Welcome to ENG1DI with Westra! I am looking forward to getting to know each and every one of you!

Course Overview Welcome to your first high school English course! We will read a variety of texts throughout the course and complete assignments using different styles of writing Our summative unit and exam will have a focus on dystopian texts I know you don’t all love English…I will try to make it as painless as possible 

Grammar I know studying grammar can be boring, but we need it to make our writing better We need to cover two main grammar components in this course: Parts of speech Types of sentences Evaluation: Parts of speech test Sentences quiz

Descriptive Writing Here is your chance to be creative! You will choose a picture and write a paragraph that appeals to the reader’s senses Start thinking about your favourite places to be and/or visit Evaluation: Creative descriptive paragraph

Mythology We will get to know the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology This unit will include individual work and media-based group work Evaluation: Formal paragraph Media project and presentation MOVIE: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

Twelfth Night You may not be looking forward to Shakespeare, but this play is confusing and funny and will hopefully spark a little interest in you Don’t worry, we will work as a team during this unit to understand the language Evaluation: Formal paragraph News article Social media assignment MOVIE: She’s the Man

Short Stories This will be our first look at dystopian texts We will read a number of short stories that will help us with some writing and lead us into the summative unit Evaluation: Formal paragraph

Literature Circles This is our summative unit We will read different dystopian novels in groups You will be required to work individually and collaboratively Evaluation: Formal essay Media project Final exam MOVIE: The Island

Digital Learning We have the opportunity to use a lot of technology throughout this course This allows us to become more confident with technology and collaborate with our peers We will often use the school’s netbooks to do some blogging, collaborate with others and create media projects

Our Classroom Expectations: Come to class prepared (separate binder with dividers, writing utensils, books required for the day, your ideas and energy) Be on time: Dr. Phil says, "late people are selfish." Feel free to bring snacks and drinks to class - but once you make a mess, this privilege will be taken away Listening to music is allowed during individual work time Please sit where you are supposed to sit RESPECT - yourself, your peers, classroom furniture and equipment...and Mrs. Westra Cell phones....we will chat about this Have fun! What else do you need from our class?

How to Succeed in Our Class: When you are given time in class to read, use it, instead of staring off into space Doing your homework is beneficial to YOU, not Mrs. Westra If you know you are going to be away, let Mrs. Westra know When you return from being away, check the "What Did I Miss?" binder Do not plagiarize - make sure you understand what this means and how to avoid it Do not just use spell/grammar check when editing - always print off assignments and proofread them yourself Read and listen to all instructions CAREFULLY - never start an assignment without reading over everything Always try your best, even on small assignments Read all feedback on assignments, so you can improve on the next one Participate. We want to hear from you!

Get to Know Westra Game True or False? I love coffee. FALSE! I secretly want to be an interior designer. TRUE! I went camping in Algonquin Provincial Park this summer. I help coach soccer. I have been teaching for three years. I have a dog. I am pregnant…