English Language Arts 9

BC Curriculum Changes and Goals

Why did the curriculum change?
BC schools now look to equip students with the language and literacy
skills for success in school, community, career, and life.
BC schools look to support student-driven, inquiry-based approaches
to teaching and learning by placing an increased focus on concepts
and content that address real-world issues and problems.
BC schools look to respect the unique nature of disciplines while
supporting cross-curricular learning.
Goals of New Curriculum:
Have students:
become proficient and knowledgeable users of language, in all its forms, to achieve their
personal, social, and career aspirations
appreciate language and learning as lifelong sources of joy, curiosity, and passion
think creatively, critically, and reflectively about language and texts as part of constructing and
communicating personal meaning
become critical and ethical users of digital media, capable of adapting to new modes and tools of
language use
strengthen their understanding of themselves, diverse cultures, and multiple perspectives
through the exploration of First Peoples and other Canadian and international texts
appreciate the power, beauty, and artistry of language and texts and their impact on personal,
social, and cultural life
use language to design and share information interpersonally, interculturally, and globally.
What is new?
CORE COMPETENCIES
COMMUNICATION THINKING PERSONAL & SOCIAL
BIG IDEAS
Exploring stories
and other texts Questioning what
People understand
Language helps us Texts are socially, we hear, read, and
text differently
and story can be a understand culturally, and view contributes to
depending on their
source of creativity ourselves and historically our ability to be
worldviews and
and joy. make connections constructed. educated and
perspectives.
to others and to engaged citizens.
the world.

LEARNING STANDARDS
Comprehend and Connect Create and Communicate
What does this
look like?
Curricular Competency Learning Standards 9
They reflect the Do in the Know-Do-Understand model of curriculum; they are the skills,
strategies, and processes that students develop over time.
The Curricular Competencies are built on the thinking, communicating, and personal and
social competencies relevant to disciplines that make up an area of learning.
Curricular Competency Learning Standards for Grade 9 English Language Arts
COMPREHEND AND CONNECT (READING, LISTENING, VIEWING)
Access information and ideas for diverse purposes and from a variety of sources and evaluate their relevance, accuracy, and reliability
Apply appropriate strategies to comprehend written, oral, and visual texts, guide inquiry, and extend thinking
Synthesize ideas from a variety of sources to build understanding
Recognize and appreciate how different features, forms, and genres of texts reflect different purposes, audiences, and messages
Think critically, creatively, and reflectively to explore ideas within, between, and beyond texts
Recognize and identify the role of personal, social, and cultural contexts, values, and perspectives in texts
Recognize how language constructs personal, social, and cultural identity
Construct meaningful personal connections between self, text, and world
Respond to text in personal, creative, and critical ways
Explain how literary elements, techniques, and devices enhance and shape meaning
Recognize an increasing range of text structures and how they contribute to meaning
Recognize and appreciate the role of story, narrative, and oral tradition in expressing First
Peoples perspectives, values, beliefs, and points of view
Develop an awareness of the diversity within and across First Peoples societies represented in texts
Recognize the influence of place in First Peoples and other Canadian texts
What do all these points mean?
Lets look at this individually:
One Comprehend and Connect point asks students to think critically,
creatively, and reflectively to explore ideas within, between, and
beyond texts.

This is a goal for students to achieve. They can look for points in their
work where they have done this or improved in their ability to do this
skill.
Content Learning Standards
This is the know part of the curriculum
It refers to the topics that will be covered at each grade level and what students
will coming away knowing.
Content Learning Standards for Grade 9 English Language Arts
CREATE AND COMMUNICATE (WRITING, SPEAKING, REPRESENTING)
Exchange ideas and viewpoints to build shared understanding and extend thinking
Use writing and design processes to plan, develop, and create engaging and meaningful literary and
informational texts for a variety of purposes and audiences
Assess and refine texts to improve their clarity, effectiveness, and impact according to purpose, audience, and
message
Use an increasing repertoire of conventions of Canadian spelling, grammar, and punctuation
Use and experiment with oral storytelling processes
Select and use appropriate features, forms, and genres according to audience, purpose, and message
Transform ideas and information to create original texts
Express an opinion and support it with credible evidence
What do all these points mean?
A point from Create and Communicate asks students to Assess
and refine texts to improve their clarity, effectiveness, and impact
according to purpose, audience, and message

Essentially, this asks students to create work, look at their work, and
then improve on their work. They look to make their work more clear,
effective, and have an impact with the audience.

Broken down even further, it asks students to proof read and edit.
Core Competencies
COMMUNICATION THINKING PERSONAL & SOCIAL
Students will be aware and celebrate their strengths
Transfers strengths, skills, and abilities in one area to further develop other areas
Show personal growth
Become well-rounded citizens who are self-aware and aware of others
While focusing on their skill development, students
will self-assess and set goals for themselves.
Where am I in my learning?
What proof do I have?
What are my learning goals? Where am I going?
How will I get there? What strategies will help me?
Communication
The set of abilities that students use to impact and exchange
information, experiences, and ideas, to explore the world
around them, and to understand and effectively engage in the
use of digital media

GOALS
Connect and engage with others
Acquire, interpret and present information
Explain/recount and reflect on experiences and accomplishments
Collaborate to plan, carry out, and review constructions and activities
Thinking
The knowledge, skills, and processes we associate with intellectual
development and is demonstrated through
Creative Thinking Critical Thinking

The generation of new ideas and Involves making judgements based

concepts that have value to the
indicidual or others, and the
development of these ideas and
concepts from thought to reality
Novelty and value
Generating ideas
Developing ideas
on reasoning. Students consider
options; analyze these specific
criteria; and draw conclusions and
make judgements
Analyze and critique
Questions and investigate
Develop and design
 Personal and Social
Positive Personal & Cultural
Identity
A positive personal and cultural
identity is the awareness,
understanding, and appreciation of
all the aspects that contribute to a
healthy sense of oneself (i.e.
awareness and understanding of
ones family background, heritage(s),
language(s), beliefs, and perspectives
in a diverse society).
Relationships and cultural
contexts
Personal values and choice
Personal strengths and abilities
Personal Awareness &
Responsibility
Personal awareness and responsibility
includes the skills, strategies, and
dispositions that help students to stay
healthy and active, set goals, monitor
progress, regulate emotions, respect
their own rights and the rights of
others, manage stress, and persevere
in difficult situations.
Self-determination
Self-regulation
Well-being
Social Responsibility
Social responsibility involves
considering the interdependence of
people and environments; to
contribute positively to family,
community, society, and environments;
to resolve problems peacefully; to
empathize with others and appreciate
their perspectives; and to create and
maintain healthy relationships.
Contributing to community and
caring for the environment
Solving problems in peaceful ways
Valuing diversity
Building relationships
References:
Communication Competency Profiles: Draft
https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/sites/curriculum.gov.bc.ca/files/pdf/Communic
ationCompetencyProfiles.pdf
Educator Update: K-9 Curriculum
https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/sites/curriculum.gov.bc.ca/files/pdf/updates/ed
ucator_update_k-9.pdf
English Language Arts
https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/english-language-arts/goals-and-
rationale
English Language Arts 9 https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/english-
language-arts/9