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ENGLISH:  

This course is designed to extend the range of oral communication, reading, writing, and media literacy skills that students need for success in secondary school and daily life.  Students will study and create a variety of informational, literary, and graphic texts. An important focus will be on the study of strategies and processes that help students understand texts and communicate clearly and effectively. This course is intended to prepare students for the Grade 10 Fast Forward English course.

Essential Learning   (The Ontario Curriculum)
Successful completion of all essential learning criteria below is required to earn the course credit:
1.      Student will be able to use listening skills in both formal and informal situations.
2.      Student will be able to develop their thinking skills through conversation in large and small groups. 
3.      Student will be able to appropriately converse while participating in classroom activities.
4.      Student will be able to reflect upon and assess their listening skills.
5.      Student will be able to generate and organize ideas, and write and edit drafts in order to clearly communicate his or her ideas in writing.
6.      Student will be able to convey information and ideas in a variety of short written formats.  
7.      Student will be able to reflect upon and assess their writing skills.
8.      Student will be able to identify and use different strategies to improve comprehension of reading and make connections with a variety of texts.
9.      Student will be able to read and recognize a variety of short print and graphic texts.
10.   Student will be able to reflect upon and assess their reading skills.

Evaluation Breakdown
The essential learning will be demonstrated through…
  • projects and tests                                     (70%)                                                                                                                  
  • a final summative project and exam    (30%)                                                                                              
Formative assessment, including process work for the projects, parliament simulations, discussions and all other in-class work completed to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to be successful with the essential learning criteria, will be numerous and varied, but will not count towards the grade unless there’s a significant display of understanding in the formative work that isn’t clearly established in the summatives. 
NOTE:  Final weighting may be altered to take into consideration more recent and most consistent work.

Units of Study

The essential learning criteria will be covered throughout the semester as we explore the following units of study:

1.     Reading Skills – A selection of books, plays, films, and stories will be studied.
2.     Literacy Skills – Opinion piece and news report writing
3.     Language Study – Literacy Power G and Read XL
4.     Grammar and Reading Skills

*Should a student not wish to read a book or view a film because of its content, an alternative will be suggested.

Learning Skills
The following Learning Skills reflect student work habits and have been identified as key skills in determining student success in academics and the work place. They are evaluated on the student’s provincial report card.

Learning Skills
Responsibility
The student completes and submits class work, homework, and assignments according to agreed-upon timelines, as well as taking responsibility for and managing his/her own behaviour.
Organization
The student establishes priorities to complete tasks on time and achieve goals.
Independent Work
The student uses class time appropriately to complete tasks and follows instructions with minimal supervision.
Collaboration
The student responds positively to the ideas, opinions, values, and traditions of others while accepting various roles and an equitable share of work in a group.
Initiative
The student looks for and approaches new tasks with a positive attitude and interest  in learning.
Self-regulation
The student assesses and reflects critically on his/her strengths, needs, and interests. He/she sets individual goals and monitors progress towards achieving them.

MSIP (Multi-Subject Instructional Period)
MSIP is a mandatory part of the student’s instructional day. Attendance and engagement lead to greater success by providing time for assignment completion, practice, extra help, and library and computer access.  

Academic Integrity
In cases where a student has not submitted major assessments or has submitted assessments that are plagiarized, the teacher or administrator will contact the parent/guardian.  The student will still be expected to submit work that demonstrates their understanding of the essential learning that was being assessed.  The student may also be subject to additional consequences, and concerns with academic integrity will be reflected on the provincial report card.