At Trafalgar we offer an enriched ELA program designed to ensure that our students graduate with strong writing skills, an enduring appreciation of literature, the ability to interpret and work with various media, confident public speaking and superior analytical skills. The goals of the English Department are informed by the Quebec Education Program (QEP) and then enriched. The SELA 1 and SELA 2 (Secondary English Language Arts) programs focus on how language and texts work. Employing an immersion into text approach, they require students to understand essential concepts such as: purpose, audience, bias, stance, social function, social knowledge, codes and conventions. Initially, students engage with YAL (Young Adult Fiction) and information-based texts. Eventually, students read classical literature and non-fiction. Throughout the programs students become producers of sound, print and image texts. There are six required categories of genres which students must be familiar with: planning, reflective, narrative, explanatory, reports and expository. The subject specific competencies in SELA are indicated in italics in the course descriptions below. The term “text”, as defined by the QEP, is an inclusive one and can refer to spoken and/or written and/or media productions. Creative writing (prose and poetry) is encouraged not only through assignment work, but also by promoting student participation in internal and external publications and competitions.

English Language Arts I                        8 periods per cycle

Subject Competencies

1. Uses language/talk to communicate and to learn

2. Represents her literacy in different media

4. Writes a variety of genres for personal and social purposes

Throughout the year, students read, discuss, and produce different types of media and literature texts. Texts include student-selected young adult literature, poetry, and short fiction, as well as texts such as magazines, advertisements, videos, newspapers, and public images. Students interact with the texts through a variety of methods, such as group discussion, reading circles, interviews, debates, and performances. Students are then expected to engage in the production of media and literary texts such as short fiction, poetry, plays, opinion pieces, reviews, and speeches. They are encouraged to use a wide variety of technology in the production process.

English Language Arts II          12 credits     8 periods per cycle

Subject Competencies

1. Uses language/talk to communicate and to learn

2. Represents her literacy in different media

4. Writes a variety of genres for personal and social purposes

Building on the skills of the secondary I course, students will continue to construct and deconstruct a variety of spoken, written and media texts. Emphasis is placed on understanding the codes and conventions of traditional texts (novels, poetry, plays, essays, speeches, etc.) and contemporary texts (web pages, commercials, cultural artifacts, constructed environments, etc.). Students will learn to read and write in a variety of genres and for a variety of purposes and audiences. They will polish their writing skills through the practice of creative and expository writing. Through oral presentations and public speaking, students will develop their oral skills. The integration of multimedia is also a key component of this course. Through the production of media projects, students will develop their technological skills.

English Language Arts III     6 credits     7 periods/cycle

Subject Competencies

1. Uses language/talk to communicate and to learn

3. Produces texts for personal and social purposes

At this level students are encouraged to read a variety of texts and include adult fiction, in addition to YAL, in their reading choices. Through small group and /or class discussions and reading journals students explore the social purpose and socio-cultural contexts of traditional literary genres and non-traditional texts such as commercials, public-service announcements, brochures, posters, bill boards, music and music videos. Students demonstrate their literacy through the analysis and production of a variety of “texts.” Self-evaluation and peer-evaluation are encouraged while student –teacher conferences are also employed during assessment. Choice is offered in terms of the texts read and produced by students; however, the program includes The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet . The overall theme for this year is coming of age and so the texts chosen deal with this issue and are relevant to students. In Term 2 they have a choice of reading the African-American classic Their Eyes Were Watching God or one of the following contemporary YAL novels: The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky, My Heartbeat – Garrett Freymann-Weyr or How I Live Now – Meg Rosoff.  In addition to learning to write informal and formal essays, scripts, monologues and personal letters, students also do a small group project on teen magazines. Throughout the program students are required to develop their critical thinking and writing skills.

English Language Arts IV     6 credits      8 periods per cycle

Subject Competencies

1. Uses language/talk to communicate and to learn

3. Produces texts for personal and social purposes

At this level, the relationship between literature and society is examined throughout the year; students analyze and compose texts in the context of their social functions. Students polish their analytical and critical literacy skills by discussing and writing about the personal, social and literary value of the texts studied. These include Lord of the Flies – William Golding, Macbeth – William Shakespeare and either Pride and Prejudice or Emma by Jane Austen. Writing samples range in length from a paragraph to a longer essay or short story, and students are expected to produce a variety of written, spoken, and media texts. Furthermore, as they examine and produce texts, students are expected to be aware of their intended audience, as well as the codes and conventions of the different genres. Emphasis at this level begins to be placed on the study of literary essay methodology, in preparation for requirements at the post-secondary level. Peer group discussions and editing are also practiced in conjunction with textual study to prepare for the format of the compulsory provincial ELA examination in June of Form V.

Subject Competencies

1. Uses language/talk to communicate and to learn

3. Produces texts for personal and social purposes

Through the study of literature, literary criticism, information texts and various media students are encouraged to read and deconstruct critically, to form independent opinions and to defend these opinions in discussion and writing. Students are also asked to lead seminars and implement their analytical skills in preparing questions for class discussion. At this level, considerable attention is given to familiarizing students with the numerous genres they are required to know for the MEQ school - leaving examination. These include: the short story, the different styles of essays (both formal and informal), the persuasive speech, monologues, scripts, letters, editorials, reviews, fables and reports. Throughout the year students read and practice writing these various genres in addition to studying at least one major text each term. All students participate in the public speaking component of the program.

1. Uses language/talk to communicate and to learn

3. Produces texts for personal and social purposes

The objective of this course is to introduce Secondary V students to contemporary Canadian and American writers. This is a seminar-style class in which all students are expected, and encouraged, to express their ideas freely. This course examines works that have been published recently and are destined to become tomorrow’s classics. Works are chosen that reflect modern concerns and deal with current social issues. Students are required to do weekly reading journals on the texts under study and participate in class discussions. There are no literary essays required in this course. However, each term, students are asked to do a multi-media presentation, with a written component, on either a text of their choice, an author or an issue that has arisen in class. Students are also expected to produce a minimum number of creative pieces either inspired and/or informed by their reading. Each year we select three novels from the following: Oryx and Crake – Margaret Atwood, The Way the Crow Flies – Ann-Marie Macdonald, Certainty – Madeleine Thien, Crow Lake – Mary Lawson, Life of Pi – Yann Martel and The Corrections – Jonathan Franzen.

French is compulsory at all five levels. The overall goal of the French program is to produce bilingual students, competent and comfortable expressing themselves. We also aim to develop interest in French culture in Québec and around the world. Other subjects are taught in French at various levels. In all groups and levels reading is strongly encouraged and we generally study three or more novels per year.

French Second Language

Programme de base:

The core program is designed to help students become functionally literate both orally and in writing. Students will be able to interact at many levels in various situations with different people (friends, peers, future employers, etc.) in the French speaking community.

Programme enrichi:

The enriched program aims at helping students develop more complex interaction skills, both orally and in writing. Students will be encouraged to reach a level of autonomy as well as linguistic and cultural ease sufficient to facilitate integration into the French speaking community.

Programme avancé :

The advanced program consists of the enriched program coupled with more complex reading material and an emphasis on French literature. Students will focus on developing more advanced writing and on perfecting grammar skills. Additional elements from the Français: langue maternelle program are included as part of the enrichment.

French I 8 periods per cycle

Subject Competencies

1. Interagir en français

2. Lire des textes variés en français (programme de base)

2. Lire des textes courants et littéraires en français (programmes enrichi et avancé)

3. Produire des textes variés en français

The purpose of this course is to increase the student’s reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. This is achieved by reading short novels, writing compositions and doing creative projects, watching films and listening to varied tapes. To improve their oral fluency the students are expected to participate in class discussions and to give oral presentations. The students are taught to use tools available to them such as grammar books, dictionaries, verb books and the computer to help them perfect their knowledge and appreciation of the French language.

French II  12 credits 8 periods per cycle

Subject Competencies

1. Interagir en français

2. Lire des textes variés en français (programme de base)

2. Lire des textes courants et littéraires en français (programmes enrichi et avancé)

3. Produire des textes variés en français

The purpose of this course is to increase the student’s reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. This is achieved by reading short novels, writing compositions and doing creative projects, watching films and listening to varied tapes. To improve their oral fluency the students are expected to participate in class discussions and to give oral presentations. The students are taught to use tools available to them such as grammar books, dictionaries, verb books and the computer to help them perfect their knowledge and appreciation of the French language. The texts used at this level increase in difficulty and more advanced grammar is taught.

French III 4/6 credits 10 periods per cycle

Subject Competencies

1. Interagir en français

2. Lire des textes variés en français (programme de base)

2. Lire des textes courants, spécialisés et littéraires en français (programmes enrichi et avancé)

3. Produire des textes variés en français

The purpose of this course is to increase the student’s reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. This is achieved by reading short novels, writing compositions and doing creative projects, watching films and listening to varied tapes. To improve their oral fluency the students are expected to participate in class discussions and to give oral presentations. The students are taught to use tools available to them such as grammar books, dictionaries, verb books and the computer to help them perfect their knowledge and appreciation of the French language. At this point students are expected to be able to express their feelings and opinions clearly in French both orally and in writing. An emphasis will be put on French culture (music, cinema, television, current events and advertising) for two classes per cycle.

French IV 4/6 credits 7 periods per cycle

Subject Competencies

1. Interagir en français

2. Lire des textes variés en français (programme de base)

2. Lire des textes courants, spécialisés et littéraires en français (programmes enrichi et avancé)

3. Produire des textes variés en français

The purpose of this course is to increase the student’s reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. This is achieved by reading novels, plays and newspaper articles, writing compositions, doing creative projects and watching movies. To improve their fluency the students are expected to participate in class discussions and to give oral presentations. They are taught to use tools available to them such as grammar books, dictionaries, verb books and the computer to help them perfect their knowledge and appreciation of French. At this level students are expected to master verb tenses and to be able to place events in time as well as to be able to express their feelings and opinions.

French V 4/6 credits 8 periods per cycle

Subject Competencies

1. Interagir en français

2. Lire des textes variés en français (programme de base)

2. Lire des textes courants, spécialisés et littéraires en français (programmes enrichi et avancé)

3. Produire des textes variés en français

This course aims at developing fluency in oral and written French as well as exploring francophone culture through various media. The students are asked to read novels, plays and magazine articles. They must also write essays on different topics and be able to express and justify their opinions clearly and concisely. They should also be able to discuss current events. At the end of this course students must write the ministry evaluation situation which consist of three parts: reading comprehension, writing and oral expression.

Subject Competencies

1. Interagir en espagnol.

2. Comprendre des textes variés en espagnol.

3. Produire des textes variés en espagnol.

Spanish II 4 credits 4 periods per cycle

As students are introduced to spoken and written Spanish, the course aims to help them develop strategies to become more efficient language learners, raise their interest towards Hispanic culture and teach them how to become more efficient language learners. Emphasis is on basic communication in the Spanish language. Structures and vocabulary are taught through real tasks and projects. Students are exposed to authentic dialogues to develop comprehension and are encouraged to actively speak Spanish at all times, both in practice exercises and real language exchanges. listen to dialogues spoken by native Spanish speakers to develop comprehension and are encouraged to actively use the language at all times, both in practice exercises and real language exchanges. Reading and writing are taught from the beginning.

Spanish III 4 credits 5 periods per cycle

Spanish IV 4 credits 5 periods per cycle

Spanish V 4 credits 5 periods per cycle

The option course is designed to teach students to communicate effectively and accurately, both orally and in writing, and to learn about Hispanic culture. All class activities are conducted in the target language to improve students listening skills. Students are encouraged to respond in Spanish at all times. The option course is project oriented. By the end of Secondary III students will understand and take part in everyday easy conversations on topics such as school, friends, family life, hobbies, shopping, etc. They will read their first novel in Spanish and start writing short texts. In Secondary IV students further develop their interaction skills through team projects such as news review, entertainment shows, song critiques etc., and they will write a weekly diary in Spanish. They will also develop their ability to express themselves in various situations. In Secondary V students are encouraged to express and argue their opinion, both orally and in writing. In both Secondary IV and V students will read novels appropriate to their level of Spanish. Hispanic culture is presented throughout the Spanish course with pictures, paintings, songs, magazines, online documents, videos and some outings.