English Course Descriptions

English

English language courses are designed to help students achieve the general and specific curriculum outcomes as described in the Department of Education's Public Schools Program (PSP). These outcomes are organized under the headings of Speaking and Listening, Reading and Viewing, Writing and Representing. All of these language processes are interrelated and teachers employ various learning and assessment strategies which address numerous outcomes at one time.

Course Descriptions

Language and Literature 10 — 1 credit

Completes the English 10 requirement

Language and Literature 10 is an English 10 credit designed for students who are interested in doing critical thinking and inquiry across a variety of texts. This course offers students the opportunity to engage in critical thinking, the ability to think for yourself, to examine all sides of an issue and develop an understanding of the topic. Becoming an analytical thinker about the experiences and interactions we have with others will be a focus of this course. All students are encouraged to consider this course as their Grade 10 English credit. Any student interested in doing the IB Language and Literature 11 course will find this to be good foundation for that experience.

Language and Literature 10 students will write the Nova Scotia Exam.

English 11 — 1 credit

Completes the English 10 requirement

This course is intended for students whose goals include post-secondary academic study. Students in this course will continue to examine a variety of texts such as novels, short stories, plays, poems as well as films in an analytical way in order to improve their oral and written communication skills thus extending the experiences of English 10. This course has an emphasis on text which is intended to enable students to become critical and reflective readers, and to become capable editors of their own and others' writing.  Students in this course will continue to read, write, view and speak in a variety of contexts to help them develop their own thoughts and to communicate those thoughts effectively to others.

Recommended Prerequisite

English 10

English Communications 11 Graduation — 1 credit

Completes the English 10 requirement

English Communications (ECM) courses at both 11 and 12 grade levels are intended for students who are not university-bound but who intend to go to a post-secondary school such as Nova Scotia Community College. The focus of the reading and writing components shifts to a more employment-based emphasis. ECM courses are intended to prepare students for life-long learning by engaging them in practical and interesting learning experiences closely related to their lives and to the world which they will experience as adults. In order to help the students to meet the literacy demands of the outside world, ECM courses deal with texts which reflect real-life situations, career choices and a broad range of social and cultural issues. These courses are intended to help students develop intellectually, socially and emotionally. There is flexibility within the ECM program to allow students to move to academic courses when that is deemed appropriate.

IB Language and Culture — no credit

Language and Culture IB is an interdisciplinary course that explores the connection between culture and language through both linguistic and social/cultural anthropological lenses. It is taught in a multilingual/multicultural context and students with a variety of language backgrounds are encouraged to participate. Students will explore ideas about culture and linguistics to develop an appreciation for the complexity of language in society. All students interested in languages and culture are encouraged to take this two year couse (two semesters total) course. IB students are encouraged to look at the IB pathways to see how this course can fit in with their program interests.

English 12 African Heritage — 1 credit

Completes the English 10 requirement

The students taking this course very often intend to go to university to further their academic pursuits. This course offers grade l2 students various perspectives of the African/Black experience through a variety of texts. English 12: African Heritage speaks to African/Black culture represented in the texts for students who have a desire to discover and understand global Black experiences. Through a variety of literary genres, English 12: African Heritage engages students in independent reading with follow-up projects, papers, discussions, and class presentations.

Recommended Prerequisite

English 11 or Advanced English 11

English 12 — 1 credit

Completes the English 10 requirement

The students taking this course very often intend to go to university to further their academic pursuits. This course is a continuation of the kinds of writing and speaking done in English 10 and 11, with more attention paid to the style of literature studied as well as the development of a student's own writing style. Students are given increased opportunities to demonstrate their ability as thoughtful, critical readers/viewers of literary and other texts. Effective argument is emphasized in both speech and writing.

Recommended Prerequisite

English 11

English Communications 12 Graduation — 1 credit

Completes the English 10 requirement

English Communications (ECM) courses at both 11 and 12 grade levels are intended for students who are not university-bound but who intend to go to a post-secondary school such as Nova Scotia Community College. The focus of the reading and writing components shifts to a more employment-based emphasis. ECM courses are intended to prepare students for life-long learning by engaging them in practical and interesting learning experiences closely related to their lives and to the world which they will experience as adults. In order to help the students to meet the literacy demands of the outside world, ECM courses deal with texts which reflect real-life situations, career choices and a broad range of social and cultural issues. These courses are intended to help students develop intellectually, socially and emotionally. There is flexibility within the ECM program to allow students to move to academic courses when that is deemed appropriate.

IB Language and Literature HL — 2½ credits

Completes the English 10 requirement

The language and literature course introduces the critical study and interpretation of written and spoken texts from a wide range of literary and non-literary genres. A key aim is the development of critical literacy. This course strikes a balance between the analysis of the existing literature course and the creativity of the formerly-offered Advanced English 11. Students' writing and speaking skills are assessed using a variety of methods while experiencing language, culture, mass communication and literature. Students begin this course in Grade 11 and write the IB exam in May of their Grade 12 year after 240 hours of study.

Recommended Prerequisite

IB Language and Literature