English PLUS

The telling of stories - in all their literary and linguistic forms - unites us: it is how we make sense of, and share with others, our common and unique experiences of the world. The study of literature and language not only cultivates the skills needed to critically assess many competing world views and discourses around us, but also to harness the power of storytelling to move others, and to effect change.

By focusing on storytelling in its many literary and non-literary forms, this English PLUS 'deep dive' course will give students greater textual depth, breadth and choice as readers, as well as more opportunities for critical and creative responses.  Whilst the literature will be drawn from a wide range of times and places, a variety of text types will also be explored, through close reading, enquiry, and creative and academic production.  Students will take a linguistic and literary tour through time and space,  experimenting with storytelling in different forms and mediums, for different purposes and audiences. From sociolinguistics to graphic and classic narratives, political cartoons to lyrical poetry, plays to visual reportage, this course will explore the art of storytelling in many facets of our lives. 

Grade 9 

Unit 1: My Language World: Representation, Change, and Power 

In this unit, students will explore the influences on, and implications of, the language we use. They will deliberate questions such as Why do I speak as I do? and How far does my speech define and represent me? in order to learn about both the uniqueness and the shared social and cultural significance of their language use. They will consider why sociolects are formed and how - along with regional dialects and national varieties of language - they underpin people’s sense of self and belonging. They will also develop understanding of the way perceptions of our speech and language use can define us stereotypically - and thus empower or disempower, represent and misrepresent, include and exclude people, socially and culturally.  Students will examine the main historical, social and cultural forces that cause languages to evolve and become dominant, endangered or even extinct. To deepen their understanding of the implications of language use and language change in a range of contexts, students will read poems, a play, a classic novel and a range of non-fiction works, focusing on the creativity with which authors use perspective, direct speech and dialogue to tell represent complex realities, and the potency of such literature to affect thoughts and feelings.  With this being a unit on language use and speech, oracy will be developed, including the speaking and listening skills of discussions and interviews. The culminating assessments will give students a range of options both verbal and written.

Unit 2: Dystopian Reflections of Our World

In this unit, students will build on their core course literary exploration of how the mass media can influence and limit our grasp of social and political issues, by exploring how fiction can be used to develop a deeper, more empathetic understanding of human behaviour and world affairs. Through the study of two dystopian novels - Never Let Me Go and a classic dystopian group read - along with the analysis of other works of speculative fiction (novel extracts, short stories and short films), students will examine how authors both draw upon and deviate from genre conventions, and the different ways in which they can use setting and characterisation, to create vivid and believable fictional worlds that amplify contemporary social and political concerns. They will consider how such stories compel us to feel, question, critique, debate, and challenge the moral complexities and ethical implications of our current conditions - sometimes giving voice to the victims of past and present day acts of suppression, but often showing how critical and dissenting voices can be censored and silenced. Students will explore how writers use their imagination to create such powerful and thought-provoking stories, as well as having opportunities to debate and write about current and controversial issues of personal interest, based on a variety of non-literary sources. In addition to academic analysis of literature and film, they will ultimately create their own dystopian story, developing their appreciation for literature, their critical thinking, and their capacity for imaginative writing.

Unit 3: Comic Commentary

In this unit, students will engage with a range of visual storytellers who represent the people and communities whose stories and perspectives would otherwise, all too often, go unheard. Building on their study of a graphic novel, feature articles and op-eds in the core course, students will read and critically examine works of graphic journalism - a genre of reporting using the techniques of graphic novels. This will include a New York Times Pulitzer Prize–winning graphic story of a refugee family who fled the civil war in Syria to make a new life, and other forms of visual reportage and commentary, like the comic journalism and animated documentaries of Lebanese-Swiss cartoonist Patrick Chappatte. Students will deepen their knowledge and understanding of visual language techniques and their effects, through the process of essay planning and writing, whilst also practising their own creativity as graphic journalists.

Grade 10 

Unit 1: Cartoon Commentary: Visual Humour and Protest

What can words and images do together that words can’t do alone? How can humorous cartoons communicate serious ideas?  What makes satire risky? This unit will examine the ways in which visual language, in the form of satirical political cartoons, can be used to both comment on and protest against the issues of our time. By studying a range of visual works, including some from their own research, students will develop their skills of close visual-verbal language analysis and interpretation, and will create their own comic commentary in response to an issue of concern. After studying the evolution of satire throughout the ages, they will also take part in a debate about the place of satire in our contemporary world.

Unit 2: (Re)Telling Tales: The Evolution of Foundational Stories 

What makes a story foundational to a culture? How do these stories evolve over time and space, and what new meanings might re-imaginings create? Students will examine the ways in which foundational stories such as Ancient Greek and Hindu mythology have been adapted, re-visioned and re-told in popular culture through film, tv, advertising, and for different purposes in the political sphere.  Students will also study how writers such as George Bernard Shaw, Madeline Miller and Carol Ann Duffy transform well-known stories for contemporary audiences, shaping new perspectives and offering commentaries on our world today. 

Unit 3: The Power of Poetry

"Poetry makes nothing happen", according to WH Auden, but is that true? In developing and deepening their knowledge and understanding of the language of poetry, and a range of verse forms, students will study in depth the work of major poets from different times, contexts and artistic movements, thinking about verse both as art and product of socio-political, cultural and historical contexts. Students will have creative opportunities to write their own poetry, in addition to writing more traditional critical analyses.

Unit 4: Modern Mythologies

Which stories over time have become myths for the modern age? What does it mean when characters from fiction become socio-cultural references for certain types of people, behaviours or tendencies? In this unit, students will explore ways in which myth-making is a form of meaning-making, reading fiction which captures and questions the realities and complexities of human life. By focusing in detail on the novel 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald, in addition to 'extension reads' of other classic novels, they will examine the ways in which authors have challenged some of our world's more pervasive cultural mythologies, and discuss how these works endure across time and space.

The course aims to deepen and refine students' interpretation and critical appreciation of how stories can be told in both literary and non-literary forms. With more opportunities to read, analyse, evaluate, write and perform, students will hone their own skills as storytellers and writers, learning from some of the most powerful and entertaining examples of narration how best to communicate the stories of self and others in creative,  evocative and impactful ways.

Assessments will vary in form and purpose, including portfolio work, academic essays and creative writing, formal discussion, debates and presentations. Several of the summative assessments are direct preparation for the assessment demands of the IB Diploma Programme, whilst others allow for more individual and creative ways of demonstrating learning.