Secondary English Language Arts (ELA) British Columbia
Test Preparation Services (TPS)
This page gives information about the British Columbia, secondary school English curriculum for grades 9-12, . This page includes the BC ELA reading & writing skills and genres, and how a parent can find a tutor to develop reading & writing in an accelerated parallel program.It also provides a short glossary of grade 12 literary terms and devices in English literature
Vancouver
British Columbia |
BC English Language Arts (ELA) Grade 9 & Grades 10-12 Curriculum (Derived from Official BC Ministry Website)
In British Columbia, the English Language program in grade 9 is actually part of the K-9 curriculum so must be looked at separately from the Secondary 10-12 curriculum. From grades 10-12 the Language Arts curriculum is separated into 5 strands of composition, creative writing, literary studies, New Media and spoken language (grade 12 also has an English Studies course). I will concentrate on the first 3.
The BC Curriculum outline is, in my view, the most coherent and easiest to read among all others in Canada. It is very readable and very logical and I'd encourage you to read it here for grade 9 Language Arts. here for grade 10-12 composition, grade 10-12 creative writing and grade 10 literary studies (the curricula for grades 10-12 in these areas are essentially the same). My purpose is to direct it primarily to reading and writing and to simplify it even further for parents wondering what it involves.
The BC Curriculum outline is, in my view, the most coherent and easiest to read among all others in Canada. It is very readable and very logical and I'd encourage you to read it here for grade 9 Language Arts. here for grade 10-12 composition, grade 10-12 creative writing and grade 10 literary studies (the curricula for grades 10-12 in these areas are essentially the same). My purpose is to direct it primarily to reading and writing and to simplify it even further for parents wondering what it involves.
Grade 9 ELA Reading Skills
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Grade 9 ELA Reading Genres
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1. Informational text
- Reports - Instructions 2. Expositions - Persuasive articles - Advertisements 3. Literature - Short stories - Novels - Conventional - Graphic - Poems - Literature - Songs |
Grades 9 ELA Writing Skills
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Grades 9 ELA Writing Genres
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Information texts
Creative writing
Descriptive writing
Persuasive writing
Personal Writing
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Grades 10-12 ELA Composition Skills
- generating or gathering ideas - free-writing - making notes, - drafting - revising and/or editing, - selecting appropriate format &layout.
- Considering evidence & source credibility, quality & reliability - Use acknowledgements and citations properly - avoid plagiarism and understanding protocols that guide use of First Peoples oral texts & knowledge - Using formal acknowledgements
- Improve spelling, grammar, & punctuation - Refine texts to improve clarity and impact: - creatively & critically manipulate language for effect - use techniques adjusting diction & form using : verbs effectively repetition substitution maintain parallelism, add modifiers, vary sentence types - avoiding common usage errors double negatives, mixed metaphors, malapropisms word misuse
reflecting on our processes determining strengths and challenges thinking about our own thinking, reflecting on our processes determining strengths and challenges • Understand elements of style: stylistic choices that make a specific writer distinguishable from others, including Diction Vocabulary, Sentence structure, Tone Voice: Point of view Humour, irony, satire, wit Perspective (e.g., persona)
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Grades 10-12 ELA Genres
The 5 main areas are narrative, expository, descriptive, persuasive, and opinion pieces
Information texts (Expository)
Creative writing (Narrative)
Persuasive writing
Personal Writing
Genres: literary or thematic categories
adventure, fable, fairy tale, fantasy, folklore, historical, horror, legend, mystery, mythology, picture book, science fiction, biography, essay, journalism, manual, memoir, personal narrative, speech) and Narrative Structures:
circular,
iterative, cyclical |
Glossary of Grade 12 Literary Devices
I have not included all devices listed in the BC Ministry page, just the ones that I think grade 12s often do not know. For the full list go into the official website.
allegory
alliteration allusion analogy antagonist anti-climax antithesis apostrophe anecdotal evidence archaic language aside assonance ballad ballad stanza blank verse cacophony caricature catastrophe character foil chorus colloquialism connotation consonance* couplet denotation dénouement diction didactic dissonance dramatic irony dramatic monologue dynamic character |
elegy
epic epilogue epiphany epigram epitaph euphemism euphony exposition expository essay extended metaphor farce figurative language flat character foil foreshadowing fframe story free verse genre hyperb iambic pentameter indeterminate ending internal rhyme jargon juxtaposition limited omniscient lyric melodrama metaphor metre |
objective point of view
octave ode omniscient point of view onomatopoeia oxymoron paradox parallelism parody pastoral pathos personification prologue proverb pun quatrain refrain round character satire sestet simile soliloquy sonnet stanza stream of consciousness static character stock / stereotyped character symbol thesis statement understatement |
Finding a Tutor
We have designed programs that can help with the reading and writing needs for a grade 9-12 program. Give us a call at 613 447 1622