You’re planning for a new English B intake. You’ve got to choose two books for your students to read. They have to be written in the original language (English), so no translations allowed, and abridged or ‘easy-reader’ formats are not recommended. (pg 22 of the 2019 guide). Sounds easy enough? Most of you will have access to recommended titles in your school library, or colleagues who can recommend some classics, but is that enough? Here are five things to consider when choosing books for your English B students, who are living in an ever-increasingly globalised world.
#1 - Classic VS Contemporary
Classics are classics for a reason, right? We turn back to them again and again because their themes are timeless and our students CAN connect to them. So there is no harm whatsoever in reaching for a novel such as The Great Gatsby or Catcher in the Rye - I used to love analysing them with my students.
That being said, are you solely choosing books that are more than a few decades old? Since we only read two novels in English B I would argue that it is extremely important to expose students to a range of periods and writing styles. So, go ahead and choose an older novel, but can you combine it with a more contemporary read? You can balance out the more difficult language of classic novels with graphic novels for example. Here’s a list of some graphic novels. #37 and #44 are both fantastic and can be linked to various English B themes, which brings me to point 2.
#2 - English B Prescribed Themes
When choosing literature for our students, the guide explicitly states that we should consider the prescribed themes. How can we analyse the novel in regards to one or more of the prescribed themes? I always found it easy to explore a plethora of topics of the themes of identity, experiences and sharing the planet (most global issues can fall under one of these!), but human ingenuity was always a bit more tricky for me. For that reason, for a few years I chose Z for Zachariah as one of the novels for my English B students so we could explicitly explore the prescribed theme of human ingenuity in the novel.
So work smarter, not harder. We have to cover all five prescribed themes, so use the novels to explore a theme which you personally find a bit more tricky to find material on. What theme is most tricky for you?
#3 - Female VS Male Authors
When reflecting on this, I was shocked to realise that for many years I had only chosen books written by male, North American authors. The UN describes gender equality as “the unfinished business of our time”. Women and girls represent half of the world’s population, so let’s do our job as teachers and try to reflect that in the books we choose. Female authors are not afraid to write about difficult subjects, which can be found in books such as The Hate U Give. How can you choose books which reflect different genders? What other gender identities can you explore through literature with your students?
#4 - Cultural Viewpoints
Going back to point 2, I was shocked that the books I was selecting were from North America, and North America only. Once again, I know it can be difficult in terms of availability, budgets and stock, but is there any way you can choose books from other cultures and perspectives? The IB aims to develop global citizens, after all. Aside from having to ensure they are not translations, the world is your oyster! From New Zealand, Whale Rider is a classic, as are Tomorrow, When the War Began and Looking for Alibrandi for Australian teens.
#5 - Student Interests and Reading level
I’m a firm believer that there is no one ‘perfect’ book for every English B group. Each intake brings a completely unique group of students, and what worked for one group might not work for another. So at the beginning of the programme, when you are evaluating their language level, carefully consider the books you will choose. I certainly didn’t choose Catcher in the Rye for every group, as the stream of consciousness style of writing was not appropriate for some groups who needed extra support.
Think about your students’ interests too. What other DP subjects are your students taking? When I had a huge group who were studying History and 20th century wars, we read the MAUS graphic novel, which was fantastic for them to make interdisciplinary connections. Take the time at the very beginning of your English B course to also ask your students what their interests are. This will help forge stronger connections down the line, and make reading a novel with them just that bit easier!
I hope you found some of these points helpful. What other things do you consider when choosing literature for your English B class? Happy reading!
Sources:
IBO (2019). Language B guide: First assessment 2020
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