DP Unit Plan Template 2 (MYP Aligned)

Teacher Kamayani Sharma Subject Group and Group 1 – English Language & Literature
Course

Course Part 1 – Language In Cultural Context : Evolution of SL or HL/Year 1 or 2 SL Dates 5 Weeks

Part and Language, Gender
HL: DP1
Topic

Unit Description And Texts DP Assessment(S) For Unit:

This Unit analyses how Language and culture impact each other Further Oral Activity
and how does language shape gender identity. It relates to
Written Task
gender discrimination caused and created by language and how it
influences society and culture. Culture on the other hand also Paper 1
influences language and it’s implications. The following topics and
texts will be covered in the Unit –
Evolution of English Language
Sapir Whorf Hypothesis
Formative Assessments –
Meghan Markle’s Speech at UN Women
Paper 1 – Textual Analysis
HeForShe Campaign
Open Ended Group Assessment – Open Forum Debate (Cross Curricular
Blogs on- Language shapes gender, Inclusive Language Link with ESS)
Cartoons by Liza Donnelly
Ted Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Magazine Covers
Slam Poetry

INQUIRY: Establishing the Purpose of the Unit

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DP Unit Plan Template 2 (MYP Aligned)

Transfer Goals
List here one to three big, overarching, long-term goals for this unit. Transfer goals are the major goals that ask students to “transfer”, or apply,
their knowledge, skills, and concepts at the end of the unit under new/different circumstances, and on their own without scaffolding from the
teacher.

Students will be able to independently use their learning from this unit to:
 Analysis of the role played by words and images in shaping society and biases

 Analyse and appreciation the literary features of a text.

 Communicate ideas effectively and creatively – in a group or individually - to suit various audiences and purposes

Essential Understandings
List here the key content/skills/concepts that students will know/have at the end of the unit

Students will know the following content:

Various sources to identify that language has created gender inequality
Evolution of English Language – how has it taken its present form and how do the dialects vary.
Sapir Whorf Hypothesis – how authentic and reliable is the hypothesis.
Meghan Markle’s Speech at UN Women – how do words influence the people’s thoughts and mental procedures.
Blogs on- Language shapes gender – How do words create discrimination even for the elements of nature like – rivers.
Inclusive Language – how far can language be inclusive and avoid discrimination in genders
Cartoons by Liza Donnelly –how do cartoons serve the purpose of generating awareness about gender inequality in different areas of life
Ted Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Importance of cultural context in use of language and its impact on the social circumstances
Slam Poetry – poetry, being one of the most communicative way of expression, how does it promote/negate gender inequality.

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DP Unit Plan Template 2 (MYP Aligned)

Students will develop the following skills:

Identify the features of texts and analyse them

Analyse visual and audio texts
Analyse and Appreciate the literary choices of the author
Use terminology and vocabulary appropriate to the subject and language
Analyse how audience and purpose affect the structure and content of the text
Make oral presentation based on the particular text
Write in a structured way to produce coherent and organized work
Students will grasp the following concepts:

Identity
Purpose
Perspectives

Inquiry Questions
List here the understandings above written in question form, preferably as ones that inspire students to answer them.

Content-based:
How does use of language influence bias against women in society?
How does language influence culture?
How does culture influence the use of language?

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DP Unit Plan Template 2 (MYP Aligned)

Skills-based:

What purpose do you think is served by creating gender biases?

What techniques does an author employ to make a text effective?
How do audience and purpose affect the use of language?
What elements are to be explored while analysing a text?
What points of analysis would you include in a task involving language and society?
How has your understanding of techniques to create or fight bias / inequality been enhanced after this unit?

Concept-based:
How does language shape the identity of an individual?
How does the purpose affect the composition of a text?
To what extent can language shape one’s perspective of a particular gender or section of society?
How can language bring about a change in society?

Approaches To Learning (ATL)

Check the boxes for any explicit approaches to learning connections made during the unit. For more information on ATL, please see the guide.

Thinking
Social
Communication
Self-management
Research
Details:
Students need to think about the impact of language and how easy it is to create biases in people’s minds and how through language, the

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DP Unit Plan Template 2 (MYP Aligned)

biases can be dissipated as well.

Group activities ensure development of social skills.
Presenting oral activities in the class will help in enhancing communication skills.

REFLECTION: Considering the planning, process and impact of the inquiry

What Worked Well What Didn’t Work Well Notes / Changes / Suggestions

The flipped classroom activity was the most Sapir Whorf Hypothesis – students did not None.
engaging activity. The activities that my peers research adequately and thus the discussion
created involved everyone, were fun and was bland.
there was lot of learning. I especially liked the
activity that Shaurya did with slam poetry.
Analysis of the ‘River of Blood’ speech. As
Ms. Sharma couldn’t come to class, we did
Analysis of the cartoons by Liza Donnelly. not have a fruitful discussion on the linguistic
The discussions we had in class before jotting devices used by Powell in his speech.
down the analysis allowed me to consider
others perspective. Sometimes, I would have
never thought of the ideas that others came
across.

Transfer Goals
List the transfer goals from the beginning of this unit planner.

Students will be able to independently use their learning to:

 Analyse how words and images play a role in shaping society and biases
 Use the skills of analysis and appreciation acquired through this unit to upcoming units.
 Develop an empathy towards sections of society that are discriminated against
 Communicate ideas effectively and creatively – in a group or individually - to suit various audiences and purposes
 Listen actively to engage in a range of conversations and reflect thereupon

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DP Unit Plan Template 2 (MYP Aligned)

Transfer Reflection
How successful were the students in achieving the transfer goals by the end of the unit?

During the last two months, I had plenty of opportunities to consider why authors used the words, symbols, linguistic features and
images they did. Each time, I was able to observe certain common features and a handful of distinct features specific to the text type
and the theme. The obvious benefit of analysing various text types was that I was exposed to a variety of texts and I now know how to
analyse the word and image choices made by an author. Moreover, the discussions that we had in class before writing the textual
analysis, sometimes opened my mind to new possibilities and even more creative ways of using language.

One of the overarching topics of this unit was gender bias, and I have was surprised to learn how language could influence gender
roles. I definitely think that I am more sympathetic to victims of gender discrimination than I was before. In addition, my class has
initiated a CAS Project titled Campaign for Gender Equality.

I was part of many group activities and presentations including a group presentation on Evolution of Language and on Catalonian
Confusion. Therefore, I communicated my ideas based on research effectively and I linked them with TOK. Finally, as part of the flipped
classroom activity. I actively listened to my peers and learnt from their research and understanding. I also made running notes while
analysing the speech by Powell and the TED Talks.

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