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Course Overview

English, Grade 10, Applied

Special Note: The English, Academic and Applied, Grade 10 (Public) Course Profiles have been written using the Ontario Curriculum Unit Planner. As a result, there are some differences in the terminology and format from that used in other Course Profiles. Wherever possible, these documents include both versions of the terminology, e.g., subtask (activity), so that users can work within the Planner version or any of the Course Profile versions (web site, printed copy, or CD-ROM).

The Curriculum Unit Planner version of these Course Profiles may be found at www.ocup.org.

Description/Rationale

The Grade 10 English course builds on the Grade 9 English course; it extends the range of analytic, reading, writing, oral communication, and thinking skills that students need for success in secondary school programs. In the Grade 10 Applied course students study magazines and reports and will describe and create media works. An important focus is the correct use of spoken and written language.

Unit Titles (Time + Sequence)

This Grade 10 Applied English course profile has been developed to link units through a progression of skills and in some cases content. Local circumstances may dictate some variation in the sequence suggested below, but it is essential to begin with Unit 1, since the skills developed in this unit are applied in other units. Unit 5, the final assessment task, must be the last unit of the course.

The teacher does need to read through the entire Profile before the course begins. An independent reading component for students is introduced in Unit 1, continued through Units 2, 3, and 4, and concluded in Unit 5. This reading component requires planning and co-ordination with the teacher-librarian.

This profile has been developed using the field-test version of the Ministry of Education’s Secondary Curriculum Unit Planner. The principle of “backward” curriculum design is central to the Curriculum Unit Planner and to this profile. Each unit has a culminating activity, and the fifth unit includes a final culminating activity, a Book Festival, which pulls in skills and activities from the other four units, as well as a final examination.

The teacher is responsible for creating long-range plans, detailed timing for units and activities, and for making decisions about the best order of activities in a given unit. It is important to read through an entire unit prior to making specific plans, since later activities may require introduction early in the unit.

The profile writers have assumed full implementation of The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8 and Grade 9, and have described specific Language and Writing instructional strategies based on Grade 10 expectations. They recognize, however, as will classroom teachers, that not all Grade 10 students will have achieved skills that have been taught in Grades 1-9 to the same level. Some Language and Writing expectations particularly need to be revisited, reviewed, re-taught, and practised regularly before all students are able to achieve and maintain them at an appropriate level. Teachers, therefore, will need to modify and adapt the strategies suggested for the Grade 10 expectations to address student learning gaps in the Language and Writing skill areas in their individual classrooms.

“A credit is granted in recognition of the successful completion of a course that has been scheduled for a minimum of 110 hours.” (OSS, 1999, 30) The writers of this English profile have described a course which totals 105.3 hours (or approximately eighty-four 76-minute periods in a two semester school organization). Based on School Year Calendar requirements, semestered schools will have a minimum of 92 instructional days (exclusive of examination days) in each semester. There is theoretically, more than enough time for teachers to complete these units with their students. However, the time allocations must be taken as approximations.

Some learning activities may take less time than anticipated, but many may need more time. The diverse skills, learning needs, and interests that students bring to a Grade 10 classroom will require teachers to exercise good time-management skills, flexibility, and professional judgment as they use this profile.

Unit 1	Hold Fast to Dreams	22 hours
Unit 2	Voices	23 hours
Unit 3	Diversity	23 hours
Unit 4	Interactions	25 hours
Unit 5	Independence	13 hours

Unit Organization

Unit 1: Hold Fast to Dreams

Time: 22 hours

Description

As part of the introduction to the course, students read and discuss the course outline and expectations, and complete diagnostic assessments in language, reading, and writing. These include a speech, an informal essay about their careers as readers, and a letter to the teacher describing their personal goals for the course. After an introduction to the Independent Reading component of the course, they also choose a book for their independent reading connected to the theme “Hold Fast to Dreams” in preparation for Unit 5. Students begin a reading response journal, and conference with their teacher.

Students read aloud the script of The Melville Boys, with effective use of voice. Students complete a variety of responses to the play. They write well-constructed paragraphs and scripts for an audio-dramatization of a new scene for the play. Groups of students prepare and tape an audio-dramatization of a script, including appropriate sound effects, theme song, or poem.

Strand(s) and Expectations

Strand(s): Literature Studies and Reading, Writing, Language, Media Studies

Overall Expectations: LIV.01P, LIV.02P, LIV.03P, LGV.01P, LGV.02P, WRV.02P, WRV.03P, WRV.04P, WRV.05P, MDV.01P, MDV.02P.

Specific Expectations: LI1.01P, LI1.04P, LI1.05P, LI1.08P, LI2.02P, LI3.02P, LI3.03P, WR2.02P, WR3.01P, WR3.02P, WR4.04P, WR5.03P, WR5.04P, WR5.05P, WR5.07P, WR5.13P, LG1.02P, LG1.04P, LG2.01P, LG2.03P, LG2.06P, LG2.07P, MD1.02P, MD2.01P.

Unit 2: Voices

Time: 23 hours

Description

Students explore the web of issues that surrounds them through the examination of literature, informational texts, and media. They analyse a number of arguments to determine their effectiveness and explore their own value systems and the value systems of others. With the assistance of the teacher-librarian they use research skills to gather information to support their arguments.

Through the use of rhetorical devices and persuasive techniques, students develop their argumentative skills in both oral and written form. They voice arguments through a variety of products such as journal responses, outlines, persuasive essays, and role playing. They participate in a final task – The Town Hall Meeting.

Strand(s) and Expectations

Strand(s): Literature Studies and Reading, Writing, Language

Overall Expectations: LIV.01P, LIV.02P, LIV.03P, WRV.01P, WRV.02P, WRV.03P, WRV.04P, LGV.02P.

Specific Expectations: LI1.02P, LI1.04P, LI1.05P, LI1.06P, LI1.07P, LI2.03P, LI3.01P, LI3.02P, WR1.01P, WR1.02P, WR1.03P, WR1.04P, WR2.01P, WR2.02P, WR2.03P, WR3.03P, WR4.02P, WR5.01P, WR5.03P, WR5.07P, WR5.08P, WR5.09P, WR5.13P, LG1.03P, LG1.05P, LG1.06P, LG1.07P, LG2.01P, LG2.03P, LG2.04P, LG2.07P.

Unit 3: Diversity

Time: 23 hours

Description

Students analyse literary, mythic, and media works to explore and interpret our multicultural society. They read and write frequently at home and at school for both formative and summative purposes.

To begin the unit, students write a number of journal responses exploring their perceptions of issues such as belonging, power, privilege, and identity. They write analyses of plot, purpose, and characteristics in myths, fairy tales, and stories. They also analyse, in writing, television and magazine advertisements, as well as modern dramas and sitcoms. They design advertisements for different audiences which reveal their understanding of implicit and explicit meanings and of design. Finally, students design a multi-genre anthology in which they make creative decisions based on point of view, format, and stylistic conventions. The anthology comprises: narrative writing; view, format, and stylistic conventions. The anthology comprises: narrative writing; media products; their two advertisements; and written explanations of the advertisements.

Students continue the Independent Reading component begun in Unit 1, connected to the theme of “Diversity” in preparation for Unit 5. They maintain their reading response journal and conference with the teacher.

Strand(s) and Expectations

Strand(s): Literature Studies and Reading, Writing, Language, Media Studies

Overall Expectations: LIV.02P, WRV,02P, WRV.03P, WRV.04P, WRV.05P, LGV.02P, MDV.01P, MDV.02P.

Specific Expectations: LI1.02P, LI1.03P, LI1.04P, LI1.05P, LI1.06P, LI1.07P, LI2.01P, LI3.01P, WR1.03P, WR2.02P, WR2.03P, WR3.02P, WR4.01P, WR4.02P, WR4.03P, WR4.04P, WR5.02P, WR5.04P, WR5.08P, WR5.09P, WR5.11P, LG1.01P, LG1.02P, LG1.04P, LG1.05P, LG1.06P, LG1.07P, LG2.01P, LG2.02P, MD1.01P, MD1.02P, MD1.03P, MD1.04P, MD2.01P, MDW.02P, MD2.03P.

Unit 4: Interactions

Time: 25 hours

Description

In this unit, students analyse a variety of relationships in literature and in their lives. They read widely in newspapers and magazines and conduct interviews to assess relationships. They write a personal response about relationships and produce a pamphlet for possible use in a Guidance Centre. In literature, they analyse relationships in short stories, using well-constructed paragraph answers, and write a multi-paragraph letter of advice to a character. They view a film of the Shakespearean play Romeo and Juliet and write personal responses, expressing their opinion about relationships in the film. In the culminating activity, students role-play characters from literature and the media in a television talk show format.

Students continue their Independent Reading at home to complete the required reading or to further their reading. They may also expand their reading by exploring magazines in preparation for Unit 5. They maintain their reading response journal and conference with the teacher.

Strand(s) and Expectations

Strand(s): Literature Studies and Reading, Writing, Language, and Media Studies

Overall Expectations: LIV.01P, WRV.02P, WRV.03P, WRV.04P, WRV.06P, LGV.01P, LGV.02P.

Specific Expectations: LIV.01P, WR2.02P, WR2.03P, WR5.02P, WR5.04P, LG2.02P, LG2.03P, LG2.04P, LG2.05P, LG2.06P, MDV.02P.

Unit 5: Independence

Time: 13 hours

Unit Description

As part of the course introduction, students describe their own careers as readers in a written essay. During Units 1, 2, and 3, students develop their reading skills by reading books connected to the themes of the units and by participating in conferences with the teacher. Students maintain a weekly reading response journal. In Unit 5, they develop one journal entry into a published copy and prepare a book talk and a media display to publicize their books. They publicize and participate in a Book Festival, a public demonstration of their achievement of the overall and specific expectations of this course.

At the end of Unit 5, students write a final examination, consisting of reading passage with questions about thesis, structure, and language, and an essay, either comparison and contrast or cause and effect, on literature from the course. This examination is worth 15% of the final mark in the course.

Strand(s) and Expectations

Strand(s): Literature Studies and Reading, Writing, Language, Media Studies

Overall Expectations:

Specific Expectations:

Course Notes

The Grade 10 English Applied course prepares students for Grade 11 and 12 college and workplace courses. The Grade 10 English Academic course prepares students for Grade 11 and 12 university courses. The goal of both Grade 10 courses is the further development of language literacy skills. Both courses are grounded in a recognition of the importance, for all students, of language and literature in learning and everyday life.

The difference between the Applied and Academic courses is one of emphasis. The Applied course emphasizes practical and concrete thinking; the Academic course emphasizes analytical and abstract thinking. In the Grade 10 Applied course, students study novels, poems, magazines, and reports; describe, design, and produce effective media works; and use spoken and written language in a clear and coherent way. In the Grade 10 Academic course, students study and interpret challenging texts from contemporary and historical periods; analyse and create effective media works; and use spoken and written language in a thoughtful way.

The secondary English program is described in The Ontario Curriculum in four strands: Literature Studies and Reading, Writing, Language, and Media Studies. This Grade 10 Applied profile has been organized thematically into four units, with a final culminating activity as a fifth unit. Each of the units incorporates overall and specific expectations from each of the strands. This organizational structure supports an integrated approach to the teaching and learning of the 12 overall and 65 specific expectations.

This profile has been developed using a “backward design” approach. The profile writers first identified desired results (i.e., considered the expectations), determined acceptable evidence (i.e., established assessment tasks), and then planned learning experiences and instruction (i.e., suggested teaching strategies and resources). The profile writers have been guided in this approach by the work of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe (Understanding by Design, Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1998).

The electronic Ontario Curriculum Unit Planner, which will be available for broad secondary use in September 2000, also uses a backward design approach.

Language literacy is fundamental to learning in all subjects. Teachers of English should work with other subject teachers in the school to support a planned and consistent approach to student language proficiency across the Grade 10 program, based on the Communication category of the Achievement Chart found in each curriculum document.

Students need to become skilled users of information technology. Each of the strands in the Grade 10 English course includes references within the expectations to electronic sources of information and the student use of electronic technologies. Collaboration and co-planning with other subject teachers is particularly important in this area of the curriculum.

The instructional plan for each thematic unit described in this profile encourages connections to a broad range of community resources. These may include print or electronic sources of information, sites for field trips, the names of authors, artists and other resource people, physical resources, commercial and publicly funded enterprises and post-secondary institutions. These can also be resources for students planning careers and further education.

Teachers must ensure that all classroom activities and out-of-school experiences are safe for all students. Teachers of English have particular responsibility in the following areas: appropriate student use of the Internet; the selection of suitable texts and reading materials; the use of language appropriate to an English classroom; and the safe structuring of physical activities in the classroom. In addition, teachers of English share with other subject teachers a responsibility for ensuring a learning environment which provides students with the emotional security necessary to take the risks which lead to learning.

This profile demonstrates one way in which teachers of Grade 10 Applied English can address the expectations contained in The Ontario Curriculum. The profile writers have included reference to specific texts in the units on the premise that classroom teachers will find such specificity useful and time-saving. Although English teachers are always updating their school’s collection of texts and other resources as budgets allow, teachers will want to continue to make use of literary texts currently available in schools that have stood the test of time and student preference. Many of the texts and materials cited in this profile are already in common use. Teachers, however, will also make choices of materials based on the learning needs of their own students and the diverse needs of their unique school community. The profile writers expect, therefore, that teachers will make appropriate substitutions for texts and materials suggested in this profile.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

Language is best learned through activities that present stimulating ideas, issues, and themes that are meaningful to students. Teachers must use a rich variety of teaching/learning activities in all English programs to accommodate the diverse learning styles of students. They should select classroom activities that are based on an assessment of students’ individual needs, proven learning theory, and best practice.

The units and culminating activities in this profile reflect the research on Multiple Intelligences (e.g., Frames of Mind, Howard Gardner) which encourages the development of linguistic, mathematical, musical, kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and natural intelligences. It is important for students to have access to a variety of opportunities to present what they know according to their talents or intelligences. Such an approach builds on student interests and talent necessary to make English a highly engaging course.

Exemplary Instructional Strategies in Grade 10 English:

· provide for explicit teaching of knowledge and skills;

· encourage maximum student engagement in the learning activity;

· encourage student choice regarding the processes and products of learning in the English classroom;

· include whole class, small group, and individual instruction;

· encourage students to reflect on their learning: to clarify, elaborate, describe, compare, negotiate, and reach consensus on what expectations mean to them;

· use electronic technology as appropriate;

· address a variety of learning styles in each unit;

· can be modified for exceptional students;

· promote direct involvement in a variety of concrete experiences and abstract thinking which enable students to construct their own understanding of concepts and principles;

· provide opportunities for genuine inquiry – to generate questions, apply a variety of investigative approaches, and to communicate learning in a variety of ways;

· engage students in self- and peer evaluation;

· use formative assessment to provide opportunities for practice and consolidation;

· connect with expectations from other subject areas as appropriate;

· make authentic connections with the classroom, the school, the local community, and the school at large;

· respect the cultural diversity of Ontario classrooms.

The Ontario Curriculum mandates student learning expectations; it does not mandate teaching strategies. It is the professional responsibility of teachers to determine the most appropriate and effective ways to address the achievement of the learning expectations for students in their classroom. The Ontario Curriculum does, however, provide possible teaching strategies within its description of the expectations. These strategies have been incorporated into this course profile.

Units in this profile make reference to the use of specific magazines, films, and videos in Teaching/Learning Strategies. Before reproducing materials for student use from books and magazines, teachers will need to ensure that their Board has a Cancopy licence and that book or magazine resources that they wish to use are covered by this licence. Before screening videos for students, teachers must ensure that their Board/school has obtained the appropriate public performance video cassette site licence from an authorized distributor, e.g., Audio Ciné Films Inc. If the appropriate licences are not in place, teachers will have to seek permission from authors, publishers, or film or television production companies, as necessary.

Teachers are also reminded that much of the material on the Internet is protected by copyright. That copyright is usually owned by the person or organization that created the work. Reproduction of any work, or a substantial part of any work, on the Internet is not allowed without permission of the owner.

©opyright Guide for Canadian Libraries (Wanda Noel, Canadian Library Association, Ottawa, 1999) is a useful resource for teachers who wish to have a clearer understanding of copyright.

Accommodations

Exceptional pupils should be given every opportunity to achieve the learning expectations set out in The Ontario Curriculum policy documents. General teaching, learning, and assessment strategies for helping exceptional students achieve English curriculum expectations are provided in each of the units in this profile. The profile writers have built a significant amount of student choice into learning and assessment activities to support the needs of exceptional students, including gifted students.

Adjustments must also be made by the teacher to acknowledge the range and diversity of cultural understandings possible within the classroom, and accommodations may be necessary for the success of students for whom English is a second language.

Assessment/Evaluation

Assessment is the systematic process of collecting information or evidence about student learning; evaluation is the judgment teachers make about the assessments of student learning based on established criteria. The units in this profile include suggestions for diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments. Diagnostic assessment is used at the beginning of a unit to help determine a starting point for instruction. Formative assessment provides information to students as they are learning and refining their skills. Summative assessments, at the end of units and the course, give students an opportunity to synthesize/apply/demonstrate their learning. Summative assessments are counted toward the student’s final mark.

In order to ensure that assessment and evaluation are valid and reliable, and that they lead to the improvement of student learning, English teachers must use assessment and evaluation strategies that:

· address both what students learn and how well they learn;

· are based on the four broad categories and descriptions in the Achievement Chart for English;

· are varied in nature, administered over a period of time, and designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate the full range of their learning;

· maintain a balance among all four categories of the Achievement Chart;

· are appropriate for the learning activities used, the purpose of instruction, and the needs and experiences of students;

· are fair to all students;

· accommodate the needs of exceptional students, consistent with the strategies outlined in their Individual Education Plans;

· accommodate the needs of students who are learning the language of instruction;

· ensure that students are given clear directions for improvement;

· promote students’ ability to assess their own learning and to set specific goals;

· include the use of samples of students’ work that provide evidence of their achievement;

· are communicated clearly to students and parents at the beginning of the course and at other appropriate points throughout the course.

Embedded in this course profile is the wide variety of assessment strategies and tools available to teachers of English: teacher observation, oral presentations, interviews, essays, quizzes, tests, examinations, learning logs, performance tasks, portfolios, self-assessment, questions and answers.

Because this profile has been developed using “backward design”, the course profile writers began their work by designing culminating tasks or activities for each of the five units that addressed the overall expectations, and by working backwards from there. A culminating activity is a summative assessment which provides an opportunity for students to perform, create, or demonstrate significant skills and knowledge. Culminating activities have a real world context, involve higher level knowledge and skills than could be achieved through an isolated application and clear criteria and levels for judging the quality of the performance. Task-specific rubrics are the most effective way to assess culminating activities and have been included with each unit in this profile.

Rubrics can also play an important role in instruction. Teachers can use rubrics, for example, to focus student attention on the specific knowledge and skills embedded in particular assignments. When they are combined with exemplars of student work, rubrics clarify for students the improvements that are possible and necessary in their own work.

Initial assessment tasks (diagnostic assessment) have been built into the first unit to help teachers determine, in a preliminary way, the strengths and weaknesses of their students. The results of this diagnostic assessment will also help teachers to plan (using the mini-lesson framework provided) specific Writing and Language lessons to address both the Grade 10 expectations and any learning gaps which are evident. Specific diagnostic activities are not built into the beginning of each of the other units in the same way, but it is expected that teachers will continue to plan their own classroom instruction on a daily basis, using the results of ongoing diagnostic assessment of their students’ learning needs. Each unit does include learning tasks and appropriate formative assessments which support the learning to be demonstrated in the culminating task.

Unit 5 in this profile describes two summative culminating activities. The first is a Book Festival which draws upon student knowledge and skills taught and learned in Units 1 through 4. The Book Festival, which is assessed using the Achievement Scale, is worth 15% of the student’s final mark. A final examination, for which a framework is provided, and which is similarly assessed using the Achievement Scale, is also worth 15%. The other 70% of the student’s final grade is derived from summative assessments conducted at the end of each unit. These assessments are based on task-specific rubrics which are congruent with the Achievement Scale.

The student’s final percentage grade is based on achievement only. Learning skills, punctuality, and attendance are recorded on the Provincial Report Card. The Learning Skills are the ability to work independently, teamwork, organization, work habits/homework, and initiative.

Course Evaluation

Teachers of English should systematically review course content, instructional strategies, and assessment procedures and make the program changes necessary to improve student achievement. Teachers should collect data informally about program effectiveness from students throughout the course, and should provide students with a formal way to provide input at the end of the course.

Coded Expectations, English, ENG2P

Literature Studies and Reading

Overall Expectations

LIV.01P

– read and demonstrate an understanding of a range of literary and informational texts;

LIV.02P

– demonstrate an understanding of the elements of a range of literary and informational forms, with a focus on novels, poems, magazines, and reports;

LIV.03P

– identify and explain the effect of specific elements of style in a range of literary and informational texts.

Specific Expectations

Understanding the Meanings of Texts

LI1.01P

– describe information, ideas, opinions, and themes in texts they have read during the year from a variety of print and electronic sources, including novels, short stories, plays, poems, magazines, reports, biographies, and manuals;

LI1.02P

– select and read texts for a variety of purposes, with an emphasis on extending knowledge of the elements of literary genres and the organization of informational materials, collecting and assessing information, responding imaginatively, and relating literary experiences to personal experience (e.g., gather and evaluate information from several newspaper articles; compare the early years of a historical figure or fictional character with their own);

LI1.03P

– select a variety of reading strategies and use them effectively before, during, and after reading to understand texts (e.g., use a graphic organizer to focus reading; refer to text elements such as tables of contents and indexes to locate information; use prior knowledge and personal experiences to interpret and respond to information and ideas; reread confusing passages; summarize key points);

LI1.04P

– demonstrate understanding of a text by citing explicit information and ideas from it (e.g., create a character profile based on a character’s words and actions; list key steps from a technical manual to create a quick-reference guide);

LI1.05P

– analyse the information and ideas presented in texts and make inferences based on the analysis (e.g., analyse a student-created website in order to give it an appropriate title; contrast a character’s words and actions in a play to explain irony; identify the interests an author represents in an article on an environmental issue);

LI1.06P

– use evidence from a text to support judgements about an issue (e.g., debate an issue discussed in a magazine or newspaper; debate the appropriateness of the resolution of a story);

LI1.07P

– describe how readers’ different values and perspectives might influence the way they respond to and interpret texts (e.g., create and share visual responses to a text and suggest reasons for similarities and differences in interpretations; choose a favourite character from a novel and give reasons for the choice; describe and give reasons for a personal interpretation of a short story);

LI1.08P

– suggest ways in which an author’s experience might influence information and ideas in a text (e.g., compare the perspectives of two authors who differ on an issue; compare poems on the same theme by authors such as Atwood and Ondaatje).

Understanding the Forms of Texts

LI2.01P

– use knowledge of elements of the novel, such as plot and subplot, characterization, setting, conflict, theme, and point of view, to understand and interpret texts in the genre (e.g., explain the use of a limited point of view to create suspense in a novel; develop and present a monologue based on a character’s actions and choices in a novel; visualize and describe people, places, and events depicted in a novel);

LI2.02P

– use knowledge of elements of poetry, such as stanza forms, rhyme, rhythm, punctuation, free verse, imagery, and sound devices, to understand and interpret texts in the genre (e.g., illustrate the single image of a haiku; identify similes and metaphors in a sight poem and explain what is being compared in each example);

LI2.03P

– use knowledge of elements of magazines and reports, such as editorials, regular columns, letters to the editor, advertisements, foldouts, cover art, table of contents, layout, columns, headings, and sub-headings, to understand and interpret texts in the genre (e.g., present a display illustrating the key features of a popular magazine; create a table of contents for a class magazine; use understanding of magazine layout to read articles with columns and wraparound text).

Understanding the Elements of Style

LI3.01P

– explain how authors adapt diction and phrasing and use specialized vocabulary to communicate ideas, emotions, and information and achieve intended effects (e.g., compare the colloquial language of a personal letter to the formal language of a business letter; compare the technical language of a computer manual to the language in a poem about computers);

LI3.02P

– explain how authors use stylistic devices, such as varied sentence structures, onomatopoeia, alliteration, and symbol, to communicate ideas, emotions, and information and achieve intended effects (e.g., explain how the symbolic language used in an advertisement persuades consumers to buy a product; explain how the imagery in a poem helps engage the reader’s interest);

LI3.03P

– explain how authors and editors use design elements in texts to clarify and reinforce meaning (e.g., explain the use of headings in a technical manual; explain the use of frames and buttons on a web page to organize content and provide direction).

Writing

Overall Expectations

WRV.01P

– use a variety of print and electronic sources to gather information and explore ideas for their written work;

WRV.02P

– identify literary and informational forms suited to a variety of purposes and audiences and use the forms appropriately in their own writing, with an emphasis on stating and supporting an opinion;

WRV.03P

– use a variety of organizational techniques to present ideas and supporting details logically and coherently in written work;

WRV.04P

– revise their written work, collaboratively and independently, with a focus on support for ideas, accuracy, clarity, and coherence;

WRV.05P

edit and proofread to produce final drafts, using correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation, according to the conventions of standard Canadian English specified for this course, with the support of print and electronic resources when appropriate.

Specific Expectations

Generating Ideas and Gathering Information

WR1.01P

– consider potential topics and develop research plans by asking questions and identifying information needs (e.g., create and rank focus questions; identify key words and electronic search terms to narrow a topic; connect possible topics and sources of information);

WR1.02P

– locate and summarize information and ideas from print and electronic sources, including newspapers and magazines, reports, dictionaries, encyclopedias, vertical files, and multiple electronic databases (e.g., create a graphic organizer for data acquired from a textbook and an electronic database; chart information by subtopic; list sources of information);

WR1.03P

– sort and label information and ideas; assess the relevance, accuracy, and completeness of the information and ideas; discard irrelevant material; and find additional information as needed (e.g., relate data to focus questions; verify data by consulting multiple sources; identify and reconcile inconsistencies; use a storyboard to sequence information from a narrative);

WR1.04P

– use the information and ideas generated to develop the content of written work (e.g., free write; create graphic organizers; do further research).

Choosing the Form to Suit the Purpose and Audience

WR2.01P

– demonstrate an understanding of literary and informational forms, such as personal essays, dramatizations, descriptions, poems, research reports, newspaper columns or magazine articles, and formal letters, by selecting forms appropriate to different purposes and audiences to use in their own writing (e.g., use a journal entry to explore a personal opinion; compose a formal letter to persuade a community partner to sponsor a school project; write a letter to a newspaper editor about a local issue; write a children’s story for a Grade 2 class; use essay form to describe their response to a group of poems by one author);

WR2.02P

– consider the characteristics of the intended audience in selecting the form and developing the content for each piece of writing (e.g., list information the audience will need and identify the most appropriate way to present it; consider the audience’s age, gender, and probable knowledge of the topic in writing a report);

WR2.03P

– select first or third person and an appropriate level of language to suit the form, purpose, and audience of their writing (e.g., use the first-person singular to compare their own views with those in a text; use the third-person singular to summarize information from an encyclopedia; use formal language in a letter to the editor).

Organizing Ideas and Information in Written Work

WR3.01P

– use key words in questions or prompts to organize ideas, information, and evidence in written answers;

WR3.02P

– use a single, controlling idea and connecting words and phrases to structure a series of paragraphs (e.g., establish chronological order with words such as in the beginning, second, and finally for a short report);

WR3.03P

– provide an introduction, body, and conclusion to present information sequentially, support an opinion, or develop an argument in reports and short essays;

WR3.04P

– use a pattern such as sequential order, comparison and contrast, or cause and effect to present directions, instructions, and the results of investigations in a clear and logical manner.

Revising Drafts

WR4.01P

– revise drafts to ensure that ideas are adequately developed and supported by relevant details and facts, and to achieve clarity and unity (e.g., use a checklist to verify the content of a report and the logic of its structure; insert connecting words in paragraphs of a report or personal essay to improve unity; refer to the introduction in the concluding paragraph of a personal essay to improve unity);

WR4.02P

– revise drafts to ensure consistency in the use of first or third person and use of an appropriate level of language;

WR4.03P

– make constructive suggestions to peers in a writing conference (e.g., use checklists based on established criteria when discussing a piece of writing);

WR4.04P

– consider reactions of teachers, peers, and others in revising and editing written work.

Editing, Proofreading, an Publishing

WR5.01P

– identify borrowed information, ideas, and quotations and use a variety of techniques to incorporate them smoothly into written work and research projects (e.g., write an introduction to set up a quotation; use transition words to link information from different sources; create a bibliography to identify reference materials consulted);

WR5.02P

– select the publication method or vehicle most accessible or appealing to the intended audience, using technology in a variety of ways where appropriate (e.g., write and send a letter requesting information; write a column for the school newspaper; create and format advertising and promotional posters and brochures);

WR5.03P

– provide documentation showing their use of the writing process (e.g., lists of genres and forms used in personal and assigned writing; lists of writing goals and next steps for improvement; notes about results of peer and teacher conferences; a writing folder with examples of strengths, weaknesses, and interests in writing);

WR5.04P

– edit and proofread their own and others’ writing, identifying and correcting errors according to the requirements for grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation listed below;

WR5.05P

– use parts of speech correctly, including the participle;

WR5.06P

– construct a variety of complete and correct sentences (including compound- complex sentences), using adjective and adverb phrases and noun, adjective, and adverb clauses;

WR5.07P

– identify and correct sentence errors, including comma splices and run-on sentences;

WR5.08P

– make collective nouns used as subjects agree with verbs in simple and compound sentences;

WR5.09P

– use verb tense and voice (i.e., active and passive) to suit purpose and audience;

WR5.10P

– use knowledge of a wide range of spelling patterns, rules, and strategies to analyse and correct spelling errors;

WR5.11P

– spell specific historical and technical terms correctly;

WR5.12P

– use a variety of resources to correct errors in spelling (e.g., dictionaries, electronic spell checkers);

WR5.13P

– use punctuation correctly, including the semicolon (e.g., use the semicolon to join principal clauses and to separate elements in a list that contains commas).

Language

Overall Expectations

LGV.01P

– use knowledge of vocabulary and language conventions to speak, read, and write clearly, correctly, and competently for specific purposes and audiences;

LGV.02P

– use listening techniques and oral communication skills to participate in classroom discussions and more formal activities, such as storytelling, role playing, and reporting/presenting, for specific purposes and audiences.

Specific Expectations

Developing Vocabulary and Knowledge of Language Structures and Conventions

LG1.01P

– describe changes in English language use caused by influences such as technology, other languages, and the media (e.g., use of acronyms as nouns; conversions of other parts of speech into verbs; increasing use of specific technical terms);

LG1.02P

– use appropriate concrete and figurative language from a variety of sources to make their speech and writing vivid, precise, and interesting to its intended audience;

LG1.03P

– modify their vocabulary and phrasing in oral and written work to suit specific informal and formal situations (e.g., adapt a discussion with a friend to suit the requirements of a simulated job interview);

LG1.04P

– identify when it is appropriate to use slang, dialect, colloquialisms, idioms, acronyms, technical terminology, and standard Canadian English in oral and written work;

LG1.05P

– recognize, describe, and use correctly, in oral and written language, the language structures of standard Canadian English and its conventions of grammar and usage, including:

– parts of speech, including participles;

– types of sentences, including compound-complex sentences;

– components of sentences, including adjective and adverb phrases; noun, adjective, and adverb clauses;

– agreement between subject and verb, and between pronoun and antecedent;

– consistency of verb tense and voice;

LG1.06P

– recognize, describe, and correct sentence errors in oral and written language (e.g., comma splice, run-on sentence);

LG1.07P

– recognize, describe, and use correctly, in oral and written language, the conventions of standard Canadian English for spelling, capitalization, and punctuation, including:

– spelling: historical and technical terms;

– capitalization: of proper nouns, and in scripts, dialogue, and poetry;

– punctuation, including semicolon.

Developing Listening and Speaking Skills

LG2.01P

– use listening techniques and oral communication skills to participate in group discussions (e.g., stay on topic; contribute ideas; support opinions; build on the ideas of others; solicit and classify information; identify key ideas and supporting details; and distinguish between fact and opinion);

LG2.02P

– use techniques of effective listening (e.g., make and confirm or revise predictions; identify the purpose and perspective of a presentation; make notes to identify main ideas and supporting evidence) and demonstrate an understanding of oral presentations by summarizing presenters’ arguments and identifying and evaluating the techniques used to make presentations effective;

LG2.03P

– plan and make oral presentations, adapting vocabulary and methods of delivery to suit audience and purpose (e.g., identify purpose; gather ideas and information; plan, create, rehearse, revise, and assess presentations such as interviews, dramatizations, and reports);

LG2.04P

– use specific examples, facial expressions and body language, emotional appeals, and visual aids and technology, as appropriate, to engage the audience’s interest during oral presentations;

LG2.05P

– rehearse with peers (with visual aids and technology, if used), study audio- and videotaped rehearsals, use voice and relaxation exercises, and make modifications in response to constructive criticism to ensure confident delivery in oral presentations;

LG2.06P

– identify the oral communication skills required in college programs and the workplace and cite specific examples of their use (e.g., interview parents or guardians for a report on how they use these skills on the job; investigate part-time jobs that require these skills; conduct an electronic search to identify college programs that require these skills);

LG2.07P

– analyse their own and others’ oral presentations, identifying strengths and weak-nesses and developing and carrying out plans for improvement.

Media Studies

Overall Expectations

MDV.01P

– describe the elements, intended audiences, and production practices of a range of media forms and explain how these factors shape media works;

MDV.02P

– use knowledge of a range of media forms, purposes, and audiences to create media works and explain their intended effects.

Specific Expectations

Analysing Media and Media Works

MD1.01P

– demonstrate critical thinking skills by identifying the differences between explicit and implicit messages in media works (e.g., read and compare the front pages of two different newspapers to determine their appeal to readers; explain the appeal of popular film genres to mass audiences);

MD1.02P

– identify key elements and techniques used to create media works in a variety of forms (e.g., rapid editing in a television commercial; plot in a comedy; juxtaposition of colour and text in posters), and explain how these elements contribute to the theme or message;

MD1.03P

– analyse the elements of media works in order to explain the reactions of different audiences to the works (e.g., write a report examining the sponsors of selected television programs to determine which groups of people the programs are aimed at; write an essay or report identifying stereotypes in television shows and suggest how specific audiences might react to them);

MD1.04P

– describe and explain how and why media works are used to market related products (e.g., how and why books are reissued in conjunction with film releases).

Creating Media Works

MD2.01P

– adapt an idea or theme from a work of literature for presentation in another media form and determine what aspects have been weakened and/or strengthened by the adaptation (e.g., recast a conflict from a novel as a debate on a television or radio talk show, a theme or images from a poem as a CD cover with liner notes);

MD2.02P

– create media works for different purposes and explain how the design has been influenced by the purpose (e.g., create an informational pamphlet and a promotional pamphlet for the same product or service);

MD2.03P

– design media works appropriate to different audiences and explain which elements will make a work appeal to a particular audience (e.g., design brochures marketing a product to consumers with different income levels and explain the appeal of each).

Acknowledgments

Description/Rationale

Unit Titles (Time + Sequence)

Unit Organization

Unit 1: Hold Fast to Dreams

Unit 2: Voices

Unit 3: Diversity

Unit 4: Interactions

Unit 5: Independence

Course Notes

Teaching/Learning Strategies

Accommodations

Assessment/Evaluation

Course Evaluation

Literature Studies and Reading

Specific Expectations

Writing

Specific Expectations

Language

Specific Expectations

Media Studies

Specific Expectations