English Language Arts

English

“Literature is about posing the questions not giving the answers” (Anonymous)

Junior High

The aim of English language arts is to enable each student to understand and appreciate language, and to use it confidently and competently in a variety of situations for communication, personal satisfaction and learning. Students become confident and competent users of all six language arts through many opportunities to listen and speak, read and write, and view and represent in a variety of combinations and relevant contexts. All the language arts are interrelated and interdependent; facility in one strengthens and supports the others. In the outcomes of the program of studies, the six language arts are integrated.

1. Listening
2. Speaking
3. Reading
4. Writing
5. Viewing
6. Representing

High School

There are two aims of the high school English Language Arts (ELA) program: to provide you with an understanding and appreciation of a broad range of texts, and to enable you to use language effectively for a multitude of purposes and in a variety of situations. ELA focuses on six areas of language arts: listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing and representing. English Language Arts courses are required in Grades 10, 11 and 12 and every student must complete English 30-1 or 30-2 in order to graduate.

There are two main course sequences in English:

In each course sequence, you can expect to have thought-provoking discussions about a range of genres (including novels, films, short stories, poetry, plays, non-fiction and much more). Both sequences allow you to engage with the English language in meaningful ways and will open many doors down the road. It is important to talk to your counselors to make sure that your chosen course sequence is opening the doors you need it to.

English 10-1, 20-1 and 30-1 revolve around how you engage with texts and how you express yourself after you have. Students who take this course sequence will spend much of their time studying, creating and analyzing a variety of complex literary texts.

English 10-2, 20-2 and 30-2 allow you to improve your grammar and sentence-building skills through a variety of assignments in functional, creative and analytical writing. Similar to the -1 course sequence, students will engage with a wide range of texts but there will be less emphasis on literary analysis. Both course sequences meet diploma requirements and require that you write a diploma exam upon completion of the 30 level course. Not all post secondary institutions accept English 30-2 for entry, so make sure you’re familiar with entrance requirements for the institutions and programs you’re considering.