HUMANITIES 8 (MEN-08)

Humanities 8 combines the naturally complementary fields of Social Studies and English, as there are many skills and processes common to both curricula.  The course focuses on the connections between history (from 7CE-1750CE), geography and current events. These discussions will be linked to the study of literature and English skills and strategies: reading, writing, speaking and listening.  The integration of these subjects will allow to student to understand that academic skills are transferable.  The inter-disciplinary approach will allow students to expand their knowledge of the world, broaden their skills and perspectives, and encourage students to become informed and educated citizens.

 

ENGLISH 9 (MEN--09)

Requisite skills are learned in: English 8   

The goal of English 9 is to promote "personal growth through introspection and reflection."  Students will further develop written and oral communication skills and experience a variety of genres in literature and non-fiction reading. These skills are taught together with meta-cognitive strategies that will enable students to become stronger readers and writers. Reading and writing assignments will help students to appreciate "the universality of some human experiences and the uniqueness of others" and to emphasize other points of view.  Clarity in oral and written expression is emphasized.

 

ENGLISH 10 - ONE OF:

Requisite skills are learned in: English 9

Instead of the previously offered 4 credit, year-long course, English 10 will now be divided into two 2-credit options. 

Given the constraints of scheduling in a linear system, there will be two combinations of options offered. Please note that although each option has a different focus, both course will focus on the core English Language Art curricular competencies: reading, listening, viewing, writing, speaking, and representing. Students must choose one of the following options:

 

Option 1: NEW MEDIA AND COMPOSITION (MNMD10 & MCMPS10)

The ability to clearly communicate our thoughts and beliefs is an integral component of our personal, social and political experience. The New Media component of the course is designed to reflect the changing role of technology in today’s society and the increasing importance of digital media in communicating and exchanging ideas, recognizing that digital literacy is an essential characteristic of the educated citizen. Coursework is aimed at providing students with a set of skills vital for success in an increasingly complex digital world by affording opportunities to demonstrate understanding and communicate ideas through a variety of digital and print media.   Through the processes of drafting, reflecting, and revising, this course option also focuses on developing writing skills. Students will deepen curricular competencies through exposure to various structures, forms, and styles of written. Students will read and study compositions by other writers and be exposed to a variety of styles as models for the development of their writing. 

The following are possible areas of focus within New Media and Composition 10:

• Media and film studies (globalization of the media industry, influence of media on users’ perceptions, the rise of social media 
• Digital communication—suggested content/topics include blogging, writing for the web, writing for social media, gaming, and podcasting 
• narrative, expository, descriptive, persuasive, and opinion pieces
• planning, drafting, and editing processes
• writing for specific audiences and specific disciplines
• analyzing and citing sources

 

Option 2: EFP LITERARY STUDIES NEW MEDIA 10 (MEFLS10)

EFP (English First Peoples) Literary Studies & New Media 10 expands on the English Language Arts (ELA) 10 curriculum with a specific look at exploring authentic First Peoples literature. Students will express their relationship to self, others, and land/place; they will also be provided with opportunities to further their understanding of Aboriginal themes like family, memory, resistance, belonging, and identity in essays, reports, analyses, speech writing, and presenting.

The ability to understand and critique ideas presented in a variety of forms is essential in our multi-media world. From published works, such as novels and poetry, to the world of online blogs and video content, understanding the structures of our communication is a vital skill. This course option will allow students to explore literature and text to deepen both their analytical skills and their ability to inhabit different perspectives. Coursework is aimed at providing students with skills vital for success in our complex literary and digital world by affording opportunities to demonstrate their understanding of and communicate their ideas through a variety of print and digital media. The focus of the course is on analytical reading.

The following are possible topics within English First Peoples focused Literary Studies and New Media 10:

· genre-specific studies — poetry, short stories, novels, drama, graphic novels, children’s literature Canadian literature, and First Peoples’ texts, etc.

· thematic studies

· specific author studies

· Media and film studies (globalization of the media industry, influence of media on users’ perceptions, the rise of social media

· Digital communication—suggested content/topics include blogging, writing for the web, writing for social media, gaming, and podcasting

 

Note: Enrollment in EFP Literary Studies & Writing 10 will meet the Indigenous-focused graduation requirement

 

ENGLISH 11 - ONE OF:

Students will work intensively with various forms of written, spoken, and visual communication to encourage them to think critically, creatively, and reflectively, and develop positive and productive attitudes toward the learning and application of language. In English 11 there is a greater emphasis on more formal levels of analysis and written communication, including significantly higher expectations in various forms of writing.  Students are expected to work more independently in the graduation program, and to experiment with more sophisticated and complex uses of language.

**Please note that all English 11 courses have the express purpose of preparing students for English Studies 12, and none of the following courses should be considered easier than any other in terms of academic rigor, or expectations for analysis and essay writing. All courses will require academic reading of texts and writing.

Students must choose one of the following options:

 

Option 1: ENGLISH 11 COMPOSITION AND CREATIVE WRITING (MCTWR11)

Requisite skills are learned in:  English 10

Composition 11 is designed to support students as they refine, clarify, and adjust their written communication through practice and revision. Students will read and study compositions by other writers and be exposed to a variety of styles as models for the development of their writing; this study will involve analysis and academic compositions. The course also provides opportunities for students to, with increasing independence, study, create, and write original and authentic pieces for a range of purposes and real-world audiences. They will expand their competencies through processes of drafting, reflecting, and revising to build a body of work that demonstrates expanding breadth, depth, and evidence of writing for a range of situations. They will develop confidence in their abilities as they consolidate their writing craft. 

The following areas will be explored under Composition and Creative Writing 11: 

~narrative, expository, descriptive, persuasive, and opinion pieces
~planning, drafting, and editing processes
~writing for, and analyzing written pieces for, specific audiences and specific disciplines
~citing sources, consider the credibility of evidence, and evaluate the quality and reliability of the source 

 

Option 2: ENGLISH 11: LITERARY STUDIES (MLTST11)

Requisite skills are learned in:  English 10

Literary Studies 11 allows students to delve deeply into literature. Students will explore a variety of themes and authors through literary works (fiction and non-fiction) including novels, poetry, short stories, plays, and articles. Students will deepen both their analytical skills and their ability to appreciate different perspectives. Coursework is aimed at providing students with skills vital for success in our complex literary world while using the writing process to plan, develop, and create engaging and meaningful responses and analysis.  Students will:

• increase their literacy skills through close reading of appropriately challenging texts 
• enhance their development of the English Language Arts curricular competencies 
• develop balance and broaden their understanding of themselves and the world 
• further develop higher-level thinking and learning skills 

The following are other areas of focus within Literary Studies 11: 

• narrative, expository, descriptive, persuasive, and opinion pieces
• planning, drafting, and editing processes
• how to cite sources, consider the credibility of evidence, and evaluate the quality and reliability of the source 

 

Option 3: ENGLISH 11 LITERARY STUDIES HONOURS (MLTST11---H)

Requisite skills are learned in:  English 10 (recommended B standing or higher)

Do you have a passion for English? Do you enjoy reading and writing? Do you love to discuss challenging ideas and abstract concepts? Do you enjoy rhetorical questions? Then English Honours is for you. In this course, you will study works of recognized literary merit and will use these studies as the basis for a variety of assignments. You will go deeper into the meaning of the texts. This course involves much group discussion and sharing of ideas. English 11 Honours is also a good choice for students who may decide to take AP 12 English Literature and Composition.

 

 

ENGLISH  STUDIES 12 (MENST--12)

Requisite skills are learned in:  English 11 

English Studies 12 is the final year of the graduation component of the Provincial Language Arts curriculum, and is a required course for graduation. English Studies 12 focuses on the expressive and functional purposes of language in a wide variety of contexts.  This course provides students with the opportunity to study literary and non-fiction texts.  The course promotes the notion that language is dynamic and evolving, but also systematic and governed by rules; instruction of skills embraces both of these aspects of language.  As in all segments of the Language Arts program, students are encouraged to explore personal interests and aptitudes through a variety of reading, writing, and viewing activities.  There is a continuing emphasis on critical thinking and writing skills.

 

ENGLISH FIRST PEOPLES 12 (MENFP12)

Requisite skills are learned in: English 11

English First Peoples 12 builds upon and extends students' previous learning experiences in English Language Art courses. The course is grounded in the First Peoples Principles of Learning and will delve deeply into the First Peoples' oral and written literature. It is designed for all students to think critically and creatively as they continue to explore, extend, and strengthen their own writing. Within a supportive community, students work individually and collaboratively to explore oral and written literature and create powerful, purposeful compositions. Furthermore, through the study of authentic Indigenous text, students will be able to:

 

• extend their capacity to communicate effectively in a variety of contexts,
• deepen their understanding of themselves and insights into key aspects of Canada's past, present, and future as related to First Peoples, and
• expand their understanding of what it means to be educated Canadian and global citizens.

 

This course meets the new graduation requirements to have 4-credits in both an Indigenous Focused course, and the English Language Arts 12 requirement for all students graduating in B.C. after September 2023.

 

LITERARY STUDIES 12 (MLTST12)

Requisite skills are learned in: English 11

Literature 12 takes students through the major works of English Literature, from the Anglo Saxon warrior epics, through the glory of Renaissance poetry and plays, to the modernist search for meaning and purpose.

The study of such literature provides a solid and thoughtful foundation for all further studies in the Humanities, while also giving us a framework to discuss the themes that are common to all human life.  This class includes critical analysis, creative writing and a great deal of discussion. Each year students discover that, as Wodehouse says, “There is no surer foundation for a beautiful friendship than a mutual taste in literature.”

Open to Grade 11 and 12 students. Grade 11 students should be aware that this is a senior elective with Grade 12 curriculum learning outcomes and expectations.

 

WRITING 12 (MCTWR12)

Requisite skills are learned in: English 11

Do you love writing and want to take a class that helps you write what YOU want to write? Maybe you want to write a script or be a blogger or pen a novel or publish your poetry.

Writing 12 will strengthen the writing you wish to do. If you want to focus on one type of writing, you may do so in this course.  If you wish to explore many types of writing from short fiction and journalism to memoirs and poetry, this course will introduce you to all of this.  The primary focus is on creative experimentation within a variety of styles. Personalization, creativity, and imagination are the key elements of this course.

 

Please note that this is not a replacement for English Studies 12, a graduation requirement, it is rather an elective for those who want to focus on writing for the whole course.

 

ENGLISH 12 ADVANCED PLACEMENT  (AELC12)

Requisite skills are learned in:  Completion of English 11 Honours or, space permitting, a recommended B standing or higher in English 11.

Do you have a passion for English? Do you enjoy reading and writing? Do you love to discuss challenging ideas and abstract concepts? Do you enjoy rhetorical questions? AP Literature and Composition is a course that goes beyond the concepts and ideas of regular senior English. This course follows the College Board Advanced Placement criteria and, upon the successful completion of the exam, is the equivalent of a first-year post-secondary English course.

 

In this course, students will study works of recognized literary merit and will use these studies as the basis for a variety of writing and oral assignments, including essays, critiques, debates, and discussions. The emphasis is on literary analysis, critical thinking and reasoned, well-developed expression. There is also a heavy emphasis on thoughtful, well-reasoned and articulate discussion. Supplementary activities may include theatre and gallery visits. Due to the nature of this course, the number of sections will be limited.

 

NOTE: Students take English 12 - AP Literature and Composition (AELC12) in place of Literary Studies 12.

Registration in this course provides credit for both Literary Studies 12 and AP Literature and Composition.

Students will also be expected to write the AP in Literature and Composition, a three-hour exam that gives students an opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of interpretive reading and writing skills. Students writing the AP Examination in May must pay a fee. See AP section of the Program Planning Guide for more information.