Student Friendly Course Descriptions English

STUDENT FRIENDLY COURSE DESCRIPTIONS – ENGLISH GRADE 9

English, Grade 9 – locally developed ENG 1L The Grade 9 Locally Developed English course asks students to consider the Earth and our connection to it. Through the study of resources such as Life as We Knew It and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, students will consider how people overcome challenges in their homes and communities. Students will work on ways to make their writing clear, well structured, and suited to their audience. Students will work on developing skills, especially reading comprehension, needed for the Literacy Test. The locally developed program allows students the opportunity to see how language, literature, and media are a part of our everyday lives through the consideration and creation of different types of texts. The final evaluation will be a culminating project completed over several classes that allows students to showcase what they have learned this semester. Prerequisite: None

English, Grade 9 - applied ENG 1P The Grade 9 Applied English course asks students to consider the Earth and our connection to it. Through the study of various resources such as the novels Speak and The Maestro, students will consider what it means to be a part of something and how we define our homes and ourselves. Students will work on ways to make their writing clear, well structured, and suited to their audience, as well as developing skills needed for the Literacy Test. The applied program allows students the opportunity to see how language, literature, and media are a part of our everyday lives through the analysis and creation of different types of texts. The final evaluation will be a culminating project completed over several classes that allows students to showcase what they have learned this semester. Prerequisite: None

English, Grade 9 - academic ENG 1D The Grade 9 Academic English course asks students to consider the Earth and our connection to it. Through a study of various resources such as the novels The Namesake, Ender’s Game and The Hunger Games, students will consider what it means to be a part of something, and how we define our homes and ourselves. Students will work on developing academic writing skills and will be introduced to the fundamentals of essay writing. Students will review the components of the Literacy Test. The academic program asks students to deconstruct how texts are created and to apply this understanding to their own work. The final evaluation for this class will include an example of academic writing and a formal exam. Prerequisite: None GRADE 10

English, Grade 10 – locally developed ENG 2L The Grade 10 Locally Developed English course asks students to consider the Air as a metaphor for our ability to see clearly and to develop perspective. Through the study of emotionally- charged resources such as The Breadwinner and Beverly Hills Maasai, students will discuss multiculturalism. Students will review the principles covered in the Literacy Test, concentrating in particular on sustaining their arguments over several paragraphs in their writing. The locally developed program challenges students with the opportunity to analyze and create a variety of texts while preparing them for the academic study needed in the Grade 11 Workplace program. The final evaluation will be a culminating project completed over several classes that allows students to showcase what they have learned this semester. Prerequisite: A grade 9 English credit (ENG 1L, ENG 1P, ENG 1D)

English, Grade 10 - applied ENG 2P The Grade 10 Applied English course asks students to consider the Air as a metaphor for our ability to see clearly and to develop perspective. Through the study of emotionally charged resources such as Maus, Shaken and The First Stone, students will discuss how prejudice and problems can blind people. Students will review the principles covered in the Literacy Test and concentrate on sustaining their arguments over several paragraphs in their writing. The applied program challenges students with the opportunity to analyze and create a variety of texts while preparing them for the academic study needed in the Grade Eleven College course and the practical skills needed in the Grade Eleven Workplace course. The final evaluation will be a culminating project completed over several classes that allows students to showcase what they have learned this semester. Prerequisite: English , Grade 9, Academic or Applied (ENG 1D or ENG 1P)

English, Grade 10 - academic ENG 2D The Grade 10 Academic English course asks students to consider the Air as a metaphor for our ability to see clearly and to develop perspective. Through the study of ambition, prejudice, and greed in resources such as Pastwatch, The Book Thief and The Secret Life of Bees, students will discuss how to rise above challenges. Students will review the basic academic essay form while learning alternative methods of developing their arguments, such as through comparison and contrast or cause and effect. Students will study various rhetorical devices and learn how to apply these concepts in their own work. The final evaluation in this course will include an academic essay and a formal exam. Prerequisite: English , Grade 9, Academic or Applied (ENG 1D or ENG 1P) GRADE 11

English, Grade 11 – Workplace Preparation ENG 3E The Grade 11 Workplace course in English looks at Water as a sustaining, life-giving element and as a powerful source of change. Novels such as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and Little Princes touch on the importance of change and the difference between going with the current or against it. The workplace program focuses on the skills that students need to excel in work environments: reading and processing both fiction and non-fiction, and writing clearly for different audiences. Written tasks will include a variety of graphic organizers, written reports, and a research paper. The final evaluation will be a culminating project completed over several classes that allows students to showcase what they have learned this semester. Prerequisite: A Grade 10 English credit (ENG 2L, ENG 2P, ENG 2D)

English, Grade 11 – College Preparation ENG 3C The Grade 11 College course in English looks at Water as a sustaining, life-giving element and as a powerful source of change. Novels such as Chanda’s Secrets, A River Runs Through It and The Art of Racing in the Rain challenge students with questions about how people can cope with destructive change in their lives while metaphorically learning to keep their heads afloat. The college course prepares students for the types of academic analysis of both fiction and non- fiction that will be seen in post-secondary study. Students will look at developing a variety of written essays and reports that incorporate both research and academic analysis. The final evaluation in this course will include an independent study project and a formal exam. Prerequisite: English, Grade 10, Academic or Applied (ENG 2D or ENG 2P)

English, Grade 11 – University Preparation ENG 3U The Grade 11 University course in English looks at Water as a sustaining, life-giving element, and as a powerful source of change. It will address the question, “What is the difference between living and surviving?” The novels Life of Pi, Water for Elephants and The Hero’s Walk explore how people can cling to survival in desperate situations while risking alienation from the things that define who they are. The university course challenges students with a high level of academic analysis, with the specific goal of preparing students for the level of reading and writing that will be expected in university. Students will continue to look at new methods of developing and sustaining academic arguments in academic essays as well as in seminars and debates. The final evaluation in this course will include an essay based on a paired author study and a formal exam. Prerequisite: English, Grade 10, Academic (ENG 2D) Media Studies, Grade 11 – open EMS 3O The Grade 11 Media course asks students to consider the ways in which we connect with the world around us. Open to all students, this course will challenge students to analyze the way TV, radio, the internet, and print media control and shape our lives. Students will be asked to analyze popular examples of media and to create their own examples. Famous Canadian Marshall McLuhan once suggested that, “The medium is the message.” Understanding how and why different media affect us will help us develop our critical thinking and communication skills. The final evaluation in this course will include an independent study project and a media log. Prerequisite: English, Grade 10, Academic or Applied (ENG 2D or ENG 2P)

Presentation and Speaking Skills, Grade 11 – open EPS 3O The grade 11 Public Speaking course is being offered as an optional extension to the regular English stream. Students in this course will work on developing their public speaking skills, both in formal and informal contexts. Students can expect to participate in lots of small group and class discussions, to perform formal and impromptu speeches, to help present the morning announcements over the P.A. system, and to participate in many other fun energizer activities. Students will learn about famous public speakers, both past and present, and students will research different techniques and styles that help make presentations more effective. This is a great course for anyone looking to improve his or her oral communication skills. Prerequisite: English, Grade 10, Academic or Applied (ENG 2D or ENG 2P)

GRADE 12

English, Grade 12 – Workplace Preparation ENG 4E The Grade 12 Workplace course in English looks at Fire as both a destructive, post-apocalyptic, or dystopian force, and a Promethean source of inspiration and activism. Novels such as The Road and Breath, Eyes, Memory touch on how man can be destroyed or inspired by difficult challenges in life, depending on the attitude used to address them. The workplace program focuses on the skills that students need to excel in work environments: reading and processing both fiction and non-fiction, and writing clearly for different audiences. Written tasks will include a variety of graphic organizers, written reports, and a research paper. The final evaluation will be a culminating project completed over several classes that allows students to showcase what they have learned this semester. Prerequisite: A Grade 11 Workplace (ENG 3E), College (ENG 3C) or University (ENG 3U) credit. English, Grade 12 – College Preparation ENG 4C The Grade 12 College course in English looks at Fire as both a destructive, post-apocalyptic, or dystopian force, and a Promethean source of inspiration and activism. Novels such as King Leary, Empire Falls and Bite of the Mango touch on how man can be destroyed or inspired by difficult challenges in life, depending on the attitude used to address them. The college course prepares students for the types of academic analysis of both fiction and non-fiction that will be seen in post-secondary study. Students will look at developing a variety of written essays and reports that incorporate both research and academic analysis. The final evaluation in this course will include an independent study project and a formal exam. Prerequisite: English, Grade 11, College or University Preparation (ENG 3C or ENG 3U)

English, Grade 12 – University Preparation ENG 4U The Grade 12 University course in English looks at Fire as both a destructive, post-apocalyptic, or dystopian force, and a Promethean source of inspiration and activism. Novels such as The Shipping News and Green Grass, Running Water touch on how man can be destroyed or inspired by difficult challenges in life, depending on the attitude used to address them. The university course challenges students with a high level of academic analysis, with the specific goal of preparing students for the level of reading and writing that will be expected in university. Students will continue to look at new methods of developing and sustaining academic arguments in academic essays as well as in seminars and debates. The final evaluation in this course will include an essay based on an independent study and a formal exam. Prerequisite: English, Grade 11, University Preparation (ENG 3U) The Writer’s Craft, Grade 12 – University Preparation EWC 4U The Grade 12 Writer’s Craft course in English emphasizes knowledge and skills related to the craft of writing. Students will investigate models of effective writing, using a workshop approach to write and edit a variety of works. The university course challenges students with a high level of academic analysis, with the specific goal of preparing students for the level of reading and writing that will be expected in university. Students will investigate opportunities for publication and for writing careers. The final evaluation in this course will include a creative or analytical independent study project and a formal exam. Prerequisite: English, Grade 11, University Preparation (ENG 3U)

The Writer’s Craft, Grade 12 – College Preparation EWC 4C The grade 12 College Writer's Craft course is offered to students who are interested in pursuing writing as a career or a hobby, but who are not planning to attend university. The course is excellent preparation for students who plan on attending Journalism or Media Communication programs at colleges. The course allows students an opportunity to produce a variety of different types of writing that are not normally stressed in the regular English courses, such as poetry, short stories, creative non-fiction, journals, blogs, and other creative types of media. Students will research different writers and types of writing, and they will learn about techniques and tools that can be used to make their own writing more effective. This is a great course for anyone who enjoys writing, any type of writing, for fun. Prerequisite: English, Grade 11, College Preparation (ENG 3C)

Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course, Grade 11/12 - Open OLC 4O The Grade 12 Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course in English is designed to help students acquire and demonstrate the literacy skills that are evaluated by the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. Students who complete the course successfully will meet the provincial literacy requirement for graduation. Students will read a variety of informational, narrative, and graphic texts, and will produce a variety of forms of writing, including summaries, information paragraphs, opinion pieces, and news reports. Students will also maintain and manage a literacy portfolio containing a record of their reading experiences and samples of their writing. The final evaluation in this course will include an independent study that showcases a variety of literacy skills learned over the course of the semester. Eligibility Requirement: Students who have been eligible to write the OSSLT at least twice and who have been unsuccessful at least once are eligible to take the course.