Course Syllabus

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2022 - 2023Syllabus

Section Teacher
E / J

Mr. J. Donnici
A / G

Mr. J. Sayers
A / H

Ms. Suleyman-Cuttilan

We would like to acknowledge that the land on which we gather is the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are honoured to live, work, and play on this land together.

As part of contribution to reconciliation, this course makes First Peoples Principles of Learning (Links to an external site.) visible in class by:

  • Embedding learning in story
  • Taking a reflective, experiential approach to learning, where students learn by creating and reflecting on their processes, and by engaging with the natural and outside world as much as possible
  • Exploring personal identity through responses to text 
  • Going through the writer's process to understand that learning takes patience and time
  • Exploring stories and themes that support the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, and past and future generations
  • Recognizing the role of Indigenous knowledge by engaging with texts by Indigenous authors, like There There by Tommy Orange.

The English 12 course engages students in the careful reading and critical analysis of various genres of literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. As they read, students consider a work’s structure, style and themes, as well as such smaller-scale elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism and tone.

Please feel free to contact me during work hours (7:30am - 5:00pm) by email (jdonnici@stgeorges.bc.ca), my school phone number 604-224-1304 (ext. 3643), or arranging an in-person meeting with me before or after class, or during lunch.

Typical assessments in English 12 include essays, close reading analysis, narrative and poetic writing, oral recitations, presentations and discussions or debates.

Both the school’s assessment expectations and supports that teachers provide can be found online. Academic dishonesty to any degree is not acceptable.

There are a variety of academic supports available at St. George’s for students. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the range of supports available to them which include:

  • Faculty support
  • 5th Block
  • Head of Grade
  • Student Success Centre
  • Personal Counselling

Based on the B.C. Ministry of Education curriculum, students will learn and be evaluated on the following knowledge and skills

  • Argumentation - Communicate a clear opinion support with specific evidence in
    a given style - 15%
  • Editing - Use the conventions of Canadian spelling, grammar, and punctuation
    correctly given the context - 5%
  • MLA Conventions - Correctly use conventions of language to integrate evidence
    and use MLA to appropriately cite sources according to assignment - 5%
  • Organization - Create effective, informative communications by using
    conciseness of language, logical development of ideas, use of transitions, and
    development of thesis - 10%
  • Presentation Skills - Demonstrate strategic presentation skills, including
    speaking (volume, pace, inflection, and emphasis) and body language (gestures,
    stance, movements, eye contact), appropriate to task - 15%
  • Synthesis - Synthesize multiple texts to justify a claim/argument - 10%
  • Use of Textual Elements - Compose creative texts using structures, elements,
    and devices - 10%
  • Theme and Purpose Analysis - Analyze the text for theme and purpose - 20%
  • Voice and Style - Effectively use rhetoric, literary devices, style, and descriptive
    language to craft a composition, using diction and syntax according to
    communication style and audience - 10%

The latest attempt at a learning outcome will be weighted for 65% a student's grade in that outcome, while the previous attempt(s) will be weighted for 35%. This means that improvement is valued and rewarded, allowing students to take risks and learn from mistakes early on in the course.

  • Please do not ask me what your mark is - this can be calculated using your grades on the learning outcomes and the weights listed above.

Resources that will be used as part of this course include:

  • Novels from the St. George's English 12 Summer Reading List (Links to an external site.).
  • There There by Tommy Orange
  • Othello by William Shakespeare Shakespeare
  • This course also involves the study of readings from many different sources. Additional readings will be selected by the instructor throughout the year and include short fiction, poetry, a selection of essays, speeches, films, visual texts, and excerpts from novels and plays. 

Most course work will be done in class, but students may be expected to read parts of assigned novels or plays outside of class. Some work on longer essays and projects may also be necessary outside of class time.

Students in this course are expected to complete work assignments on the date assigned and to submit their work on Canvas.

If circumstances prevent the student from completing a work assignment on the assigned due date, the student must inform the teacher prior to the due date for the work assignment. The teacher will provide a second due date through 5th block system.

Please see the unit tabs for detailed descriptions of each unit in this course.

This course embeds literacy practices within every lesson. Students will learn critical reading skills to help you critically read, interpret, and analyze prose. They will observe how the literary techniques they’ve explored in prior units unfold over the course of longer works and analyze how characters develop and interact over the course of a narrative. Students will delve deeper into the roles of character and conflict in fiction and explore how a narrator’s perspective can colour storytelling.

Students will be asked to demonstrate understanding through comprehension, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation tasks. They will develop their interpretation skills further by examining how contrast, ambiguous language, and various other techniques can add layers of meaning to a text. Each of these strategies will be just as useful when working with numbers (numeracy) as with literature.

Students will also be asked to share ideas using oral, written, and visual communication in both formal and informal settings.

This course incorporates Core Competencies into the routines, learning, and culture of the class in the following ways:

  • Creative thinking through crafting poetry and prose texts, along with interpreting literature creatively and personally
  • Critical thinking through reading texts closely to understand theme, purpose and subtext
  • Communication through collaborative group work, class discussions, and a variety of written, oral and visual communication methods
  • Personal responsibility by taking care of books and the classroom space, and managing deadlines 
  • Social responsibility by collaborating with peers and community members, and learning about social issues through literature

Bullying

St. George’s School does not tolerate bullying. Students are prohibited from bullying.

Bullying is conduct that is unwelcome to others, including other students and faculty members. This includes conduct which a reasonable person knows, or ought reasonably to know, is unwelcome to the recipient. Unwanted physical contact, verbal abuse and threats, unwelcome remarks including jokes, innuendo, or taunting (in verbal, written or digital form) about a person’s body, race, gender, attire, (perceived) sexual orientation, or religion are all forms of bullying. Other examples of bullying may include but are not limited to:

  • Physical violence such as hitting, pushing or spitting at another student;
  • Interfering with another student’s property, such as by stealing, hiding, or damaging it;
  • Using offensive names when addressing another student;
  • Teasing or spreading rumours about another student or their family;
  • Belittling another student’s abilities and achievements;
  • Writing offensive notes or graffiti about another student;
  • Unreasonably excluding another student from a group activity;
  • Ridiculing another student’s appearance, way of speaking or mannerisms; and/or
  • Misusing technology (internet or mobiles) to hurt, intimidate, embarrass, or humiliate another person.

Anyone who is the target of bullies is encouraged to report the bullying and not to suffer in silence. Speaking out and reporting bullying ensures the School can appropriately address the bullying and may help prevent other students from future bullying.

Students are required to:

  • Refrain from engaging in any kind of bullying;
  • Intervene to help support any student who is being bullied, unless it is unsafe to do so; and
  • Report to a member of faculty, staff, or administration any witnessed or suspected instances of bullying.

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due