Please note: All courses may not be offered or available every year.

Grades 9 and 10

Students in Grades 9 and 10 choose between course types on the basis of their strengths, achievement, and post-secondary goals. The course types offered in Grades 9 and 10 are defined as follows:

Academic courses develop students’ knowledge and skills through the study of theory and abstract problems. These courses focus on the essential concepts of a subject and explore related concepts as well. They incorporate practical applications as appropriate.  Sample activities include essay writing, class and independent novel study, media studies, and introduction to non-fiction prose (essay) analysis.

Applied courses focus on the essential concepts of a subject, and develop students’ knowledge and skills through practical applications and concrete examples. Familiar situations are used to illustrate ideas, and students are given more opportunities to experience hands-on applications of the concepts and theories they study.  Some sample activities are research, journal writing, comprehension/critical thinking/application questions, character studies, et cetera.

Locally Developed courses are designed to give students the learning opportunities, flexibility and support they need to meet the curriculum expectations in their courses and to proceed towards a diploma. They prepare students for further education and work, and help them to become independent, productive, and responsible members of society.  Some sample activities include collaborative/small group work (e.g. novel or film study), summary writing, media studies (e.g. reading and creating a graphic text like a poster), practicing interviews, et cetera.

Grades 11 and 12

Students in Grades 11 and 12 choose between course types on the basis of their strengths, achievement, and post-secondary goals. The course types offered in Grades 11 and 12 are defined as follows:

University preparation courses are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to meet the entrance requirements for university programs.  Sample assignments could include panel discussions, non-fiction prose analysis, argumentative and persuasive writing, as well as the study of critical literary theories.

College preparation courses are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills the need to meet the requirements for entrance to most college programs or for admission to specific apprenticeship or other training programs.  Sample assignments could include report writing, instructional/process analysis essays, graphic texts, media deconstruction.

Workplace preparation courses are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to meet the expectations of employers, if they plan to enter the workplace directly after graduation, or the requirements for admission to many apprenticeship or other training programs. Sample assignments could include résumé writing, self-awareness and metacognition pieces, access to research for the purpose of planning for personal goals, the reading of manuals, et cetera.

The Ontario Literacy Course (OLC) is an open course that is offered as part of the English program, emphasizing the importance of reading and writing skills across the curriculum and in everyday life. The course prepares students for the literacy demands they will face in post-secondary endeavors. The course serves as one way for students to achieve the provincial literacy requirement for graduation. Students must have first attempted the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) before signing up for the course.

The International Baccalaureate Programme is a bundle of courses; entry into the programme is completed through an application process when the student is in Grade 8.  The Williams Pre-IB courses in Grades 9 and 10 prepare students for the IB Diploma Programme in Grades 11 and 12.​

English Pathways

Please contact your child’s English teacher or the Guidance Department to discuss how each course leads to the next grade and academic stream, as determined by the Ontario Ministry of Education.   For further information about the Ontario English curriculum, please visit:

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/english910currb.pdf for details about the Ontario curriculum in Grades 9 and 10

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/english1112currb.pdf for details about the Ontario curriculum in Grades 11 and 12​