Library And Archives Canada Cataloguing In Publication Data

Introduction to English Language Arts 8 to 12This Integrated Resource Package (IRP) setsout the provincially prescribed curriculumfor English Language Arts 8 to 12. Thedevelopment of the IRP has been guided bythe following principles of learning: Learning requires the active participationof the student. People learn in a variety of ways and atdifferent rates. Learning is both an individual and a groupprocess. Learning is most effective when studentsreflect on the process of learning and set goalsfor improvement.In addition to these principles, this documentrecognizes that British Columbia’s schools includeyoung people of varied backgrounds, interests,abilities, and needs. Wherever appropriate forthe curriculum, ways to meet these needs and toensure equity and access for all learners have beenintegrated as much as possible into the PrescribedLearning Outcomes and Suggested AchievementIndicators.RationaleLanguage is fundamental to thinking, learning, andcommunicating in all cultures. The skilled use oflanguage is associated with many opportunities inlife, including further education, work, and socialinteraction. As students come to understand anduse language more fully, they are able to enjoy thebenefits and pleasures of language in all its forms,from reading and writing to literature, theatre, publicspeaking, film, and other media. They also come tounderstand language as a human system ofcommunication – dynamic and evolving, butalso systematic and governed by rules.The English Language Arts 8 to 12 curriculumprovides students with opportunities to experiencethe power of language by dealing with a range oftexts and with the full range of contexts and purposesassociated with the use of language: People use language to comprehend a wide rangeof literary and informational communications andto respond knowledgeably and critically to whatthey read, view, and hear. Students’ ability tounderstand and draw conclusions fromcommunications – whether written, spoken, or displayed visually – and to defend theirconclusions rationally is a major goal of educationand the particular focus of the English LanguageArts 8 to 12 curriculum.People use language to communicate theirideas through a variety of print and non-printmedia. In both academic and business contexts,students need to be able to communicate withprecision, clarity, and artistry; apply theconventions of language; gather and organizeinformation and ideas; and use communicationforms and styles that suit their abilities, specificpurposes, and the needs of the audience.People use language as a fundamental partof their personal, work, and social lives – toestablish and maintain relationships, forenjoyment and diversion, and to learn. Learningto interact successfully with others is essential forstudents’ success in school, lifelong learning, andfor maintaining productive, satisfying lives.The development of literacy is a key focus of thiscurriculum. The rapid expansion in the use oftechnology and media has expanded the conceptof what it is to be literate. Literacy today involvesbeing able to understand and process oral, written,electronic, and multi-media forms of communication.This curriculum acknowledges that students learn anddevelop at different rates and that the timeframe forliteracy development will vary.Society expects graduates to think critically, solveproblems, communicate clearly, and learn and workboth independently and with others. The EnglishLanguage Arts 8 to 12 curriculum contributes to thisoutcome by providing a framework to help students present and respond to ideas, feelings, andknowledge sensitively and creatively explore Canadian and world literature as away of knowing, of developing personal values,and of understanding learn about Canada’s cultural heritage asexpressed in language use language confidently to understand andrespond thoughtfully and critically to factual andimaginative communications in speech, print, andother media develop the reading and writing skills required ofinformed citizens prepared to face the challengesof further education and a changing workplaceEnglish Language Arts 8 to 12

Introduction to English Language Arts 8 to 12 express themselves critically, creatively, andarticulately for a variety of personal, social,and work-related purposesuse language appropriate to the situation,audience, and purpose and become comfortablewith a range of language styles, from public topersonal, and from literary to standard businessEnglishrealize their individual potential ascommunicatorsRequirements and Graduation CreditsEnglish 10, English 11, and English 12 are designatedas four-credit courses, and must be reported as suchto the Ministry of Education for transcript purposes.Letter grades and percentages must be reported forthese courses. It is not possible to obtain partialcredit for the courses.Course codes connected with these courses areEN 10, EN 11, and EN 12.Graduation Program ExaminationsAccording to the 2004 Graduation Requirements,students who wish to graduate are required to writefive graduation exams. Graduation program examsare mandatory for Grade 10 Language Arts (thisincludes English 10 and Français langue première 10).Grade 10 exams count for 20% of the final mark inthe course. Graduation program exams aremandatory for Grade 12 Language Arts (thisincludes English 12, Français langue première 12,English 12 First Peoples, or Communications 12).Grade 12 exams count for 40% of the final mark inthe course. Provincial examination scores may berequired for entrance qualifications to post-secondary institutions, and may be used todetermine provincial scholarships.For more information, refer to the Ministryof Education examinations web site:www.bced.gov.bc.ca/exams/Curriculum OrganizersA curriculum organizer consists of a set ofPrescribed Learning Outcomes that share acommon focus. Clear and specific PrescribedLearning Outcomes guide assessment andinstruction and should be shared with bothstudents and parents to enable all stakeholdersto have common vocabulary and understandings.The Prescribed Learning Outcomes for EnglishLanguage Arts 8 to 12 are grouped under thecurriculum organizers shown in the chart below.These three organizers and related suborganizershave been framed to highlight the importantaspects of student learning in English LanguageArts and as one means of presenting PrescribedLearning Outcomes in an organized manner.They are not intended to suggest a sequence ofinstruction or a linear approach to course delivery,nor do they suggest that organizers work inisolation from one another. (See section entitled“Considerations for Program Delivery: Integrationof the Language Arts.”)Oral Language (Speaking and Listening)“Oral language is the foundation of literacylearning. Talk is the bridge that helps studentsmake connections between what they know andwhat they are coming to know” (Booth, 1994, p. 254).Students use language to monitor and reflect onexperiences and to reason, plan, predict, and makeconnections both orally and in print.English Language Arts 8 to 12Oral Language(Speaking and Listening) PurposesStrategiesThinkingFeatures English Language Arts 8 to 12Reading and Viewing PurposesStrategiesThinkingFeaturesWriting and Representing PurposesStrategiesThinkingFeatures

Introduction to English Language Arts 8 to 12The Oral Language section of the curriculumfocusses on Purposes – providing opportunities for studentsto develop their capacity to interact effectivelywith peers and adults, to present material orally,to question, to explain, to persuade, and to listenattentively, respectfully, critically, and withpurpose Strategies – increasing students’ awarenessof, engagement in, and development of theprocesses, skills, and techniques they can useto be more successful in their oral interactionsand presentations Thinking – extending students’ capacity to useoral language to make connections, developideas, consider multiple perspectives, increasevocabulary, and use metacognition to assess theirstrengths and set goals to scaffold improvement Features – increasing students’ knowledgeof the forms of oral expression and theexpectations of various audiences, as well astheir capacity to control syntax, diction, andother aspects of oral communicationReading and Viewing“As teachers of literacy, we must have as aninstructional goal, regardless of age, grade, orachievement level, the development of students aspurposeful, engaged, and ultimately independentcomprehenders. No matter what grade level youteach, no matter what content you teach, no matterwhat texts you teach with, your goal is to improvestudents’ comprehension and understanding”(Rasinksi et al., 2000, p. 1).The Reading and Viewing section of the curriculumfocusses on Purposes – providing opportunities forstudents to read and view various types of text(written and visual) for multiple purposes,including comprehension, fluency, andexploration of different perspectives Strategies – increasing students’ repertoire ofstrategies and techniques they can use before,during, and after reading and viewing in orderto comprehend and extend their understandingof texts Thinking – developing students’ ability tomake connections and analyse the influence ofsocial and historical influences, and students’metacognitive capacity to identify and achievegoals for improvementFeatures – developing students’ awarenessof the different types of written and visual text,the characteristics that distinguish them, and theimpact of the stylistic effects used (e.g., rhyme)Writing and Representing“Writing well is not just an option for young people –it is a necessity. Along with reading comprehension,writing still is a predictor of academic success and abasic requirement for participation in civic life and inglobal economy” (Graham & Perin, 2007, p. 3).The Writing and Representing section of thecurriculum focusses on Purposes – giving students opportunitiesto create various kinds of texts: personal,imaginative, informational, and visual texts Strategies – developing students’ repertoireof approaches to creating text, includingthose that apply before (e.g., notetaking,brainstorming), during (e.g., experimentingwith word choice), and after (e.g., editing,presenting) writing and representing Thinking – expanding students’ capacityto extend thinking by using writing andrepresenting to connect ideas, exploreperspectives, and set and achieve goalsto improve their writing and representing Features – developing students’ ability to usefeatures and conventions of language to enhancemeaning and artistry in their reading and writingKey ConceptsThe Key Concepts are derived from PrescribedLearning Outcomes for English Language Arts K to 12.The information is provided as a quick overview andis designed to summarize the fundamental conceptsof English Language Arts for each grade. This is not alist of Prescribed Learning Outcomes, but a frameworkof the key ideas that form the basis for EnglishLanguage Arts.English Language Arts 8 to 12

Introduction to English Language Arts 8 to 12Key Concepts: Overview of English Language Arts K to n isfurther articulatedthrough thecomplexity ofthe text and thesituationReading andViewinggrade-by-gradedistinction isfurther articulatedthrough thecomplexity ofthe text and thesituationWriting andRepresentinggrade-by-gradedistinction isfurther articulatedthrough thecomplexity ofthe text and thesituationGrade 1Grade 2Grade 3Pre-K learningexperiences plus speaking andlistening toexpress andinquire developingvocabulary makingconnections andasking questions using meaningfulsyntax beginning todemonstratephonologicalawarenessKindergarten plus speaking andlistening to recalland retell acquiring andexpressing ideasand information accessing priorknowledge andorganizing thinking using wordscorrectly developingphonologicalawarenessK and 1 plus staying on topicand sustainingconcentration making andsharing connections comparingand contrasting recognizinglanguage patternsK to 2 plus. generating ideas sharing ideasand opinions recalling andsummarizing inlogical sequence recognizing andusing languagefeatures engaging inreading orreading-likebehaviour connecting withprior knowledge developingprinting concepts developingfamiliarity withthe alphabet,alphabeticsounds, andcommon words choosing andreading books developingword-decodingstrategies makingconnectionsto texts identifying storyelements reading withcomprehensionand fluency predicting andsummarizing toconstruct andconfirm meaning making connectionsbetween texts acquiring and usingvocabulary relatingto texts self-monitoringand self-correctingduring reading developingexplanations makingconnectionsamong texts locating informationusing text features creatingmessages (e.g.,using pictures,symbols, letters,and words) using inventedspelling andword copying printing mostletters andsimple words writing shortpassages (e.g.,journal entries,lists, poems) using basicpunctuation andsimple sentenceconstruction printing legibleletters andwords writing, followingmodels presented expressing personalresponses to textmaterial beginning to usecriteria to improvewriting using basicpunctuation andconstructing simpleand compoundsentences writing for apurpose andaudience accessingreference materials using criteria toimprove writing using conventionalspelling, sentencevariation, and newvocabulary English Language Arts 8 to 12

Introduction to English Language Arts 8 to 12Key Concepts: Overview of English Language Arts K to 12Grade 4OralLanguagegrade-by-gradedistinction isfurther articulatedthrough thecomplexity ofthe text and thesituationReading andVie

English language arts 8 to 12 : integrated resource package 2007. Also available on the Internet. ISBN: 978--7726-5987-3 1. Language arts (Secondary) - British Columbia. 2. Language arts (Middle school) - British Columbia. 3. English language - Composition and exercises - Study and teaching (Secondary) - British Columbia. 4. English .