Hamiota Collegiate, 2014-2015

Grade 11 English Language Arts, Course Outline

Teacher: Ms. B. Hammond
Contact Information: bhammond@pwsd.ca
Class Website: mshammondsclass.weebly.com

Period 1/2 Semester One (September 2014 - January 2015) Room 13

Course Overview: Welcome to Grade 11 English (comprehensive focus)! This course is designed to build
upon the language arts abilities youve obtained in your previous 11 years (good for you!) as an English
student. Over the next 5 months you will explore, develop, and enhance skills within each of the 6 strands of
language arts: writing, reading, speaking, representing, viewing, and listening. To do this, you will be
studying texts from a variety of forms and genres, and working with both pragmatic (50%) and aesthetic
(50%) versions.

General ELA Outcomes:
Students will listen, speak, read, write, view, and represent to
1. Explore thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences
2. Comprehend and respond personally and critically to oral, print, and other media texts
3. Manage ideas and information
4. Enhance the clarity and artistry of communication
5. Celebrate and build community
*For more information visit: http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/ela/curdoc.html

General Assessment Guidelines:
There are 2 major purposes for assessment in this course:
1. Assessment for learning (formative assessment): This helps me gain insight into what you
understand so that I may plan and guide instruction based on your educational needs, and give you
the practice and feedback necessary to excel at summative assessments. Formative assessments are
not worth marks.
2. Assessment of learning (summative assessment): This informs me, you and your parents of your
progress at achieving the ELA outcomes once we have finished a segment of study. Summative
assessments are worth marks.

MY Assessment Guidelines:
Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the predetermined due date
o If this is a problem, students are expected to discuss this with me ahead of time
Late assignments will result in a phone call home, then the loss of late marks, and, finally, a zero
Plagiarized assignments will automatically receive a zero
If you are willing to put in the effort, I am willing to help you succeed. If you bomb an assignment,
you are welcome to re-do, then re-submit it.

Classroom Rules & Expectations: All members of the classroom will
1. Commit to making the classroom a safe space. Therefore:
a. All members of the classroom will be respectful of the opinions, ideas, culture, and
overall person of other members of the classroom, whether they agree with them or not
2. Respect their classmates right to learn & work within a school environment. Therefore:
a. There will be no talking while the teacher is giving instruction to ensure that students receive
complete and uncompromised instruction AND there will be no distracting behaviour to
ensure that students have a work-conducive environment to work on their assignments
3. Will put forth their best effort to hand in their best work by the end of the unit in order
to learn responsibility, stay organized, and avoid worrying the parents
4. Will remain quiet during Oh Canada out of respect for the wonderful country they live in, and
during announcements out of respect for the wonderful school that they go to
5. All members of the classroom must use technology in a relevant and respectful manner.
a. Cell phones can be an asset to the classroom when used academically for research, voice
recording, note-taking, or video recording, and so, for these reasons ONLY will they be
permitted in class
Hamiota Collegiate, 2014-2015
Unit Descriptions
Personal Writing (~Sept. 3-Sept. 19) 10% of Course Grade
In this introductory unit, students will explore expressive and creative writing. Students will view literary
elements and techniques used in non-fiction writing, as well as poetry and visuals. Assignments may include:
The Best Ever Assignment 10%
Mandala 20%
Autobiography/Obituary 20%
Memoir 50%

The Curious Incident (~Sept. 23-Oct. 17) 10% of Course Grade
During the unit, students will study the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Students will
review writing variables and techniques of character development. Assignments may include:
Writing Mechanics Booklet 10%
5 Things Novel Writing Log 10%
Character Essay 40%
Expository Writing Piece 40%

Create-Your-Own Holiday (~Oct. 20-Nov. 4) 10% of Course Grade
Students will work together to create and celebrate an impactful community, national, or global holiday.
They will work on communication, teamwork, and reflection skills. Assignments may include:
Holiday Action Plan 20%
Pitch & Pitch Delivery 50%
Individual & Group Reflections 30%

Pop Culture (~Nov. 5-Dec. 5) 15% of Course Grade
This unit will explore the concept of popular culture in a global, continental, and national context. Students
will work to understand Canadian culture, and to view it with a critical eye. Assignments may include:
Timeline 10%
Lyrical Analysis 15%
Pop Culture Magazine 75%

Defining A Hero (~Dec. 8-Jan. 16) 15% of Course Grade
Students will seek to form a personal opinion in response the question: What truly defines a hero? by
studying a variety of heroes, villains, and anti-heroes both real-life and fictional. Assignments may include:
Interpretive Shakespeare Scene 20%
Creative Visual (Hero of Choice) 30%
Persuasive Piece (Hero of Choice) 30%
The Hero in You Reflective Assignment 20%

Independent Novel (Ongoing) 10% of Course Grade
Over the course of the year, students will be expected to read at least 1 text independently, and complete a
collection of written and representative works surrounding their text of choice. Assignments may include:
5-Form Novel Study 100%

Exam Prep & Final Exam (~Jan. 19-Jan. 23) 25% of Course Grade
Students will spend the final week of classes reviewing examples of past exams, and practicing both the
written and response skills they have been developing throughout the semester. Assignments include:
Divisional ELA Exam 100%

*Note: Students will also be completing a goal-setting and written response journal throughout the year.
This will make up the remaining 5% of their course grade.

Hamiota Collegiate, 2014-2015
Final Note for Students: I look forward to getting to know you, and to teaching you one of my favorite
subjects on the planet! I hope that you enjoy your second-last year of first-credit English as much as I did,
back in the day. I want you to know that I am dedicated to helping you succeed in this class, and will do my
very best to make myself available during noon hours and after school, should you need any assistance
outside of class. If you are a social savant, extra-curricular extraordinaire, or plain ol workaholic, and you
dont have time to meet, DO NOT be afraid to shoot me an email or shoot up your hand in class. Best wishes
heading into Grade 11 ELA heres to a fantastic semester!

Final Note for Parents: I look forward to working with your teen, and helping to explore his/her
identity, dreams, and goals. Just as I welcome your son or daughter to be a part of the classroom community,
I welcome you as well! I encourage you to call, email, or stop by the classroom as much as you like. If you
have any questions, comments, or concerns however large or small please, do not hesitate to contact me.



After BOTH you AND your parents have read through this course outline:
1. Throw down your signatures!
2. Rip this sheet off the course outline!
3. Hand it in to me for a chance to win the first SWEET PRIZE of the school year!
4. KEEP the rest of the course outline in your binder! Seriously. I mean it.

I have read the Grade 11 ELA course outline and am familiar with its contents. I have reviewed the
classroom rules and expectations and am prepared to participate in a positive way according to
these rules and expectations. I understand that this is a classroom contract and will try my best
uphold it.

Date Read: ____________________________________________

Students name: ________________________________________________________
Students signature: _____________________________________________________

Parent/Guardians name(s): ________________________________________________
Parent/Guardians signature(s): _____________________________________________

Any initial comments or concerns: ____________________________________________
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