Hello everyone, 

Welcome to the second InThinking MYP English Language & Literature Newsletter! 

As the project of creating an all-encompassing, content-rich resource for MYP Language & Literature teachers has become a reality over the last few weeks, seeing the global locations of new site subscribers has been exciting. To date, there are over 400 Language & Literature teachers at more than 270 schools worldwide subscribing to the website and almost every day another country and another school are added to the list.

Vision for the Website

I'm excited to share with you my vision for the website! Recently I was interviewed by my daughter, Olivia and you can read the full interview here:  

An interview with the website author

Recently, I was interviewed about my authorship of the InThinking MYP Language & Literature website! I explained my motivations for creating the website, and my experiences along the way.

What's New on the Website in December?

A Growing Library of How-To-Videos

To help you access the full range of features on the website, we have created some short How-To-Videos introducing what's available in the different website areas. Each video provides guidance and helpful tips:

Introducing the new InThinking L&L site

We kick off the How-To video series with an introduction to the new MYP Language & Literature website.

Complete Website Overview

Setting up student access

Using ready-to-teach units

Unit Planning

Presentations introducing poetic and rhetoric techniques

We have been responding to your suggestions and there is a growing collection of presentations on the site to support you in introducing poetic and rhetorical techniques to your students. There are two poetic devices presentations available so far. The first presentation covers anaphora, repetition and onomatopoeia and the second is about similes and metaphors. A third presentation introduces students to rhetorical devices including logos, pathos, ethos, anaphora, hyperbole and irony. 

Each presentation includes definitions, examples and classroom activities in which your students practice using the techniques. Explore the presentations here:

Poetic Devices: Anaphora, Repetition, Onomatopoeia Resource

This presentation begins with a definition of anaphora, internal and end repetition and onomatopoeia with examples of the use of each device. There are activities in which students practice...

Poetic Devices: Similes and Metaphors

The presentation begins with a definition of simile and metaphor with examples to illustrate each device. There are activities in which students practice identifying similes and metaphors...

Rhetorical Devices: logos, pathos, ethos, anaphora, hyperbole, irony 

The presentation begins with a definition of rhetorical devices and a short film that explains the history of rhetorical devices. Types of rhetorical devices including logos, pathos...

Do your students have access to the website yet?

A few schools have already signed up for student site access. One of the valuable aspects of the website is the possibility for teachers to create class groups and student assignments within the website environment. Teachers can assign pages for students to study and formative quizzes and summative assessment tasks for completion on the website. These features simplify the teaching and learning process, including setting and marking student assessments, recording student achievement and providing feedback.

In the short video below, I explain how to set up classes for your students:

Setting up student access

Which units have you explored so far?

Your website subscription provides free access to a large number of resources. Below is a taster of some of the 'ready-to-teach' units available on the site.

Short Stories around the World

This short story unit includes voices and stories from around the world and offers the possibility of broadening our students' perspectives by introducing them to differing global perspectives. At the...

New Lives: Perspectives on Migration

The topic of migration has been popular in world literature across time. With the advent of social media, understanding the nature of the experience of young refugees, migration and the emotions of those...

I am ME!

Reading, discussing and analysing short stories with the theme of identity helps students to reflect on their unique individual identities, their perspectives about the character traits of others and...

The Danger of a Single Story

In this short unit, we explore Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's The Danger of a Single Story, in which she discusses her experiences with literature and the influence stories can have on constructing...

Young Writers of the Holocaust

Anne Frank's Diary and Elie Wiesel's memoir, Night both include eyewitness accounts, daily impressions and emotions that paint a picture of one of the ugliest darkest moments in the history of humankind.

Your recommendations and feedback are valuable!

I would like to thank everyone for the many positive comments received over the last few weeks. Your feedback and recommendations are valuable and vital to the website's growth.

If you have questions, comments, resources and/or suggestions that you would like to share with me, I would love to hear from you! There's a comments box at the bottom of every page on the website and I aim to respond within 24 hours.

Keep up-to-date with new resources!

The InThinking MYP Language & Literature website is a work in progress, and new resources are currently in the planning phase. I would like to encourage you to sign up for the social media pages below and check back regularly to view and access new resources as they are released.

Facebook    Instagram   LinkedIn   Twitter

Warm wishes to you,

Kate Beatty