English Language Arts 20F is a required course for all grade 10 students and involves all aspects of language development. Students will further develop knowledge of and skill in reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing and representing in order to meet the grade 10 curricular outcomes. 

Outcomes: 

• Explore thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences 
• Comprehend and respond personally and critically to literary and media texts 
• Manage ideas and information 
• Enhance the clarity and artistry of communication 
• Celebrate and build community 

Various texts will be used in the course and may include novels, poetry, short stories, plays, film/media and non-fiction.

Grade 11

Comprehensive Focus (ECOMF30S - 1 credit) COMPULSORY

Prerequisite: English 20F

English Language Arts is a required subject in each year of high school beginning with Grade 9. The English Language Arts program at Dakota Collegiate involves all aspects of language development. Students develop knowledge of and skill in their use of the language arts as they listen, speak, read, write, view, and represent in a wide variety of contexts. 

The concepts and outcomes of English Language Arts 30S will help students learn to think critically and to function more effectively within their community. They will examine issues that are relevant to their lives and focus on every day applications of language. Students will be exposed to materials to further develop their literacy skills and enable them to respond to, and interact with, a variety of pragmatic and aesthetic texts. Pragmatic texts may include newspapers, documentaries, television, magazines, the Internet, film and novels. Aesthetic texts set out to appeal to the imagination, senses and feelings and may include novels, modern drama, Shakespeare, poetry, film, short prose and media.

Grade 12

Comprehensive Focus (ECOMF40S - 1 credit) COMPULSORY

Prerequisite: ECOMF30S

Grade 12 English 40S is a required credit for graduation. 

English 40S combines elements of the literary and transactional uses of language with equal emphasis. Concepts and outcomes will be studied to further help students enhance their critical thinking ability and enable them to function more effectively within their community. Students will be exposed to a variety of text forms that will further develop their literary skills and enable them to respond more effectively to and interpret texts. The E40S focus includes activities such as research, oral presentations, group discussions, essay writing and journal writing. Students may study novels, poetry, film, short prose, drama, articles, documentary film, and television as a media construct.

English Language and Composition AP (ELC42S - 1 credit)

Prerequisite: ECOMF40S

This course is the equivalent of a first-year introductory college course in English. The course focuses on analyzing rhetoric—the art of using language purposefully to achieve a desired effect on a specific audience. Students will develop their understanding of writing and rhetorical arguments by reading and analyzing nonfiction and fiction texts from diverse periods, disciplines, and contexts. As students analyze how authors use language to shape and convey meaning, they will cultivate their own persuasive writing skills. The goal is for students to become both skilled interpreters of complex texts and thoughtful, deliberate writers with personal style.

In May, the students are given the opportunity to challenge the Advanced Placement College Board Examination. Taking this exam is not compulsory but those students who successfully challenge the examination and receive a mark of 4 or 5 out of 5 can use their grade to apply for credit at many Canadian and American universities and colleges. The Exam consists of multiple-choice questions and a series of written responses. Students who successfully take this course will earn an additional full high school credit at the 40S level.