Overview

Course Outline

Welcome to English 10-1!

This is the first of the three five- credit English courses you need to obtain an Alberta high school diploma. Following is a detailed description of general concepts, areas of study, and methods of evaluation.

 As a class, we will review, develop and practice skills in the six language arts strands of reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing and representing. These six areas of communication are interrelated and interdependent.

 Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to:

• explore thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences
• comprehend and respond personally and critically to oral, print and other texts
• manage ideas and information
• create oral, print, visual, and multimedia texts to enhance the clarity and artistry of communication
• respect, support and collaborate with others

Grading

English 10-1 consists of 7 Modules, each worth 10% of your grade, and a Final Exam, worth 30%, for a combined 100% course grade. 
 

• Module 1: 3 assignments, each worth 3.33%
  
  
• Module 2: 4 assignments, each worth 2.5%
  
  
• Module 3: 4 assignments, each worth 2.5%
  
  
• Module 4: 4 assignments, each worth 2.5%
  
  
• Module 5: 4 assignments, each worth 2.5%
  
  
• Module 6: 4 assignments, each worth 2.5%
  
  
• Module 7: 2 assignments, each worth 5%

In the next pages of the course outline, you will learn about lessons, journal entries, assignments, and discussion boards - all the elements you will need to successfully complete English 10-1.

1) Lessons and Journal Entries

The lessons are the material you need to understand in the course. You will read the lessons, and then complete assignments based on the lessons. Within the lessons, there are questions, suggested answers, readings and journal entries. You must answer the questions as you read, and check your answers with the suggested answers in the course. You also must complete all journal entries. Some assignments throughout the course will ask for you to submit your journal entries. They should be complete according to the instructions. 

You must also complete the readings. Some will be in your textbook and others will be found in the lessons. 

2) Assignments

Assignments in English 10-1 are called challenges. They are labelled based on where they appear in the course. Challenges in Module 1 are titled M1 and the challenges are numbered in order, such as C1, C2, C3, C4. So the first assignment in Module 1 is titled M1C1. The second is M1C2. 

Each assignment is different. They consist of questions and tasks that must be completed. The entire assignment must be completed fully and handed in in the order they appear. 

For example, all Module 1 assignments must be handed in first, then Module 2 assignments. This is done because the skills learned throughout the course are scaffolded. Skills from Module 1 are expected to be used in Module 2, and so on. 

If you have questions about your assignments, make sure to refer to the assignment and the question in your email. For example, say you are working on M3C2 Task 4 and I will be able to help you much faster.

3) Discussion Boards

There is a discussion board in the course, consisting of one topic for each module. It is your responsibility to participate in each discussion for the module five times: posting once and responding to others four times. This means you will post at least 35 times throughout the course. 

This must be completed to successfully finish the course. 

4) Marking, feedback and improving grades

When an assignment is submitted, it sends a notification to the teacher. Once the teacher marks the assignment, the student receives a notification. In the course, the grade is updated, which can be found in Grades under the Navigation Heading on the left hand menu, and feedback is provided in both writing and on the rubric. Make sure to read the feedback, as it provides valuable information on to improve. 

If you are unhappy with a mark on a challenge, don't understand what needs to be improved or want help to improve, reach out to your teacher to meet and discuss feedback and options. Make sure to reach out when you need help, and not at the end of the course. It is important to ask for help throughout the course if you want to take advantage of opportunities to improve at the end of the course. 

Rewrites are not permitted. At the end of the course, once everything is submitted, students are allowed to meet with their teacher to discuss opportunities to demonstrate their learning and receive higher grades. This cannot occur until the entire course is complete. For example, if a student finishes the course and has earned a 75%, but would like to earn an 80%, they can meet with their teacher and discuss how to achieve this. Additional assignments can be completed. However, in order to have access to this opportunity, students must have demonstrated hard work throughout the course, having been engaged, asking questions, responding to feedback and connecting with their teacher. This opportunity is not available to all students; only students who have demonstrated a high level of commitment to the course and improving will be given this chance.