Secondary English Alberta
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Test Preparation Services (TPS)
This page gives an outline of the Alberta, secondary school English curriculum for grades 9 and from 10-12. This page includes a simplified summary of the reading & writing aims, skills and genres, and how a parent can find a tutor to develop reading & writing in an accelerated parallel program.
Calgary
Alberta |
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What path does a student take?
Grade 9
The grade 9 curriculum is the upper part of the grades 7-9 curriculum sometimes called the middle school curriculum.
The curriculum is composed of
General Outcome 4 (Gr. 9)
Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to enhance the clarity and artistry of communication.
4.1 Enhance and ImproveAppraise own and others' work
General Outcome 5 (Gr. 9)
Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to respect, support and collaborate with others.
5.1 Respect Others and Strengthen Community Appreciate diversity
The curriculum is composed of
- Reading & writing to discover & explore thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences.
- Expressing ideas & developing understanding by exploring, developing & justifying own opinions & explaining how reading affect personal understandings
- Extend understanding by taking different points of view when rereading and reflecting on texts
- Experimenting with language and forms by developing & extending understanding, expressing & responding to ideas on the same topic,
- Expressing preferences by explaining them for texts and genres
- Setting goals by reflecting on own growth in language learning and use,
- Considering ideas of others by integrating own perspectives & interpretations with new understandings developed by variety of text discussion & experience
- Combining ideas by examining & re-examining ideas, information & experiences from different points of view to find patterns & see relationships
- Extending understanding by assessing whether new information extends understanding by considering diverse opinions and exploring ambiguities
- Reading & writing to comprehend & respond personally & critically to texts by using prior knowledge, comprehension strategies, cues, phonics, structural analysis & references
- Responding to texts by experiencing them from a variety of cultural traditions and genres, identiying & discussing how timeless themes are developed, considering historical context when developing own points of view or interpretations, compare and contrast own life situation, expressing themes & considering peers' interpretations referring to the texts for supporting or contradicting evidence
- Constructing meaning from texts by analyzing how the choices and motives of characters portrayed provide self insight into those of self and others, identifying and discussing themes and points of view, discussing and explaining various interpretations & relating the themes, emotions and experiences o issues of personal interest or significance
- Appreciating the artistry of texts by discussimg how techniques,enhance effect, discussing character development, describing how theme, dominant impression and mood are developed and sustained through choices in language use and the interrelationship of plot, setting and character & identifying features that define particular texts; discussing differences in style and their effects on content and audience impression
- Understanding forms, elements & techniques by explaining the relationships between purposes and characteristics of various forms and genres & evaluating the effectiveness,comparing the development of character, plot and theme in two texts, evaluating the effectiveness, considering the believability of plot and setting, the credibility of characters, and the development and resolution of conflict, comparing main characters of 2 texts from a different era, genre or medium, identifying ways that a change in narrator might affect the overall meaning and summarizing the content of texts, and suggest alternative treatments
- Experimenting with language by analyzing creative uses of language & recognizing how imagery and figurative language, create a dominant impression, mood and tone, generalizing from own experience to create oral, print and other media texts on a theme,
- Elaborating on the expression of ideas by creating texts on common literary themes
- Structure texts by create texts that interrelate plot, setting and character, and reveal the significance of the action & main and minor characters, showing how they develops and changes as a result of the action and events
- Reading & writing to manage ideas and information by planning & focusing attention by synthesizing ideas and information from a variety of sources to develop own opinions, points of view and general impressions and by assessing adequacy, accuracy, detail and appropriateness o texts to support or further develop arguments, opinions or points of view
- Determining information needs by selecting types and sources of information to achieve an effective balance between researched information & own ideas
- Planning to gather information by selecting information sources that will provide effective support, convincing argument or unique perspectives, selecting & using a variety of sources, and obtaining information reflecting multiple perspectives from a variety of sources,
- Accessing information expand & use a variety of tools and text features, such as organizational patterns of texts, to access information, distinguishing between primary & secondary sources, & determining the usefulness of each for research purposes, following up on cited references to locate additional information
- evaluate sources for currency, reliability and possible bias of information for a particular research project
- organize ideas and information by developing and selecting appropriate categories and organizational structures
- balance all sections of oral, print and other media texts and ensure sentences, paragraphs and key ideas are linked throughout
- develop coherence by relating all key ideas to the overall purpose of the oral, print or other media text
- use own words to summarize and record information in a variety of forms; paraphrase and/or quote relevant facts and opinions; reference sources
- select and record ideas and information that will support an opinion or point of view, appeal to the audience, and suit the tone and length of the chosen form of oral, print or other media text
- choose specific vocabulary, and use conventions accurately and effectively to enhance credibility
- evaluate usefulness, relevance and completeness of gathered information; address information gaps
- reflect on new understanding and its value to self and others
- communicate ideas and information in a variety of oral, print and other media texts, such as media scripts, multimedia presentations, panel discussions and articles
- integrate appropriate visual, print and/or other media to reinforce overall impression or point of view and engage the audience
- reflect on the research process, identifying areas of strength and ways to improve further research activities
General Outcome 4 (Gr. 9)
Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to enhance the clarity and artistry of communication.
4.1 Enhance and ImproveAppraise own and others' work
- share sample treatments of a topic with peers, and ask for feedback on the relative effectiveness of each
- work collaboratively to make appropriate revisions based on feedback provided by peers
- revise to ensure effective introductions, consistent points of view, effective transitions between ideas and appropriate conclusions
- revise to enhance effective transitions between ideas and maintain a consistent organizational pattern
- revise to combine narration, description and exposition effectively
- develop personal handwriting styles appropriate for a variety of purposes
- identify and experiment with some principles of design that enhance the presentation of texts
- distinguish between the denotative and connotative meaning of words, and discuss effectiveness for achieving purpose and affecting audience
- explore the derivation and use of words, phrases and jargon, including variations in language, accent and dialect in Canadian communities and regions
- experiment with the language and components of particular forms to communicate themes or represent the perspectives of a variety of people or characters
- identify and use parallel structure in own writing
- identify and use coordination, subordination and apposition to enhance communication
- use a variety of strategies to make effective transitions between sentences and paragraphs in own writing
- demonstrate the deliberate, conscientious and independent application of a variety of editing and proofreading strategies to confirm spellings in own writing
- identify situations in which careful attention to correct spelling is especially important
- identify and use variant spellings for particular effects, depending on audience, purpose, content and context
- use quotation marks to distinguish words being discussed in own writing
- use dashes to show sentence breaks or interrupted speech, where appropriate in own writing
- know that rules for punctuation can vary, and adjust punctuation use for effect in own writing
- select, organize and present information to appeal to the interests and background knowledge of various readers or audiences
- choose appropriate types of evidence and strategies to clarify ideas and information, and to convince various readers and audiences
- integrate a variety of media and display techniques, as appropriate, to enhance the appeal, accuracy and persuasiveness of presentations
- follow the train of thought, and evaluate the credibility of the presenter and the evidence provided
- provide feedback that encourages the presenter and audience to consider other ideas and additional information
General Outcome 5 (Gr. 9)
Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to respect, support and collaborate with others.
5.1 Respect Others and Strengthen Community Appreciate diversity
- examine how personal experiences, cultural traditions and Canadian perspectives are presented in oral, print and other media texts
- take responsibility for developing and sharing oral, print and other media texts and for responding respectfully to the texts of others
- analyze how oral, print and other media texts reflect the traditions, beliefs and technologies of different cultures, communities or periods in history
- explore and experiment with various ways in which language arts are used across cultures, age groups and genders to honour and celebrate people and events
- create or use oral, print and other media texts in ways that are respectful of people, opinions, communities and cultures
- contribute to group efforts to reach consensus or conclusions, by engaging in dialogue to understand the ideas and viewpoints of others
- discuss and choose ways to coordinate the abilities and interests of individual group members to achieve group goals
- generate and access ideas in a group, and use a variety of methods to focus and clarify topics for research or investigations
- share responsibility for the completion of team projects by establishing clear purpose and procedures for solving problems, monitoring progress and making modifications to meet stated objectives
- establish and use criteria to evaluate group process and personal contributions; set goals and make plans for improvement
What are the elements of the Alberta English Curriculum?
I have simplified the aims and paired them for reading and writing
In ELA 10-1, your teen will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to comprehend and respond to different types of fiction and nonfiction texts written by Canadian and global authors.
They will develop the foundations for strong reading, understand symbolic language and think critically about literary texts, including extended texts (a novel/nonfiction book, a feature film and a modern or Shakespearean play) and shorter texts (poetry, short stories, visuals/photographs and multimedia, and essays).
Your teen will demonstrate strong communication and language skills and create different types of texts, including fiction, nonfiction (e.g., essays, articles, reviews), poetry and presentations/media (e.g., speeches).
What are the Policies on Cancellations and Appeals?
To cancel, you must put in a request no less than 9 days before your test just to get 50% back . You can transfer it to another date if you give them the 9 days or more notice but even then they will still take away a fee of $50. Anything before 9 days will require documents such as a doctor's note or bereavement proof and is up to CELPIP to accept.
If you have received your score and disagree with the scoring, you can request a re-evaluation but do not wait too long because there is a 6 week time limit. You do not have to have the whole test reevaluated like with IELTS. Just state which of the 4 sub-skills (ie reading listening writing or speaking) you want redone and then pay the fee for that component.
To download the forms for cancellation or for reevlautions go into the official website under special request forms
To contact CELPIP about cancellations or reevaluations enquiries, phone their customer service number at at 778-327-6854 or info@celpip.ca
If you have received your score and disagree with the scoring, you can request a re-evaluation but do not wait too long because there is a 6 week time limit. You do not have to have the whole test reevaluated like with IELTS. Just state which of the 4 sub-skills (ie reading listening writing or speaking) you want redone and then pay the fee for that component.
To download the forms for cancellation or for reevlautions go into the official website under special request forms
To contact CELPIP about cancellations or reevaluations enquiries, phone their customer service number at at 778-327-6854 or info@celpip.ca