1. AICE English General Paper
Curriculum review RONALD REAGAN HIGH SCHOOL
Monday, November 4, FACILITATOR: l. TURNER-DIXON

2. INTRODUCTIONS NAME SCHOOL YEARS TEACHING AICE
WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM TODAY’S SESSION?

3. AICE English General Paper Overview
Paper 1:Essay Exam
Component 11
1 Hour 15 Minutes
AM: April 29, 2020
Paper 2: Comprehension
Component 21
1 Hour 45 Minutes
AM: May 8, 2020
Syllabus
Learner Guide

4. Paper 1: The Essay
Written Paper, 1 hour 15 minutes, 30 marks, weighting: 50 percent
There are 10 questions in total. Candidates choose one question.
There are three topics and the paper has questions from each topic.
1 Economic, historical, moral, political and social
2 Science, including its history, philosophy, ethics, general principles and applications; environmental issues; technology and mathematics
3 Literature, language, the arts, crafts, and the media.
Candidates are advised to write an essay of 600–700 words.

5. Topic 1: Economic, historical, moral, political and social
• Wealth and equality in society
• Population and migration
• Education
• Welfare
• Sport and leisure
• Work and employment
• Industry and commerce
• Freedom of speech, thought and action
• Human rights
• Animal welfare
• Matters of conscience, faith and tolerance
• The role and value of history in modern society
• Wars, conflicts and terrorism
• The state and its institutions
• Political systems, leadership, nationalism and forms of government
• The role of international organisations
• The provision and politics of aid
• Justice and the justice system; prison and rehabilitation
• The role of the individual in society
• Family, marriage and partnerships, social pressure, class and social attitudes
• Globalisation and its impacts

6. Topic 2: Science, including its history, philosophy, ethics, general principles and applications; environmental issues; technology and mathematics
• Medical and scientific advances and their ethics
• Drug testing, manufacture and provision
•• Diet, health education and provision of healthcare
• Space exploration and its associated industry
• Information and communications technology
• Surveillance and privacy
• Environmental concerns
• Natural disasters including mitigation and management
• Rural and urban concerns
• Food and water security
• Transport, travel and tourism
• The uses and applications of mathematics

7. Topic 3: Literature, language, the arts, crafts, and the media
• Non-fiction writing
• Language
• Performing arts
• Visual arts
• Applied arts
• Arts institutions and venues
• Traditional arts and crafts; heritage
• Print and digital media
• Advertising
• Censorship and freedom of the media and the arts

8. Paper 2: Comprehension
Written Paper, 1 hour 45 minutes, 50 marks, weighting: 50 percent
This paper has two sections and each section is worth 25 marks.
Candidates must answer all questions in each of the two sections on the paper.
The sections consist of a range of sub-questions. These include questions which require short answers and more extended answers which require responses of up to 120 words.
In Section A, (logical reasoning) candidates are required to explain and interpret the information provided in the material to show understanding.
In Section B, (prose)candidates are required to demonstrate the ability to read for detailed understanding at word, sentence and paragraph level.

9. Marks-Grade Thresholds
Minimum raw mark for grade
Maximum raw mark
available A B C D E
Component 11 30 22 19 17 15 13
Component 21 50 34 31 28 24 20
The grades for this exam are A, B, C, D, E or U. The ONLY failing grade is “U,” which means “Unscorable.” A U grade means the paper was MUCH too short to score, completely disorganized, full of grammatical errors, and/or the handwriting was so bad that the examiners couldn’t read it.
Option
Combination of Components A B C D E X
11,21 71 63 56 49 42

10. Assessment Objectives
AO1 Selection and application of information
• Demonstrate understanding of information from a variety of material.•• Identify, select and interpret relevant data, information and examples.
• Apply information that exemplifies ideas and opinions.
AO2 Analysis and evaluation
• Demonstrate the ability to analyse the meaning of language as used in its context.
• Develop explanations with examples, analysis and evaluation.
• Develop, analyse and evaluate arguments and make supported judgements.
AO3 Communication using written English
• Write structured responses, using a range of appropriate language for a variety of purposes.
• Communicate information, ideas and opinions clearly and accurately.
• Construct cohesive and organised responses, linking ideas and arguments.

11. Teaching Paper 1:Argumentative vs. Discursive
ARGUMENTATIVE/PERSUASIVE
GOAL: to take a specific stance on an issue in order to CONVINCE the reader to adopt your way of thinking; to anticipate and refute opposing arguments
UNIQUENESSES: biased! Takes ONE side and defends that side ONLY!! Never supports the opposition, not even for a minute.
Examples of Persuasive prompts:
Should teenagers be more actively involved in politics? (from original GP)

12. Teaching Paper 1:Argumentative vs. Discursive
DISCURSIVE (most advanced)
GOAL: asks you to consider BOTH sides of a single issue, objectively analyzing each before arriving at any kind of value judgment.
Basic Layout: Begin with a neutral introduction, provide evidence for the case, provide evidence against the case, conclude by either adopting one side of the argument.
Examples of Discursive prompts:
To what extent is your society effectively dealing with crime? (original GP)
How far is globalization affecting family life in your country? (original GP)

13. Original General Paper PPT Structure/Writing the Essay

14. Best Practices / Resources
EC_ID=869643&type=u&termREC_ID=&pREC_ID=

15. Paper 2: Section A: Logical Reasoning
In this section, students will be given a scenario and must answer questions using the information given, along with logic, reason, and evidence.
“For example, you might be told you are a mayor of a city, and you must choose a project to fund. They will give you three projects, and information about those projects. Then you must answer questions like what the best choice is, what the worst choice is, etc. There are no 100% “wrong” answers, but you MUST argue and support your points.”

16. Paper 2: Section B: Prose
“Prose” just means is "ordinary writing" — made up of sentences and paragraphs, without any metrical (or rhyming) structure. This section could be made up of anything- a story, a set of s, an article, etc. The questions students must answer will be based on comprehension, and involve skills such as inferencing, summarizing, paraphrasing, finding main ideas, drawing conclusions, examining options, and offering opinions.

17. Paper 2:Word Counts =Marks
Notice that after each question, there is a number in brackets. These are the number of “marks” (or points) each question is worth. This number will ALSO tell you about how many words, AND how many ideas you need to include in your answer.
The general rule of thumb is ten words for every mark. So, a 2 mark question should be about 20 words, an 8 mark question should be about 80 words, etc. There is a five word window, but in this case the examiners will be looking for CONCISE answers, so you DO NOT want to write 50 words for a 2 mark question

18. Paper 2:Word Counts = Marks
We already know the word count relates to the marks. But another aspect to consider is how many points & evidence they want in the longer responses.
This is the general breakdown:
Marks: # points/evidence: Words:

19. In the longer response questions for paper 2 they will be looking at how you ANALYZE the content you read. They will be looking for phrases like:
This seems to suggest… This assumes that… This seems to indicate that
It can be assumed that… Due to X, it stands to reason that Y because Z.
Because of X, it can be assumed that Y It appears that…
X indicates Y, which means Z. It will most likely... This seems to mean…

20. 5 Common Question Types in Paper 2
“ Right There” questions. These will be the questions worth fewer marks- those that ask you to locate information that is explicitly stated in the text. The command words will most likely be “Identify” or “Give”. The keys to these will be to make sure you’re not restating the question and to make sure you’re not using the exact words that the text does.
Imply/Infer questions. These will have you explain what the text says and show you understand the implication of this. These may be phrased like “Based on what the text says in paragraph 3, explain what you think is meant by…”
Combo 1 & 2: “What did Mr. X say in paragraph 4 and what does that imply?”

21. 5 Common Question Types in Paper 2
3. Language related questions.
Synonyms: “In paragraph 3 the text it says X. What is another way to say X?” OR “What phrase in the text means the same as X?”
Words in context: Vocabulary. Defining a word AS IT IS USED IN THE TEXT and then USING that word correctly in your own sentence. READ DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY!
4. Summarize/Paraphrase questions. You need to show understanding of the text IN YOUR OWN WORDS. Questions will sometimes even remind you of this by saying “In your own words as far as possible…”

22. Best Practices / Resources
REC_ID=869643&type=u&termREC_ID=&pREC_ID=
Practice, Practice, Practice Previous Exams

23. Daily Instructional Lesson Plan
Content Area(s)/Course/Grade:
Unit:
Lesson Topic:
Date:
Teacher:
School:
Indicator(s)/Sub-Outcome(s)/Expectation(s):
Student Outcome(s):
Context for Learning
Instructional Delivery
Opening Activities/Motivation:
Procedures:
Assessment/Evaluation (Formative/Summative)
Closure:
Final Activity
Based on the information presented today :
-Syllabus
-Best Practices
-Resources
Create a lesson plan for either Paper 1 or Paper 2