a food survey and collect the results
Plan a party and create a suitable menu Run a market stall! Understand and design a restaurant/café menu Study regional recipes Take part in the planning and running of Bistro Codrington With the topics On the move with my friends Talk about countries and languages, using the prepositions à and en Talk about holidays, asking questions and using question words Describe a holiday centre, giving opinions Talk about a holiday in the past Find information about a holiday destination, taking part in unscripted dialogues Take a brief look at the French revolution Talk about friends, using notre and nos Talk about pocket money, using avoir besoin de Talk about gadgets, using more comparatives and superlatives Use the three main time frames of past, present and future Express hopes and wishes, using different verbs + the infinitive Make jokes and look at French humour Become familiar with a map of Europe Design a brochure for a holiday centre Study holiday opportunities in francophone countries Practice researching holidays on the net Describe a disastrous holiday Sing the French national anthem Describe important aspects of life from the point of view of young people; school, leisure facilities, media preferences Write a thank-you letter Learn recent vocabulary for modern technology Write an account of activities moving across three tenses Talk about the future and your hopes and desires Learn how to text in French Tell jokes; draw and write a set of humorous postcards MYP3 Discuss what s on television, using direct object pronouns and adverbs of time Talk about films, using the perfect tense Describe routines, using the perfect tense of reflexive verbs Talk about what you read, using aller + the infinitive Describe what you saw or read, using present, past and future tenses Plan what you will do, using aller + the infinitive Talk about the future, recognising the future tense Consider future career choices, using aller + the infinitive Understand why languages are important, understanding the role of connectives Listen to conversations and become familiar with French sounds In pairs, compose a dialogue and record the performance Write an e-mail to a friend describing an evening at the movies Have a telephone conversation with a friend talking about their plans for the evening Make a description of their favourite film or book, memorise it and make an oral presentation Listen and note two friends choices for a music festival, then prepare a dialogue to be performed and recorded Understand weather forecasts Make a presentation with pictures and text about their life plans Talk about future careers, using aller + a + infinitive and future tense Talk about illness using avoir and etre and revising au, a la, a l, aux
Saying what is wrong and why, using cause connectors Talk about healthy habits using ne...plus/que/jamais, and the pronoun en Understand and give advice about healthy habits, using the imperative form Understand a complex text, using the emphatic pronouns Talk about what they used to do when they were younger, using the imperfect tense Talk about someone else s sport habits, using the imperfect tense Understand a crime story using qui et que and the imperfect tense for descriptions Understand the profile of two sportspeople, using new vocabulary and reviewing tenses Write a CV and talk about plans for the future Make a poster about different illnesses and symptoms In pairs, compose a dialogue and record the performance Write a letter giving advice to a friend Write a plot for a robbery and tell it to a friend in the imperfect tense Make a comic about you habits in the past Listen and understand a conversation, making notes Understand a story and make notes about it Work on the coherence of a text Creative writing, make a crime story in groups Learn about a region of France, using adjectives Use travel arrangements, using different tenses in sentences Arrange hotel accommodation, using the conditional Understand a visit to an attraction, using authentic texts Interact in a visit to a sporting event, using verbs with a and de Learn about schools in different countries, using possessive adjectives Talk about young people and work, using indirect object pronouns Discuss world issues, understanding modal verbs in the conditional tense Learn about religion in France, giving opinions on a topical issue Know some human rights activists, understanding authentic texts Prepare a tourist brochure about a place they know Improvise a dialogue in pairs discussing travel arrangements Write an e-mail to make a reservation in a hotel Perform a dialogue talking about a visit to an attraction Write a report on a sports event Write a letter of complaint to a hotel In pairs, talk about advantages and disadvantages of two different school systems Rewrite an article changing the point of view Create a quiz Prepare a debate about a controversial issue on religion Create a presentation about a human rights activist MYP4 Say what makes then different from the rest Talk about themselves and other people, revising key present tense forms and reflexive verbs Say what they like and don t like doing, using aimer + infinitive Talk about their parents and what they do, using masculine and feminine nouns Talk about their friends, using adjective agreement Say what they have done, using the perfect and imperfect tenses Say how they are influenced by others and what they see hear and read Discuss TV and cinema, recognizing articles and simple object pronouns Arrange to go out Explain why they can t do something, using modal verbs Describe special occasions, using the imperfect tense of avoir and être in basic form Describe what they saw or read, expressing complex ideas in a simple way
Distinguish between different registers of speech Offer opinions about a friend s personality Listen to an athlete describing his sport and offer their own attitude towards sports and leisure activities Read and get the gist of an authentic French language TV section of a newspaper Make sense of an authentic cinema listing Begin to watch and appreciate French language TV Make excuses when invited out Give an account of a typical day s events in the past tense Write a simple review of a film Say how they connect with their environment and how they can contribute to their surroundings? Talk about where you live, using adjectives Talk about your room, using plus and moins Talk about the advantages and disadvantages of where you live, using irregular adjectives Compare where you used to live and where you live now, using the imperfect tense Know something about the geography of France and other francophone countries, using the superlative Talk about towns, using on peut/on pourrait + infinitive Find the way in a francophone town, using prepositions Shop for food and clothes, using the partitive article Describe the location of a place, using prepositions and imperatives Organize a beach party in a francophone country, using il faut and en Make travel arrangements, learning more about the perfect tense Describe travel problems, using the imperfect tense Prepare a presentation on your house and home Describe your ideal home Draw a scale plan of your room/house and label it Take a look at living conditions in other parts of the francophone world using the internet for research Produce a pamphlet giving advice on how to improve life in your town/area Design a questionnaire finding out about other people s views on life in their area Study and make sense of maps in French, and understand basic geographical features Understand road and traffic signs Hold a conversation in a food or clothes shop, and in the streets of a town with a passer-by Write emails to friends making plans for a party Plan a journey in the future; describe a journey you have made Deal with a situation where things go wrong Say how a school is only as good as the students within it Say how they can contribute to the development of their school Understand expressions of time, referring to the past, present and future Talk about school uniform, using adjectives of colour Talk about schools, using irregular forms of the third person plural Talk about your school day, using reflexive verbs in the present and perfect Talk about lost items, using participle agreement with avoir Compare schools in francophone countries, using negative expressions Talk about your plans, using the future tense Read and recreate a school timetable Draw a plan of your school and a brochure advertising it Interview a friend about their school life Design your ideal school uniform Make a presentation about your school Create a storyboard about your daily life Write a lost property announcement for a notice board, and claim back lost property in a lost/found office Understand visual and written programmes on the internet about francophone countries Invent a cartoon in French Prepare a video broadcast describing your school for the school website