English

Literacy Connections and Applications

• Transferable Skills
• Digital Media Literacy 
• Applications, Connections and Contributions

The Literacy Connections and Applications unit focuses on students’ ability to identify and apply transferable skills across multiple learning contexts. Students develop communication, collaboration, problem-solving and critical thinking, entrepreneurship, global citizenship and sustainability, digital literacy, self-directed learning, and innovation and creativity. 

In the grade 9 course, the unit focuses on students gaining a deep understanding of the transferable skills and practicing and reflecting on how these skills improve their learning. 

Foundations of Language

• Oral and Non-verbal Communication 
• Language Foundations for Reading and Writing
• Language Conventions for Reading and Writing 

The Foundations of Language unit is intended to teach students to understand and practice the foundational elements required for effective communication. We focus on teaching students to strengthen their listening and speaking skills for both formal and informal contexts. Students also continue to consolidate and refine their understanding of grammatical and morphological language structures. 

The grade 9 course focuses on providing real-world contexts and multiple opportunities for students to apply the foundations of language, while also ensuring that student voice and choice guide their access to the variety of texts available. 

Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts 

• Knowledge about Texts
• Comprehension Strategies 
• Critical Thinking in Literacy 

The Comprehension unit in the grade 9 course encourages students to approach texts through various entry points. They study each text through its form, topic, purpose, and audience. By considering the text elements and patterns that make up the text's composition, students hone their abilities to think critically about author intent, information dissemination, and reader response. 

In the grade 9 course, students view, read, and interact with a wide variety of texts in oral, written, graphic, media, and cultural forms. 

Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts

• Developing Ideas and Organizing Content
• Creating Texts
• Publishing, Presenting and Reflecting 

The Composition unit in the grade 9 course asks students to communicate ideas for different purposes and audiences, honing their ability to write strategically using different styles and forms. Students focus on using the writing process to fully develop their ideas for writing, and then work on learning effective structures for persuasive and narrative writing. Students also create media texts that communicate a message and are supported in thinking critically about evaluating those messages for their impacts on viewers and the world. 

Developing Talking and Listening Skills

• Active Listening Strategies
• Using Talk to Think 

• Class and Small Group Participation

  Students brainstorm and develop success criteria for active listening skills and effective speaking skills. Throughout the course, students have many opportunities to practice collaborative communication through whole-class discussions, group work, and teacher-student conferences. Students are expected to be active participants in the classroom and to contribute to a healthy, supportive, learning environment. 

Developing Reading and Viewing Skills

• Before, During, and After Reading Strategies
• Background Knowledge

• Making Connections

  Students learn and apply before, during, and after reading and viewing strategies. Throughout the course, students have many opportunities to view and read a variety of texts for a variety of purposes. Students comprehend texts individually, in pairs, in small groups, and as a class. Students engage in active conversation about the texts and reflect on their improvement.

  Developing Writing Skills

• Steps of the Writing Process
• Creative Writing

• Paragraph Writing

  Students focus on communicating ideas for different purposes and home their ability to write different text forms. They are asked to be more thoughtful of their use of different text features and how those features help them communicate their meaning better. Students focus on using the writing process to fully develop their ideas for writing.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to extend the range of oral communication, reading, writing, and media literacy skills that students need for success in their secondary school academic programs and in their daily lives. Students will analyze literary texts from contemporary and historical periods, 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 the selective use of strategies that contribute to effective communication. This course is intended to prepare students for the compulsory Grade 11 university or college preparation course.

Oral Communication

- Use before, during, and after listening strategies to understand rhetorical arguments
- Facilitate discussions and respond to others
- Present using verbal and non-verbal strategies for an audience and purpose, without visual cues, and with limited use of notes
- Evaluate how a speaker uses strategies to communicate a bias

Reading and Literature Studies

- Use Before, During, and After reading strategies to annotate with a focus on message (i.e. theme in literary texts)
- Identify rhetorical and other stylistic elements in a written text, and explain how they communicate the writer's perspective
- Evaluate how authors use rhetorical elements to support their purpose, audience, and topic

Writing

Organize the components of their thesis statement effectively for their answer to the critical question
- Write intentionally for purpose and audience
- Follow the guided steps of the writing process (Brainstorm, Organize, Rough Draft, Edit and Revise, Polish) with a focus on writing
rough drafts and editing for grammar
- Apply rhetorical devices in their formal and creative writing

Media Studies

Deconstruct the use of codes and conventions in media
- Explain how media uses techniques of bias to reinforce different perspectives
- Apply the 5 Core Concepts to media

Oral Communication

- Use before, during, and after listening strategies to understand a speaker's perspective
- Respond to the opinion of others in small and large group discussions
- Present using verbal and non-verbal strategies for an audience and purpose, without visual cues, and with
limited use of notes
- Evaluate how a speaker uses strategies to communicate a bias

Reading and Literature Studies

- Use Before, During, and After reading strategies to annotate with a focus on message (i.e. theme in literary
texts, purpose in an informational text)
- Identify text features of graphic texts, and explain how they communicate bias
- Evaluate how authors use rhetorical elements to support their purpose, audience, and topic

Writing

Students will develop the ability to...
- Follow the guided steps of the writing process (Brainstorm, Organize, Rough Draft, Edit and Revise, Polish)
with a focus on writing rough drafts and editing for grammar
- Organize the components of their thesis statement effectively for their answer to the critical question
- Write a news report and opinion essay

Media Studies

- Deconstruct the use of codes and conventions in media, specifically print advertising
- Explain how media communicates its bias
- Apply the 5 Core Concepts to news media
- Construct media using the rhetorical elements and codes and conventions of print advertising

Assessments May Include: 

• Listening Charts - Rant Deconstruction
  Oral Presentation - Rant Construction 
  Small group discussions
  Emails - Technical Writing 
  Opinion Essay
  Reading Fluency
  Reflections
  Annotations and Reading Logs
  Media Deconstruction - Print Advertisements 
  Media Construction

Extending Listening and Talking Skills

Students will develop the ability to...
- understand and practice active listening in a variety of classroom interactions, and other specific purposes
- use talk to brainstorm ideas and understand ideas, and other specific purposes
- engage in daily conversations using appropriate vocabulary

Extending Reading and Viewing Skills

Students will develop the ability to...
- Use Before, During, and After viewing strategies to understand a variety of written and audio-visual texts
- demonstrate understanding of explicit and implicit details by using comprehension strategies select and read a variety of
appropriate and challenging material on topics of their interest

Extending Writing Skills

Students will develop the ability to...
- Organize the components of their writing effectively to suit purpose and audience
- Follow the guided steps of the writing process (Brainstorm, Organize, Rough Draft, Edit and Revise, Polish) with a focus on writing
rough drafts and editing for grammar
- Publish their work following the form and style of the text form.

Ongoing Learning:

Throughout the course, students will develop the ability to…

• Use oral communication skills and strategies to understand and analyse oral texts, and to share their thinking and ideas with clarity for different purposes and audiences
• Apply reading skills and strategies to understand and analyse increasingly challenging texts
• Use writing skills and strategies to enhance communication for various purposes and audiences
• Analyse and create media with a focus on critical media literacy

Exploring First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Perspectives, Themes,  and Text Forms in Canada

Students will develop the ability to…

• Identify and explain First Nations, Métis, and Inuit identities, relationships, self-determination and sovereignty, and perspectives in texts
• Analyse themes, ideas, and issues in various Indigenous text forms

Deconstructing First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Perspectives and Representations

Students will develop the ability to…

• Identify and understand representations of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures in various texts
• Describe how historical periods, cultural backgrounds, and social and political conditions and events shape representations

Reconstructing Understanding Through Diverse Representations

Students will develop the ability to…

• Demonstrate an understanding of the role contemporary and historical text forms created in Canada play in representing the diversity of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit lives, cultures, and world views
• Assess the impact of efforts to challenge colonialist views and inaccurate representations on Canadian society

ORAL COMMUNICATION

1. Listening to Understand: listen in order to understand and respond appropriately in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes; 

2. Speaking to Communicate: use speaking skills and strategies appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes; 

3. 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

1. 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; 

2. Understanding Form and Style: recognize a variety of text forms, text features, and stylistic elements and demonstrate understanding of how they help communicate meaning; 

3. Reading with Fluency: use knowledge of words and cueing systems to read fluently; 

4. 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

1. Developing and Organizing Content: generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience; 

2. 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; 

3. 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; 

4. 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

1. Understanding Media Texts: demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media texts;


2. 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; 

3. Creating Media Texts: create a variety of media texts for different purposes and audiences, using appropriate forms, conventions, and techniques; 

4. 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.

FIRST NATIONS, MÉTIS, AND INUIT PERSPECTIVES AND TEXT FORMS IN CANADA

1. Exploring: explore themes related to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit identities, relationships, and self-determination, sovereignty, or
self-governance, as reflected in text forms created in Canada, formulating questions and comparing perspectives to formulate a well-reasoned
exchange of ideas about these topics;
2. Deconstructing: demonstrate an understanding of how representations of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals, communities, and cultures in
text forms created in Canada are influences by perspectives related to or shaped by historical period, cultural background, and social and political
conditions and events, including perspectives related to gender and the role of women;
3. Reconstructing: demonstrate an understanding of the role of contemporary and historical text forms created in Canada in representing the
diversity of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit lives, cultures, and world views, and assess the impact on Canadian society of efforts to challenge
colonialist views and incomplete or inaccurate representations.

ORAL COMMUNICATION

1. Listening to Understand: listen in order to understand and respond appropriately in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes;
2. Speaking to Communicate: use speaking skills and strategies appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes;
3. 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

1. 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;
2. Understanding Form and Style: recognize a variety of text forms, text features, and stylistic elements and demonstrate understanding of how
they help communicate meaning;
3. Reading with Fluency: use knowledge of words and cueing systems to read fluently;
4. 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

1. Developing and Organizing Content: generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience;
2. 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;
3. 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;
4. 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

1. Understanding Media Texts: demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media texts;
2. 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;
3. Creating Media Texts: create a variety of media texts for different purposes and audiences, using appropriate forms, conventions, and
techniques;
4. 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.

Assessments May Include 

Text Annotations, Book Club Meetings, Oral Communication Observations, Reading with Fluency Observations, Paragraph Writing, Thesis Workshops, Seminars, Presentations, Long, Form Writing, Podcast Deconstruction, Podcast Construction, Emails & Technical Writing, Metacognitive Tracking + Conferences 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course emphasizes the consolidation of literacy, communication, and critical and creative thinking skills necessary for success in academic and daily life. Students will analyze a variety of graphic and informational texts, as well as literary texts from various countries and cultures, and create oral, written, and media texts in a variety of forms for practical and academic purposes. An important focus will be on using language with precision and clarity and developing greater control in writing. The course is intended to prepare students for college or the workplace.

Oral Communication
Students will develop the ability to...
✓ Listen in order to understand and respond appropriately in a variety of situations and for a variety of purposes
✓ Use speaking skills and strategies appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes
✓ 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
Students will develop the ability to...
✓ Read and demonstrate and understanding of a variety of literary, informational, and graphic texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning
✓ Recognize a variety of text forms, text features, and stylistic elements and demonstrate an understanding of how they help communicate meaning
✓ Use knowledge of words and cueing systems to read fluently
✓ Reflect on and identify their strengths as readers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful before, during, and after reading

Writing
Students will develop the ability to...
✓ Generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience
✓ Draft and revise their writing, using a variety of literary, informational, and graphic forms and stylistic elements appropriate for the purpose and audience
✓ Use editing, proofreading, and publishing skills and strategies, and knowledge of language conventions, to correct errors, refine expression, and present their work effectively
✓ 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
Students will develop the ability to...
✓ Demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media texts
✓ Identify some media forms and explain how the conventions and techniques associated with them are used to create meaning
✓ Create a variety of media texts for different purposes and audiences, using appropriate forms, conventions, and techniques
✓ 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

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course emphasizes knowledge and skills related to the craft of writing. Students will analyse models of effective writing; use a workshop approach to produce a range of works; identify and use techniques required for specialized forms of writing; and identify effective ways to improve the quality of their writing. They will also complete a major paper as part of a creative or analytical independent study project and investigate opportunities for publication and for writing careers

INVESTIGATING WRITING

1. Writing, Writers, and the Writing Life: demonstrate an understanding of writing as an art, a craft, and a career as they explore the work of a variety of Canadian and international writers.

PRACTICING WRITING

1. Exploring Ideas, Forms, and Styles: generate and experiment with ideas about writing content, forms, and styles;

2. Drafting and Revising: organize, draft, and revise their writing, employing forms and stylistic elements appropriate for their purpose and audience; 

3. Editing, Proofreading, and Publishing: use editing, proofreading, and publishing skills and strategies to refine and polish their work; 

4. Collaborative Writing: collaborate in the writing process with peers by generating ideas, responding to peers’ work, and assessing peers’ work in a workshop setting.

REFLECTING ON WRITING

1. Metacognition: identify their strengths as writers and areas where they could improve, and assess their growth and development

An ongoing theme throughout our Writer’s Craft Unit this year will be “the power and privilege of writing.” Below are the Units of Study for this course:

• UNIT 1: THE WRITER IN ME - ongoing metacognitive reflections

• UNIT 2: CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

• UNIT 3: SHORT STORIES

• UNIT 4: POETRY

• UNIT 5: PLAYWRITING

Assessment of Learning May Include

The Art and Craft of Writing Seminar, Short Story Writing, Writing for a Purpose (writing for a contest, scholarship, bursary, supplemental application, etc), Writing Portfolio, Metacognitive Reflections, Screenwriting, The Writing Profession Research, Children’s Lit Text, Poetry Anthology, Critique of Texts, and daily writing prompts 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course emphasizes knowledge and skills that will enable students to understand media communication in the twenty-first century and to use media effectively and responsibly. Through analysing the forms and messages of a variety of media works and audience responses to them, and through creating their own media works, students will develop critical thinking skills, aesthetic and ethical judgment, and skills in viewing, representing, listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Understanding and Interpreting Media Texts

1. Understanding and Responding to Media Texts: demonstrate understanding of a variety of media texts
2. Deconstructing Media Texts: deconstruct a variety of types of media texts, identifying the codes, conventions, and techniques used and explaining how they create meaning.
 

Media and Society

1. Understanding Media Perspectives: analyse and critique media representations of people, issues, values, and behaviours;
2. Understanding the Impact of Media on Society: analyse and evaluate the impact of media on society

The Media Industry

1. Industry and Audience: demonstrate an understanding of the ways in which the creators of media texts target and attract audiences;
2. Ownership and Control: demonstrate an understanding of the impact of regulation, ownership, and control on access, choice, and range of expression.

Producing and Reflecting on Media Texts

1. Producing Media Texts: create a variety of media texts for different audiences and purposes, using effective forms, codes, conventions, and techniques;
2. Careers in Media Production: demonstrate an understanding of roles and career options in a variety of media industries;
3. Metacognition: demonstrate an understanding of their growth as media consumers, media analysts, and media producers.

Unit 1: Media Literacy
● Explain the 5 Core Concepts of Media
● Identify and use the codes and conventions of common media forms (television, social media, print and visual advertising, movies, music)
● Influence of media on perception & Rise of Social Media
● Follow the guided steps of the creation process (brainstorming, organizing, revising, and proofreading)

Unit 2: Entertainment & Filmmaking
● Deconstruct technical and symbolic codes of visual media texts
● Evaluate narrative story telling/message
● Conventions of film making & Genres
● Video Creation

Unit 3: Representation, Bias & Disinformation
● Evaluate representation, bias and perspective in media text
● Impact of Media Ownership & Globalization of media industry
● Conventions of Advertising
● Values & Ideologies
● Fake News

Assessment of Learning May Include

     Products

• Media Literacy Survival Kit
• Infographic
• Media Analysis Tasks
• Media Construction
• Oral Presentations

• Camera Shots Task
   

  Observations

• Practice Presentations
• Small Group Activities
• Text Annotations &
• Deconstruction Tasks

• In-class discussions

  
   Conversations

• Student/Teacher Conferences

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to help students acquire and demonstrate the cross-curricular literacy skills that are evaluated by the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). Students who complete the course successfully will meet the provincial literacy requirement for graduation. Students will read a variety of informational, narrative, and graphic texts and will produce a variety of forms of writing, including summaries, information paragraphs, opinion pieces, and news reports. Students will also maintain and manage a portfolio containing a record of their reading experiences and samples of their writing.

BUILDING READING SKILLS

• Demonstrate the ability to read and respond to a variety of texts;
• Demonstrate understanding of the organizational structure and features of a variety of informational, narrative, and graphic texts, including information paragraphs, opinion pieces, textbooks, newspaper reports and magazine stories, and short fiction;
• Demonstrate understanding of the content and meaning of informational, narrative, and graphic texts that they have read using a variety of reading strategies;
• Use a variety of strategies to understand unfamiliar and specialized words and expressions in informational, narrative, and graphic texts.

BUILDING WRITING SKILLS

• Demonstrate the ability to use the writing process by generating and organizing ideas and producing first drafts, revised drafts, and final polished pieces to complete a variety of writing tasks;
• Use knowledge of writing forms, and of the connections between form, audience, and purpose, to write summaries, information paragraphs, opinion pieces (i.e., series of paragraphs expressing an opinion), news reports, and personal reflections, incorporating graphic elements where necessary and appropriate.

UNDERSTANDING AND ASSESSING GROWTH IN LITERACY

• Demonstrate understanding of the importance of communication skills in their everyday lives - at school, at work, and at home;
• Demonstrate understanding of their own roles and responsibilities in the learning process;
• Demonstrate understanding of the reading and writing processes and of the role of reading and writing in learning;
• Demonstrate understanding of their own growth in literacy during the course.