Sample Units

English Language Arts B10 Sample Unit:
The Unknown--Hopes and Fears

Unit Objectives

Planning and resource selection are determined by the foundational and learning objectives for English language arts. After the teacher has selected two units for study, the specific learning objectives designated for A10 are divided between the two units. It is understood that the learning objectives not addressed in this sample unit would be addressed in the second unit chosen by the teacher.

Throughout this unit, the following symbols are used to refer to the Common Essential Learnings (C.E.L.s):

COM Communication
CCT Critical and Creative Thinking
IL Independent Learning
PSVS Personal and Social Values and Skills
TL Technological Literacy
NUM Numeracy

Many of the objectives for English language arts also develop knowledge, skills and processes related to the C.E.L.s of Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, and Independent Learning. Where appropriate, objectives related to the C.E.L.s are explicitly stated in the sample unit to provide direction for teachers. Emphasis on particular C.E.L.s within a unit does not preclude the development of other Common Essential Learnings.

The Common Essential Learnings and several objectives addressed in this unit will require emphasis in both units of the English Language Arts A10 course. For example, the writing process and the behaviours of good speakers, listeners, and readers must receive attention, development, and extension in both units.

The following objectives were selected for this sample unit. Foundational objectives are identified by the symbol FO.

Oracy

Literacy

Oracy

Speaking

Students will:

• recognize that talk is an important tool for communicating, thinking, and learning (FO)
• speak to share thoughts and opinions
• practise the behaviours of effective speakers (FO)
• recognize and use oral presentation elements effectively
• organize information, thoughts, and opinions in an appropriate format
• speak fluently and confidently in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes and audiences (FO)
• participate in small and large group discussions
• explain and defend personal point of view to others
• introduce people in an informal setting
• prepare an oral reading of prose, poetry, or other literature.

Listening

Students will:

• recognize listening as an active, constructive process (FO)
• anticipate a message and set a purpose
• attend
• seek and check understanding by making connections, and making and confirming predictions and inferences
• interpret and summarize
• listen to understand and learn
• practise behaviours of effective listeners (FO)
• identify speaker's purpose
• recognize and recall main and supporting ideas in presentations
• distinguish between fact and opinion.
• listen effectively in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes (FO)
• follow oral directions
• analyze the effectiveness of an oral presentation.

Oracy

Literacy

Literacy

Writing

Students will:

• recognize writing as a constructive and recursive process (FO)
• use the writing process
• use appropriate pre-writing and planning strategies
• develop ideas previously explored into draft form
• revise compositions
• share/present compositions
• practise the behaviours of effective writers (FO)
• state a topic sentence clearly and limit the content to pertinent material
• develop ideas rather than just restating them
• use various methods of development and organization appropriate to purpose
• compose suitable endings
• analyze and evaluate their own and others' writing for ideas, organization, sentence clarity, word choice, and mechanics
• develop effective paragraphs
• organize ideas in multi-paragraph compositions
• write fluently and confidently for a variety of purposes and audiences (FO)
• reflect, clarify, and explore ideas
• express understanding
• describe, narrate, inform, and persuade
• write social letters in language appropriate to purpose and audience
• experiment with other forms of writing such as poem, play, anecdote, and short story.