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COURSE OUTLINE

Course Title: English
Course Code: ENG1P
Grade: 9
Course Type: Applied
Credit Value: 1
Prerequisite: None
Curriculum Policy Document: English, The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10, 2007
Department: English
Course Developer: Deb Homuth and Claire deRosenroll
Development Date: Spring 2007
Course Revised by: -
Revision Date: -

Course Description:

This course is designed to develop the key oral communication, reading, writing, and media literacy skills students need for success in secondary school and daily life. Students will read, interpret, and create a variety of informational, literary, and graphic texts. An important focus will be on identifying and using appropriate strategies and processes to improve students’ comprehension of texts and to help them communicate clearly and effectively. The course is intended to prepare students for the Grade 10 applied English course, which leads to college, or workplace preparation courses in Grades 11 and 12.

Unit	Titles and Descriptions	Time and Sequence
Unit 1	Media Study On Sunday, October 30, 1938, millions of radio listeners were shocked when radio news alerts announced the arrival of Martians. Many ran out of their homes screaming while others packed up their cars and fled. Although what the radio listeners heard was a portion of Orson Welles' adaptation of War of the Worlds. Many listeners believed that what they heard on the radio was real. The power of radio had fooled the listeners. They had become accustomed to believing everything they heard on the radio, without questioning it. Now they had learned - the hard way. Using this case study to launch the unit, students will develop an understanding of purpose and audience, how messages are interpreted, how audiences respond and the different production perspectives. Next students will look at how media conventions and techniques influence content. Advertising formulas like coca-cola, cinematic formulas like romance and horror will be deconstructed. Students will analyze production costs for advertising on television and in print and look at how product placement affects advertising success. A discovery of the magic or photo and lighting manipulation will follow. Finally, students will look at how the aesthetic qualities of music, sound and colour in media contribute to audience understanding and enjoyment. Students will look at a variety of other graphic novels for inspiration and format ideas in order to create their own graphic version of this story using storyboarding techniques.	30 hours
Unit 2	Novel Study In this Unit, students will read and analyze S.E. Hinton’s, The Outsiders. Each chapter will be followed up with comprehension questions for the student to answer. A comparison will be completed between the movie and the book. The student will assume the role of a reporter for the Tulsa Reporter, and practice their news article writing skills which are also evaluated on the Grade Ten Literacy Test.	30 hours
Unit 3	Grammar Study In this Unit students will begin by reviewing some of the sentence terms they learned in grades seven and eight. Then an examination of the core elements of a sentence will lead into a study of active and passive sentences, identifying subjects, direct and indirect objects, transitive and intransitive verbs and subject verb agreement.	8 hours
Unit 4	Short Stories In this Unit students will discuss the elements of a short story. Then they will read and produce assignments on a Canadian, American and International short story. Following these studies, students will write a short story of their own.	20 hours
Unit 5	Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet In this Unit students will choose to watch at least one of three movie versions of this famous play. Then students will use an oral language assignment to focus on Shakespeare’s language and its complexities. The cinematic formula for a romance story will become the springboard into the examination in depth of the play and its plot and characters.	20 hours
	Final Evaluation The final assessment task is a two hour proctored final examination worth 30% of the student’s final mark. Students will be asked to demonstrate their understanding of skills and concepts learned and practiced in the course.	2 hours
	Total	110 hours

Since the over-riding aim of this course is to help students use language skillfully, confidently and flexibly, a wide variety of instructional strategies are used to provide learning opportunities to accommodate a variety of learning styles, interests and ability levels. These include:

Reading various works	Independent research	Directed Reading Activities
Reading Responses	Direct Instruction	Peer Practice
Independent Study	Writing Processes	Writing to Learn
Journal writing	Portfolio	Report
Conferencing	Issue-Based Analysis	Multimedia Presentations
Work Sheets	Guided Internet Research	Guided Writing
Note Making	Visual Stimuli

Assessment and Evaluation Strategies of Student Performance:

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. Although assessment information can be gathered from a number of sources (the student himself, the student’s course mates, the teacher), evaluation is the responsibility of only the teacher. For evaluation is the process of making a judgment about the assessment information and determining the percentage grade or level.

Note on Oral Communication: Because this is an online course, oral communication is taught and assessed throughout the course using two devices. Students will be required throughout the course to participate in discussions. Some of these will take place on discussion boards where students will post their ideas about a topic at hand in guided discussion format. Students will be required to respond to the ideas of their course-mates. All students will be assessed on their ability to listen, to speak and to think about the strategies they use to do so. In addition students will see icons of speakers throughout the course which they will click on to hear ideas being spoken about and to tape themselves doing the same.

Overall Expectations - ENG1P

ORAL COMMUNICATION
Overall Expectations
EOC.01	Listening to Understand: listen in order to understand and respond appropriately in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes;
EOC.02	Speaking to Communicate: use speaking skills and strategies appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes;
EOC.03	Reflecting on Skills and Strategies: reflect on and identify their strengths as listeners and speakers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful in oral communication situations.
READING AND LITERATURE STUDIES
Overall Expectations
ERL.01	Reading for Meaning: read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary, informational, and graphic texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning;
ERL.02	Understanding Form and Style: recognize a variety of text forms, text features, and stylistic elements and demonstrate understanding of how they help communicate meaning;
ERL.03	Reading With Fluency: use knowledge of words and cueing systems to read fluently;
ERL.04	Reflecting on Skills and Strategies: reflect on and identify their strengths as readers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful before, during, and after reading.
WRITING
Overall Expectations
EWR.01	Developing and Organizing Content: generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience;
EWR.02	Using Knowledge of Form and Style: draft and revise their writing, using a variety of literary, informational, and graphic forms and stylistic elements appropriate for the purpose and audience;
EWR.03	Applying Knowledge of Conventions: use editing, proofreading, and publishing skills and strategies, and knowledge of language conventions, to correct errors, refine expression, and present their work effectively;
EWR.04	Reflecting on Skills and Strategies: reflect on and identify their strengths as writers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful at different stages in the writing process.
MEDIA STUDIES
Overall Expectations
EMS.01	Understanding Media Texts: demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media texts;
EMS.02	Understanding Media Forms, Conventions, and Techniques: identify some media forms and explain how the conventions and techniques associated with them are used to create meaning;
EMS.03	Creating Media Texts: create a variety of media texts for different purposes and audiences, using appropriate forms, conventions, and techniques;
EMS.04	Reflecting on Skills and Strategies: reflect on and identify their strengths as media interpreters and creators, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful in understanding and creating media texts.

The Final Grade:

The evaluation of the student’s achievement in this course is based on the student’s achievement of the curriculum expectations. The percentage grade represents the student’s overall achievement and reflects the corresponding level of achievement as described in the Achievement chart for this discipline. A credit will be granted if the final percentage awarded is 50% or more. The final grade will be determined as follows:

• 70% of the grade will be based upon assessment tasks completed throughout the course. This portion of the grade will reflect the student’s most consistent level of achievement throughout the course, although special consideration will be given to the most recent evidence of achievement.



• 30% of the grade will be based on a final assessment task that occurs at or near the end of the course. In the case of this course, this final assessment task will take the form of a final examination which will be completed online under the supervision of a pre-approved proctor.

The Report Card

The report card will focus on two distinct but related components of student achievement: the achievement of curriculum expectations and the development of learning skills. The report card will contain separate sections for the reporting of these two aspects.

A Summary Description of Achievement in Each Percentage Grade Range and Corresponding Level of Achievement
Percentage Grade Range	Achievement Level	Summary Description
80-100%	Level 4	A very high to outstanding level of achievement. Achievement is above the provincial standard.
70-79%	Level 3	A high level of achievement. Achievement is at the provincial standard.
60-69%	Level 2	A moderate level of achievement. Achievement is below, but approaching, the provincial standard.
50-59%	Level 1	A passable level of achievement. Achievement is below the provincial standard.
below 50%	Level R	Insufficient achievement of curriculum expectations. A credit will not be granted.

Achievement Chart: English, Grades 9-12

Categories	50-59% (Level 1)	60-69% (Level 2)	70-79% (Level 3)	80-100% (Level 4)
Knowledge and Understanding - Subject-specific content acquired in each course (knowledge), and the comprehension of its meaning and significance (understanding)
	The student:
Knowledge of content (e.g., forms of text; strategies used when listening and speaking, reading,writing, and viewing and representing; elements of style; literary terminology, concepts, and theories; language conventions)	demonstrates limited knowledge of content	demonstrates some knowledge of content	demonstrates considerable knowledge of content	demonstrates thorough knowledge of content
Understanding of content (e.g.,concepts; ideas; opinions; relationships among facts, ideas,concepts,themes)	demonstrates limited understanding of content	demonstrates some understanding of content	demonstrates considerable understanding of content	demonstrates thorough and insightful understanding of content
Thinking - The use of critical and creative thinking skills and/or processes
	The student:
Use of planning skills (e.g., generating ideas, gathering information, focusing research, organizing information)	uses planning skills with limited effectiveness	uses planning skills with moderate effectiveness	uses planning skills with considerable effectiveness	uses planning skills with a high degree of effectiveness
Use of processing skills (e.g., drawing inferences, interpreting, analysing, synthesizing, evaluating)	uses processing skills with limited effectiveness	uses processing skills with some effectiveness	uses processing skills with considerable effectiveness	uses processing skills with a high degree of effectiveness
Use of critical/creative thinking processess (e.g., oral discourse, research, critical analysis, critical literacy, metacognition, creative process)	uses critical / creative thinking processes with limited effectiveness	uses critical / creative thinking processes with some effectiveness	uses critical / creative thinking processes with considerable effectiveness	uses critical / creative thinking processes with a high degree of effectiveness
Communication - The conveying of meaning through various forms
	The student:
Expression and organization of ideas and information (e.g., clear expression, logical organization) in oral, graphic, and written forms, including media forms	expresses and organizes ideas and information with limited effectiveness	expresses and organizes ideas and information with some effectiveness	expresses and organizes ideas and information with considerable effectiveness	expresses and organizes ideas and information with a high degree of effectiveness
Communication for different audiences and purposes (e.g., use of appropriate style, voice, point of view) in oral, graphic, and written forms, including media forms	communicates for different audiences and purposes with limited effectiveness	communicates for different audiences and purposes with some effectiveness	communicates for different audiences and purposes with considerable effectiveness	communicates for different audiences and purposes with a high degree of effectiveness
Use of conventions (e.g., grammar, spelling, punctuation, usage), vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline in oral, graphic, and written forms, including media forms	uses conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline with limited effectiveness	uses conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline with some effectiveness	uses conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline with considerable effectiveness	uses conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline with a high degree of effectiveness
Application - The use of knowledge and skills to make connections within and between various contexts
	The student:
Application of knowledge and skills (e.g.,literacy strategies and processes; literary terminology, concepts, and theories) in familiar contexts	applies knowledge and skills in familiar contexts with limited effectiveness	applies knowledge and skills in familiar contexts with some effectiveness	applies knowledge and skills in familiar contexts with considerable effectiveness	applies knowledge and skills in familiar contexts with a high degree of effectiveness
Transfer of knowledge and skills (e.g., literacy strategies and processes; literary terminology, concepts, and theories) to new contexts	transfers knowledge and skills to new contexts with limited effectiveness	transfers knowledge and skills to new contexts with some effectiveness	transfers knowledge and skills to new contexts with considerable effectiveness	transfers knowledge and skills to new contexts with a high degree of effectiveness
Making connections within and between various contexts (e.g., between the text and personal knowledge and experience, other texts, and the world outside school)	makes connections within and between various contexts with limited effectiveness	makes connections within and between various contexts with some effectiveness	makes connections within and between various contexts with considerable effectiveness	makes connections within and between various contexts with a high degree of effectiveness

Resources:

• ENG1P online course of study
• The Outsiders by H.E. Heaton and the movie
• a copy of one of the three recommended movie versions of Romeo and Juliet
• thesaurus
• dictionary
• various internet websites

Program Planning Considerations for English:

Teachers who are planning a program in English must take into account considerations in a number of important areas. Essential information that pertains to all disciplines is provided in the companion piece to this document, The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12: Program Planning and Assessment, 2000. The areas of concern to all teachers that are outlined there include the following:

• types of secondary school courses
• education for exceptional students
• the role of technology in the curriculum
• English as a second language (ESL) and English literacy development (ELD)
• career education
• cooperative education and other workplace experiences
• health and safety

Considerations relating to the areas listed above that have particular relevance for program planning in English are noted here.

Education for Exceptional Students. In planning courses in English, teachers should take into account the needs of exceptional students as set out in their Individual Education Plan. English courses reflect the creative part of our literary world, which offers a vast array of opportunities for exceptional students. Students who use alternative techniques for communication may find a venue for their talents as writers. Just as English responds to the needs and demands of the greater world of work, English courses are largely shaped by the needs and demands of students who will all eventually end up in this greater world.

The Role of Technology in the Curriculum. Information technology is considered a learning tool that must be accessed by English students when the situation is appropriate. As a result, students will develop transferable skills through their experience with word processing, internet research, presentation software, and telecommunication tools, as would be expected in any business environment.

English As a Second Language and English Literacy Development (ESL/ELD). This English course can provide a wide range of options to address the needs of ESL/ELD students. Detailed analysis of the components of sentences aid ESL students in mastering the English language and all of its idiosyncrasies. We have purposely chosen literature from different countries to enrich out student's own experiences. In addition, since all occupations require employees with a wide range of English skills and abilities, many students will learn how their backgrounds and language skills can contribute to their success in the larger world.

Career Education. English definitely helps prepare students for employment in a huge number of diverse areas. The skills, knowledge and creativity that students acquire through this English course are essential for a wide range of careers. Being able to express oneself in a clear concise manner without ambiguity would be an overall intention of this English course, as it helps students prepare for success in their working lives.

Cooperative Education and Other Workplace Experiences. By applying the skills they have developed, students will readily connect their classroom learning to real-life activities in the world in which they live. Cooperative education and other workplace experiences will broaden their knowledge of employment opportunities in a wide range of fields. In addition, students will increase their understanding of workplace practices and the nature of the employer-employee relationship. Teachers of English should maintain links with community-based businesses to ensure that students have access to hands-on experiences that will reinforce the knowledge they have gained in school.

Health and Safety. The English program provides the reading skills for the student to be able to explore the variety of concepts relating to health and safety in the workplace. Teachers who provide support for students in workplace learning placements need to assess placements for safety and ensure that students can read and understand the importance of issues relating to health and safety in the workplace.