Grade 12 English - University 

ENG 4U
The Ontario Curriculum Grades 11 and 12 (Revised 2007)
Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools (First Edition, 2010)
English Department  Malvern C.I.  Toronto District School Board
Assistant Curriculum Leader: Andrew Patterson
Course developed by: Grade 12 English Teachers  Revised: September 2010
Credit Value: 1

Course Content
Description This course emphasizes consolidation of the literacy, communication and critical and creative thinking
skills necessary for success in academic and daily life. Students will analyse a range of challenging
literary texts from various periods, countries, and cultures; interpret and evaluate informational and
graphic texts; and create oral, written, and media texts in a variety of forms. An important focus will be
on using academic language coherently and confidently, selecting the reading strategies best suited to
particular texts and particular purposes for reading, and developing greater control in writing. The course
is intended to prepare students for university, college, or the workplace.
Prerequisite English, Grade 11, University Preparation

Resource  ViewPoints 12 / Reference Points

Materials  20th Century Anthology
 Regarding the Pain of Others
 The Stone Angel / The Wars / The In-Between World of Vikram Lall
 Hamlet
 Various plays of Modern Drama by Shaw, Ibsen, Chekhov, Synge, Beckett, Williams, Miller, Albee
 Teacher-generated in-class handouts
 Films and Videos
Overall Goals By the end of this course, students will demonstrate the following expectations across the four strands:
ORAL COMMUNICATION
1. Listening to understand – understand and respond appropriately in a variety of situations for a
variety of purposes;
2. Speaking to Communicate – use speaking skills and strategies appropriately to communicate
with different audiences for a variety of purposes;
3. Reflecting on Skills and Strategies – reflect on and identify their strengths as listeners and
speakers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful in oral
communication situation.
READING AND LITERATURE STUDIES
1. Reading for Meaning – read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary,
informational, and graphic texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning;
2. Understanding Form and Style –recognize a variety of text forms, text features, and stylistic
elements and demonstrate understanding of how they help communicate meaning;
3. Reading with Fluency – use knowledge of words and cueing systems to read fluently.
4. Reflecting on Skills and Strategies – reflect on and identify their strengths as readers, areas for
improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful before, during and after reading.
WRITING
1. Developing and Organizing Content – generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to
write for an intended purpose and audience;
2. Using Knowledge of Form and Style – draft and revise their writing, using a variety of literary,
informational, and graphic forms and stylistic elements appropriate for the purpose and
audience;

WRITING (cont’d.)
3. Applying Knowledge of Conventions – use editing, proofreading, and publishing skills and
strategies, and knowledge of language conventions, to correct errors, refine expression, and
present their work effectively;

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 4. Reflecting on Skills and Strategies – reflect on and identify their strengths as writers, areas for
improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful at different stages of the writing
process.

MEDIA STUDIES
1. Understand Media Texts – demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media texts;
2. Understand Media Forms, Conventions, and Techniques – identify some media forms and
explain how the conventions and techniques associated with them are used to create meaning;
3. Create Media Texts – create a variety of media texts for different purposes and audiences, using
appropriate forms, conventions, and techniques;
4. Reflecting on Skills and Strategies – reflect on and identify their strengths as media interpreters
and creators, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful in understanding
and creating media texts.
Major Units  Anthology Unit
 Novel Unit
 Shakespeare Unit
 Modern Drama Unit
 Independent Research Project

Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting

Strategies  In order to ensure that assessment and evaluation are valid and reliable, and that they lead to the improvement of
student learning, teachers must use assessment and evaluation strategies that: address both what students learn
and how well they learn; are based both on the categories of knowledge and skills, and on the achievement level
descriptions given in the achievement chart; are varied in nature, administered over a period of time, and
designed to provide opportunities for students to demonstrate the full range of their learning; are appropriate for
the learning activities used, the purposes of instruction, and the needs and experiences of the students; are fair to
all students; accommodate the needs of students with special education needs, consistent with the strategies
outlined in their Individual Education Plan; accommodate the needs of students who are learning the language of
instruction (i.e. English); ensure that each student is given clear directions for improvement; promote students’
ability to assess their own learning and to set specific goals; include the use of samples of students’ work that
provide evidence of their improvement; and are communicated to students and parents at the beginning of the
course or the school term and at other appropriate points throughout the school year.
Strategies will include:
 Self-assessment, Peer assessment, Teacher assessment and Teacher evaluation
 Written evaluations, Speaking and Listening evaluations, Media text evaluations
 All curriculum expectations must be accounted for in instruction, but evaluation focuses on students’
achievement of the fifteen overall expectations cited above. A student’s achievement of the overall expectations
(broad base) is evaluated on the basis of his/her achievement of related specific expectations (defined by the
particular content of scope of the knowledge and skills referred to ion the overall expectations).
 Teachers will use their professional judgement to determine which specific expectations should be used to
evaluate achievement of the overall expectations, and which ones will be covered in instruction and assessment,
but not necessarily evaluated.
Achievement
Strands Oral Communication Reading and Writing Media Studies
Weighting
Literature Studies
25% 25% 25% 25%

Term Grades  The grade for each reporting period is based on evaluations that have been conducted to that point in the course,
throughout and may be preliminary and tentative. They will be based on the most consistent level of achievement to that
the Year point in time, with an emphasis on more recent demonstrations, but some of the overall expectations may not yet
have been addressed in the first and second reports. The student’s grades may change when his/her entire work
accumulates and is evaluated at the end of the course (third/final report).

Course Work Course work will consist of, among other things, 8-12 minor and major assignments including:
70%
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 Persuasive Essay
Seminar on play(s) from the modern drama period
A review (e.g. book, film, video, graphic text, advertising campaign, CD, etc.)
A media assignment including the creation of a media text (e.g. website, documentary script)
Creative writing (e.g. short narrative, poetry, adaptation from one genre to another, etc.)
An in-class essay
Reflective pieces
Annotated Bibliography
Speaking and Listening activities (e.g. debate, note-taking, questioning, presentation, etc.)
An independent research project on one novel which includes:
i) a research-based oral presentation
ii) a literary essay
 A representative writing portfolio with reflective analysis

Missed or incomplete assignments will have an impact on the final grade when a significant number
of curriculum expectations have not been evaluated.
Course-  Final Evaluation will consist of a media/oral communication presentation in class in May/June (15%)
Culminating and a formal written exam in June (15%).
Activities  All students must take part in the culminating activities.
30%

Learning  Learning skills (Responsibility, Organization, Independent Work, Collaboration, Initiative, Self-Regulation)
Skills play a critical role in the achievement of curriculum expectations and student success. They are evaluated on a
four-point scale (E=Excellent; G-Good; S-Satisfactory; N-Needs Improvement). Learning skills are usually not
included as part of a curriculum expectation, and therefore are not considered in the determination of percentage
grades.
 Students are expected to be academically honest by submitting their own original work. The marks they receive
are intended to reflect their own academic achievement.
 See School Evaluation Policy (in Student Agenda Book)

Communication
Consultation  Students may approach the teacher during or after class (as appropriate). Student and
parent/guardians may also reach the teacher by phone, meet with the teacher in person at scheduled
Parent/Teacher Interview days (after the first and second report cards), or by special arrangement.
 Marks will be available at the end of each mark reporting period. (November, March, [April update
for universities/colleges], and June)

Help  Extra help is always available. Mutually convenient times can be scheduled by arrangement with the
teacher.

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