English 12 Prep involves key assignments from Continuing Education's English 11 course. While a student may already have a Grade 11 English or Communications credit, starting with the materials provided in English 12 Prep provides thorough review and instruction in those writing skills which are essential to success in English 12 or TPC 12. Progress in English 12 and TPC is smoother and less frustrating when students and instructors are able to focus on new topics and skills without also covering the basics.

Based upon reading and writing assessments done during the initial orientation to the Centre, each student is provided with an individualized list of assignments to complete in English 12 Prep. English teachers monitor written work on a regular basis to ensure that each student's program targets individual needs.

English 12 Prep is designed to effectively prepare students for success in either English 12 or Technical and Professional Communications 12 (TPC 12). It is also useful to prepare students for certain required entrance assessments at post-secondary institutions.



Course Pre-requisites

Admission is linked to the individual needs reflected in reading and writing assessments. These assessments are completed during a student's initial orientation at Continuing Education.



Course Breakdown

Depending upon the initial reading assessment and the writing sample provided during orientation, a student may be required to complete at least one assignment from most of the topic areas, or may be required to complete a few. The goal is to ensure basic writing skills have been demonstrated so that success in subsequent English courses is ensured. A regular review of student writing may reveal that key skills are being demonstrated and that certain assignments will not be required. All English 12 Prep students are required to complete a short grammar review process involving three short booklets. Each booklet is followed by a test.

The following is a list of topics covered in English 11; individualized packages of assignments for English 12 Prep are chosen from this list.

• Grammar
• Reading Comprehension
• The Writing Process
• Types of Sentence Errors and Ways of Correcting Them
• Effective Topic Sentences and Concluding Sentences
• Techniques for Description, Exposition and Narration
• Development and Organization of Ideas through Details
• Transitional Devices
• Complex Sentences, Compound Sentences and the Use of Sentence Variety
• Subordination and Coordination
• Subject-Predicate Agreement and Reference of Pronouns
• Spelling and Capitalization
• Punctuation
• Sequence, Business Letters and Paraphrasing
• How to Write a Thesis Statement and How to Establish Purpose
• How to write and use an outline
• Essay emphasizing cause and effect
• Essay using examples
• Revision and Self-editing

The writing assignments, ranging from a single paragraph to essays of approximately 1000 words, are graded according to criteria linked to those writing skills covered within the course. Content, complexity of sentences, vocabulary, fluency, use of detail and example, development of ideas and correct use of paragraph and essay formats are considered in grading the written assignments. Students do not have to achieve a minimum of 80% on these assignments however they are required to revise and resubmit each assignment after an initial submission has been marked by an English instructor.

English 12 Prep involves three grammar tests based on review materials. Depending upon the skills demonstrated during the writing assignment, students may also be asked to complete one or two sets of pre- and post-tests generated by the computer. If students score 80% or better on pre-tests, then they are advanced past related exercises and the post-test and are able to start the next unit on the path.

An official letter grade is not assigned for English 12 Prep, but a percent mark, based on the average of completed written assignments, will be provided if requested.


Textbooks and Course Materials

There is no specific textbook distributed for this course. Instead, the computer-generated assignment sheets refer students to materials shelved in the RW section of the Centre's library. While these books and photocopied packages may not be removed from the Centre, students may request their own photocopies in order to work on assignments at home. Copies of other sheets and explanations may also be requested for future reference and for review purposes.