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ENG1D- GRADE 9 ACADEMIC ENGLISH

COURSE OUTLINE- Opeongo High School

Teacher-Jodie Armstrong-Gagnon

A) Course Description:

This course “emphasizes analytic reading, writing, oral and thinking skills that students need for success in secondary school academic programs and their daily lives. Students will study and interpret texts from contemporary and historical periods, including plays, short stories, and short essays, and will investigate and create media works. An important focus will be the correct and effective use of spoken and written language,(The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10, revised 2007, pg 10).

B) Content and Course Work

Unit / SummativeTasks / Length
Short Fiction
Students will exhibit an understanding of literary terms and devices as they relate to
short stories, narratives, etc. Students will analyze narratives for vocabulary, historical allusion, theme, literary point of view, inference, and stylistic devices.
. / 1) Paragraph series
2) Test / 4 weeks
Informational Texts
The purpose of this unit is to introduce students to non-fiction writing. Students will examine the influence and significance of author background. They will discuss and share ideas, and write in a variety of informational forms. Organization of ideas is a particular focus. / 1)Persuasive essay
2)Oral presentation / 8 weeks
Dramatic forms and Voices/Poetry and Poetics
Students will learn to identify and understand what poetic devices are and be able to identify them in poems and in Shakespearean literature.
Students will identify figurative language and understand connotation.
Students will be able to analyze and apply their knowledge in a variety of forms. / Written assignment
Either:
News article
Script rewrite / 4 weeks
Novel Study
Students will identify, analyze and assess issues, characters, themes, literacy devices, and rhetorical devices in the context of a novel. / 1) Literary essay
2) Test / 6 weeks
Grammar Unit-students will enhance their writing by practicing various conventions: spelling, punctuation, parts of speech, sentence structure, and capitalization. / 2 tests / Ongoing
Grammar and Language Skills integrated throughout the course

C) Assessment

Formative Assessment:

·  Formative assessment is ongoing throughout the semester and includes:

-several short writing assignments

-comprehension questions

-quizzes

-regular homework assignments (including reading and writing)

·  Formative assessment is designed to provide students with the opportunity to practice and reinforce skills learned in class: skills required in completion of the summative performance tasks at the end of, or throughout units.

·  Students will receive teacher feedback. Written feedback and/or a numeral mark will accompany most of these assignments. Oral feedback will also be given.

Summative Assessment:

·  A summative assessment is a performance task given at or near the end of each unit.

·  Summative assessment counts for 70% of the final course mark.

·  A rubric, or marking scheme, will be provided to the student ahead of time, wherever possible, so it is clear what criteria must be met to achieve each level.

Final Course Evaluation:

§  Summative Assessments (including Independent Study) 70%

§  Final Examination 30%

D)Texts:

·  Sightlines Anthology To Kill a Mockingbird

·  The Merchant of Venice Departures

·  A variety of media and nonfiction

E)Teaching and Learning Strategies The strategies used to meet the needs of a variety of learners-- including but not limited to:

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·  Small Group Co-operative Learning

·  Guided Internet Searches

·  Multimedia Presentations

·  Oral Presentations

·  Small Group Discussions

·  Opportunities for Practice and Frequent Feedback

·  Graphic Organizers (e.g. Venn diagrams mind maps, tables)

·  Inquiry (e.g., generate questions and communicate findings in a variety of ways)

·  Direct Instruction

·  Checklists

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