English Language B HL Students Analyze Context

One of the differences between Language B SL and HL is that students must analyze two pieces of literature.  The difference between Language and Literature and Language B is that the exploration is into the culture of the native speaking countries of that language.  In English B HL, we analyze one piece of literature from the UK and one from the USA.  This helps students prepare for attending university in that country as they make connections to the culture and issues a potential future place of study or home.

Here, two English B HL students are looking at Edwardian England’s class structure because they are analyzing the context of a very famous play which takes place in England in 1912 called An Inspector Calls.  They are relating this structure to how the characters in the play fit and interact.  This is a critical time period in the development of the modern UK social structures under Queen Elizabeth, the current monarch, and the beginning of a long period of social change that continues even today.

English B HL students are enjoying the characters while practicing the voices and animations of the characters.  Learning by doing, they are able to better understand the play and their relationship to who the characters represent in their own lives.