519-9389355
Course Outline
Course: ENG4U
Teacher:
Phone Extension:
Email:
www.ugdsb.on.ca/westside
Program Leader: A. Willoughby
Course Description:
This course emphasizes consolidation of literacy, critical thinking, and communication skills. Students will
analyze a range of challenging texts from various time periods, countries, and cultures; write analytical and
argumentative essays and a major paper for an independent research project; and apply key concepts to analyze
media works. An important focus will be on understanding academic language and using it coherently in
discussion and argument.
Prerequisite: ENG3U
Overall Curriculum Expectations:
Oral Communication:
1. Listening to Understand: use listening techniques and oral communication skills to participate in classroom
discussions and more formal activities, with a focus on using academic language appropriately in seminars and
presentations of independent study projects.
2. Speaking to Communicate: use knowledge of recent developments in the English language, vocabulary and
language structures, and the conventions of standard Canadian English to read, write, and speak effectively.
3. Reflecting on Skills and Strategies: identify strengths and weaknesses in their oral communication skills and
create an action plan for improvement.
Reading and Literature Studies:
1. Reading for Meaning: read and demonstrate an understanding of complex texts from various time periods,
countries, and cultures, with an emphasis on analysing and assessing ideas, themes, concepts, and arguments.
2. Understanding Form and Style: demonstrate an understanding of the elements of fiction, drama, poetry, and
non-fiction, with an emphasis on plays and essays.
3.. Reading With Fluency: analyse the elements of style in a variety of texts and assess their effects.
4. Reflecting on Skills and Strategies: assess the effect on the reader of authors’ choices of language, syntax, and
literary and rhetorical devices by examining their own and others’ interpretations of the style of texts.
Writing:
1. Developing and Organizing Content: use a range of print and electronic primary and secondary sources to
gather and assess information and ideas and to develop and refine topics for writing.
2. Using Knowledge of Form and Style: select and use writing forms suited to various purposes and audiences,
with an emphasis on analytic and argumentative essays and narratives or dramatic scenes.
3. Applying Knowledge of Conventions: edit and proofread to produce final drafts, using correctly the grammar,
usage, spelling, and punctuation conventions of standard Canadian English, as specified for this course, with the
support of print and electronic resources when appropriate.
4. Reflecting on Skills and Strategies: identify strengths and weaknesses in their writing skills and create action
plans for improvement.
Media Studies:
1. Understanding Media Texts: demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media, media theories, and media
industry practices by analysing representations, forms, and techniques in media works and assessing their
implications for individuals and society.
2. Understanding Media Forms: demonstrate an understanding of the relationships among form, content,
purpose, audience, and production techniques by designing or creating media works, independently and
collaboratively, based on ideas, themes, and issues examined in this course, and assessing their effectiveness.
3. Creating Media Texts: design or create media works based on ideas, themes, and issues examined in this
course
4. Reflecting on Skills and Strategies: assess the effectiveness of the works; and evaluate the choices made
during the production process.
Big Ideas (overall learning outcomes for the course):
● Form shapes meaning
● Author, world and reader create meaning from text.
● Multiple critical lenses must be used in order to minimize a reader’s bias.
Instructional Strategies:
Westside teaching staff will use a variety of instructional strategies to help students develop and improve skills
in the following areas: character, citizenship, communication, critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration
and teamwork, and creativity and imagination.
Assessment and Evaluation:
Each unit will have one or more major culminating assignments. As well, the students will be required to submit
a final culminating activity at the end of the semester.
● When a student has not submitted a summative evaluation, then a mark of zero may be assigned, and
the teacher will use professional judgment to determine the impact on the overall report card.
● Consequences of cheating and plagiarism may include academic penalties (e.g. loss of marks up to loss
of full marks redo all or part of the work) and/or disciplinary action. See school website for complete
policy.
● Oral presentations must be completed within the assigned presentation schedule, otherwise students
will be given one more opportunity to present for a completion mark only.
● Conferencing, as an assessment strategy, is of paramount important to student success in this course.
Late Work
Students are expected to complete all assigned work and submit it by the teacher's established due date. Every
attempt will be made to encourage students to complete all assigned work on time so their grade represent
their actual achievement. Should a student submit work past the due date, a late mark penalty will be assigned.
All summative assessments must be submitted for course credit. Please see Westside's Assessment and
Evaluation Policy for more details.
The strands of Literature Studies and Reading, Writing, Language and Media Studies, will each be evaluated
within the following achievement categories as outlined by the Ministry Guidelines:
25%
Knowledge and Understanding
25%
Thinking and Inquiry
25%
Communication
25%
Application
● Term work will be worth 70% of the final mark. (The Independent Study Unit is worth 20% of term
mark.)
● The final examination will be worth 20% of the final mark.
Term Work (70%)
Unit of Study
Summative Evaluations
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”
Essay (400 - 500 words)
Children’s Literature
1. Group Tutorial: What is the purpose of this text?
2. Individual Essay (800 - 1000 words)
A Streetcar Named Desire
1. Debate
2. Test - essay question
Hamlet
Unit test (essay-answer)
Oedipus & The Outsider
Interview: what is the meaning of life? Make reference to both texts, and
secondary readings.
Culminating Activities
ISU: essay and presentation of ideas (10%)
Final Exam (20%)
Other Information:
i) A record will be kept on the student’s following Learning Skills (as outlined by the Ministry Guidelines): Responsibility,
Organization, Independent Work, Collaboration, Initiative, Self-regulation.
ii) It is the student’s responsibility to speak directly with the teacher before handing in a late assignment.
iii) Students are expected to keep track of all assignments and ensure that they are submitted to the teacher. Should the
student fail to submit any projects or assignments, this will be reflected in his or her mark.
iv) All essays and assignments must be submitted as a hardcopy to the teacher. Summative assessments must be uploaded
to www.turnitin.com. Marked assignments with comments will not be returned until the assignment has been submitted.
v) Students are expected to return their books in the condition they received them. Otherwise the following replacement
costs will apply:
Children’s Literature:
Streetcar Named Desire: $15
Harry Potter: $15
Oedipus the King: $10
Charlotte’s Web: $10
The Outsider: $12
Wizard of Oz: $10
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: $10
Hamlet: $30
ISU novel: $15
I have read and understand the Course Outline:
Student Name (please print): ________________________________ Signature: ________________________________
Parent/Guardian Name (please print): _________________________Signature: ________________________________