IB - Spanish B
Language B Standard Level (SL) and Higher Level (HL) are language acquisition courses for students with some previous experience of learning the language. While studying the language, students also explore the culture(s) connected with it.
Higher and standard levels are differentiated by the recommended teaching hours, the depth of syllabus coverage, the required study of literature at HL, and the level of difficulty and requirements of the assessment tasks and criteria.
The range of purposes and situations for using language in the language B courses extends well beyond those for language ab initio.
The course is organized into five themes: identities, experiences, human ingenuity, social organization and sharing the planet. Finally, two works of literature are studied at HL only.
Spanish B and ToK
In group 2 there are three modern language courses: language ab initio, language B SL and language B HL.
The outcomes of each course are different, but each course is a language acquisition course that seeks to enhance intercultural understanding.
Theory of knowledge (TOK) is central to the Diploma Programme, and the relationship between TOK and group 2 is of great importance. Learning an additional language involves linguistic and metalinguistic, sociolinguistic, pragmatic and intercultural skills and competencies. Therefore, teachers are challenged to make links between TOK and group 2 courses that encourage consideration and reflection upon how these skills and competencies are acquired by the language learner and, equally, imparted by the teacher.
Spanish B and CAS
The CAS requirement is a fundamental part of the programme and students have excellent opportunities to make links with a range of CAS activities:
- offering support / help sessions for younger students
- writing articles in Spanish for the school newspaper
- helping out the Spanish teachers (elaborating posters, support materials, etc)
- baby sitting Spanish children
All the contents mentioned here are available in the students' online notebooks (OneNote).
