English 11 Course Outline C.P. Allen High School ● 2014-2015

THINK • READ • WRITE • SPEAK The English Language Arts (ELA) 11 program will provide you with a variety of opportunities to improve essential reading, writing, speaking, listening and critical thinking skills and position you for success in other courses, including English 12.

As your teacher I will strive to create opportunities for you to read, write, think and, hopefully, speak daily with each other and myself as we explore the possibilities of the written, represented and spoken word. I will offer you opportunities to meet learning outcomes with a focus on helping you become more effective and passionate readers, writers, speakers, listeners and thinkers.

You will be expected to show evidence of your learning everyday. This means reading, thinking, note-making, writing and conversation each and every day.

As an English 11 student you will be doing a significant amount of reading and writing. Frequent homework is an expected component of this course. Reading and reviewing should be a daily habit. You will always have something you can work on at home.

A Snapshot of the Three Strands of ELA The specific curriculum outcomes will be posted on my website for viewing and you will be made aware of the target learning outcomes with each new unit/focus of study and assessment.

READING WRITING SPEAKING & LISTENING We will be exploring the strategies We will look at writing as a craft- an This aspect of English 10 will we use in our minds as we read so we art and process we learn to do well encourage you to become an can sharpen these skills and get the through practice, reflection and effective listener- to recognize both most out of what we read, as well as sharing. what people are saying as well as how learn ways to use note making and they say it, and how that combination annotation to understand texts for We will write for a variety of impacts the message they academic purposes. purposes, including writing as a way communicate. to develop improved writing skills We will do this through a variety of and to interact with texts. You will also learn to speak- verbally text types, both assigned and self- and virtually- through informal class selected. We will focus on learning how to discussions and interactions, and write about literature in a way that formally through presentations, You should come to class prepared demonstrates your personal and performances and other means. every day to read independently. critical insights in an academic format,

All students are expected to develop their skills in all areas of ELA 11 (including areas of difficulty) but there will be chances for you to excel in your areas of strength. My goal is to offer you lots of support to help you grow as readers, writers, thinkers and speakers.

I look forward to our time together!

Ms. A. Walker

Daily Materials for Class  A pocket folder  A USB memory stick/thumb drive  Lots of loose leaf  A few (3-5) different color highlighters or colour pencils.  A binder ( at least 2’’) for notes  School network ID  Pens/pencils  Student webmail account ([email protected])

Classroom Expectations: You will be expected to abide by the student code of conduct in this course. You will adhere to school policies regarding attendance, electronic devices and assessment as included in your student handbook/agenda and school website. Please review these carefully!

Quick hits: 1. As per the student code of conduct, the use of your personal electronic devices will be regulated during class time. You will be expected to disconnect from your devices to become connected to your learning. Abusing this expectation will mean a process of discipline. 2. No food or beverages. Bottled water is permitted. 3. Your interactions with others and me should reflect the respect you expect to receive in return. 4. You will be using technology often. Responsible and appropriate use is required at all times.

Assessment and Evaluation The C.P. Allen English Department assessment and evaluation breakdown is consistent from classroom to classroom by grade level. In the languages department, we know that the skills of becoming more effective readers, writers and speakers takes practice and revision. Students will be offered multiple opportunities to practice the skills associated with these literacy learning processes.

Term Work: 80% of final mark Reading & Viewing: 35% Speaking & Listening: 20%

Writing & Representing: 45%

Final Exam 20% of final mark

Formative Items These are opportunities to practice and receive feedback about developing skills, processes and concepts. These items lead up to summative items. Examples: in class exercises such as paired and group discussion, written responses, group tasks, learning tools such as brainstorming, free writes, question and answer formats, graphic organizers, anticipation guides, creating lesson notes, conferences,

Minor Summative Items This component of your final mark will be determined by your commitment to the learning process through completion of in class work and your willingness to take teacher feedback and demonstrate improvement. Assessment Types: quizzes, annotated bibliography (specified range of sources), verbal/visual assignments, guided discussion (literature circle, small group seminar, discussion groups, socratic circle), in class assignments, writing process work

Major Summative Items These items evaluate your performance on major assessments that come at the end of units/ areas of focus. These will be assigned well in advance of their due date. Rubrics and checklists will be included as needed to ensure you know exactly what you need to do to complete this work. Example: tests, pair/small group presentation, independent novel talk, essay writing (in class and process)  You will know what to expect for the major summative evaluations early on in each unit of the course.

Student Responsibilities: 1. You are responsible to monitor your attendance and marks online with your PowerSchool user ID. 2. You may only negotiate an extension on summative work in advance of the deadline for valid reason. According to school policy, extensions cannot be granted on due dates according to school policy. Summative items submitted past due are marked as zero. 3. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to connect with me to make up any lost work regardless of the reason for your absence. ( 1st – Check website, 2nd- Contact classmate, 3rd-email teacher) 4. If you are absent with valid reason for a summative assessment, you must be prepared to complete/submit it the FIRST DAY you return to class. 5. For those with an upcoming vacation:  you are responsible to make work up missed after you return; work packages will not be prepared in advance  you must arrange (prior to leaving) an alternate date for assessments you may miss while away 6. Plagiarism, either identical copying of others’ work or presenting others’ ideas as your own without proper references, is a serious offence. Any plagiarized assessment will be communicated to home and administration, result in loss of eligibility for exam exemptions. The student will be provided an opportunity to redo the assessment on a teacher specified timetable. 7. Make use of the MLA guidelines posted on my website for writing submissions. Use it to format your work unless you are told otherwise.