English Language Arts

Grade 9 Course Descriptions

English Language Arts 10F (1 credit)

This course provides students with a variety of experiences to explore and enhance their written and oral expression, critical reading levels, vocabulary and grammar development as well as an introductory study of literature that focuses on a more personal reader-response approach to activities. Students engage communication modes and literature in a variety of genres and mediums: short stories, poetry, drama, a Shakespearean play (Midsummer Night’s Dream or Julius Caesar) novels, news articles, radio, reviews, speeches, film, debates, and consider proper use of grammar, punctuation, spelling, and vocabulary in all assignments. All students write a final exam worth 15% of their final grade.

*Note: Students who have not successfully completed the Grade 8 English Language Arts program and/or who do not have a solid foundation of language arts skills will be recommended by their Grade 8 teachers to take the Supported English Language Arts class. This class will help students improve in English by adapting the program to suit student’s needs. Students in the Supported English classes are strongly encouraged to consider the Successful Futures program in grade 10.

Grade 10 Selection Guide

Students can take only one English in Grade 11
Students cannot take the Grade 12 CIP and Lit. Forms without permission from English Department Head
Students may need two English courses for some post-secondary institutions
For more info on CIP contact Student Services

Grade 10 Course Descriptions

English Language Arts 20F (1 credit)

Prerequisite: English Language Arts 10F

This course is designed to increase students’ knowledge of reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing and representing. This course helps students become more skillful language users in a variety of task and assignments that emphasize purpose and audience. Students expand their knowledge of literary concepts as they continue to build their skills and knowledge of informal and formal essays.

Students study news and magazine articles, short stories, film, poetry, novels, a Shakespearean play (Romeo and Juliet), and complete projects throughout the semester, as they juxtapose personal views/reactions with larger perceptions and truths within the world. Grade 10 places importance on the proper use of grammar, punctuation, spelling, and vocabulary in all assignments. All students write a final exam worth 20% of their final grade.

Grade 11 Selection Guide

Students can take only one English in Grade 11
Students may need two English courses for some post-secondary institutions (Transactional Forms 40S)
For more info on CIP contact Student Services

Grade 11 Course Descriptions

English Language Arts Literary Focus 30S (1 credit)

Prerequisite: English Language Arts 20F

The Literary Focus is to enable students to develop an appreciation and understanding of creative and expressive language. The emphasis of the course is the use and understanding of the aesthetics of language. The course emphasizes the aesthetic purposes of text through the study of novels, drama, Shakespeare, poetry, film, short prose, mass media and the creation of original work by the students. All students write a final exam worth 25% of their final grade.

English Language Arts Comprehensive Focus 30S (1 credit)

Prerequisite: English Language Arts 20F

This course develops students’ ability to think critically and to function more effectively within their community. Students will be exposed to materials to further develop their literacy skills and enable them to respond to and interact with a variety of texts: short stories, poetry, drama, film, a Shakespearean text (Macbeth), magazines, newspapers, and the Internet as springboards for reflective and critical thought. Students are immersed in texts that inform, persuade, analyze, foster understanding and empathy, reflect culture, express feelings and experiences. Essay forms are given more prominence at this level to provide a solid foundation for writing at the grade 12 level. The proper use of grammar, punctuation, spelling, and vocabulary in all assignments is emphasized. All students write a final exam worth 25% of their final grade.

English Language Arts CIP Comprehensive Focus 30S (1 credit)

Prerequisite: English Language Arts 20F

This course offers a two-prong approach to English: 1. An introduction to the Career Internship Program (CIP) experience at the grade 12 level offering opportunities for participants to explore personal and career aspirations. The writing of cover letters and résumés and a two-day job shadow experience offer hands-on experiences to hone and shape future goals. 2. Students study English with both a transaction and literary: they consider point of view, rhetorical and narrative technique, connotative and figurative language, and a variety of stylistic considerations within short stories, poetry, drama, film, a Shakespearean text (Macbeth), magazines, newspapers, and the Internet. Students write and study in texts that inform, persuade, analyze, foster understanding and empathy, reflect culture, and express feelings and experiences. Essay forms are given more prominence at this level to provide a solid foundation for writing at the grade 12 level. The proper use of grammar, punctuation, spelling, and vocabulary in all assignments is emphasized. All students write a final exam worth 25% of their final grade.

Note: Students taking CIP English Comprehensive Forms 30S pay a fee to attend Manitoba Theatre Centre drama productions, located on Market Street downtown.

Grade 12 Course Descriptions

English Language Arts Literary Focus 40S (1 credit)

Prerequisite: English Language Arts Comprehensive Focus or Literary Focus 30S

Through literary selections, visual texts and creative writing students develop a greater insight and understanding of themselves and their place in the world. The course emphasizes the aesthetic purposes of text through the study of novels, short stories, drama, poetry, film, contemporary media, at least one work by Shakespeare, and creative writing. The course also includes an Exit Novel Presentation worth 10% of the final grade. The Exit Novel Presentation is a compulsory activity for all Windsor Park Collegiate students that demonstrates reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and representing skills developed over a K-12 English career. Students in grade 12 are expected to write and speak using the proper conventions of language. All students write the Provincial Standards Test (Exam) worth 30% of the final grade.

English Language Arts Comprehensive Focus 40S (1 credit)

Prerequisite: English Language Arts Comprehensive Focus or Literary Focus 30S

Comprehensive English, designed to focus on both transactional and literary language, incorporates a balance of pragmatic language (everyday) with aesthetic language (literary). Activities in this course may include oral discussion, letter writing, improvised drama, journals, formal presentations, film, fiction (reading and writing), poetry, and a traditional novel study. The course also includes an Exit Novel Presentation worth 10% of the final grade. The Exit Novel Presentation is a compulsory activity for all Windsor Park Collegiate students that demonstrates reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and representing skills developed over a K-12 English career. Students in grade 12 are expected to write and speak using the proper conventions of language. All students write the Provincial Standards Test (Exam) worth 30% of the final grade.

Transactional Forms (ECOMF40S-C, Second Credit, 1 credit)

Prerequisite: English Language Arts Comprehensive Focus or Literary Focus 30S

The grade 12 Transactional English second credit course will focus on practical applications of reading, writing and research skills, specifically targeted to students considering post-secondary education. The class readings will be diverse and come from varied sources. The writing assignments will challenge students to write various practical styles and formats.

English Language Arts Language and Technical Communication 40S (1 credit)

This English course is compulsory for, and only open to, students enrolled in the CIP program and is to be taken as an option.

Prerequisite: English Language Arts Comprehensive Focus or Literary Focus 30S

Technical language is a form of transactional communication, but with a stronger emphasis on direct language, technical precision, and larger audiences. Students learn of the prevalence of technical documents in everyday life, and how they are shaped and formed for particular audiences; engage specific technical documents that impact on workplaces, such as memos, emails, letters, and technical reports; and improve technical writing styles by applying grammatical concepts such as active/passive voices, parallelism and technical punctuation to all assignments and tasks. Students also learn the art and technical technique involved in documents such as brochures, posters, manuals, and promotional advertisements. Students study the “language” of technical communication that includes graphics, direct and emphatic discourse, flowcharting, and other facets of communication that create effective, accessible documents for specific users. All students participate in a three-month team “Tech Project”, a business plan that involves the creation of an innovative idea, concept, or invention. The course culminates in a final exam presentation of the Tech Project to a panel of partners in the community. This course is well suited to students who intend to enter the business world or to further their studies at Technical Colleges or University Business/Management and Engineering programs. Students who intend to study other areas would still benefit from the course’s emphasis on clear written communication.