English 12 is an anomaly...no other course in Grade 12 is mandated to be taken for graduation with the exception of English 12 and Communications 12 and along with this mandate comes the expectation that students will write a provincial exam worth 40% of their final grade at the end of the course. According to the provincial curriculum is "the aim of English Language Arts is to provide students with opportunities for personal and intellectual growth through speaking, listening, reading, viewing, writing, and representing to make meaning of the world and to prepare them to participate effectively in all aspects of society." I take this approach to heart when teaching English 12. It is unspeakably unnerving to try and prepare 30 students for an unknown exam, with a specified time limit that demands both creativity and knowledge, however class time is dedicated to reading, analyzing, thinking critically, arguing, and providing evidence for a diverse range of topics. The saving grace of the English 12 provincial exam is that there is actually very little knowledge that you need to have memorized, rather it is a chance for students to showcase their progression in their writing. It is my goal as a member of the LCS English Department to not only prepare my students for the exam they will inevitably experience, but to also prepare for them post-secondary as well as everyday life. As such we will read, discuss and write about a multitude of issues and ideas. I encourage my students to bring their work to me prior to handing it in and sit down and go over with me (knowing that I am not going to simply proofread it and give them a perfect mark). I also encourage students to resubmit work for full marks if, after getting an assignment back and seeing the strengths and weaknesses they feel they could tackle a certain topic more effectively. I really feel that writing is a process and that students are doing themselves a disservice if they feel that they can or should sit down at a computer and type frantically away to get their required word count and then never "experience" their work again.
I will cover Short Stories, Poetry, Drama, Novels, Research, Essays and Media as my topics, but will interweave these with vocabulary, note-taking skills, discussion techniques, grammar, and writing - with a particular focus on structure. Students will be exposed to a diverse array of topics and will be provided with a variety of means to display their learning, however formal writing in both paragraph and essay format will form the basis of this course. Literature Circles have recently became the norm in my classroom, and all students will study a novel (or two) of their choice and will engage in regular self analysis, group discussion and peer reflection.
I do not assign homework for the sake of assigning homework, but if students cannot finish work in class, they will be expected it to finish it at home. By and large, I try to give as much time as possible for in-class work, as I know students lead busy lives, however choosing not to work in my class is not an option either. A large portion of my class time is devoted to discussion and verbal analysis, as I truly believe that 30 brains are better than 1. I consider it a successful teaching day when a student has provided me with an insight or point of clarification that I had not recognized before (which happens more readily than perhaps I should admit).
English is rarely about right or wrong, but rather is a process unto itself. I always tell my students that the reason I love English so much is that I can say anything I want, as long as I have the evidence to back it up!
I will cover Short Stories, Poetry, Drama, Novels, Research, Essays and Media as my topics, but will interweave these with vocabulary, note-taking skills, discussion techniques, grammar, and writing - with a particular focus on structure. Students will be exposed to a diverse array of topics and will be provided with a variety of means to display their learning, however formal writing in both paragraph and essay format will form the basis of this course. Literature Circles have recently became the norm in my classroom, and all students will study a novel (or two) of their choice and will engage in regular self analysis, group discussion and peer reflection.
I do not assign homework for the sake of assigning homework, but if students cannot finish work in class, they will be expected it to finish it at home. By and large, I try to give as much time as possible for in-class work, as I know students lead busy lives, however choosing not to work in my class is not an option either. A large portion of my class time is devoted to discussion and verbal analysis, as I truly believe that 30 brains are better than 1. I consider it a successful teaching day when a student has provided me with an insight or point of clarification that I had not recognized before (which happens more readily than perhaps I should admit).
English is rarely about right or wrong, but rather is a process unto itself. I always tell my students that the reason I love English so much is that I can say anything I want, as long as I have the evidence to back it up!