Dr. E. P.

Scarlett High School

English Language Arts 20-1

COURSE OUTLINE
2020-2021

Welcome to English 20-1. I am looking forward to teaching and working with you this semester!

There are two basic aims in high school English Language Arts. One aim is to gain an understanding of
the artistry of literature. The second aim is to gain an understanding of our language and use it confidently
and correctly when communicating in a variety of formats with a variety of audiences.

The English Language Arts Program of Studies: General Outcomes

“Five general outcomes serve as the foundation for the program. General outcomes are broad statements
identifying what students are expected to demonstrate with increasing competence and confidence from
the beginning to the end of the program. The following are the five general outcomes in this program of
studies.
Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to:
 G.O. 1: explore thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences
 G.O. 2: comprehend literature and other texts in oral, print, visual and multimedia forms, and
respond personally, critically and creatively
 G.O. 3: manage ideas and information
 G.O. 4: create oral, print, visual and multimedia texts, and enhance the clarity and artistry of
communication
 G.O. 5: respect, support and collaborate with others”
https://education.alberta.ca/media/160418/ela-pos-10-12.pdf

A variety of tasks will be used to assess these general outcomes throughout the semester.

Evaluation:
General Outcomes 1, 3, 5: Explore, Manage, Collaborate 15%
 Assignments in which students explore, organize, represent, and collaborate in order to demonstrate
understandings of self, text, and context
General Outcome 2: Comprehend 20%
 Assignments, tests, and quizzes designed to build and assess reading comprehension, critical
thinking, and text analysis skills
 (projects, seminars, presentations, etc.)
General Outcome 4: Create 40%
 Assignments designed to build/assess analytical, expository, and creative writing skills
 (at least two Critical/Analytical Responses to Texts and two Personal Responses to Texts)

Final Exam (General Outcomes 2, 3, 4) 25%

 Part 1: Multiple Choice/Reading Comprehension 12.5%
 Part 2: Critical/Analytical Response to Texts 12.5%
Important Note: For significant assignments (particularly writing assignments), teachers will
provide feedback about how well a student is meeting curricular objectives and
course expectations, as well as provide suggestions for improvement. When a new
assignment appears in PowerSchool and the name of the assignment has an asterisk
(*) at the end, it means that feedback and suggestions have been provided. These
assignments should be discussed and reviewed in order to better understand a
student’s achievement of curricular objectives.

Course Overview:
Students will study a variety of texts that are selected by their teachers to meet the requirements of the
Alberta English Language Arts curriculum, to engage students' interests, and to address themes important
to the human condition. As a result, teachers will select texts related to the genres listed below and from
the lists provided. However, teachers reserve the right to supplement study of curricular outcomes with
supplemental texts.

Feature Film: Hidden Figures, Doubt, The Green Mile, Artificial Intelligence, The Social Network,
Whiplash, Fences, The Great Gatsby (Luhrmann), Beasts of the Southern Wild
Full-length Fiction: The Great Gatsby, Lord of the Flies, Life of Pi
Modern Play: The Crucible, Twelve Angry Men, Doubt
Shakespearean Play: Macbeth
Short Fiction, Poetry, Visual and Multimedia Texts, Essays, and Popular Nonfiction: for these
types of minor texts, teachers will choose a variety of each type in relation to themes being addressed in
class

A Note on Showing Feature Films in English Language Arts Classes: The English Language Arts
curriculum in Alberta requires or permits the study of feature film in all courses (more information can
be found here: http://www.learnalberta.ca/ProgramOfStudy.aspx?lang=en&ProgramId=370511#). In
Canada, each province is responsible for creating ratings for films distributed within that province. Most
provinces use the Canadian Home Video Ratings system: G, PG, 14A, 18A, R. While some of these
designations (G, PG, R) seem similar to the MPAA ratings from the United States, Alberta’s classifications
differ significantly. Whenever possible, teachers will use Alberta film ratings when making and
communicating choices about films being shown in English Language Arts classrooms. You can find more
information on film ratings in Alberta on the following website, including some comparisons between
MPAA (American) ratings and Alberta ratings for several recent films: https://www.alberta.ca/how-film-
ratings-compare.aspx. If you or your parents would prefer that you not participate in the study of a
particular feature film, please discuss this with your teacher.