English, Grade 12, College Preparation
Curriculum Policy
English, The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12, 2007 (Revised)

Course Description:
This course focuses on strengthening literacy, communication, and critical and creative thinking skills essential for academic and everyday success. Students will engage with a diverse array of informational, graphic, and literary texts from multiple countries and cultures. They will create oral, written, and media texts in various formats for both practical and academic purposes. A key emphasis will be placed on using language precisely and clearly while enhancing writing control. This course aims to equip students for success in college or the workplace.

Chapters and descriptions:

• Presenting for Success
  This unit focuses on enhancing students’ listening, speaking, and writing skills, all of which are vital for success in college and the workplace. Students will begin with lessons on effective note-taking and active listening as they engage with their peers’ presentations. They will then draft a formal letter, develop a proposal on a chosen topic, and deliver that proposal. Throughout the process, students will emphasize the clarity and quality of their language, create mind maps to organize their thoughts, and reflect on their work. After receiving feedback from peers or parents, they will film their presentations for assessment. This proposal task fosters critical thinking, collaborative effort, and meticulous attention to detail.
• Modern Anthology
  This unit features stories written in recent decades that resonate with students, addressing relatable themes and situations. Integrated lessons on writing style will focus on enhancing students’ understanding of sentence structure, punctuation, and transitional devices in the context of the literature they are studying. The included short poems will encourage students to contemplate significant issues relevant to their lives, such as technology, travel, urban living, and familial relationships. Instead of traditional poetry analysis, students will engage in creative writing by brainstorming ideas, composing free verse poems, and incorporating literary devices like rhyme. Their work will culminate in an online poetry workshop, where peers and teachers will provide feedback on their creations.
• e-zines
  As visual imagery dominates modern communication, this unit explores the evolution of magazines from traditional print to digital formats like eZines. Students will analyze both online and print texts to understand their similarities and differences, examining elements such as cover art, editorials, and feature articles. Discussions will include the vocabulary associated with publishing, the impact of new technologies on online media, and the future of print magazines in the industry. The unit will conclude with students creating their own eZine, which will include a cover page, editorial, feature article, and a video link that complements the content.
• Steinbeck or Yousafzai
  In this unit, students can choose to study either two novellas by John Steinbeck or the memoir of Malala Yousafzai. Both options present similar workloads and thematic explorations, particularly focusing on issues of discrimination. Before diving into their selected texts, students will examine the social and political contexts surrounding these works. Vocabulary from the texts will be studied, and discussions will cover human rights themes. Students will apply their cumulative learning to reflect on and refine their writing, producing a polished final assignment that showcases their insights and understanding.