English
Language is, by its very nature, a very fluid and flexible
subject. It is central to a student’s study of all other
subjects and as a result, Queen’s College English Language
teachers strive to make it as creative, imaginative,
practical, relevant and of course, enjoyable as possible. A
productive English Language classroom must be centered around
the mutual trust and respect of both teacher and pupil.
Without this, very little will be achieved. Our Language
teachers endeavour to nurture a child’s creative spirit and to
give the child the skills necessary to express their
creativity and to both communicate with and understand the
world around them.
Grade 7
English lessons foster a love of the subject. Students are
encouraged to read as much as possible, not only for school
but also for pleasure. Classroom activities are varied within
a lesson in order to keep the classroom vibrant and the
students motivated.
Required
texts:
-
Introduction to Literature/Adventures for Readers – Holt,
Rinehart and Winston
Grade 8
English builds upon the foundation laid down in Grade 7.
Students enjoy lessons as they strengthen their confidence,
express opinions, share ideas and listen to the contributions
of their classmates. Grade 8 students sit the BJC Language
Arts examination in June.
Grade 9
is a very busy year in English. Students are introduced to a
more formal type of Literature study and meet Shakespeare and
Steinbeck for the first time. At the same time, they develop
very specific skills such as letter writing and CLOZE
procedure, which are very much aimed at the BJC examinations
in June. June 2003 is the last year when students will take
the BJC English exam in Grade 9. In future, this will become
the foundation year for BGCSE Language and Literature studies.
The first few weeks
of this programme prepares students to sit the P.S.A.T.
examination in October through honing vocabulary skills,
prefixes and suffixes, analogies, reading comprehension
skills, and grammar and usage exercises. Following the P.S.A.T.
students begin discussing their summer reading texts and begin
expository essay writing. One of the highlights of the term
for students is the required Term Project that students
produce using persuasive writing techniques. Work is also
covered on debating techniques, speaking and writing; directed
writing exercises in letter and report writing; basic summary
exercises and; extended writing.
The Grade 11
programme serves as an opportunity for students to build upon
Grade 10's foundations. As this course is skill-based and not
content-based, students are given many opportunities to
practice their writing, comprehension, poetry and essay
writing skills. Creative writing techniques are heavily
developed within this course. Students are also prepared to
sit the S.A.T. examination in December of the Grade 11 year.
Students showing diligence and a clear mastery of Language
skills are given the opportunity to sit their national BGCSE
English Language examination as a part of the Accelerated
Academic Programme.
This is a very
important year for Grade 12 students. Topics such as college
choices, living away from home and career decisions are
integrated into the course are students are taken through
their final preparations for BCGSE examinations in May.
Students are given the opportunity to re-sit the S.A.T.
examination and sit the S.A.T. II English Language examination
as well. The following skills are honed in preparation for
these exams:
Summary activities
(50, 100, 150, 200 word assignments)
The Advanced Placement English
course in Language and Composition is primarily a course in
both effective writing and critical reading. The chief
practice in composition will be the writing of argumentative
essays. Students will learn how to gather information, develop
a discourse, organize details, and control language in which
the whole is realized. As readers they will learn to recognize
the language patterns that authors have created and to
describe their responses to these patterns. The AP candidate
should be a responsible reader who is capable of observing and
analyzing the words, patterns, or structures that have created
these subtle effects. The best students, therefore, will have
a broad working vocabulary about language and an interest in
describing how language works. Students in AP English will
take a three-hour, standardized exam in the spring.
The BGCSE
examination is a three year course which aims to develop a
student's appreciation of Literature - its content, style and
structure. Through the close reading of several
specified texts (in three genres - Poetry, Drama and Prose),
students learn the skills needed to be able to analyse, study
and ultimately enjoy any piece of Literature they may
encounter in the future.
tive, imaginative,
practical, relevant and of course, enjoyable as possible. A
productive English Language classroom must be centered around
the mutual trust and respect of both teacher and pupil.
Without this, very little will be achieved. Our Language
teachers endeavour to nurture a child’s creative spirit and to
give the child the skills necessary to express their
creativity and to both communicate with and understand the
world around them.
