Course Description

This course emphasizes the consolidation of the literacy, communication, and critical and creative thinking skills necessary for success in academic and daily life. Students will analyse a range of challenging literary texts from various periods, countries, and cultures; interpret and evaluate informational and graphic texts; and create oral, written, and media texts in a variety of forms. An important focus will be on using academic language coherently and confidently, selecting the reading strategies best suited to particular texts and particular purposes for reading, and developing greater control in writing. The course is intended to prepare students for university, college, or the workplace.

Course Code: ENG4U

Course Name: Grade 12 English, University Preparation

Department: English

Hours: 110

Credit Value: 1.0

Pre-requisites: ENG3U - Grade 11 English, University Preparation

Curriculum Policy Documents: The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 & 12. English, 2007

Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario School. 2010.

Development Date: May 2019

Developed By: Christine Freeman

Teacher:

Revised By: N/A

Revision Date: N/A

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Overall Curriculum Expectations

Overall Expectations:
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Listen to Understand: listen in order to understand and respond appropriately in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes;
  2. Speak to Communicate: use speaking skills and strategies appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes;
  3. Reflect 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.

Overall Expectations:
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Read for Meaning:read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary, informational, and graphic texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning;
  2. Understand Form and Style:recognize a variety of text forms, text features, and stylistic elements and demonstrate understanding of how they help communicate meaning;
  3. Read with Fluency: use knowledge of words and cueing systems to read fluently;
  4. Reflect 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.

Overall Expectations:
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Develop and Organize Content:generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience;
  2. Use 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;
  3. Apply 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;
  4. Reflect 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.

Overall Expectations:
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Understand Media Texts:demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media texts;
  2. Understand Media Forms, Conventions, and Techniques:identify some media forms and explain how the conventions and techniques associated with them are used to create meaning;
  3. Create Media Texts:create a variety of media texts for different purposes and audiences, using appropriate forms, conventions, and techniques;
  4. Reflect 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.
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Course Content

Unit Unit Title Approx. Duration
Unit 1 Foundations 15 hours
Unit 2 Media 15 hours
Unit 3 Short Texts & Personal Essays 35 hours
Unit 4 Novel Study: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein 35 hours
Final Exam & Culminating Project 10 hours
TOTAL 110 hours

Unit Description

This unit covers a variety of foundational course topics and concepts needed to prepare students for success in this course and life. Students will review the Elements of Narrative Fiction and figurative and stylistic devices as well as textual analysis and critical thinking. Lessons which focus on Culture and Perspectives will also challenge the students to grow in their understanding of the global community while equipping them with the needed skills to engage in a meaningful way with the texts included in this course and the thoughts of their instructor and classmates.

This unit equips students to become smart consumers of media by introducing them to a variety of key concepts and persuasive techniques used by media makers and by challenging them to apply their critical thinking skills to a variety of media texts. Topics included in this unit include: Media Visual Analysis, Rhetoric & Rhetorical Devices, Media Bias, Gender Norms within the Media. As the major assessments for this unit, students will participate in a Seminar Discussion, and create their own piece of media by applying their understanding of the core concepts covered in the course thus far.

In this unit, students will be challenged to explore a variety of text types centered around several key concepts such as coming of age, loss and grief, community and belonging and societal expectations. By making connections and comparisons between different text types, students will be able to explore the chosen topics at a greater depth and make connections to their course work and life. This unit will also require students to continue to practice and refine their textual analysis and critical thinking skills covered in Unit 1: Foundations. Assessments for this unit include regular group discussions as well as an analytical comparative essay, and a creative personal essay.

In this final unit of the course, students will dive into a critical study of a major work of literature. Once again, applying the key concepts and skills covered throughout the course, students will be challenged to practice their critical thinking and textual analysis skills as they apply to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The unit begins with a lesson covering the key concepts included in various critical perspectives which will act as one of the key areas of focus for our study of the text. Students will debate various contemporary issues as Shelley explores them throughout the text and deepen their knowledge of narrative texts. The final assessments for this unit include a Seminar Discussion, Unit Test and Inquiry Questions and Creative Tasks.

The final section of the course includes the Independent Study Project (ISP) or Culminating Project and the Final Exam. As these are the final major assignments, all of the assessments included throughout the course are designed to develop and refine your skills and knowledge of the course content.

Achievement Chart

The following table provides 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% Insufficient achievement of curriculum expectations. A credit will not be granted.
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Nature & Purpose of Assessment

Kind of Assessment Description
Assessment FOR Learning Assessment that is diagnostic in nature and seeks to gather information about the student's existing knowledge and skills of a certain topic or subject matter. It typically happens at the beginning of a learning cycle, completed by the instructor and does not count directly towards final grades.
Assessment AS Learning Assessment that is also diagnostic in nature but completed by the students. Students can assess themselves or peers in order to practice self-assessment and correction as a key step in the learning cycle although these kinds of assessments do not count towards the final grade.
Assessment OF Learning Assessment that is summative and happens at the end of a learning cycle. Students will complete tests, submit essays or creative writing pieces, and participate in final seminars which focus on the content covered in each unit or learning cycle. These assessments count toward the final grade.

Please note: The underlying purpose of completing three kinds of assessments is to provide students withmultiple opportunities to explore and master the course material before completing the final assessments (which are used to calculate the final grade). It is important for students to recognize the value of each kind of assessment as they pursue success in this course.

Assessment Categories

As included in the Ontario Curriculum Grade 11 & 12, English (p. 22) the FOUR assessment categories of knowledge and skills taught and assessed in this course are described as follows:

Subject-specific content acquired within the course (knowledge), and the comprehension of its meaning and significance (understanding).

The use of critical and creative thinking skills and/or processes, as follows:
  • planning skills (e.g., generating ideas, gathering information, focusing research, organizing information)
  • processing skills (e.g., drawing inferences, interpreting, analysing, synthesizing, evaluating)
  • critical/creative thinking processes (e.g., oral discourse, research, critical analysis, critical literacy, metacognition, creative process)

 The conveying of meaning through various text forms.

 The use of knowledge and skills to make connections within and between various contexts.

Overall Weighting of Assessment Categories

Each assessment category is given a weight in order to prioritize the goals and skills reflective of the ENG4U course.

Knowledge Inquiry Communication Application
20% 25% 30% 25%

Course Work - Assessment of Learning Breakdown

The assessment of the ENG4U course is broken down into two major components:

  • course work (worth 70% of your final grade)
  • culminating tasks (worth 30% of your final grade).
Course Work – 70% Final Assessment Tasks (Exam & ISU) – 30% Final Report Card Grade  – 100%

Course Work (70%)

The course work mark is comprised of a variety of assessments that evaluate your grasp of the skills and content taught in each unit of study. The Assessments of Learning (listed in the chart below) happens throughout the course as you complete each cycle of learning within a unit of study. Each of the assessments included in the chart below counts towards the final grade for the course and are weighted as outlined below.

Assessment Tasks & Units of Study Weight of Final Grade
1 Unit 1: Foundations - Unit Test 5%
2 Unit 1: Foundations – Seminar Discussion 5%
3 Unit 1: Foundations – Journal Entries 2%
4 Unit 2: Media – Media Analysis 5%
5 Unit 2: Media – Creative Media Assignment 5%
6 Unit 2: Media – Seminar Discussion 5%
7 Unit 3: Shorter Texts & Personal Essays – Comparative Essay 7%
8 Unit 3: Shorter Texts & Personal Essays – Personal Essay 7%
9 Unit 3: Shorter Texts & Personal Essays – Seminar Discussion 5%
10 Unit 4: Frankenstein - Creative Task #1 5%
11 Unit 4: Frankenstein - Creative Task #2 5%
12 Unit 4: Frankenstein - Critical Questions 2%
13 Unit 4: Frankenstein - Reading Quizzes 2%
14 Unit 4: Frankenstein - Unit Test 5%
15 Unit 4: Frankenstein - Seminar Discussion 5%
Total Weight 70%

Culminating Tasks (30%)

Culminating Assessment Tasks Weight of Final Grade
Independent Study Unit 10%
Final Exam 20%

Program Planning Considerations

PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING THE ENGLISH CURRICULUM

This course (which is based on the Ontario English curriculum) is based on the belief that language learning is critical to responsible and productive citizenship, and that all students can become successful language learners. The curriculum and this course are designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills that they need to achieve these goals. It aims to help students become successful language learners.

Successful language learners:

  • understand that language learning is a necessary, life-enhancing, reflective process;
  • communicate – that is, read, listen, view, speak, write, and represent – effectively and with confidence;
  • make meaningful connections between themselves, what they encounter in texts, and the world around them;
  • think critically;
  • understand that all texts advance a particular point of view that must be recognized, questioned, assessed, and evaluated;
  • appreciate the cultural impact and aesthetic power of texts;
  • use language to interact and connect with individuals and communities, for personal growth, and for active participation as world citizens.

This course includes a variety of teaching strategies to help students become independent, self-aware and compassionate learners. The key to student success is providing structured and supportive opportunities for students to explore and evaluate their understanding and overall approach to learning. Students need to be empowered to become lifelong global learners in a digitial age who are willing and able to adapt to and evaluate the messages and thinking presented to them. Because of the nature of an online class, students will be challenged to develop their independent learning skills while also learning how to interact with their educational community through online platforms. Because the online format of the course influences the educational approach and capabilities of the instruction, students will be given multiple opportunities to develop the related skills. It is also expected that as students in a Grade 12 University Preparation class that they will begin the course with a good understanding of themselves as learners including their strengths, areas for improvement, and passions and interests. The courses in the Ontario curriculum are cumulative in nature, and therefore require students to build on their knowledge and skills over the entire course of their high school studies.

In planning this course for students with English as a Second Language, the teacher will aim to create a supportive environment that nurtures the students’ self-confidence while also maintaining the integrity and standards of the ENG4U course requirements. Because listening and reading are typically the first of the four language skills gained by the ESL student, it will be important for students to have regular opportunity to practice their writing and speaking in an encouraging setting. The Assessment AS and FOR learning tasks will act as repeated opportunities for students to practice and strengthen their language skills in preparation for the Assessment OF learning tasks that are completed at the end of each Unit or Learning Cycle. Students are also encouraged to seek out supports and ask for extra help and guidance as they progress through the course. For students who begin the course with a strong grasp of the English language, it is an opportunity for them to encourage and support their classmates as opportunities arise through interactions online.

Every student is entitled to learn in a safe, respectful and caring environment, free from violence, discrimination and harassment. Because we live in a globalized and diverse world, a crucial life skill is the ability to work and live alongside individuals and communities which are different from our own. For this reason, antidiscrimination education is central to the Ontario curriculum and is intended to prepare students to be responsible citizens in their chosen post-secondary education and work life beyond.
Because there is a greater degree of anonymity to the online classroom, it is vital that all students understand and agree to abide by the healthy relationships and antidiscrimination policy in all interactions. This policy requires that all students:
  • think critically and compassionately as they engage with classmates, instructors and community members in order to help develop a positive community of learners in which all members can learn and grow.
  • communicate with respect and kindness when engaging in debate and discussion with the ideal of always seeking first to understand before being understood, and being willing to hold judgments and conclusions until all parties have had the opportunity to express and clarify their positions.
  • demonstrates patience as classmates seek to express their ideas and understanding of the course content and a willingness to ask clarifying questions as necessary.
  • work to the best of their abilities and make the most of the various opportunities given them in the class.
Any repeated negative behaviour will be subject to appropriate discipline and consequences.

Although Sophio Academy does not have an official school library, students are encouraged to use e-books, local libraries, and archives to develop important research and inquiry skills. Students are also encouraged to explore, whenever possible, academic archives available online.

Students enrolled in Sophio Academy must follow a high standard of academic honesty in all of their coursework. It is understood that we all 'stand on the shoulder of giants' but in order to prepare students for post-secondary studies, it is expected that they properly reference and cite the work of others in their course work and assignments using the proper recognized MLA formatting.
Sophio Academy desires to instill the values of honesty and hard work within our students while also teaching them how to engage in academic discussions and interactions with their intellectual community and honoring the work and ideas of others. Sophio Academy maintains and expects a high standard of academic honesty from all of its students as a vital and essential part of their character growth, academic practice and preparation for post-secondary studies.
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