AB INITIO A 2 YEAR IB WORLD LANGUAGE

AB INITIO A 2 -YEAR IB WORLD LANGUAGE OPTION

Who Am I? Midori Mc. Kinley – midori. mckinley@jeffco. k 12. co. us BA in French, teaching credentials all from CU Denver 10 years teaching, all 10 at Dakota Ridge Have taught all levels of French. (Levels 1, 1 Honors, 2, 2 Honors, 3, 3 Honors, 4, IB Language B-1, 5, IB Language B-2 and AP) Have administered French Language B SL exam in 2013, 2014 and 2016 Attended SL training in 2011 Attended Ab Initio training in February, 2017 Have never administered Ab Initio exam Native to Colorado, mother of 2 **SL = Standard Level (exam administered after year “ 5” of language

Today’s objectives? ? Add to “Hints from the Ab Initio Guru” sections Clarify confusions (even my own) concerning changes to the exam, past and future Begin a “network” for future discussion/sharing of resources

I can provide: Full description of all Ab Initio assessments, including rubrics “Hints” and secrets from Annie Foster, Ab Initio training workshop leader, French, Spanish and German teacher, 30+ year veteran of SL, HL and Ab Initio assessment administration and examination Some written student exam samples in English (from students abroad in English Ab Initio) The official IB Workshop guide (electronic) This Powerpoint, in full, for your use. I cannot provide The “official” training Powerpoint (because IB workshop leaders are not allowed to distribute them) Audio samples Full-scale unit design or lesson plans Language-specific samples

Placement in Ab Initio classes Intended for students with no previous experience with the language 2 -year programme (some exceptions could be made for 3 years) Recommended if the language is L 3 for the student (Example: students coming out of MYP proficient in L 2) No native speakers

Objectives of Ab Initio SL objective is to be understood by “the man on the street. ” Ab Initio students need to be understood by a sympathetic receiver. ACTFL Novice mid-to-high. Develop intercultural understanding/different perspectives Develop awareness of language in relation to other areas of study Enable students to use the language in a variety of contexts on a variety of topics (within the limits of the Ab Initio student’s ability and studies). Provide a basis for further study

Abuse of the Ab Initio exam What if IB kids get word that there’s an “easier” exam, and begin opting to take Ab Ibitio instead of SL or HL? Consequences to the school Audits can happen if Ab Initio performances are consistently (suspiciously) high School could lose privilege of IB programme altogether There is no advantage to the student Their performance could be heavily scrutinized, score moderated Ab Initio is not worth college credit (SL and HL are)

The class of 2020… … will have a whole new set of rules! This Ab Initio exam format is only valid for current sophomores, juniors and seniors. IB will begin training for the new format in spring, 2018. (SL and HL exam formats will change as well. )

Required themes of study The Individual and Society Leisure Urban and Work and Rural Environment

Prescribed topics “The three themes (individual and society, leisure and work, urban and rural environment) are made up of a series of 20 topics. These serve as the foundation of the acquisition of language… “It is important to note that the order of the content is not an indication of how themes and topics should be taught. They are interrelated and teachers are encouraged to adopt an integrated and cyclical approach to teaching. ”

Prescribed Topics The Individual and Society Daily routines Education Food and drink Personal details, appearance and character Physical health Relationships Shopping Work within the boundaries of the Ab Initio students’ level.

Prescribed Topics Leisure and Work Employment Entertainment Holidays Media Sport Technology Transport Work within the boundaries of the Ab Initio students’ level.

Prescribed Topics Urban and Rural Environmental concerns Global issues Neighborhood Physical geography Town and services Weather Work within the boundaries of the Ab Initio students’ level.

“Text” Types Traditional Text Minimal text Not really text Article Poem Advertisement Questionnaire Film Blog Post card Flyer Social media post Map Book Recipe Invitation Survey Picture Brochure Report Label Timetable Radio program Diary Review List Song Email Short story Menu Speech Essay Travel guide Message Interview Web page Note Letter (formal or informal) Notice Poster

Assessment Outline (2015 -2019) External Assessment (75%) Paper 1 (90 minutes): Receptive Skills a/k/a Reading Comprehension Understanding of 4 written tasks, and text-handling exercises Paper 2 (60 minutes): Productive skills a/k/a Writing Section A: Choose one of two short writing prompts; formatting given Section B: Choose of three longer writing prompts; formatting not given Written Assignment a/k/a Research paper 200 -350 words, word-processed In the target language Demonstrates intercultural understanding

Assessment Outline (2015 -2019) Internal Assessment (25%) Individual oral Presentation of a visual stimulus by the student Follow-up questions on the visual stimulus, instigated by the teacher At least two questions by the teacher about the student’s written assignment General conversation on a variety of topics

Assessment break-down (in chronological order) Written Assignment (Rubric on page 37 of the guide) (External) Main objectives: Intercultral understanding & language competence 200 -350 words in the target language Students select a fairly narrow topic concerning a target culture, as compared with another culture (usually their own) Topic should come from list of 20 “Prescribed Topics” Topic should be clearly stated in the title of the written assignment Students select 2 -4 sources in the target language (it is suggested they be of different text types) Students will need guidance in selecting a sufficiently simple source (dishonest if source is too complex? ) Target language sources cannot have been translated from English May also use sources in the native language All sources must be cited in a bibliography

Assessment break-down (in chronological order) Written Assignment (continued) Students submit a word-processed piece of writing Section A: Description of topic, containing at least 3 facts. About 3 sentences. Section B: Comparison of target culture and other culture, pertaining to the topic. Include both similarities and differences. Section C: Reflection upon the following questions Which aspect of your topic surprised you? Why do you think these cultural similarities/differences exist? What might a person from the target culture find different about the topic in the other culture? **Quotations can be included, but are not required, and will not be included in the final word count.

Assessment break-down (in chronological order) Written Assignment (continued): The teacher’s role: Due date Guidance in choosing topic and source material Providing assessment rubric Providing a copy of page 32 in the Ab Initio guide Commenting only once and only verbally on the rough draft. Comments must be very general, concerning trends, structure, etc. The student may record what the teacher says and/or take notes The teacher cannot comment on any revisions, or the final draft

Assessment break-down (in chronological order) Written Assignment (continued) Hints from the Ab Initio Guru: Communication over perfection Venn diagrams can be a useful tool to students; you must model Officially, only the first 350 will be read, if the word count exceeds. But most examiners will read and assess the whole thing. If all the conventions of the text type are not there, it’s fine, as long as an attempt is made. All examiners are secondary-level IB teachers, all are sympathetic and want your student to succeed… …all have had “Colin, ” know your plight, and his. “Who’s going to know? ”

Assessment break-down (in chronological order) Individual Oral (Rubric on page 46 of the guide) (Internal) Main objective: oral application of skills and knowledge (produce and interact with spoken language) Duration: 7 -10 minutes Recorded digitally (mp 3 format) Based on a visual stimulus of the teacher’s choosing Each student gets 2 stimuli, based on different “Prescribed topics, ” and chooses one. (Neither choice on the same topic as the student’s writing assignment. ) Visual stimuli can be any kind of image (does not have to be a photograph) No caption! But it may have “natural writing” in the target language, as part of the image Must be relevant to target culture and students’ age Must be previously unseen by the student **Individual images may be used with more than one student, but… see page 43 for guidelines.

Assessment break-down (in chronological order) Individual Oral (continued) Supervised preparation time: 15 minutes Select one visual stimulus Make notes – do not write a script! No resources Part 1 (1 -2 minutes): Presentation of the visual stimulus by the student No self-introduction Part 2 (2 -3 minutes): Follow-up questions about the visual stimulus Part 3 (4 -5 minutes): Conversation about various topics Begin with at least two questions about their written assignment Converse organically on “prescribed topics. ” Play to the student’s strengths and interests. Avoid correcting the student Use past, present and future tense if possible for the student

Assessment break-down (in chronological order) Individual Oral (continued) The teacher’s role: Give adequate notice of the exam date Providing assessment rubric Adapting materials to student’s ability Supervising, or arranging supervision, during preparation time Interact with the student in an encouraging way Avoid dominating the conversation

Assessment break-down (in chronological order) Individual Oral (continued) Hints from the Ab Initio Guru: Communication over perfection Part 1 is supposed to last at least 1 minute, but if it’s 30 seconds, prompt them a bit. Don’t let them go past 2 minutes. Officially, only the first 10 will be listened-to, if the recording exceeds. But most examiners will listen to and assess the whole thing, especially if the student is weak. (They might not be happy about it, though. ) With weak students, consider asking them to lay out their top 5 “Prescribed topics, ” and 2 that they absolutely cannot comment on In choosing a visual stimulus, often, the busier the image, the better! Train students to answer “Yes/No, because…”

Assessment break-down (in chronological order) Individual Oral (continued) More Hints from the Ab Initio Guru: It is easier to assess an individual oral if the teacher very clearly delineates the sections of the exam. In asking a student about his/her written assignment, consider sticking with the given reflection questions. Practice recording students Plan ahead so as to have no background noise on your recording Do not stop and then re-start the recording. If a re-do is necessary, start over with a completely new set of stimuli Don’t say, “Tell me about yourself. ” This risks sounding rehearsed. If he/she doesn’t understand, just move on.

Assessment break-down (in chronological order) Paper 1 (90 minutes) - a/k/a Reading Comprehension (External) Students “sit for” this portion of the exam in May Ab Initio teachers may not proctor nor be anywhere near it! No reference materials Comprehension of four written texts via up to 40 text-handling exercises Varying text types Varying exercises (multiple choice, matching, short-answer, vocabulary knowledge/contextualization, grammatical structuring, true/false with justification, table-filling, gap-filling) Alignment with the “prescribed topics” Text 3 is usually the most difficult (occasionally text 2)

Assessment break-down (in chronological order) Paper 1 (continued) Hints from the Ab Initio Guru: This is the part of the test for which students need the most practice Train students to read directions in the target language Train students how not to get stuck on one word Spelling is not crucial, unless it impedes meaning Keep short answers down to 1 -3 words Write only in the box provided. (This is because examiners are sometimes given literally only the box to look at!) No points are awarded for only true or false; justification is the substance (however, keep it extremely brief) **Hint from me: compare with ACT question-types?

Assessment break-down (in chronological order) Paper 2 (60 minutes) (Rubric starts on page 33 of the guide) (External) Students “sit for” this portion of the test in May, directly after sitting for Paper 1 All writing sample tasks are aligned with “prescribed topics. ” No reference material Section A Brief writing sample (Minimum of 50 words in English, French, Spanish or German / 60 Mandarin characters or 100 Japanese) Students choose one of two prompts in Section A. Formatting is provided (lines, frame, boxes, whatever is needed) Section B “Extended writing sample (Minimum of 100 words in English, French, Spanis or German / 120 Mandarin characters or 200 Japanese) Students choose one of three prompts in Section B. No formatting given – student must provide all formatting.

Assessment break-down (in chronological order) Paper 2 (continued) Hints from the Ab Initio Guru: Many students answer both questions in Section A, and think they are finished, never moving on to Section B! Students with special needs who require a computer are permitted to have one; talk to your coordinator! Communication over perfection Have your students use a blue or black pen Skip lines and write large Have students memorize some sort of formal letter sign-off Have students memorize a few useful phrases in subjunctive and/or past subjunctive (French/Spanish), if viable Students can cross out any unwanted work They may ask the proctor for more paper If some attempt is made at conforming to text-type conventions, examiners are sympathetic.

Examination The only that can really invalidate a test is academic dishonesty. Examiners are teachers like you Examiners are given only one section of the assessment, which means that someone different will examine each student’s Paper 1, Paper 2, Individual oral and Written Assignment. Students are not at the mercy of one “tough” examiner. Each assessment usually goes through 2 -3 stages of examination, including a “chief” examiner. If your predicted grade and/or scoring of the individual oral (or that of another examiner) differs by more than 2 points from the “chief” examiner’s, another stage of examination will become necessary, and ultimately, possibly, a moderated score.

Miscellaneous Ab Initio passing score is 3/7 Communication over perfection Even stutters or “making up” language can be a good thing. “Yo speako, ” still shows some knowledge and risk-taking behavior Rumors about submitting a unit-planning template to IB are untrue IB itself does not prescribe nor publish textbooks/workbooks In word-count, contractions count as 2 words myibsource. com edpuzzle. com midori. mckinley@jeffco. k 12. co. us anniefoster@shaw. ca

Questions? Ideas to share?