Saturday, March 21, 2020

Free Essays on Satire In Connecticut Yankee

The story A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court was written by Mark Twain. Mark Twain is an author known for all of his best-selling novels, also, for the satire used in his stories. Satire is poking fun at a social custom, political practice, individual, or an organization in an attempt to get people to recognize and correct a problem. There were many instances that satire was used in both Twain and Malory’s version. Hank fools everyone into thinking that he has magical powers. One of the biggest tricks he pulled was when he was getting ready to get executed. He told them that he would take the sun away from them, but they ended up moving the execution up a day, therefore, there was no eclipse. Somehow though, they had gotten the date mixed up and it really was time for the eclipse. So he tricked them into believing that he was taking the sun away from them, and they named him chief executive. Also, Merlin tries telling everyone that Hank really doesn’t have any magical talents. To get back at him Hank locks Merlin in jail, and is going to blow up his castle. Hank tells Clarence his plan, and Clarence decides to help him. They fill the tower with gun powder, and wait for a thunderstorm. When the storm does finally come, Merlin tries casting spells that will overcome Hanks, but the lightening strikes, and blows up the tower. Finally, everyone is convinced that Hank is magical. Hank also made a telephone system, but only the people that he wanted to know about it did. He used this for to his advantage when he has to call for help. My favorite thing though, was when the Nobles were at the feast and they were betting on dog fights. They were rude, obnoxious, and dirty. The best thing about it was that the women were behaving the exact same way. These are a few examples of how satire, which is poking fun at social customs, individuals, or organizations to fix a problem, is used. I believe that satire mak... Free Essays on Satire In Connecticut Yankee Free Essays on Satire In Connecticut Yankee The story A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court was written by Mark Twain. Mark Twain is an author known for all of his best-selling novels, also, for the satire used in his stories. Satire is poking fun at a social custom, political practice, individual, or an organization in an attempt to get people to recognize and correct a problem. There were many instances that satire was used in both Twain and Malory’s version. Hank fools everyone into thinking that he has magical powers. One of the biggest tricks he pulled was when he was getting ready to get executed. He told them that he would take the sun away from them, but they ended up moving the execution up a day, therefore, there was no eclipse. Somehow though, they had gotten the date mixed up and it really was time for the eclipse. So he tricked them into believing that he was taking the sun away from them, and they named him chief executive. Also, Merlin tries telling everyone that Hank really doesn’t have any magical talents. To get back at him Hank locks Merlin in jail, and is going to blow up his castle. Hank tells Clarence his plan, and Clarence decides to help him. They fill the tower with gun powder, and wait for a thunderstorm. When the storm does finally come, Merlin tries casting spells that will overcome Hanks, but the lightening strikes, and blows up the tower. Finally, everyone is convinced that Hank is magical. Hank also made a telephone system, but only the people that he wanted to know about it did. He used this for to his advantage when he has to call for help. My favorite thing though, was when the Nobles were at the feast and they were betting on dog fights. They were rude, obnoxious, and dirty. The best thing about it was that the women were behaving the exact same way. These are a few examples of how satire, which is poking fun at social customs, individuals, or organizations to fix a problem, is used. I believe that satire mak...

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

What Is the IB Program, and What Are IB Classes

What Is the IB Program, and What Are IB Classes SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips One factor some students consider when choosing a high school is whether it has an International Baccalaureate program. Sometimes compared with the Advanced Placement (AP) program, the IB program allows students to take college-level courses while in high school. So what is International Baccalaureate? What is the IB Program and an IB Diploma, and why are IB classes worth taking?In this article, we introduce all things IB, including the diploma requirements and features of the exam. We also tell you whether you have to get an IB diploma in order to earn college credit for your IB classes. What Is IB? An Overview The International Baccalaureate (IB) program was designed in Switzerland in the 1960s. Its purpose was to give students around the world a chance to earn a rigorous, internationally recognized diploma, which they could then use for entry into universities. (You can read more about the history and philosophy of the IB program on the official IB website. ) To earn an IB diploma, you have to go to an IB-approved school and meet the requirements, including taking classes in the six subject groups, passing the IB exams, and completing three additional core requirements. But what if you don’t want to do the diploma? It's also possible to take a few IB classes without doing the full-blown diploma program, though each high school has its own policy on this. How Does College Credit Work for IB? IB exams are recognized for college credit in a way similar to how AP exams are used. You don’t have to earn the IB diploma to get credit for individual classes, as colleges give credit course by course. For example, check outStanford’s chart for IB credit. IB classes come in two forms: "higher level" and "standard level" (we will discuss this in more detail below). Some colleges only give credit for the higher-level classes (as Stanford does). Also,some colleges will completely waive general education requirements for students who have completed the full IB diploma.See the University of Utah’s policy here as an example. This means that a student with an IB diploma could totally skip gen ed classes and jump right into their major. This would obviously save a ton of time and money,and shows why getting the IB diploma can be a huge advantage. To find a school’s policy on IB credit, search for "[School Name] IB credit policy." Most universities have a dedicated web page for explaining their IB credit policy. What Are the Benefits of the IB Program? One of the chief benefits of the IB program is that it provides academic preparation for college. IB courses are known for being interdisciplinary, requiring a good deal of independent thinking, and assigning oral presentations and original research- all characteristics of college courses. Spoiler alert: college-level research involves a bit more work than just Googling something. Especially if you earn the full IB diploma, your IB courses will be a great way of showing that you have taken tough courses in a range of subjects,from math to English to history to science, and are able to manage college-level coursework. As we discussed before, colleges want to see that you've taken the most advanced classes available to you.And taking IB is a great way to do just that. In addition to getting preparation for college, you can get credit for college classes by passing IB exams. Again, you don’t need to complete the full IB diploma in order to earn credit, so if you don’t think you can fit the IB diploma into your schedule, it might still benefit you to take a few individual IB classes. Unfortunately, taking an IB exam isn’t cheap. There's a $172 registration fee as well as a $119 fee per exam. While this is a lot of money, it is much less than the tuition you would pay for the same intro-level college course. Many schools also have their own financial aid programs for IB. Learn more about IB costs here. What Are the 6Core Courses in the IB Program? To earn the full IB diploma, you have to take courses from six subjects, one each from groups 1-5, and either one from group 6 or a substitute from one of the other groups: Group 1: Studies in Language and Literature (most likely an English literature course if you’re an American student) Group 2: Language Acquisition (a foreign language course) Group 3: Individuals and Societies (history, economics, geography, other social sciences) Group 4: Experimental Sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, other sciences) Group 5: Mathematics Group 6: The Arts (dance, theater, visual arts, etc.) Between three and four subjects must be taken at the â€Å"higher level† (HL) and the rest at the â€Å"standard level† (SL) in order to earn the diploma. Higher-level courses are more challenging- IB recommends a minimum of 240 hours of instructional time for HL courses, and 150 hours for SL courses. Some schools handle the higher-level requirements by having students take the SL or AP version of a course first, and the HL version second, thereby forming a two-year sequence. For example, you might take AP English Literature as a junior, and then Higher-Level IB English as a senior. Also, note thatmany high schools with IB programs have recommended four-year plans to help students fit in all the requirements,since there's a lot to keep track of. Therefore, you won't necessarily have to do a bunch of schedule-planning on your own. If your school or a school you're interested in has an IB program, get in touch with the guidance counseling office to find out whether they have recommended IB class sequences. This can help you if you're deciding which high school to attend, or if you can’t decide whether you want to take IB classes or not. What Are IB Exams? For each of those six core classes, you also have to take an IB exam. IB exams are given in May (or November for southern hemisphere schools). They have two parts: an external assessment and internal assessment. The external assessment is the more traditional exam portion, and consists of two or three "papers," usually done on the same day or a few days in a row. A paper is essentially an exam section, and they usually have a combination of multiple-choice, short-answer, extended-response, and data- or case-analysis questions. You won't spend much time bubbling in answers on an IB exam. The papers are graded by independent examiners- similar to how AP exams are graded by certified AP graders. The internal assessments are done by the teacher. These can include oral presentations, practical work (such as a written lab report), or other written work. 5% or more of the internal assessments will also be graded by a moderator appointed by IB- and based on this moderation, the grading curve of that subject at the school will be set. IB exams are graded from 1 to 7, with 6 and 7 considered an A, and anything 4 and up generally considered a passingscore (though IB doesn’t set official passing grades). Most colleges give IB credit for scores of 5 and higher. To earn the IB diploma, you need to score an average of 4 on each exam to get the minimum 24 needed points. You canlearn more about IB examson the IB website. What Are the 3Core Requirements in the IB Program? In addition to IB classes and exams, there are three more core requirements students must complete to earn an IB diploma. Read about them below: #1: The Extended Essay This is an independent research essay of up to 4,000 words that's graded externally by IB. It has to be focused on one academic subjectand written on a topic that's been approved by IB. Students are awarded points toward their diploma based on how well they do on the essay. #2: Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Class This class teaches the nature of knowledge and builds skills in critical thinking. Students have to complete a presentation (graded by the teacher) and a 1,600-word essay (graded externally) to pass this course. #3: Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) Lastly, students are required to participate in anactivity outside of class, either community service, athletics, or creative activities.For most students, their regular extracurricular activities and sports count for these hours, meaning that they don't need to add anything to their schedules in order to fulfill this requirement. IB vs AP: Key Similarities and Differences We have a complete rundown of AP vs IB in this post, which includes a guide to deciding between the two programs. That being said, here are some of the key similarities and differences between the two. What’s the Same? Both the AP and IB programs allow you to take a challenging course followed by an exam that you can earn college credit for. In some schools, they're even the same course (e.g. AP/IB French, AP/IB Biology, etc.). AP and IB are generally the most challenging courses available to high school students. Unless you're able to sign up for local college courses or do advanced independent projects and research, AB and IB are likely the best (and most convenient) way for you to begin preparing for college. What’s Different? Although both programs offer challenging courses for high school students, there are a lot of differences in how they do so. Popularity Advanced Placement is by far the more popular program.In 20142.3 million students took AP tests, and in 2017 this number rose to more than 2.7 million. By contrast,only about 160,000 students took IB exams in 2017. The diploma pass rate was 78.4%. Some families opt for the IB program over the AP program as it's rarer and can help set students apart in the admissions process. Diploma IB was designed as a diploma program (although, as we discussed above, it is possible to take just a few IB classes for college credit). Meanwhile,the AP program was designed around advanced classes- not a diploma. (That said, the AP has created a competitor to IB via the AP International Diploma, whichyou can read about here.) Class Curricula IB curricula are stricter for teachers. IB has certain required assignments your teacher has to grade, such as oral presentations, as part of the internal assessment. In contrast, AP teachers have a bit more freedom in how they may teach an AP course, just so long as they're effectively preparing students for the exam. Difficulty IB Higher Level courses are often considered more difficult than APs, whereas IB Standard Level courses are considered the same as or easier than APs. Keep in mind that how difficult a class is to pass at your school will vary depending on the teacher and his or her curriculum. Exam Content IB exams contain more writing and application of ideas, whereas APs are more about proving what you know. This is why AP exams have more multiple choice, while the IB exams feature more short-response questions, essays, and case studies. Cost IB exams are more expensive than AP tests since there's a registration fee and a fee per exam. For AP exams, you just pay for the exam, which is $94. Remember that these fees are much lower than college tuition for the same classes! College Credit Getting AP credit can be more straightforward since more US colleges are familiar with it and the College Board officially sets a passing grade (3 out of 5) while IB does not. Furthermore, because AP courses only come in one difficulty level, it can be easier for colleges to set credit policies for AP exams. For IB, colleges have to decide how they'll handle Standard Level and Higher Level courses. However, for both IB and AP, the higher your passing score is, the more likely you are to get credit for college. For example, an AP exam score of 5 nearly always earns credit, the same as an IB score of 7 does. Don't forget this when you're studying! What’s Next? You know a lot about IB- but what about AP? See our guide to what AP classes are and why you should take them. Also studying for the SAT or ACT? Figure out which exam you're more likely to do the best on! Get a timeline for studying for the SAT/ACT. Planning ahead will give you the opportunity to get a higher score on test day! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: