G.P.+Home+Page

=Welcome to Mr. Furman's General Paper Course=


 * AICE AS GENERAL PAPER 8004 CURRICULUM MAP**

__**"With great knowledge comes great power…teaching students to THINK big."**__

 * Jill Pavich, NBCT**The Global Pen Website****





=Aims of General Paper=
 * //From the syllabus document//**
 * The syllabus aims to enable candidates to achieve the following outcomes:**
 * **Understand better the world in which they live by fostering a critical awareness of continuity and change in the human experience**
 * **Demonstrate their understanding of the nature of knowledge by appreciating the interrelationship of ideas from across disciplines**
 * **Broaden their global outlook while enabling them to remain mindful of shared historical and social experiences**
 * **Develop maturity of thought and apply critical reading and creative thinking skills**
 * **Develop the skills of clear, accurate and effective communication**
 * **Develop the skills of evaluation of arguments and opinions**
 * **Promote extensive and independent reading and research.**



**Principles Underlying This Course:**
 * that reading writing and thinking are integrated skills


 * that writing and reading are learned individual behaviors, requiring practice, feedback and revision


 * that the priorities in a piece of writing are (in order) substance, organization, style, and correctness

__
 * that grammar, usage, punctuation, and spelling are best learned at the point of need through reading writing, revising and editing.
 * that reading and writing are both a process of learning.

The content of the General Paper course is, by definition, very broad. it is important therefore that the syllabus should not be as prescriptive as those in other disciplines, so as to allow sufficient flexibility in course design to accommodate variations in staffing and resources and most important to ensure that the examination is testing the candidates general knowledge of skills acquired from all areas of learning, not simply the topics covered in the classroom. It is intended that the candidate should apply his / her knowledge and skills to new and unpredicted multidisciplinary problems and issues. It is this quality which gives General Paper's distinct identity. The following description is intended to provide guidelines for course design. The themes on humanities and culture; Science and Technology are not mutually exclusive and courses should be designed to show the inter-relationships between them. For example: a course on Current Affairs is likely to involve Politics, Religious Education and The Media; a consideration of energy or natural resources may involve Physical and Earth Sciences, Industry and Technology, Geography and the Environment; whilst conversation issues may involve work in the areas of Geography and the Environment and Agriculture.

**Aims:**
The aims of the syllabus are to encourage the understanding of continuity and change in the modern world and the inter-relationship of knowledge; to develop the skills of study and analysis of chosen issues, and the clear, accurate and effective communication of information and evaluation.

**Assessment:**
One 2 hours question paper, containing Paper 8004/1-3, will be set. It is intended primarily to be a test of the extent to which the candidate has achieved a maturity of thought and expression appropriate to sixth-form students in their second year, rather than a test of general knowledge. In awarding marks examiners consider the ability of candidates (a) to use their specialized knowledge to answer questions on the broad aspects of school subjects, (b) to discuss general topics which are not directly related to school subjects. (c) to use the English language. The question paper will be divided into three papers with at least five questions in each. Candidates will be required to answer one question from each of two papers. Questions will not be necessarily be set on every topic. Paper I - Historical, social, economic, political and philosophical topics Paper II - Science, including it's history, philosophy, general principles and applications; mathematical and geographical topics. Paper III - Literature and language, arts and crafts.

**Assessment Objectives:**
The candidates will be expected to demonstrate an ability within a multi-disciplinary context to: ___
 * 1) select relevant material. This may include the ability to: i. locate information relevant to a particular problem from among the variety of sources available. ii. make and record measurements and / or observations with clarity and accuracy: iii. disregard information, which, though accurate, has no bearing on the issue under consideration.
 * 2) summarize information. This may include the ability to: i. identify the key issues / points in some given information; ii. translate information from one form to another form which is more simple, comprehensible, attractive or appropriate; iii. identify patterns and trends, to draw inferences and to extrapolate.
 * 3) demonstrate the knowledge and understanding. i. of the meaning of words in English, of common mathematical and scientific terms, concepts, symbols, quantities and units; ii. of various principles, theories, concepts and classification systems, models and patterns relating to Science and Technology and to Humanities and Culture; iii. of the facts, general techniques, methods and processes used in both Science and Technology and in Humanities and Culture.
 * 4) make considered judgments, form opinions and draw conclusions. This may include the ability to: i. evaluate available information; ii. solve problem (both quantitative and qualitative); iii. make predictions and propose hypotheses; iv. present reasoned explanations for phenomenon, patterns and relationships; v. interpret and evaluate observations and data.
 * 5) to communicate clearly. This may include the ability to: i. use the accepted convention of spelling, punctuation and grammer; ii. select an appropriate and concise way to convey information;use a range of methods (e.g. prose, diagrams, maps, pictures, symbols or equations).

**General Paper Syllabus Cont.** The Content of this course will be divided into four major areas to correspond with the Cambridge University Program of Study for the General Paper: ** 1st Quarter: Pop Culture ** ** 2nd Quarter: Science and Technology ** ** 3rd Quarter: Humanities and Civilization ** ** 4th Quarter: Current Events ** *Along with daily assignments, students will create one personal portfolio, one group project and two papers each quarter. All papers must communicate ideas effectively, draw inferences and conclusions from a variety of sources, and make cross-cultural references. *Students will focus on the improvement of writing skills with each paper. *Students are required to keep an e-Portfolio of all work completed in this course. The i-Portfolio will contain all class notes taken during each semester, all papers prepared for each assigned topic, and a separate section for each of the four major areas to be studied in this course. The i-Portfolio must not contain work from any other course. All sections of the i-Portfolio must be separated with specific labeled pages per i-Portfolio instructions that will be handed out in class. **Quarter 1 Assignments:** Paper 1- Due 9/10/13 Should modern media be restricted in any way?

Paper 2: Due 10/9/13 How much government surveillance should people accept to keep their country safe?

Personal i-Portfolio Project: Due 10/12/13 Students will keep a Culture Portfolio. Included in the i-portfolio will be four articles, two art references, two cartoons, two music references, two literary references and three quotes pertaining to Culture. Students will write a paragraph in which they synthesize the information gained from their documents into a coherent statement about culture. Group Project: Due: 10/15/13 Students will choose their own groups (no more than three unless there are extenuating circumstances), or they may choose to work alone. Students will choose their own topics which must then be given approval by the teacher. Projects will be about some aspect of pop culture and should be directed by a guiding question. Students are encouraged to use the information in their portfolios. Projects will be presented in the 9th week of class. Improving writing and reading skills will be the main task of each week Major Topics: Defining Culture/Pop Culture, Defining Culture around the World, Cultural Values and Viewpoints, Social networking and Culture, Art and Culture, Films and Culture, Museums and Culture Other Topics: Summer Reading from Pre-AICE English Short Stories/UpFront articles, CNN News that pertain to the topics **Quarter 2 Assignments:** Paper 1: Due 10/29/13 In what ways does technology impact world economics? Paper 2: Due 11/12/13 To what extent does technology impact human life positively or negatively? Personal i-Portfolio Project: Due 12/3/13 Students will keep a Technology i-Portfolio that focuses upon one area of technological interest. Included in the i-portfolio will be four articles (summaries in your own words), two art references (with explanation/connection ), two cartoons (with explanation and connection) and three quotes (with explanation). Students will write a paper in which they synthesize the information gained from their documents into a coherent statement about their Technological area of interest. Group Project: Due: 12/17/13 Students will be assigned groups. Students will choose topics from a list provided by the teacher. Students will be expected to use a variety of technology during their presentations. Projects will be presented in the 9th week of class. Improving writing and reading skills will be the main task of each week Major Topics: How technology affects our lives, trend predictions, technology and globalization, medical technology, technology and the environment, new technologies **Quarter 3 Assignments** Paper 1: Due: 1/14/14 Do you agree or disagree that good books are rarely turned into good films? Paper 2: Due: 1/28/14 If writings from the past and writings from other countries do not seem relevant to us, why should we bother to study them? Personal Portfolio Project: Due: 2/19/14 Students will keep an i-portfolio on a specific Humanities Discipline (History-a specific time period, art, philosophy, music or literature) that interests them. Included in the e-portfolio will be four articles (summaries in your own words), two art references (with explanation/connection ), two cartoons (with explanation and connection) and three quotes (with explanation). Students will write a paper in which they synthesize the information gained from their documents into a coherent statement about their area of interest. Group Project: Due: 3/15/14 Students will choose their own groups (no more than 3 in a group). Students will draw from a list of time periods provided by the teacher. Students will investigate the Humanities disciplines within their chosen time period and create a multimedia presentation based on this information to be presented to the class during the 9th week of class. Improving writing and reading skills will be the main task of each week Major Topics: Classical Literature, Literary criticism, Art Criticism, Classical Music, Philosophy **Quarter 4 Assignments** Paper 1: Due 4/2/14 The term //Current Events// is often defined as “those events and issues of interest currently found in the news.” //News// is often defined as “the communication of information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.” Are the terms //news// and //Current Events// synonymous? Paper 2: Due: 4/15/14 In your opinion, what has been the most significant current event of the first decade of the 21st century? Personal i-Portfolio Project: Due 5/3/14 Students will keep an i-portfolio of current events. Included in the i-portfolio will be four articles (summaries in your own words), two art references (with explanation/connection ), two cartoons (with explanation and connection) and three quotes (with explanation). Students will write a paper in which they synthesize the information gained from their documents into a coherent statement about their area of interest. Group Project: Due: TBA (Last full week for Seniors) The teacher will assign groups. Students are to choose their own topics for a multimedia presentation to be presented to the class during the 9th week of class. Improving writing and reading skills will be the main task of each week Major Topics: Defining current events, news, world events vs. Local events, Multi-cultural perspectives on current events, nuclear powers, terrorism, censorship











































==The //Advanced International Certificate of Education// requires the study of subjects drawn from three A/AS Level curriculum areas. Excelling 11th & 12th grade students will have the opportunity to test for the AICE Certificate, which demonstrates university-level competency in exam content areas. Students must earn 6 total credits on A or AS Level Exams, with at least one credit from each of the following 3 groups: Math & Science, Languages, and Humanities & Arts. A Level courses count for 2 credits and AS Level course count for 1 credit.==


 * Resources within these pages were created by:**
 * Mr. Furman, Mr. Furman's Website**
 * Jill Pavich, NBCT****The Global Pen Website**
 * Mr. Wangyal,** The General Paper Wiki

**Global Perspectives Resource for General Paper Research**

General Paper Resources

Great Online Resources
[] []

[|http://generalpaper.wordpress.com] [|http://thegeneralpaper.wordpress.com] [] [] [|http://debateable.org] http://fouraces.wikispaces.com/home http://msdeepagp.wikispaces.com/Lesson+Materials http://12s7f-note-sharing.wikispaces.com/GP [] [] []

[]


 * **Section 1: Historical, social, economic, political and philosophical topics**

• The role of history and war; terrorism.

• The role of the individual in society – the family, marriage, peer pressure, class.

• Cultural changes – youth and drug culture.

• Education and welfare.

• Sport, leisure, international competition.

• Wealth; changes in work practice.

• The importance and impact of tourism on a country – implications for the economy, employment, public transport, environmental concerns.

• The provision and politics of aid.

• The State and its institutions; development of State, democracy, post-imperialism, nationalism.

• Minority groups, pressure groups.

• Freedom of speech, action, thought.

• Judiciary.

• Matters of conscience, faith, tolerance, equality, opportunity.

• Corruption. || **Section 2: Science, including its history, philosophy, general principles and applications; environmental issues; mathematical topics**

• Medical dilemmas and issues of research and ethics; concept of progress in science.

• Drug manufacture and provision.

• Diet, health education.

• Old and new industries.

• Spin-offs from space industry; weaponry.

• Information and communications technology; the Internet.

• Environmental concerns; renewable energy resources; climate change.

• Migration; population dynamics.

• Feeding the global population; farming techniques for the twenty-first century.

• Public transport and travel.

• The uses and applications of mathematics in everyday life. || **Section 3: Literature and language, arts and crafts**

• Literature, biography, diary, science fiction.

• Language – heritage, tradition, dialect.

• The global media – tv, radio, satellite; influence and controls; effects on lifestyle, culture and habits; cultural dilution and diversification; advertising; role models.

• Censorship; privacy; the right to know; freedom of the press, etc. uses and abuses.

• Traditional arts and crafts; creativity; national heritage/preservation; effects of tourism.

• Architecture; painting; fashion; photography; sculpture; music; heritage. ||

= =