The purpose of the high school English program is to assist students in acquiring the skills, attitudes, and knowledge needed to meet the everyday requirements of life. Students will communicate confidently and competently, and deepen their understanding and appreciation of literature. English Language Arts courses are required in Grades 10, 11 and 12 and every student must complete English 30-1 or 30-2 to graduate.
The primary goals of a high school English Language Arts (ELA) program are to provide students with an understanding and appreciation of a broad range of texts, and to enable students to use language effectively for a multitude of purposes and in a variety of situations. ELA focuses on six areas of language arts: listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing and representing. There are two main course sequences in English as well as an Advanced Placement program. In each course sequence, students can expect to have thought-provoking discussions about a range of genres (including novels, films, short stories, poetry, plays, non-fiction and much more). Both sequences allow students to engage with the English language in meaningful ways and will open many doors down the road. It is important that students to talk to their counselors to make sure that the chosen course sequence is opening the doors they need it to.
English 10-1 (5 credits)
Recommended Prerequisite: 60% in Language Arts 9
English 10-1 revolves around how you engage with texts and how you express yourself after you have. Students who take this course sequence will spend much of their time studying, creating and analyzing a variety of complex literary texts.
English 10-2 (5 credits)
Recommended Prerequisite: 40%-60% in Language Arts 9
English 10-2 allows students to improve grammar and sentence-building skills through a variety of assignments in functional, creative and analytical writing. Similar to the -1 course sequence, students will engage with a wide range of texts but there will be less emphasis on literary analysis.
English 20-1 (5 credits)
RecommendedPrerequisite: 60% in English 10-1
English 20-1 revolves around how you engage with texts and how you express yourself after you have. Students who take this course sequence will spend much of their time studying, creating and analyzing a variety of complex literary texts.
English 20-2 (5 credits)
Recommended Prerequisite: 50% in English 10-2 or 40% (or greater) in English 10-1
English 20-2 allows students to improve grammar and sentence-building skills through a variety of assignments in functional, creative and analytical writing. Similar to the -1 course sequence, students will engage with a wide range of texts but there will be less emphasis on literary analysis.
English 30-1 (5 credits)
Recommended Prerequisite: 60% in English 20-1
English 30-1 revolves around how you engage with texts and how you express yourself after you have. Students who take this course sequence will spend much of their time studying, creating and analyzing a variety of complex literary texts.
This is a diploma course - students will write a government exam worth 30% of their final mark.
English 30-2 (5 credits)
Recommended Prerequisite: 50% in English 20-2 or 40% (or greater) in English 20-1
English 30-2 allows you to improve your grammar and sentence-building skills through a variety of assignments in functional, creative and analytical writing. Similar to the -1 course sequence, students will engage with a wide range of texts but there will be less emphasis on literary analysis. Both course sequences meet diploma requirements and require that you write a diploma exam upon completion of the 30 level course. Not all post-secondary institutions accept English 30-2 for entry, so make sure you’re familiar with entrance requirements for the institutions and programs you’re considering.
This is a diploma course - students will write a government exam worth 30% of their final mark.
Knowledge & Employability
English 10-4, 20-4 and 30-4
The aim of English language arts is to enable each student to understand and appreciate language and to use it confidently and competently in a variety of situations for communication, personal satisfaction and learning purposes. Knowledge and Employability English language arts focuses on developing the basic language competencies needed for everyday living at home, in the community and in the workplace highlighting six language arts: listening, speaking, reading writing, viewing and representing.
Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to
Explore thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences.
Comprehend literature and other texts in oral, print, visual and multimedia forms and respond personally, critically and creatively.
Manage ideas and information
Create oral, print, visual and multimedia texts and enhance the clarity and artistry of communication.
Respect, support and collaborate with others.
Advanced Placement
What is Advanced Placement?
Advanced Placement (AP) is a program run by the College Board, which offers students enrichment of University-level courses in high school. The College Board is the same organization that creates the SATs.
Why take Advanced Placement?
AP has four major benefits, including enrichment and academic recognition in over 60 countries and 600 post-secondary institutions. These courses are independent of one another, thus a student can take only 20-1AP or 30-1AP if they wish. Teacher recommendation will be required for all courses.
Students get to work in a challenging environment. The course progresses at a pace suitable for curious, independent and motivated students.
Advanced Standing for Admissions– When students score in the three to five range on their AP Exam, they may get a converted GPA for their exam, replacing their course mark, for admission purposes. For example, the University of Alberta currently equates a score of five to 96 percent for admission purposes. This allows students to have a more competitive average and apply for additional scholarships in many cases.
Post-secondary credit or Advanced Standing– Students may receive university credit or advanced standing if successful on their final AP exam. If students take both English 20AP (Language and Composition) and English 30AP (Literature and Composition), they can receive (up to or recognition for) six credits of English at their post-secondary institution. Current transfer information for Alberta post-secondary institutions can be found here: http://alis.alberta.ca/ec/ep/aas/ta/ibap.html.
Financial Benefit – The College Board offers a number of scholarships for students who receive advanced standing. There is also a savings from tuition as students may receive credit for English 100 in high school. Therefore, the expensive university tuition is not required and your first year course-load may be lighter.
Advanced Placement (AP) is a program run by the College Board, which offers students the enrichment of university-level courses in high school. The College Board is the same organization that creates the SATs. AP has four major benefits, including enrichment and academic recognition in over 60 countries and 600 post-secondary institutions.
Course materials fee: In order to allow students to annotate their readings, AP students are expected to purchase copies of all novels and plays. The cost is approximately $35 for books in 20-1AP and approximately $70 for books in 30-1AP. Materials will be ordered based on the registration list in early May. If students later choose to drop AP, they may still be charged if the books have already been ordered.
Exam fee: $120 for the Advanced Placement exam. The College Board does have a financial assistance program for eligible students. Students who register for AP will automatically be registered to write the exam. If a student later decides to drop the course, an exam cancellation fee will be charged by the College Board.
English 20-1 Advanced Placement: Language and Composition (5 credits)
Prerequisite: English 10-1 (75%+) or teacher recommendation
English 20-1AP will integrate the Alberta Learning program of studies with the Advanced Placement Language and Composition curriculum, which focuses on rhetorical analysis of nonfiction texts. Students who register for English 20-1AP are automatically registered to write the AP exam in May (additional cost) but they may opt out of the exam and choose to simply take the course for the opportunity to challenge themselves intellectually. Students will receive a mark on their high school transcript for English 20-1; however, if they succeed on the AP exam, they can also receive university credit at eligible post-secondary institutions. This is an Advanced Placement course and will be as rigorous as a university course. Course materials must be read prior to the start of the course for students to be successful.
English 30-1 Advanced Placement: Literature and Composition (5 credits)
Prerequisite: English 20-1AP or 20-1 (75%+) or teacher recommendation
English 30-1AP will integrate the Alberta Learning program of studies with the Advanced Placement Literature and Composition curriculum. The AP English Literature and Composition course engages students in the critical analysis of fiction and poetry. As they read, students consider a work’s structure, style, themes, figurative language, imagery, symbolism and tone. Students who register for English 30-1AP are automatically registered to write the AP exam in May (additional cost) but they may opt out of the exam and choose to simply take the course for the opportunity to challenge themselves intellectually. Students will receive a mark on their high school transcript for English 30-1; however, if they succeed on the AP exam, they can also receive university credit at eligible post-secondary institutions. This is an Advanced Placement course and will be as rigorous as a university course. Course materials must be read prior to the start of the course for students to be successful. This is also a diploma course where students will write a government exam worth 30% of their final mark.
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Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are on Treaty 6 territory, a traditional meeting grounds, gathering place, and travelling route to the Cree, Saulteaux, Blackfoot, Métis, Dene and Nakota Sioux. We acknowledge all the many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit whose footsteps have marked these lands for centuries.
