Sixth Form Induction

Tonbridge Grammar School

PREPARING FOR THE TGS SIXTH FORM 2014

This document contains summer tasks for subjects being offered at Tonbridge Grammar School Sixth Form in September 2014.

Summer reading and research will give you a head start in your studies. You may be asked to read around a subject, watch a film, go on a visit or read a book. This is preparation for which you will have more time than that available during term-time. Students in previous years have found it very useful to have extra insight and background to their courses.

When you read or watch a film, keep a brief record of what you have done to discuss in your first lessons.

Please contact the Sixth Form Team via Mrs Gailey should you have any questions (Tel No: 01732 365125).

Best wishes for a pleasant summer.

Mr Barker Director of Sixth Form

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BIOLOGY

Task 1: Poster - Cell Structure IB (Standard and Higher)

Research the ultrastructure of the cell and present your research as an A4 poster. The structure and function of cell organelles (e.g. mitochondria, chloroplasts, Golgi apparatus, etc) should be described. A fully labelled and annotated diagram of cell ultrastructure is one approach but other imaginative means of presentation are welcome!

Task 2: Visit If you would like to have a day out to visit an attraction here are some suggestions with biological links:

The Old Operating Theatre near London Bridge is good for those interested in the history of medicine http://www.thegarret.org.uk/opening.htm

The Natural History Museum, Knightsbridge has the most wonderful exhibitions, as well as world class collections of a broad range of organisms http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/

Charles Darwin’s home is suitable if you want to learn a bit about how Darwin developed his theory of evolution by natural selection http://www.english- heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/home-of-charles-darwin-down-house/

CHEMISTRY

Towards the end of the holiday, attempt the questions provided and bring them in to your first lesson.

These questions will be about writing balanced equations, using moles and calculating concentrations. You should be able to answer most of them from your GCSE work, and by using a Periodic Table (accessible in your student planner or from the Internet), but you might need to consult a textbook if you get stuck! They are not all meant to be easy!

1. Explain what the term relative atomic mass (Ar) means.

2. Explain what the term relative molecular mass (Mr) means.

3. Write down the Ar of each element, using only the information given below: a) An atom of silver is nine times as heavy as an atom of carbon-12. b) An atom of magnesium is twice as heavy as an atom of carbon-12. c) An atom of hydrogen is one-twelfth the mass of an atom of carbon-12. d) An atom of silicon is 2.333 times as heavy as an atom of carbon-12.

4. Work out the Mr for each of the following compounds: a) Methane, CH4 b) Sodium chloride, NaCI

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c) Sodium hydroxide, NaOH d) Aluminium chloride, AICI3 e) Nitric acid, HNO3

5. Calculate the percentage by mass of each element in the following compounds. Give the answers to one decimal place.

a) Ca(OH)2 b) CuSO4,5H20 c) NH4NO3

REMEMBER: When the number of grams of a substance is equal to its Ar or Mr, there are 6.02 x 1023 particles of the substance present. A mole is the amount of any substance that contains 6.02 x 1023 particles.

6. Calculate the number of a) sulphur atoms in 64g of sulphur b) oxygen atoms in 22g of carbon dioxide c) magnesium atoms in 0.01 moles of magnesium

7. Calculate the mass in grams of: a) 2 moles of calcium metal, Ca b) 0.5 moles of magnesium metal, Mg c) 1 mole of iodine, 12 d) 0.1 moles of sulphur, S8 e) 0.25 moles of calcium carbonate, CaCO3

8. Calculate the number of moles in: a) 14g of silicon b) 10.8g of silver c) 1.2g of carbon d) 31g of phosphorus, P4 e) 0.56g of calcium oxide, CaO

9. Calculate the concentration of each solution in mol dm3. You are given the mass of solute dissolving in a certain volume of solvent.

a) 3.65g of HCI in 1 dm3 3 b) 0.98g of H2SO4 in 1 dm 3 c) 9.5g of MgCI2 in 0.5 dm d) 14.9g of KCI in 2 dm3 e) 0.4g of NaOH in 100 cm3

10. Write balanced equations for these reactions:

a) Calcium metal and chlorine gas reacting to give calcium chloride b) Copper metal and oxygen gas reacting to give copper (II) oxide c) Magnesium metal and solid sulphur reacting to give magnesium sulphide d) Carbon and carbon dioxide reacting to give carbon monoxide e) Carbon and steam reacting to give hydrogen and carbon monoxide

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11. Calculate the mass of magnesium oxide produced when 2.4g of magnesium is burnt in air.

12. Calculate the mass of iron produced from 110g of iron (III) oxide by the reaction:

Fe2O3 + 3CO ------2Fe + 3CO2

CLASSICAL GREEK & ROMAN STUDIES

Suggested activities: 1. Visit a classical site/museum, for example: British Museum, Verulamium (St. Albans), Lullingstone Roman Villa or Bignor Roman villa. 2. Watch as many classical films and television programmes as you can. YouTube has some great documentaries by people like Mary Beard (Romans) and Bettany Hughes (Greeks). 3. Read all or a selection of: the Aeneid by Virgil, Odyssey or Iliad by Homer (Penguin translations). All available in translation online or cheap to buy second hand. 4. Read any book on Greek myths (a children’s book would be fine).

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Object Orientated Programming Download and install the Greenfoot programming environment (free) from: http://www.greenfoot.org

We would like you to work through the “Joy of Code” video tutorials produced by Michael Kölling in “Mik’s Blog”: http://blogs.kent.ac.uk/mik/category/joy-of-code/

Go as far as you need with the tutorials to enable you to create your own program. There are plenty of examples on the Greenfoot site to give you ideas. We will have a “show and tell” session in your first lesson in which you can demonstrate and talk about your program.

DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

Visit one of the following:

 Design Museum: www.designmuseum.org  V&A Museum: www.vam.ac.uk

Speak to people and develop an awareness of products that they like or strongly dislike.

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You will be presenting your example of a ‘good’ design and a ‘bad’ design in one of the first lessons to your classmates in year 12. It can include products, graphical design, music, web design etc.

Try to become more design aware by looking through magazines and publications (‘Design Week’, ‘Blueprint’, ‘Creative Review’, ‘Icon’, ‘Stuff’) or by collecting articles of interest from newspapers.

Check out https://flipboard.com/section/creative-product-design-b1r6C6 for some good design ideas to flick through.

ECONOMICS

Economics is (usually) a brand-new subject for all students in year 12.

To get off to a good start, you need to start thinking like an economist. Please don’t start by reading The Economist. As the title suggests, it is mainly aimed at economists and those with some knowledge of the subject. I will be happy for you to start reading our classroom copy during year 12!

Here are two requirements and four recommendations that will help you.

1. Requirement: using the BBC news website, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/, choose and print three articles published within the last three months, that you think may have something to do with Economics. At least one should be a story about a country other than the UK (you could choose the country whose language you will be studying in September). Bring your print outs to the first Economics lesson.

2. Requirement: watch the Open University’s ’60 second adventures in Economics’. http://www.open.edu/openlearn/society/politics-policy- people/economics/60-second-adventures-economics-the-invisible-hand (the other videos are linked below the first one).There are 6 videos. Watch them all, then re-watch the one that interests you most and write a three line summary of its key points. Bring your summary to the first Economics lesson.

3. Recommendation: ‘The Economics Book’ is a great introduction to many of the ideas and thinkers behind the discipline of Economics. It is available on Amazon for about £11 (only £6.99 on Kindle) or free from the e-book collection of Kent libraries. You can also borrow one of the copies from Room 42. Find an economic thinker whose ideas interest you (or perhaps that you’ve already heard of) and write a paragraph summarising what the book says about your chosen person and their ideas. Bring your paragraph to the first Economics lesson.

4. Recommendation: there are also many accessible paperbacks about Economics that are available very cheaply. Previous students have enjoyed ‘The Undercover Economist’ by Tim Harford and ‘Freakonomics’ by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, or, for a more international approach,

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‘Poor Economics’ by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo. You can also borrow a book from the Room 42 library. Write down a) something you enjoyed about the book/an interesting fact you learnt from the book and b) something you’d like to know more about, having read the book. Bring your summary to the first Economics lesson.

5. Recommendation: watch a BBC Panorama documentary about the rise of food banks in Britain, ‘Hungry Britain’. According to the programme makers, what are the main factors driving the increasing use of food banks? Write a paragraph summarising the programme and bring it to the first Economics lesson. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03xlch7/panorama-hungry- britain

ENGLISH (LITERATURE)

All IB English classes, Higher and Standard, will begin in September with a study of the graphic novel “Maus” by Art Spiegelman. Students are to have read the book by September and to write an essay entitled “To what extent is ‘Maus’ as much about Art as it is about Vladek?” This essay, maximum 500 words, is to be brought to school ready to hand in during the first English lesson. Students are also encouraged to read as wide a variety of books as possible, including World Literature texts.

ENGLISH (LITERATURE & PERFORMANCE)

The focus of this course will be the transformation of poetry and prose into drama, so you should try to see a few theatrical productions based on texts in other forms, such as “War Horse,” “The 39 Steps” and “The Woman in Black.”

Reading List

This follows below. It may be useful to guide your reading this summer. Of course, we will not expect you to have read your way through it – but you should note that the students who do best in any kind of English course are well read. All students will be required to give a five-minute presentation on a book of their choice (from the recommended reading list) during the first few weeks of the Autumn Term.

LOGIC Resources

As well as the general LOGIC stock, there is a shelf stocked with items bought specifically for Sixth Form English students. Ask Mrs Hull for help if you cannot locate it. You will find books here which are designed to support your courses.

Subscription to the English Review

Early in the Autumn Term you will be given the opportunity to subscribe to “The English Review”, a publication specifically designed for students of your age. Consider carefully if you would like to subscribe.

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TGS ENGLISH DEPARTMENT SIXTH FORM READING LIST

The list of books that follows is by no means a comprehensive guide to the best of modern fiction but each book has been recommended by either a member of the English department or a sixth form English student. You are also advised to read as wide a variety of ‘classic’ fiction (including twentieth-century writers) by as many different writers as possible. The more extensive and developed your reading habit, the easier and more rewarding studying English Literature in the IB will be.

Ackroyd, Peter Hawksmoor The English Muse Alexie, Sherman Indian Killer The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven Ali, Monica Brick Lane Attwood, Margaret Alias Grace The Handmaid’s Tale Banks, Iain The Wasp Factory Barker, Pat Regeneration The Eye in the Door The Ghost Road Barnes, Julian A History of the World in 10½ Chapters Talking It Over Bellow, Saul Herzog Bradbury, Malcolm The History Man Brittain, Vera Testament of Youth Burgess, Anthony The Malayan Trilogy Carter, Angela The Magic Toyshop Wise Children De Bernieres, Louis Captain Corelli’s Mandolin Doyle, Roddy The Woman Who Walked Into Doors Faulks, Sebastian Birdsong Fowles, John The French Lieutenant’s Woman The Magus Gale, Patrick Friendly Fire The Facts of Life Graves, Robert I, Claudius Irving, John The Cider House Rules A Son of the Circus Ishigura, Kazuo The Remains of the Day Never Let Me Go Jones, Edward The Known World Kesey, Ken One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Kneale, Matthew English Passengers Kureishi, Hanif The Buddha of Suburbia Lodge, David Changing Places McEwan, Ian The Comfort of Strangers The Cement Garden Enduring Love Mitchell, David Cloud Atlas

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Number 9 Dream Mo, Timothy An Insular Possession Morrison, Toni Tar Baby Beloved Nye, Robert The Voyage of the Destiny Roberts, Michele Fair Exchange The Wild Girl Scott, Paul Staying On Jewel in the Crown Quartet Shakespeare, N. Snowleg Smiley, Jane A Thousand Acres Smith, Zadie White Teeth Walker, Alice The Color Purple Weldon, Fay Life and Loves of a She-Devil Welsh, Irving Trainspotting Zimler, Richard Guardian of the Dawn Hunting Midnight

Books from other countries

Achebe, Chinua Things Fall Apart Allende, Isabel The House of the Spirits Ba, Mariama Scarlet Song So Long a Letter Brink, Andre An Instant in the Wind A Dry White Season Carey, Peter Oscar and Lucinda Chang, Jung Wild Swans Coetzee, J.M. Disgrace The Life and Times of Michael K. Waiting for the Barbarians Kingsolver, Barbara The Poisonwood Bible Kundera, Milan The Unbearable Lightness of Being The Joke Levi, Primo If This Is A Man Maas, Sharon Peacocks Dancing Malouf, David Remembering Babylon Marquez, G. G. Chronicle of a Death Foretold Love in the Time of Cholera One Hundred Years of Solitude Murakami, Haruki Dance, Dance, Dance The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle Norwegian Wood Nabokov, Vladimir Lolita Naipaul, V.S. A House for Mr Biswas The Mimic Men Ngugi, wa Thiong’o The River Between Oe, Kenzaburo The Silent Cry Ondaatje, Michael The English Patient Anil’s Ghost

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Roy, Arundhati The God of Small Things Soueif, Ahdaf The Map of Love Tan, Amy The Joy Luck Club

ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS & SOCIETIES

Keep Geography GCSE notes on Population, tectonics, development and re-read them. From Biology GCSE keep notes on Ecology. Read Quality newspapers & keep cuttings on Environmental issues (pollution, conservation, climate change, etc) Good books to read: Silent Spring – Rachel Carson Gaia – James Lovelock What has Nature ever done for us – Tony Jupiter Film: An Inconvenient truth – Al Gore

FRENCH

The transition from GCSE to IB higher and standard levels is an exciting challenge for Y12 students. Here are some things that you could do over the summer to help you get your French studies off to a flying start in September:

1. Revise your GCSE grammar thoroughly - a sound base of knowledge of verb conjugations is essential to your success in the IB diploma. You must come with knowledge of the present, past (passé compose, imparfait) and future tenses.

2. Recommended books - you will use these books throughout the duration of the course:  Grammar book: Élan – Grammar Workbook ISBN 978 019 915340 4  Advanced French Vocabulary by Philip Horsfall, Sue Finnie · Nelson Thornes Limited · Paperback · 112 pages · ISBN 0748757805  Large French bi-lingual dictionary (Collins Robert)

3. Look for useful French internet sites. Here are some good places to start: www.languagesonline.org.uk (grammar revision) www.sitespourenfants.com www.liensutiles.com www.infosjeunes.com www.lesclesjunior.com 4. Watch French language television (TF1, TV5 Europe) 5. Rent DVDs such as Jean de Florette, Manon des Sources, Lucie Aubrac, Amélie, Le Bossu, Cyrano, Les Choristes, Entre Les Murs, Bonjour Tristesse, Le Petit Nicolas

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6. Listen to French language radio and podcasts. (France Inter, Europe 1) 7. Read French magazines. (Paris-Match, Ca m’intéresse, Phosphore, Okapi) and try and get information on the core topics you will be studying in Year 12 and 13 : Les relations sociales, Les communications et médias, Les questions mondiales 8. Literature: Higher level students will be required to read the following books in Year 12 and 13, and we would like you to start reading the first one (Topaze) during the summer;

 Topaze – Marcel Pagnol  Oscar et la dame en rose, d’Eric- Emmanuel Schmitt (Histoire touchante de Oscar qui meurt : la dame en rose change ses 10 derniers jours ; chaque jour dure un an)  L’étranger, Albert Camus

The main text book that we will use is Le Monde en français by A. Abrioux, P. Chrétien and N. Fayaud.

GEOGRAPHY

 Keep GCSE notes and re read - rivers, development, population, tectonics.  Read quality newspapers & keep clippings on - population, resources, development, globalisation, flooding, earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes

GERMAN

 Revise your GCSE grammar thoroughly - a sound base of knowledge is essential (Gender of nouns, regular and irregular verbs, cases, word order, modal verbs, subordinating conjunctions) Recommended books - you will use these books throughout the duration of the course:  Wort Fur Wort: New Advanced German Vocabulary Publication Date: 28 May 2010 | ISBN-10: 1444109995 | ISBN-13: 978-1444109993 | Edition: 5th Revised edition  Grammar book: Aktion Grammatik (Hodder & Stoughton): ISBN 0-340-63166- X  Large German bi-lingual dictionary (Collins Robert)  Look for useful German internet sites. Here are some good places to start: www.languagesonline.org.uk (grammar revision) www.spiegel.de

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www.dw-world.de http://youtube.com/deutschewelle

 Rent DVDs such as “Goodbye Lenin”, “Lola Rennt”, “The Educators”, “Sophie Scholl”, “The Lives of Others”, “The reader”.  Listen to German language radio and podcasts. (Deustchewelle, Spiegel, dw- world)  Read German magazines. (Stern) and try and get information on the core topics you will be studying in Year 12 and 13 : social relationships, media and global issues  Watch German language television (3SAT, ARTE) The main language textbook that you will use is Deutsch im Einsatz by K. Fox, A. Marshall, C. Brock and S. Dunvker

HISTORY

1. Do some background research on the first topics and keep a copy of everything you find out: b) the causes of the First World War (what was the alliance system? What stresses were there over control of Africa and how did they play out in the first years of the 20th century? What was a Dreadnought and why was it particularly important?); c) the Treaty of Versailles (what were its terms? What effects did it have on Germany?); [HL only] find out about George Washington and Simon Bolivar (why are they famous? What did they do?); study a map of Latin America (South and Central America): find out when each country gained its independence from Spain or Portugal.

2. Try to visit the Imperial War Museum, focusing on displays about events after 1945. Visit any other site of interest and relevance in Britain, in Europe or in the USA.

3. Choose AT LEAST TWO of the following books and read them: they are all Lancaster Pamphlets, short but excellent works. The Age of Discovery, 1400-1600**, David Arnold (2nd ed, 2002) ISBN: 978- 0-415-27996-8; The American Revolution**, M. J. Heale (1986) ISBN: 0978-0-415-38910-4; The Origins of the First World War, Ruth Henig (3rd edn, 2002). ISBN: 978-0- 415-26185-6; Versailles and After, 1919-1933, Ruth Henig (2nd edn, 1995). ISBN: 978-0- 415-12710-6; The Cold War: 1945-1991, John W. Mason (1997). ISBN: 978- 0-415-14278- 4. ** = HL only

4. Watch any interesting programme on TV that relate to History.

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ITALIAN (ab initio)

Begin to immerse yourself in your chosen new language by using this website: www.bbc.co.uk/languages/italian/

Look out for programmes about Italy on television. If possible, watch Italian television programmes on satellite television.

As you can imagine, to start a completely new language can be very challenging and also very exciting and here are some things that you can do over the summer to help you get your Italian studies off to a flying start in September:

1. Watch Italian language television or films.

2. Listen to Italian language radio and podcasts.

3. Read Italian newspapers or magazines.

4. Look for useful Italian websites.

5. Study some grammar and vocabulary – a sound basic knowledge can be essential. Azione Grammatica (ISBN 978-0-340-91527-1) is a very good grammar book that includes the main grammatical points which will be studied in the next 2 years. La Prova Orale 1 (ISBN 978-960-7706-28-7) is a very effective guide to the Oral Exams, and it contains its main topics.

6. Start reading about the topics that you will study in the Ab Initio program, such as: . Individual and Society: Daily routines, Education, Food and Drinks, personal details, Physical Health, personal Relationships and Shopping. . Leisure and Travel: Employment, Entertainment, Holidays, Media, Sport, Technology and Transport. . Urban and Rural Environment: Environmental concerns, Global Issues, Neighbourhood, Physical Geography, Town and services and Weather.

7. Convince your parents to take you to Italy on holidays, so to experience in first person some of the aspects of the Italian way of living and Italian culture.

LATIN

Highly recommended: 1. Revise your GCSE vocab list and grammar information before September. 2. Download and start learning the AS vocabulary list (even though you’re an IB student, this is still a vital thing to do), available in the teaching and learning resources section on the OCR website: http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-a- level-gce-classics-latin-h039-h439/

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3. Read the Aeneid by Virgil (Penguin translation by West or online version).

Other suggested activities: 4. Read the Metamorphoses by Ovid. 5. Watch as many classical films and television programmes as you can. YouTube has some great documentaries by people like Mary Beard. 6. Read any books on Greek and Roman mythology you can find (children’s books will do).

MATHEMATICS

All students embarking the IB courses are strongly advised to revise any algebra techniques they have learned, especially A and A* material. This is particularly important for those students who completed only GCSE or IGCSE courses in Year 11, but students who have completed an AS or FSMQ course would also benefit.

In the first month of Year 12, an algebra test will be given to all students to assess their suitability for the course for Higher and Standard IB. The following areas will be tested:

Solving linear and quadratic equations Laws of indices Adding and subtracting algebraic expressions Multiplying and dividing algebraic expressions Rearranging formulae Solving and sketching linear inequalities Sine and cosine rule for solving triangles The use and manipulation of Surds

Mymaths.co.uk will cover all of these topics and it is useful to look through and complete the A to A* booster pack. Login: tonbridge Password: triangle

An induction booklet of practice questions giving details of topics and skills that you are expected to be fluent in for Higher and Standard Level Mathematics will be emailed to you separately.

All IB mathematics students will need access to a graphics display calculator (GDC). We recommend that you purchase your own for use outside of lessons as this will help you enormously. The calculator we currently recommend is the TI-84 Plus (about £80 new) or Casio FX-9750G-II (about £60 new). The school will be offering new calculators at a reduced rate in September and we also have a few second- hand TI-83 Plus calculators (which are adequate for the course) at £40 (these are available on a first come first served basis). Please contact the Mathematics Department if you would like more details about the calculator.

MUSIC

To support your work in the IB Listening and Appraising paper, research two composers from each era of musical history. Here are some suggestions:

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Instrumental Music Early Romantic – Berlioz, Mendelssohn: listen to Berlioz — Harold in Italy: movement I Early Baroque – Vivaldi,Corelli: listen to Corelli — Trio Sonata in D, Op.3 No.2: movement IV Classical/Romantic – Beethoven:listen to Septet in E flat, Op. 20: movement I Early Romantic -. Schumann: listen to Kinderscenen, Op. 15: Nos. 1, 3 and 11

Vocal Music Renaissance - Weelkes — Sing we at pleasure Classical Lieder -. Haydn — My mother bids me bind my hair Pop music -. Carl Perkins — Honey don’t The Beatles — A Day in the Life Neoclassical 20th century music -. Stravinsky — Symphony of Psalms: movement III

Write a short review of one piece you have heard by each composer. Choose a mixture of vocal and instrumental pieces to write about. Try this excellent resource http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/learnlisteningonline/

IB students should also investigate a World Music style for example:

Reggae, Salsa, Gamelan Music, African Drumming, Bhangra or Bollywood music.

Try to listen to online recordings and find out the typical features of the chosen style.

All students should listen to at least one Promenade concert on the radio over the summer break, or try and go to the Royal Albert Hall to see one. Come to your first lesson prepared to talk about new musical experiences you have had over the summer break! Complete the related listening and research unit sheet (available on the website to download).

Get an up-to-date music dictionary. Here are some suggestions:

Collins Music Encyclopedia The Cambridge Music Guide Harvard Dictionary of Music

PHYSICS

The IB course will involve you learning some of the fundamental ideas inherent in the study of physics. One area that all students should be aware of, and should be familiar with, is that of the scale and structure of the universe.

Ask yourself ‘what is the smallest dimension that can be measured and what is the largest? How much bigger is the largest object than the smallest’?

To help answer these questions study the information contained in the website at www.wordwizz.com/pwrsof10.htm. This source provides an excellent opportunity to study the structure of the universe from the very small to the very large. Some of you

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may have seen a video called ‘Powers of Ten’ on which the website is based. Another very thought provoking film can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEheh1BH34Q Whereabouts in the sky is the largest star?

Students intending to study Physics are also asked to spend some time during the holidays on the following short piece of research. Choose a figure from history who has contributed significantly to the development of physics. You should then produce a short written account of the work carried out by your chosen physicist and the importance that it had in a historical context. Hand your research to your teacher at the start of next term.

PSYCHOLOGY

To study Psychology, we must study psychological research. To get a taste of psychological research, go to the British Psychological Society “Research Digest” at http://www.bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/ and find an article which interests you – there are lots of articles to choose from. Read the article thoroughly and bring it to your first Psychology lesson, with notes on the following points, ready to tell the class:

 What the article is about (in a few sentences)  Why the research is relevant to understanding human behaviour  How the research was conducted (an overview)  What strengths you see in the way the research was conducted (as many as you can identify)  What limitations you see in the way the research was conducted (as many as you can identify)  What limitations you see in our ability to apply the findings to everyday life.

PHILOSOPHY

The course will start with an examination of what Philosophy is. Choose two of the following suggestions and bring your findings to the first unit of the course. You should also be aware of the reporting of moral and ethical issues in the press and try to identify whether there is any bias and whether that is due to the social prejudices of today.

1. Read “Sophie’s World” by Jostein Gaarder; 2. Watch “The Matrix” and identify what it says about the reasons for human life; 3. Read either “Brave New World” or “Frankenstein” and identify what these books are saying about what it means to be human.

SPANISH

The transition from GCSE to IB higher and standard levels is an exciting challenge for Y12 students. Here are some things that you can do over the summer to help you get your Spanish studies off to a flying start in September:

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1. 1. Revise your GCSE grammar thoroughly - a sound base of knowledge of verb conjugations is essential to your success in the IB diploma. You must come with a working knowledge of the present, past (pretérito, imperfecto) and future tenses. 2. Recommended books: you will use these books throughout the duration of the course  Grammar book: Acción gramática ISBN 0-340-77203-4  Advanced Spanish Vocabulary by Isabel Melero Orta · Nelson Thornes · Paperback · 104 pages · ISBN 0748757791  Large Spanish bi-lingual dictionary (Collins Robert) 3. Look for useful Spanish internet sites. Here are some good places to start: http://www.rtve.es/noticias/directo/canal-24h/ http://www.spanishb-inthinking.co.uk/ www.spanishlanguage.co.uk/resources.htm - sección para enseñar con música http://www.spanishlanguage.co.uk/palabradia.htm - la palabra del día www.comunicativo.net/ - ejercicios de varios niveles http://www.biografiasyvidas.com/ http://www.uni.edu/becker/tutorials.html http://www.studyspanish.com/tutorial.htm http://www.mediatico.com/es/periodicos/europa/spain/nacionales/ http://www.donquijote.org/spanishlanguage/lyrics/

4. Watch Spanish language television or films. 5. Listen to Spanish language radio and podcasts. 6. Read Spanish newspapers or magazines and read about some of the topics you will study in the course: Comunicación y medios, Cuestiones globales, Relaciones sociales

7. Literature: Higher level students will be required to read the following books: 1. Requiem por un campesino de Ramón J. Sender 2. La casa de Bernarda Alba de F.García Lorca

The main text book that we will use for IB Higher is called Spanish IB course companion – Suso Rodríguez Blanco & Ana Valbuena and for IB Standard is called Spanish B for the IB Diploma – Mike Thacker & Sebastian Bianchi.

SPANISH (ab initio)

Starting a new language can be exciting and challenging. Here are some things that you can do over the summer to help you get your Spanish studies off to a flying start in September:

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1. Research some of the basic grammar – present tense verbs, common vocabulary and phrases and make notes 2. Watch Spanish language television or films. 3. Listen to Spanish language radio and podcasts. 4. Read Spanish newspapers or magazines. 5. Look for useful Spanish internet sites – such as langaugesonline to practise grammar

VISUAL ARTS

To prepare you for the start of the exciting first year of the Visual Arts course, and to get you thinking, your starting theme will be Colour – see the sheet being emailed to you for some ideas. so you need to start opening your eyes on the world around you and consider what purpose colour serves. You are expected to complete the following for the first lesson.

You can buy an A4 sketchbook to start your work in if you wish to, or do the work on separate sheets to stick in to a book when you begin the course:

1. Create a cultural/ historical mind map (spider diagram) for the theme of colour. Within this you should try to include how colour has been used in society (signs, symbols, flags, uniform etc), within other cultures (e.g pre historic, Japan, India, Incan) and historically (has it changed or evolved throughout time). A mind map should fill an A4 page and have visuals as well as words. 2. Rediscover colour and take at least 30 photographs where you feel colour is the focus. Consider landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes. Consider objects, emotions and people. Consider natural form, artificial form, urban spaces, interior spaces, day, night, art, food, clothes. Your photographs can be anything at this stage, just ensure they interest you. 3. Select and print 10 of your favourite photos (that you have taken), ready to discuss them in your first week. These photos could be the starting point for your project so pick them wisely and possibly consider ‘grouping’ them into themes. 4. You must visit a museum or gallery. Find 2 artworks in which colour has been used in an interesting way and explain your thoughts- 500 words each.

THEATRE STUDIES

The best way to prepare for IB Theatre Studies is to see as many productions as you can from a wide range of genres. There are plenty of plays on offer locally in addition to the National Theatre and others in London. You could also complete some background reading by or about significant theatre practitioners such as Stanislavski, Artaud, Boal, Craig, Grotowski and Brook.

September 2014 Entry