ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School
Course Code: ENG-4C1
Course Name: Grade Twelve English: College Preparation
Prerequisite: Grade Eleven English: College Preparation
Instructors: Ms. K. Mesa & Ms. L. Tersigni
Course Overview:
This course emphasizes the development of literacy, communication, and critical and creative thinking
skills necessary for success in academic and daily life. Students will study the context, form, and style of a
variety of informational and graphic texts, as well as literary texts from Canada and other countries, and
create oral, written, and media texts in a variety of forms for practical and academic purposes. An
important focus will be on using language with precision and clarity and developing greater control in
writing. The course is intended to prepare students for college or the workplace.
Specific Strands of Study and Expectations include:
Oral Communication:
 Use speaking skills and strategies appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a
variety of purposes
 Reflect on and identify strengths as listeners and speakers
Reading and Literature Studies:
 Read and understand a variety of texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning
 Recognize a variety of text forms, and demonstrate an understanding of how they create meaning
Writing:
 Generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and
audience
 Draft and revise writing
 Use editing, proofreading, and publishing skills and strategies to correct errors and refine
expression
Media Studies:
 Understand a variety of media texts
 Understand media forms, conventions and techniques
 Create media texts for different purposes and audiences
 Reflect on skills and strategies and identify their strengths as media interpreters and creators
Efforts will be made to meet the individual learning needs of students in order to ensure these expectations are
being met.
Course Breakdown
Unit
1: Short Stories
2: Modern Drama
3: Novel Study
4: Writing
5: Media
6: Culminating Task
Area of Study
Review of literature studies
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansbury
Theories of Relativity by Barbara HaworthAttard
Grammar and the art of the written word:
academic, business and personal writing
Will be infused throughout the above units
since media is in everything and is
everywhere
Demonstration of skills learned
Resources:
The course will use a variety of resources including video,
Internet Applications and a variety of print sources. All books
will be distributed to students during the appropriate units of
the course. The text and all other resources assigned to
students are the responsibility of the student. Any damage
incurred will result in payment for replacement. Replacement
cost for a lost or damaged text will depend upon the value of
the text.
Evaluation Structure:
Knowledge and Understanding
20%
Thinking
30%
Communication
30%
Application
20%
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 Task (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, co-operative 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/Understanding
-Limited display of
-Some success in
-Considerable display
-Thorough
knowledge, thinking displaying
of knowledge, thinking understanding of

Knowledge of facts & terms
skills,
knowledge, thinking skills,
concepts and ability to

Understanding of concepts & relationships
communication
skills,
communication and
communicate, think
Thinking
and
ability
to
apply
communication
and
ability
to
apply
creatively and apply

Use of planning skills
concepts
application of
concepts
concepts

Use of creative and critical thinking processes
concepts

Use of processing skills
Communication

Expression and organization of ideas

Communication for different audiences and
purposes.

Use of conventions, vocabulary, written and oral
communication.
Application

Applications in familiar contexts

Transfer of concepts to new contexts

Making logical conclusions and predictions

Making connections
Feedback will also be provided for student learning skills. Skills like working independently, team work, organization, work habits and homework, and
initiative are assessed independently student achievement and will be conducted through the use of a rubric indicating specific criteria to be achieved to
receive each of the following letter grades:
E –Excellent
G – Good
S – Satisfactory
N - Needs Improvement
Other Evaluation Issues

LATE ASSIGNMENTS. Assignments submitted after the Primary Due Date established by the teacher will be accepted with a penalty of 5% off for
the first day late, 7% off the second day and 10% off the third and final day. This Penalty Zone is the maximum time allowed for submissions. The
third day after the assignment is due is considered the Closure Date upon which no further assignments will be accepted. If the teacher returns the
marked assignments within the three day penalty zone, the date of return is considered the closure date. Repeated lateness in submissions indicates
poor organization skills and will result in parental contact and will be reflected in the learning skills section of the report card.

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 Tests missed with a legitimate reason will be written within a few days of the student returning from the absence. Student eligibility
to write the test and the date of writing will be at the discretion of the teacher in consultation with the department head.

CULMINATING TASKS These activities will be due toward the end of the course. They are valued between 10 and 15 per cent of the final mark
and will reflect course material and competencies not otherwise reflected on the final exam.

Plagiarism in any form reflects academic dishonesty and will result in a mark of zero for the assignment in question