Course Syllabus
Faculty
Teacher |
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Ms. C. Woodruff |
Ms. A. Kennedy |
Mr. M. Stiles |
Ms. J. Torry |
Ms. H. Jacobs |
Mr. R. Roberts |
Contacting Me
As the teacher for this course, I can be contacted in the following ways:
- Name: Rick Roberts
- Office: 225A (up the stairs and around the corner from the upper art room)
- Email: rroberts@stgeorges.bc.ca
- Phone: 604 224 1304
I am available for contact during these times: 7:30 AM - 6 PM
Course Description
The Grade 10 year provides a crucial transition between junior and senior English studies. Through cross-genre explorations of such themes as forming relationships between people, the land, and our environment, students are challenged creatively to discover themselves as individuals with opinions which matter.
In the new curriculum, the course is split into two half-year courses: Literary Studies 10 and one choice course. Literary Studies allows students to delve more deeply into literature as they explore specific themes, periods, authors, or areas of the world through literary works in a variety of media. By examining a range of texts including novels, short stories, poetry, and drama, students will develop key analysis and interpretation skills, applying them to formal written compositions. While deepening an appreciation for literature, students will also become more proficient in the literary forms, techniques, and devices that writers use to effectively convey their opinions and themes.
Course Expectations
St. George’s School expects all students at the Senior School to be interested and motivated in achieving their personal best while at the School. We expect students will be engaged in their endeavours, responsible to their studies, classmates and teachers, and demonstrate integrity in their pursuit of learning.
Workload
Most course activities will be completed in class; however, students will be expected to complete some reading and review at home in preparation for class. Some assignments may be taken home to be completed if they are not completed in class.
Submitting work
Students in this course are expected to complete work assignments on the date assigned and to submit their work on Canvas.
If circumstances prevent a student from completing an assignment on time, informing the teacher at the start of class that work could not be completed is useless and disrespectful. Best practice is a message delivered at least the day before from a parent or guardian, explaining two things: 1. why the work could not be completed; and, 2. when the work will be completed and submitted.
Instructional Aims
Based on the B.C. Ministry of Education curriculum, students will learn through the following experiences:
- Read for enjoyment and to achieve personal goals
- Understand the importance of place, perspectives, and ownership in working with texts
- Recognize the text features and structures appropriate to specific format
- Reflect on their reading and communication skills to grow their self-awareness
- Respond to text in personal, creative, and critical ways
- Demonstrate speaking and listening skills in a variety of formal and informal contexts for a range of purposes
Learning Outcomes
Based on the B.C. Ministry of Education curriculum, students will learn and be evaluated on the following knowledge and skills:
- Infer the impact of the author’s perspective, values, and context on the meaning of a text.
- Make thematic connections between multiple texts
- Demonstrate strategic comprehension skills for written, visual, oral, and multimodal texts (independent vs. with help; Bloom’s, annotations).
- Explain how literary elements and devices support a theme (motif vs. Theme).
- Make a coherent and clear claim that is supported with concrete and specific evidence.
- Apply tone, stylistic elements, and transitions appropriately for formal and informal communication.
- Proofread, edit, and polish with a focus on pronoun case agreement, conjunctions, punctuation, wordiness.
- Use MLA formatting for in-text citations to cite quotes appropriate to the task.
Assessment and Evaluation
A student's final mark will be determined by evaluation of their ability to demonstrate proficiency in these skills and learning these concepts.
Major assessments for this course include:
- Literary analysis essay
- Synthesis essay within our "A & P" unit
- Synthesis project within our Romeo and Juliet unit
Assessment Weightings:
Assignments will be entered into the following skill-based assessment buckets. Final marks will be calculated according to these weightings.
- Reading - 40%
- Writing - 40%
- Speaking and Listening - 20%
We anticipate adjustments may be made throughout the year due to the extenuating circumstances we are facing. Any adjustments will be posted here and discussed as a class.
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
First Peoples Principles
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 visible in class by:
- Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place).
- Learning recognizes the role of indigenous knowledge.
- Learning is embedded in memory, history, and story.
- Learning requires exploration of one’s identity.
- Learning involves recognizing that some knowledge is sacred and only shared with permission and/or in certain situations.
Literacy/Numeracy
This course embeds literacy practices within every lesson. Students will be asked to demonstrate understanding through comprehension, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation tasks (e.g. reading texts, connecting texts to self, evaluating the effectiveness of authors’ techniques). They will also be asked to share ideas using oral, written, and visual communication in both formal and informal settings (e.g. discussions, oral presentations, multimedia).
Learning Resources
Resources that will be used as part of this course include:
- Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese
- various poems/songs
- "A & P" by John Updike
- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Extension Resources
Helpful resources that students can use to extend their learning in this course include:
- St. George's Learning Commons
- Owl Purdue Grammar - https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/grammar/index.htm
Canvas Information
Canvas is where course content, grades, and communication will reside for this course.
- canvas.stgeorges.bc.ca
- For Canvas, passwords, or any other technical support contact the SGS Service Desk.
- 604 221-3654
- Sr Room 121
- SGSServiceDesk@stgeorges.bc.ca
St. George's School Student Code of Conduct
St. George’s School shares a proud tradition as a learning community committed to both academic excellence and character development. We strive for growth within our personal lives while maintaining respect for and contributions to the broader community.
The purpose of the Student Code of Conduct is to ensure that
- A safe, caring, and productive teaching and learning environment exists.
- We maintain appropriate balances among individual and collective interests and responsibilities.
- There is clarity around standards and expected student behaviour at school, in the community, and online through social media.
- We encourage and practice environmental stewardship.
The core values which provide the foundation for the Student Code of Conduct are:
- Empathy
- Humility
- Integrity
- Respect
- Responsibility
- Resilience
Conduct Expectations
- I commit myself to strive for honourable behaviour in my daily life, according to the standards as set forth by the School. I will try to be faithful to my parents, my School, my friends, and myself.
- I will avoid bringing any ill-repute to the School at any time, including evenings, weekends, or over any school break or holiday.
- I will comply with all school policies as they relate to upholding the standard of excellence of St. George’s School at all times.
- I understand, accept, and will respect all of my school-related commitments and responsibilities.
- I will arrive to school on time and attend all classes, assemblies, practices, rehearsals, and field trips as outlined by my teachers.
- I will obtain necessary permission to leave class or school.
- I will take pride in my personal appearance.
- I will be dressed appropriately at all times for all events as outlined by the School.
- I will abide by the grooming rules as outlined in the Standards of Dress and Appearance section and always observe the accepted standards of personal hygiene.
- I will behave in a way that always brings credit to the School, with integrity, empathy, respect, and humility.
- I recognize that the taking of tests and exams requires an exemplary standard of honesty and will not misrepresent myself by cheating, copying, or plagiarizing.
- I recognize that integrity is a clear expectation and that borrowing of possessions of others without their consent is stealing.
- I will care for all property, whether it is public or a peer’s personal possessions.
- I will avoid disruptive behaviour at all times, and will strive to treat all others with great respect.
- I will adhere to the School’s policies regarding the appropriate use of technology, including online communication, electronic devices, and the internet.
- I will avoid any possession, use, or distribution of alcohol, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cannabis and illicit drugs or related paraphernalia, weapons, replica weapons, or any other dangerous or illegal items or substances.
- I will demonstrate responsible use and protection of the natural environment through conservation and sustainable practices.
Academic Integrity
Academic Integrity means honesty and responsibility in scholarship. It is the commitment and obligation of all students, faculty, parents/guardians, and administration to ensure that all academic work stems from the student’s own efforts. Academic Dishonesty erodes the ethical climate of honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness, and trust in our school community. At St. George's School, Academic Dishonesty to any degree is not acceptable. In addition to any other consequence, students found to have engaged in Academic Dishonesty shall not receive a mark for work that is the result of Academic Dishonesty.
Academic Dishonesty includes any conduct with the intent to gain an unfair advantage in connection with an academic assessment. Academic Dishonesty can occur in many ways. Common forms of Academic Dishonesty include, but are not limited to, cheating, falsification, plagiarism, and tampering.
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Cheating occurs when an individual undermines the integrity of an assessment (including homework and other assignments, reports, projects, quizzes, tests, exams, or other forms of performance evaluations). Examples of cheating include:
- Copying any part of an assessment;
- Allowing others to copy any part of an assessment;
- Improperly giving or receiving assessment information;
- Using unauthorized resources for or during an assessment;
- Submission of the same assessment more than once; and/or
- Skipping classes to avoid an assessment.
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Falsification: occurs when an individual has changed information in order to make one believe something that is not true. Examples of falsification include:
- Falsifying research findings, whether in laboratory experiments, field trip exercises, or other assignments;
- Alteration or falsification of academic reports or other academic records for any purpose;
- Submission of false credentials;
- Making false representation on an application for admission; and/or
- Requesting the extension of a deadline or delaying the taking or sitting of an assessment citing reasons known to be false, including submitting false documentation supporting that request.
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Plagiarism: occurs when an individual submits or presents the work and/or idea of another person as his or her own, in essence lying. This includes the copying of images, sound, video, and other forms of intellectual property. Examples of plagiarism include:
- Lack of recognition given to the original author for phrases, sentences, and ideas of the author incorporated in a paper or project; and/or
- A portion of a document is copied from an author, or composed by another person, and presented as original work of the student.
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Tampering occurs when individual has interfered with information for the purpose of academic gain. Examples of tampering include:
- Unauthorized access to, use of, or alteration of computer data and information;
- Gaining academic advantage by using technology that inhibits the use of the resources by others;
- Damage to or destruction of library or laboratory resources; and/or
- Willful or negligent damage to the academic work of a fellow student and/or teacher.
Academic Supports
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
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 |
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