English 1201
Course Syllabus
Mr. C. Ivany – St. Joseph’s All Grade
Purpose: (Taken from the English 1201 Curriculum Document)
English 1201 is an academic course, designed for the majority of students entering Level I of
senior high school. The study of language and experiences with a broad range of literature and
media texts will enable students to reflect on their own learning strategies as they continue to
develop confidence as language users. The study of texts will include a cross section of articles,
poetry, short prose, plays, novels and visuals, and will focus especially on identities -understanding ourselves, our communities and our cultures. While opportunities are provided
for students to develop imaginative narrative and poetic texts, there will be a focus on reflective
journal responses, reports, editorials, and argumentative/persuasive essays reflecting evidence
of research. English 1201 also emphasizes proficiency in the use of oral language for a variety of
purposes. Speaking and listening experiences include:
• conversation and focused discussion with an identifiable purpose such as brainstorming,
speculating, problem-solving
• structured activities and presentations such as symposia, debates, public speaking, reports, panel
discussions, interviews, seminars, and small group interaction
• dramatic representations and the performance of texts, for example, monologues, role playing,
individual and choral performance, readers’ theatre
• focused listening activities to interpret and evaluate ideas and
information from a range of sources
Texts Required:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sightlines 10
Land, Sea and Time (Book 1)
Resourcelines 9/10
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Animal Farm
To Kill a Mockingbird
No Man’s Land
Death on the Ice
Course Evaluation Overview
Mid-Term Exam
Final Exam
Journal
Assignments
Tests/Quizzes
Portfolio
15%
30%
10%
15%
10%
20%
Students are reminded that late assignments will receive 0% unless a reason is provided which
corresponds with school and district policy. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Selected Texts
Please Note: We are required to study a minimum of 15 poems, 8 short fiction, 8 short nonfiction, 8 visuals, 1 dramatic text, 1 Shakespearean play, and 4 novels throughout the course.
Students may select, as a class, which texts we will study using the tables below. Extra spaces
are provided in case we decide on which others we will analyze together… that is, it ought to be
understood that this list comprises the definite material for study but others will be considered as
well.
Selection Title
Short Fiction
Page
Number
Source/Text
Selection Title
Short Non-Fiction
Page
Number
Source/Text
Selection Title
Poetry
Page
Number
Source/Text
Selection Title
Visuals
Page
Number
Source/Text
Selection Title
Short Plays
Page
Number
Source/Text
Shakespearean Play
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Novels
Selection Title
Animal Farm
No Man’s Land
To Kill a Mockingbird
Death on the Ice
A Christmas Carol
Author
George Orwell
Kevin Major
Harper Lee
Cassie Brown
Charles Dickens
Major Assignments:
Note: These do not represent the entirety of the assignments for
this course. Other assignments, (ie. Those particular to the Unit on Shakespeare) will be
given… this list is meant to provide students with a general framework for the evaluation in
this course.
Writing Portfolio The Writing Portfolio assignment is integral to the course in many ways and,
as such, it is ongoing from September to June. It is meant to be a fun and accessible way for
students to both experiment with various modes of artistic communication and to fulfill a range of
course outcome requirements as well. A detailed overview of the assignment will be made
available during the first week of classes. Collection dates for the portfolio will be as follows
(tentative dates – subject to change):
1. November 7th, 2003
2. January 16th 2004
3. March 29th, 2004
4. June 7th, 2004
Poetry Collection The Poetry Collection Assignment (aka Poetry Portfolio) requires the student
to read a variety of poems by a range of authors. Out of all of the poems s/he has read, the
student is required to select 10 poems which s/he will copy and insert into the portfolio.
Accompanying each selected poem, the student must cite the source from which the poem was
taken, identify the type of poetry that the poem fits into and reasons why (eg. If it is a Haiku, why
is it one?), and a brief description of why s/he decided to include it in his/her poetry portfolio.
Each student will be required to select one of his/her top ten favourite poems and 1. create a
representation based on the text, and 2. present the poem and the representation to the rest of the
class. A detailed overview of the assignment will be made available during the first week of
classes. Due date for this assignment is the final Friday in October 2003.
Media Analysis The Media Analysis assignment requires the student to collect five
advertisements for different products/services but all of which belong to the same form (ie.
Television, magazine, web, etc.). Through studying the five advertisements, the student will
identify all elements of that particular form or type of advertisement and using his/her findings,
create an advertisement of his/her own for a contrived product/service and present it to the class.
A detailed overview of the assignment will be made available during the month of November.
Due date for this assignment is the third week of December 2003.
Independent Novel Study Two of the required novel texts will be studied in-depth as a class
and as such, they will be accompanied by projects of their own. The other two books will be read
as independent texts and each will become the basis of a report. A detailed overview of the
assignment will be made available during the first or second week of classes. Due dates for
these assignments are the second Week of January 2004 and the last Friday in May 2004.
Seminar Presentation A seminar presentation is a conference style event which, in this case,
will last approximately ½ hour. Each student will select a text to interpret, analyze, interrogate,
etc., and present to the rest of the class (text is subject to teacher’s approval) but unlike other
presentations, all students will be required to read the selected text in advance for the purpose of
taking an active part in the seminar. A detailed overview of the assignment will be made
available in November. Seminars will take place during the month of March 2004.