ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
IONA CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL
Course Code: ENG 1P1
Course Name/Level: Grade Nine Applied English
Course Description/Rationale
This course emphasizes key reading, writing, oral communication and thinking skills that students need for
success in secondary school and their daily lives. Students will read, interpret, and create a variety of
informational, literary, and graphic texts. An important focus will be on identifying and using appropriate
strategies and processes to improve students’ comprehension of texts and to help them communicate clearly
and effectively. The course is intended to prepare students for the Grade 10 Applied English course, which
leads to college or workplace preparation courses in Grades 11 and 12.
SPECIFIC STRANDS OF STUDY AND EXPECTATIONS:
By the end of this course, students will:
Listen to Understand: listen in order to understand and respond appropriately in a variety of situations for a
variety of purposes;
Speak to Communicate: use speaking skills and strategies appropriately to communicate with different
audiences for a variety of purposes;
Reflect 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.
Read for Meaning: read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of informational, literary, and graphic
texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning;
Understand Form and Style: recognize a variety of text forms, text features, and stylistic elements and
demonstrate understanding of how they help communicate meaning;
Read With Fluency: use knowledge of words and cueing systems to read fluently;
Reflect 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.
Develop and Organize Content: generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an
intended purpose and audience;
Use Knowledge of Form and Style: draft and revise their writing, using a variety of informational, literary, and
graphic forms and stylistic elements appropriate for the purpose and audience;
Apply 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;
Reflect 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.
Understand Media Texts: demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media texts;
Understand Media Forms, Conventions, and Techniques: identify some media forms and explain how the
conventions and techniques associated with them are used to create meaning;
Create Media Texts: create a variety of media texts for different purposes and audiences, using appropriate
forms, conventions, and techniques;
Reflect 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.
EFFORTS WILL BE MADE TO MEET THE INDIVIDUAL LEARNING NEEDS OF STUDENTS IN ORDER TO
ENSURE THAT THESE EXPECTATIONS ARE BEING MET.
Course Breakdown
Resources:
UNITS OF STUDY:
Unit 1: Writing/Grammar/Media
TEXTS/RESOURCES:
Language and Writing 9
Various selections
Students are responsible for borrowed
resources and will be required to pay
replacement costs for lost or damaged
materials.
Unit 2: Short Stories/Poetry/
Mythology
Various selections
Evaluation Structure:
Unit 3: Screenplay
Monster
Unit 4: Novel Study
Tears of aTiger or Pigman
Unit 5: Culminating Performance
Task
Knowledge
25%
Thinking
25%
Communication 25%
Application
25%
The above is reflected both in the term work
(worth 70% of the final mark) and the
summative work (worth 30% of the final
mark). Summative work consists of the Final
Exam (15) and a Culminating Activity (15)
(15%)
Evaluation Policy
Students will be assessed & evaluated according to the work produced & skills displayed. Methods of providing feedback will include assessing work in
process & evaluating completed assignments, tests, cooperative learning activities, simulations and presentations. Peer & self-evaluations will also be
utilized. Student marks will be determined by evaluating process & product according to 4 categories & 4 levels. Please see the chart below for specific
skills and key words used to determine student competency in the different categories.
CATEGORY
LEVEL 1: 50-59%
LEVEL 2: 60-69%
LEVEL 3: 70-79%
LEVEL 4: 80-100%
Knowledge: Knowledge of
content and understanding of
content
Limited display of
knowledge and content
Some success of
knowledge and content
Considerable display of
knowledge and content
Thorough display of
knowledge and content
Thinking: Use of planning,
processing and critical/creative
thinking skills
Uses thinking skills with
limited effectiveness
Uses thinking skills with
some effectiveness
Uses thinking skills with
considerable
effectiveness
Uses thinking skills with a
high degree of effectiveness
Communication: Expression and
organization of ideas for different
audiences/purposes, and use of
conventions, vocabulary and
terminology of the discipline in oral,
graphic and written forms.
Communicates ideas with
limited effectiveness
Communicates ideas
with some effectiveness
Communicates ideas
with considerable
effectiveness
Communicates ideas with a
high degree of effectiveness
Application: Application and
transfer of knowledge and skills.
Making connections within and
between various contexts.
Transfers and applies
knowledge and skills to
unfamiliar contexts and
makes connections with
limited effectiveness
Transfers and applies
knowledge and skills to
unfamiliar contexts and
makes connections with
some effectiveness
Transfers and applies
knowledge and skills to
unfamiliar contexts and
makes connections with
considerable
effectiveness
Transfers and applies
knowledge and skills to
unfamiliar contexts and
makes connections with a
high degree of effectiveness
Feedback will also be provided for student learning skills including: Responsibility, Independent Work, Collaboration, Organization, Initiative, and
Self-Regulation. Assessment of these skills will occur independent from student achievement using the following letter grades:
E – Excellent
G - Good
S – Satisfactory
N - Needs Improvement
OTHER EVALUATION ISSUES:
LATE ASSIGNMENTS - The due dates for major assignments will be clearly articulated by the teacher when the task is assigned. The teacher will
establish a deadline and an acceptance period for the assignment. If a student does not hand in the assignment by the deadline, a mark reduction will be
applied to the assignment submitted thereafter up to a total of 10%. If the assignment is not submitted by the end of the acceptance period the student
may receive a mark of zero. Refer to the Student Handbook for further details.
INCOMPLETE ASSSIGNMENTS - Assignments will be graded according to the extent with which they meet the criteria established in the rubric or
evaluation structure.
MISSED TESTS - Teachers will give the class ample notice for upcoming tests/evaluations. If the student is aware of an absence on the date of an
assessment, it is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements for an alternative assessment date (which may not be during class time) with
the teacher before the scheduled time for the test/evaluation. If a test is missed due to a legitimate reason, verification (note only to be handed in on the
day of the student’s return) from a parent/guardian must be given to the subject teacher indicating that the parents are aware the student missed a test.
The student is expected to write the test on the day of their return. If a test is missed as a result of truancy, a mark of zero will be assigned with
no opportunity for a re-write.
PLAGIARISM - Any form of plagiarism reflects academic dishonesty and may result in a mark of zero for the assignment in question. Refer to the
Student Handbook for further details.
ATTENDANCE - It is the responsibility of each student to be punctual and in attendance, with proper materials, in all classes and scheduled activities.
Students who miss classes may put their credit in jeopardy. It is the student’s responsibility to catch up on missed work when absent.