Brampton Christian Academy

Course Title: Course Code: Grade: Course Type: Credit Value: Prerequisite: Curriculum Policy Document: Department: Course Developer: Development Date: Course Revised By: Revision Date:

English EWC 4U Grade 12 Academic One ENG 3U English, The Ontario Curriculum Grades 11 and 12, 2007 (Revised) English Christina Yu July, 2010 Michael Grabham August, 2011

Grade 12 Writers Craft 2011-2012

Course Description
This course emphasizes knowledge and skills related to the craft of writing. Students will investigate models of effective writing; use a workshop approach to write a variety of works; and make considered decisions for improving the quality of their writing. They will also complete a creative or analytical independent study project and investigate opportunities for publication and for writing careers. Prerequisite: English, Grade 11 University Prep (ENG3U)

Course Expectations: By the end of the course, students will

demonstrate an understanding of writing as an art, a craft, and a career as they explore the work of a variety of Canadian and international writers. generate and experiment with ideas about writing content, forms, and styles; organize, draft, and revise their writing, employing forms and stylistic elements appropriate for their purpose and audience; use editing, proofreading, and publishing skills and strategies to refine and polish their work; collaborate in the writing process with peers by generating ideas, responding to peers work, and assessing peers work in a workshop setting. identify their strengths as writers and areas where they could improve, and assess the growth and development of their own writing style.

Units of Study Unit #1 Unit #2 Unit #3 Unit #4 Unit #5

Tell It Like It Is: Effectively Writing NonFiction and Essays Building A Parallel Universe: Learning the Tools of Fiction (Short Stories) My, What Big Teeth You Have: Reinventing Childrens Literature Message in a Bottle: Potency and Efficiency in Poetry/Song writing Understanding the Writers Craft (Independent Study Unit)*
Total Number of Hours

26 hours 26 hours 22 hours 26 hours 10 hours 110 hours

Course Evaluation Original written work/Compositions Journal Entries Participation in Class discussions and Workshop reports Class Anthology Final Culminating Task: Portfolio

35% 15% 10% 10% 30% Total 100%

Your Mark: Your final mark will be determined as follows: FINAL MARK 100% Knowledge / Understanding 15% Application 20%

Thinking / Inquiry 20%

Final Evaluation 30%

Communication 15%

Final Evaluation 30%

Knowledge/ Understanding 6.5% Thinking/ Inquiry 8.5% Assessment Strategies Journal entries & homework Workshop Reports Culminating Tasks (Incl. Major writing assignments, projects) Anthology Final Evaluation (ISU / Portfolio) Categories (K,T,C) (K,T) (K,T,C,A)

Application 8.5%

Communication 6.5% Relative Weight 1-2 1 4

(KTCA) (K,T,C,A)

1-2 30% of overall grade

Course Textbooks A variety of sources will be used throughout the year, all of which I will provide. Course Expectations Each unit (with the exception of Unit #5) will begin with guided reading as we analyze exemplars of a specific genre. As a group, we will study the texts and examine the decisions the authors have made in crafting the text, asking questions like: Why this form for this message? Why this method of organization? What does this have in common with other examples from the same genre? What makes it unique? You will begin writing down ideas for your own pieces in your journal during our discussion of published texts. Then you will use class time to map out your ideas and begin the process of writing. A good portion of this course will require you to use class time to write, evaluate, revise and edit. You will submit work to me according to the unit schedule I give you. I will provide you with specific written feedback for each piece you submit. I will take care to read attentively and respond constructively. You will not receive a grade on this work at this time- just anecdotal feedback. I will select several samples of student writing each unit to Workshop with the class. This will be a time where students can constructively critique the work of their peers and offer suggestions on how to improve the writing, based on the work we have studied from other professional writers. A good portion of your writing development will be a direct result from your ability to analyze and critique other students writing samples.

Workshop Rules 1) The teacher will make copies of the text before class for each student. 2) The author of the text will read the text. 3) The students will workshop the text orally, commenting on positive and negative aspects of the text, identifying problem areas, weaknesses, and points of confusion, and comparing/contrasting the text to the exemplars. 4) The author of the text should not defend the text during the discussion time. The job of the author is to listen and record any/all comments made by his/her peers. The purpose of the workshop is to get feedback and consider an action plan to ameliorate the original. 5) At the end of the discussion time, the author may choose to respond to particular points or simply comment in general on the whole workshop process. 6) The author must write a Writers Journal entry following the workshop where they respond to/ explore/ review the experience. About of the way into the unit, students will select one of their texts to make ready for publication. Near the units end they will submit this Final Draft text along with their portfolio of work in various stages of completion. Students will also keep a Writing Journal, recording self-assessments, their thoughts on assigned topics, their responses to texts read, and their development as a writer.