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Welcome to the Odyssey Institute Website for
Year 1 and Year 2 of DP Language & Literature!
Below, you will find weekly updates, links, and assignment deadlines to help with your planning and organization of your valuable time. The Summer Assessment & Reading List for incoming Year 2 scholars is on the class resources tab above. ALL ASSESSMENT RUBRICS MAY BE FOUND ON THE ASSESSMENTS TAB. Please feel free to pull them up whenever you need. CLICK HERE to access the course syllabus.
If you need a helpful reminder for how to cite your sources on papers and assessments, click here: MLA Citation Guides for ALL written papers. A great resource for free assessment tips is the IB English Guys. Click on the Link to search out guidance and tips as you prepare for your assessments!
For Blog reading and response, always type out your response in a Word or TextEdit document and cut and paste it into the blog. That way, if anything goes wrong, you have not lost your complete, thoughtful response. Here is the quick link to the blog, Literally Speaking.
All HL essays will be drafted and completed in class to ensure authenticity. Once these essays are completed and checked, scholars will have one day in class to type the HL Essays in Google Docs.
You will receive a weekly email from me every Friday -- it will come through your school email, so make CERTAIN you are regularly checking/monitoring your email!!
Here is a link for scholars to review for Standard Response Protocol (Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate).
Enjoy studying or background music? Here are some of Mrs. Caraway's current favorite background study music links on YouTube: Soft Fall Jazz or Warm Rainy Autumn Coffee For my Cyrano seniors, here is some lovely French vibes. ENJOY!!
And now, here is our weekly class-by-class update for more effective planning...
YEAR 1- Juniors, Class of 2028
*Remember: All Resource Links (articles, photos, resources for Essays) found below!
Monday, November 9: Scholars will work on completing their outlines. If you have already completed the outline, you may begin drafting the HL essay.
Tuesday, November 10: Scholars will work on their essays in Writing Workshop.
Wednesday, November 11: Today is Veterans Day Holiday. Be sure to thank those who have served our great country!
Thursday, November 12: Scholars will have one final class day to work on HL Essays. They are due for critical friends review on Monday.
Monday, November 16: Scholars will participate in Critical Friends Peer Review.
Tuesday, November 17: Scholars will be taking the ASVAB test today. Those who come for afternoon period will have class time to work on typing their final drafts, which are due Thursday.
Wednesday, November 18: Today, we will begin our unit study of Advertising and Persuasive non-literary texts. We will watch a video that illustrates HOW we say something is just as important sometimes as WHAT we say. Then, we will learn the scientifically established Six Ways to Persuade. We will put our analysis skills to the test as we review an ad in our Advertising & PSA's Learner Portfolio!
Thursday, November 19: Scholars will learn a helpful mnemonic device to apply in ad analysis. We will apply this strategy to seven carefully selected advertisements with rich visuals and interesting language.
Important Links:
Deconstructing Visual Texts (Persepolis)
David Burnett Photo Collection
Persepolis Graphic Novel Reading/Notebook Guide
Persepolis HL Essay Outline Form
Perspolis HL Essay Rough Draft Form
Advertising & PSAs Learner Portfolio
Important Due Dates
October Blog (Saturday, October 31 by midnight)
Notebook Checks (Monday, Nov. 2- Thursday, November 5)
Group IO Preparation Outlines (Wednesday, November 4 shared by one group member by end of day)
HL Essay Outline (Monday, November 9)
HL Essay Rough Draft (Monday, November 16)
HL Essay Final Draft-shared with Mrs. Caraway! (Thursday, November 19)
We begin our Non-Literary Advertising Unit as we prepare for Paper 1 finals on Tuesday, November 10)
November Blog (Monday, November 30)
YEAR 2- Seniors, Class of 2027
Monday, November 9: Today, we will be looking at PSAs and consider their conventions. We will look at a sample text in our groups and consider how we would, as individuals, respond to the guiding question. Then, the IB English Guys will walk us through a sample response Paper 1.
Tuesday, November 10: Today we will be examining travel writing texts. We will, once again examine together a sample text and discuss how we would approach using the IB English Guys suggested strategy. Then, we will listen and follow along with the IB English Guys as they deconstruct the text.
Wednesday, November 11: Today is Veterans Day Holiday. Be sure to thank those who have served our great country!
Thursday, November 12: Today, we will be examining an infographic text. We will go through the infographic text. There is n o guiding question: How would you deconstruct the text analytically? We will watch the IB English Guys deconstruct the text and take notes. Scholars will then work on outlining their responses to the infographic text. Bring to share on Monday.
Monday, November 16: Today, we will be looking at political cartoons and considering their conventions. In groups, scholars will go through the Patrick Chappette political cartoon text. How would we approach the guiding question? How would they organize their analysis response? Share ideas with the class.
Tuesday, November 17: Today we will be looking at magazine articles and consider their conventions. We will look at a sample text, "The Journey of a Water Drop" in our groups and consier how we would individually respond to the guiding question. Then, the IB English Guys will walk us through a sample response Paper 1.
Wednesday, November 18: Today, scholars will be examining hard news texts. We will review the conventions of hard news with the IB English Guys and work in our groups to devise a plan for the sample news artical text.
Thursday, November 19: Today, we will begin preparations for the Paper 1 final. We will review the marking strategy and expectations and how to frame the analysis. Scholars are encouraged to revisit the texts we have explored and challenge themselves to develop full outlines and begin strategizing a Paper 1. We will have a practice of a 1/2 of a Paper 1 exam (1 text only) the Monday we return from Thanksgiving Break!
Important Links
IO Student Samples & Resources
Taming of the Shrew Non-Literary Texts
Pride & Prejudice Non-Literary Texts
A Study of Non-Literary Texts Folder
Important Due Dates
October Blog (Saturday, October 31 by midnight)
November Blog (Monday, November 30)
Looking Ahead...
HL Essay Selection Revised to Mrs. Caraway (Monday, February 1, 2027)
Kristin Caraway
Contact Information
Email: kcaraway@topamail.com
Required Course Materials
1. A one subject spiral notebook or composition book
2. A 1-inch binder (which will be stored in class/provided by IB Program)
3. Writing & annotating materials: highlighters, pencils, black ball-point or gel pens
4. Required novels-Hard copies ONLY! No pdfs. (non-literary texts will be provided by Mrs. Caraway)
Literature Materials for Year 2 (Seniors)
Click on the book images below to access Amazon links
1. A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini: $10 in class price (We will read this last)
2. Purple Hibsicus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: $11 in class price (This is our second novel)
3. Cyrano de'Bergerac by Edmond Rostand: $6 in class price (make sure you procure the Brian Hooker translation--We will read this first)
Literature Materials for Year 1 (Juniors)
1. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen: $7 in class price (We will read this last)
2. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi: $12.50 in class price (We will read this first)
3. Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare: $7 in class price- I would buy the paperback on Amazon, as it is only $4.00. (We will read this second)
I hope that this introduction answers at least some of your questions about the course. Please don't hesitate to contact me via email with any further questions. During the school year work week, I will get back to you within 24 hours at the most.
On the above tab entitled "Class Resources," I will attach important course handouts for your convenience. At present, I have attached your recommended reading list and summer assignments. I also have the syllabus, QPA Guide, and Critical Reading checklist. In addition to giving you choices of reading material for your summer assignments, the Recommended Reading List highlights books that are highly regarded and influential works in the world of literature that would be good reading for those who plan on majoring in English, Literature or Communications in the university setting.
Resources will also be readily available here by link if they are not provided as hard copies. Papers and assessments may be uploaded to Managebac for turn in after final edits are completed.
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