English Language Arts 30-2

Gayle PotterContact Information:

o Email: egpotter@cbe.ab.cao Website: www.elapotter.weebly.com

Dates / Times: September 5th-January 16th – T/Th/ - 1:00-4:30

Withdrawal Policy: Students under 20 years of age as of September 1 of the current school year are permitted to withdraw up until the withdrawal deadline. After the withdrawal deadline, students will remain on the class list and the mark they have earned will appear on their transcript.

Overview

Designed for those planning to attend a technical trade school or obtain a college diploma

Diploma level course for Alberta high school students

Adheres to mandated Alberta Education Program of Studies

Prerequisite: minimum 50% in English Language Arts 20-2 or English Language Arts 20-1

A practical course that requires confident control of reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and

representing

Basic Aims

Understand and appreciate the significance and artistry of literature

Understand and appreciate language and its use for a variety of purposes and in a variety of situations for

communication, personal satisfaction and learning

Learner Outcomes

Explore thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences

Comprehend and respond personally, critically and creatively to literature and other texts in oral, print,

visual and other multi-media forms

Manage ideas and information

Create oral, print, visual and multimedia texts, and enhance the clarity and artistry of communication

Respect, support and collaborate with others

Course Description

Divided into thematic units containing a variety of text: non-fiction, short stories, poetry, memoir, modern

drama, film study and the study of longer literature

Assignments developed around six strands: reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing and representing

Unit I – The Individual and Society

➢ “Warren Pryor” - A. Nowlen (poem - analysis)

➢ “Finding Forrester - M. Rich (film - analysis, response questions)

➢ “Tuesdays with Morrie” - M. Albom (memoir and audio file - analysis, guided reading, response questions and reading response journals

Unit II – Future Considerations

➢ “Clocks, Computers, and Why We Play God” - J. Bookman (editorial - paragraph, Socratic Circle, vocabulary)

➢ “Supertoys Last All Summer Long” - B. Aldiss (short story – analysis, response questions)

➢ “A.I. - S. Spielberg (film - analysis, discussion, visual text assignment)

➢ “Fahrenheit 451” - R. Bradbury (novel and audio file - study guide questions, reading response journals)

Unit III - Justice

➢ “Justice” - R. Joe (poem - analysis)

➢ “At War with Oneself”- A. Hossaini (essay - response questions, paragraph, Socratic Circle, vocabulary)

➢ “V for Vendetta” - The Wachowski Brothers/ James McTeigue (film - response questions)

Evaluation

Your progress and skill level will be assessed by the following means:

Written Assignments – All written assignments will be written in prose and, in response to short stories, essays, poetry, articles, novel, non-fiction, visual text, drama and film studies. The three major writing assignments we will practice are:

➢ Visual Reflection➢ Literary Exploration➢Persuasive Writing in Context

Oral/Visual/Multimedia Presentation – Speech, presentation, demonstration, or visual creation based on texts that have been studied in class.

Other - vocabulary, study guides (vocabulary, questions, charts, etc.)

Class Mark ((School-Awarded Mark) – Your class/school mark is worth 70% of your overall final course mark. Clear demonstration of mastery of a previously assessed learner outcome later in a course will be taken into account in calculating the final mark

Diploma Exam and Final Mark - Alberta Education will administer your final exam and your final course mark will be determined as follows:

➢ School Awarded Mark (class work) 70%➢ Diploma Exam (Alberta Education) 30%

❖ Part A – Written Response (15%)❖ Part B - Reading Comprehension (15%)

Please note: The dates for writing the Diploma Exam are scheduled by Alberta Education. Students who miss either one or both parts of the exam will receive a grade of incomplete and will not be awarded their credits in the course

Regular Students For regular students in diploma courses, the school-awarded mark (SM) and the diploma exam mark is blended with 70/30 weighting to calculate a final official mark.

Students with Mature Student Status A mature student, for Alberta High School Diploma purposes, is one who, as of September 1 of the current school year, is 19 years of age or older; or the holder of a previously awarded high school diploma from the province of Alberta, or an equivalent high school diploma from a jurisdiction acceptable to the Minister. For mature students, the highest school mark is used in the 70/30 blending process only if it is higher than the diploma exam mark. If the highest school mark is lower than or equal to the diploma exam mark, the school-awarded mark is discounted and the diploma exam mark becomes the final official mark. In both cases, all three marks will appear on the Results Statement.

Marks & Mark Appeal Procedures Students have access to their marks throughout the course using HomeLogic. Discuss mark appeals with your teacher if possible. If the situation remains unresolved, contact the Information Centre for a Mark Appeal Form. The Principal is the final authority on appeals.

Assignments

General Outcome 1 – Exploring Ideas – 10%

“Warren Pryor” analysis – 5%“Justice” – analysis - 5%

General Outcome 2 – Comprehending Texts – 35%

“Finding Forrester “ questions – 5%“Tuesday’s With Morrie” study guide – 10%“Supertoys Last All Summer Long’ questions – 5%“Fahrenheit 451” study guide – 10%“V for Vendetta” questions – 5%

General Outcome 3 – Managing Ideas -10%

“ Clocks, Computers and Why We Play God.” paragraphs – 5%“ At War With Myself” paragraphs - 5%

General Outcome 4 – Developing Texts – 35%

Visual Reflection - 5% (x2)Literary Exploration – 10% (x3)Persuasive Writing in Context – 7.5% (x2)

Each major writing assignment will be written at least twice with the higher mark standing

General Outcome 5 – Collaborating With Others – 10%

“Future Considerations” Socratic Circle -5%“Justice” Socratic Circle – 5%

Assessment will be ongoing and is both formative and summative to help direct learning.

Task design and assessment are closely linked and depend on each other. Assessing student learning will

involve an ongoing cycle of gathering, interpreting, and responding to work.

Assessment information is used to inform and design next steps, evaluate knowledge, skills, competencies

and understanding in relationship to learner outcomes, and determine and communicate individual

achievement

Diploma Exam Administration (Alberta Education) provides up-to-date information related to Diploma

Exams and final mark calculation

Class Expectations

Work consistently on the course and attend classes regularly and punctually

Develop a personal learning plan (including a study schedule, time management, metacognition) and be

prepared to revise this plan as needed

Be familiar with the course outcomes and requirements

Participate in formative assessment tasks designed to help you discover your learning needs in relation to

course outcomes

Use all resources available (teacher, classmates, textbook, website, etc.) to address your learning needs

Advocate for yourself; if needed seek help to review and adjust your personal learning plan to ensure

success in the course