Marine Drive Academy 481 Church Point Road, Sheet Harbour, NS (902) 885-2777 Teacher: Mr. J. Cumminger
English Communications 12 is intended for students who may need additional support in their development as readers, writers and language users and who plan to enter the job market after graduation or to continue their studies in some community college programs. This course follows the design and outcomes of English 12, but emphasizes writing for practical purposes as well as interpreting and deconstructing non-fiction and technical information. Texts include novels, plays, poetry, short stories, essays, journals, editorials, songs, films, videos, radio, television, live drama and multimedia texts.
Course Outcomes: Grade 12 - Overview of Specific Curriculum Outcomes
1. Students will be expected to speak and listen to explore, extend, clarify, and reflect on their thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences.
2. Students will be expected to communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly, and to respond personally and critically.
3. Students will be expected to interact with sensitivity and respect, considering the situation, audience, and purpose. 4. Students will be expected to select, read, and view with understanding a range of literature, information, media, and visual texts.
5. Students will be expected to interpret, select, and combine information using a variety of strategies, resources, and technologies.
6. Students will be expected to respond personally to a range of texts.
7. Students will be expected to respond critically to a range of texts, applying their understanding of language, form, and genre.
8. Students will be expected to use writing and other ways of representing to explore, clarify, and reflect on their thoughts, feelings, experiences, and learning; and to use their imagination.
9. Students will be expected to create texts collaboratively and independently, using a variety of forms for a range of audiences and purposes.
10. Students will be expected to use a range of strategies to develop effective writing and other ways of representing and to enhance their clarity, precision, and effectiveness.
Classroom Expectations
Demonstrate maturity in daily interactions with the instructor, peers and guests to our classroom
Be punctual and attend class regularly
Demonstrate respect and safe practice for the technical equipment, resources and school property
Complete all assignments, test, quizzes and projects by the assigned date
Be prepared for class at all times, ie have pen and binder, textbook etc.
Class Requirements: Students will be expected to have the following with them for each class:
3-Ring Binder and Loose-leaf
Pens and Pencils
Colored Pencils/Markers
Password for school computer network
Student Assessment and Evaluation: This course will involve multiple modes of instruction and assessment. To ensure every student has the opportunity to learn and attain the above outcomes students will be will be provided with various learning and assessment alternatives throughout the semester. Total Semester Course Work will be given a mark out of 100%, which equals 80% of the final mark. The final exam will be given a mark out of 100%, which equals 20% of the final mark. An Interim mark out of 100% will be given approximately half way through the semester to indicate the student’s achievement to date.
Students will receive a mark based on the following criteria: Speaking and Listening The Department of Education describes this component as “developmental in nature, progressing from talk for the individual to the individual as participant in the conversation of the world in a meaningful context.” (ELA guide, 127) The outcomes range from building on the speech patterns of others to being able to question, elaborate and restate to analysis. Students will have a variety of opportunities to demonstrate their development in this area.
Percentage Value 25%
Reading and Viewing Students will be exposed to a variety of texts from a multitude of perspectives. Students will show how they construct meaning from these texts and how the texts bring meaning to them. Students will have viewing experiences that will enable them to become critical viewers so they can understand, interpret, and evaluate. Assignments will include informal work such as journal writing and formal pieces such as the essay.
25%
Writing and other ways of representing Students will be exposed to a variety of writing styles and will have the opportunity to develop their skills as writers. They will be complete formative pieces of writing such as in class free-writes and will also work on summative pieces including the essay. Students will have access to technology and they will incorporate it into the classroom. This will also provide students with a means of demonstrating their understanding of texts through a variety of forms of representation such as drama, art, and music. 30%
Final Exam20%
TOTAL: 100%
COURSE EVALUATION: Formative Assessment is to show growth over time, determine student needs, plan next step in instruction, and provide students with descriptive feedback. Summative Assessment is to determine the extent to which learning has occurred in students. Guiding Principles of Fair Assessment: The fundamental assessment principles endorsed by the Department of Education and Culture are as follows:
Assessment methods should be appropriate for and compatible with the purpose and context of the assessment.
Students should be provided with sufficient opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours being assessed.
Procedures for judging or scoring student performance should be appropriate for the assessment method used and be consistently applied and monitored.
Procedures for summarizing and interpreting assessment results should yield accurate and informative representations of a student’s performance in relation to the curriculum outcomes for the reporting period.
Assessment reports should be clear, accurate and of practical value to the audience for whom they are intended.
Assessment practices should be such that the best interests of the student are paramount
Assessment should inform teaching and promote learning.
Assessment is an integral and ongoing part of the assessment process and clearly related to the learning outcomes.
Assessment must be fair and equitable for all students and involve multiple sources of information.
Evaluation: Evaluation involves teachers and others in analysing and reflecting upon information gathered in a variety of ways about student learning. This process requires:
developing clear criteria and guidelines for assigning marks or grades to student work
synthesizing information for a variety of sources
weighing and balancing all information available
using a high level of professional judgement in making decisions based on the information available
Many times, students can show mastery of subject material in a variety of ways. I will do my level best to provide each student with opportunities and assessments that suit their strengths.
Communication I will communicate with parents throughout their child’s learning process and parents have a variety of ways for which to reach out. The methods of communication include, but are not limited to, the following:
PowerSchool
Emails
Communication logs
Parent teacher and curriculum events
Teacher’s website
Report cards
Phone Calls
More specifically, I can be reached at Jonathan Cumminger
I can be reached during school hours until 4pm. Please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible. I can be reached by email after school hours.