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COURSE OUTLINE

Course Title: English Literacy Development Level 5
Course Code: ELDEO
Department: English
Course Developer: Deborah Homuth
Development Date: Winter 2008

Course Description:

This course provides students with skills and strategies that will allow them to continue their education successfully and pursue pathways to employment that may involve apprenticeship and/or cooperative education programs. Students will develop greater independence in reading and writing, as well as in interpreting media texts; use a range of media and community resources; and communicate both orally and in writing on a variety of topics. This course also expands the critical thinking skills students will need in order to contribute to Canadian society as informed citizens.

As you move through this course you will create a literacy portfolio. This is a file  containing a record of your reading experiences and samples of your writing, a reading log containing a list of what you have read, and  learning reflections journal where you will think about your skills and your goals related to them.

The approximate teaching time per UNIT is indicated in the Course Content. However, how much time you will need to complete the tasks and assignments, or which is dedicated to independent reading and writing, will depend on your own individual needs and literacy competency.

Who should take the course?

• Students who wish to upgrade their English literacy skills to help ensure their success in Canadian schools including high schools, colleges or universities.



• Students whose language development was in another language other than English and who may need more instruction on the reading, writing and speaking skills that help students succeed in the Ontario curriculum.



• Students interested in preparing themselves to successfully complete the Grade Ten Literacy Test in Ontario. This course will demystify this standardized test for both high school students and adult learners returning to school.



• Adults interested in acquiring the skills necessary to live and to work in the twenty-first century. Knowing that poor literacy can create unwanted stigmas, it is our hope that with an online course, students will be able to work independently and privately, in their own homes, either on their own or with the help of an online teacher.
  

Unit	Titles and Descriptions	Time and Sequence
Unit 1	Introduction In this unit students will explore the course outline, read how they will be assessed on their work and be introduced to the software and how to use it.	1 hour
Unit 2	Sense and Sensibility: Reading and Thinking Students begin by learning how to read information text, how to skim and scan, how to read expository non-fiction and how to read graphic texts.	25 hours
Unit 3	Sentence Review Students will review the elements of a sentence and review the summary rules for writing in English.	5 hours
Unit 4	Voice and Choice: Writing and You In this unit students will learn and practice the key writing skills of writing an information paragraph, writing a summary, writing an opinion piece, writing a narrative, writing a newspaper article, and writing a text in entirely in graphics.	25 hours
Unit 5	Language and Power: Voices through Reading and Writing In this unit students will learn how to read and how to write in several different forms including: brochures, classified ads, textbooks, letters to the editor, websites, urban legends, and display ads. The unit concludes with a look at the use and power of language in North American society.	20 hours
Unit 6	Growth in Literacy: Into a Global Community In this unit students will practice listening for a purpose. They will read articles regarding global issues and make personal reflections on global issues.	20 hours
Unit 7	Putting it All Together This is the unit where students bring all their skills to bear at once. The students will produce four summative tasks: demonstrate their new reading skills, producing a summary and information paragraph and a self-reflection.	20 hours
	Assessment Assessment is a systematic process of collecting information or evidence about a student’s progress towards meeting the learning expectations. Assessment is embedded in the instructional activities throughout a unit. The expectations for the assessment tasks are clearly articulated and the learning activity is planned to make that demonstration possible. This process of beginning with the end in mind helps to keep focus on the expectations of the course. The purpose of assessment is to gather the data or evidence and to provide meaningful feedback to the student about how to improve or sustain the performance in the course. Scaled criteria designed as rubrics are often used to help the student to recognize their level of achievement and to provide guidance on how to achieve the next level.	10 hours
	Total	126 hours

Resources:

Students will have all the resources they need right inside the course except for access to the internet for some additional articles.