September 3, 2013

Hi.

My name is Mr. Lobb

I will be your teacher for the next few months, all being well. 

This course is a very important course for any student planning to go to university, and a prerequisite for any student wishing to take ENG4U next year (or perhaps next semester). 

Let's take a quick look at some of the key information about this course:

University Preparation ENG3U

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This course emphasizes the development of literacy, communication, and critical and creative thinking skills necessary for success in academic and daily life. Students will analyse challenging literary texts from various periods, countries, and cultures, as well as a range of informational and graphic texts, and create oral, written, and media texts in a variety of forms. An important focus will be on using language with precision and clarity and incorporating stylistic devices appropriately and effectively. The course is intended to prepare students for the compulsory Grade 12 university or college preparation course.

Prerequisite: English, Grade 10, Academic ENG2D

Credit Value: 1

Assessment

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The 30% of the student's final grade which is to be based on a culminating task and exam, is comprised of the process and task completed during the final unit.

70% of the student's final grade is based on the summative assignments completed during the semester.

Assignments are diagnostic or formative in nature, but all should receive teacher feedback. Completion of formative tasks are also to be considered when assessing learning skills.

Students will be provided with numerous and varied opportunities to demonstrate the full extent of their achievement of the curriculum expectations, across all four categories of the Achievement Chart. Progress will be monitored on an on-going basis using a variety of assessment tools, including written work, formal testing, quizzes, teacher-student communication, blogs and group work.

As required by the Ministry of Education, students will be assessed in the four areas of the achievement chart. The chart below provides suggested percentages for each category:

Assessment Category	Percentage
Knowledge and Understanding	25%
Thinking and Inquiry	25%
Communication	25%
Application	25%

Final Grade

The final grade will be determined as follows (in accordance with Ministry of Education standards):

Term Work Based on evaluations conducted throughout the course.	70%
Summative Evaluation A final evaluation in the form of assignments and an exam.	30%

Learning Skills

The following Learning Skills rubric can be used by online teachers when assessing Learning Skills:

Learning Skills Rubric

Criteria	Needs Improvement	Satisfactory	Good	Excellent
Works Independently	Needs repeated directions to clarify and begin assignments	Needs some directions to clarify and begin assignments	Rarely needs directions to clarify and begin assignments	Does not need directions to clarify or begin assignments
Teamwork	Rarely demonstrates participation with classmates by attending or reading chats and threaded discussions	Sometimes demonstrates participation with classmates by attending or reading chats and threaded discussions	Often demonstrates participation with classmates by attending or reading chats and threaded discussions	Consistently demonstrates participation with classmates by attending or reading chats and threaded discussions
Organization	Limited organization and time management skills Does not meet deadlines	Some organization and time management skills Sometimes meets deadlines	Good organization and time management skills Frequently meets deadlines	Exemplary organization and time management skills Consistently meets deadlines
Work Habits/ Homework	Homework is frequently incomplete No motivation evident	Homework is occasionally complete Some motivation evident	Homework is regularly complete Considerable motivation evident	Homework is always complete Highly motivated
Initiative	Rarely extends thinking beyond material presented	Sometimes extends thinking beyond material presented	Often extends thinking beyond material presented	Consistently extends thinking beyond material presented

If the teacher decides that an assignment described as formative would be better used as a summative task, appropriate rubrics will need to be created and supplied to students.

Achievement Chart

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Achievement Chart – English, Grades 9–12 (2005)

Categories	Level 1 (50 - 59%)	Level 2 (60 - 69%)	Level 3 (70 - 79%)	Level 4 (80 - 100%)
Knowledge and Understanding	Subject-specific content acquired in each course (knowledge), and the comprehension of its meaning and significance (understanding) The student:
Knowledge of content (e.g., forms of text; strategies used when listening and speaking, reading, writing, and viewing and representing; elements of style; literary terminology, concepts, and theories; language conventions)	- demonstrates limited knowledge of content	- demonstrates some knowledge of content	- demonstrates considerable knowledge of content	- demonstrates thorough knowledge of content
Understanding of content (e.g., concepts; ideas; opinions; relationships among facts, ideas, concepts, themes)	- demonstrates limited understanding of content	- demonstrates some understanding of content	- demonstrates considerable understanding of content	- demonstrates thorough understanding of content
Thinking	The use of critical and creative thinking skills and/or processes The student:
Use of planning skills (e.g., generating ideas, gathering information, focusing research, organizing information)	- uses planning skills with limited effectiveness	- uses planning skills with some effectiveness	- uses planning skills with considerable effectiveness	- uses planning skills with a high degree of effectiveness
Use of processing skills (e.g., drawing inferences, interpreting, analysing, synthesizing, evaluating)	- uses processing skills with limited effectiveness	- uses processing skills with some effectiveness	- uses processing skills with considerable effectiveness	- uses processing skills with a high degree of effectiveness
Use of critical/creative thinking processes (e.g., oral discourse, research, critical analysis, critical literacy, metacognition, creative process)	- uses critical/creative thinking processes with limited effectiveness	- uses critical/creative thinking processes with some effectiveness	- uses critical/creative thinking processes with considerable effectiveness	- uses critical/creative thinking processes with a high degree of effectiveness
Communication	The conveying of meaning through various forms The student:
Expression and organization of ideas and information (e.g., clear expression, logical organization) in oral, visual, and written forms, including media forms	expresses and organizes ideas and information with limited effectiveness	expresses and organizes ideas and information with some effectiveness	expresses and organizes ideas and information with considerable effectiveness	expresses and organizes ideas and information with a high degree of effectiveness
Communication for different audiences and purposes (e.g., use of appropriate style, voice, point of view) in oral, graphic, and written forms, including media forms	- communicates for different audiences and purposes with limited effectiveness	- communicates for different audiences and purposes with some effectiveness	- communicates for different audiences and purposes with considerable effectiveness	- communicates for different audiences and purposes with a high degree of effectiveness
Use of conventions (e.g., grammar, spelling, punctuation, usage), vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline in oral, graphic, and written forms, including media forms	- uses conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline with limited effectiveness	- uses conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline with some effectiveness	- uses conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline with considerable effectiveness	- uses conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline with a high degree of effectiveness
Application	The use of knowledge and skills to make connections within and between various contexts The student:
Application of knowledge and skills (e.g.,literacy strategies and processes; literary terminology, concepts, and theories) in familiar contexts	- applies knowledge and skills in familiar contexts with limited effectiveness	- applies knowledge and skills in familiar contexts with some effectiveness	- applies knowledge and skills in familiar contexts with considerable effectiveness	- applies knowledge and skills in familiar contexts with a high degree of effectiveness
Transfer of knowledge and skills (e.g., literacy strategies and processes; literary terminology, concepts, and theories) to new contexts	- transfers knowledge and skills to new contexts with limited effectiveness	- transfers knowledge and skills to new contexts with some effectiveness	- transfers knowledge and skills to new contexts with considerable effectiveness	- transfers knowledge and skills to new contexts with a high degree of effectiveness
Making connections within and between various contexts (e.g., between the text and personal knowledge and experience, other texts, and the world outside school)	- makes connections within and between various contexts with limited effectiveness	- makes connections within and between various contexts with some effectiveness	- makes connections within and between various contexts with considerable effectiveness	- makes connections within and between various contexts with a high degree of effectiveness

Note: A student whose achievement is below 50% at the end of a course will not obtain a credit for the course.

Wow! Impressive, right?

In order to deal with all this incredible onslaught of information and thinking, you need to be on top of everything - all assignments, all readings, all preparation and, to tie it all together, in contact with me on an ongoing basis. 

My email is thelabcoatguy@gmail.com

My Twitter handle is @thelabcoatguy

My Facebook profile is my name, Randall Lobb

And I am usually here in A4 should you need specific assistance. 

I will get into more Mr. Lobb-specific information in a moment...

What would Lobb do? 

1. Form a team. The only way to take down this MR. LOBB is to hunt in packs. Like wolves. Laser wolves!

The team would use a common note pool upon which to draw their information, knowing that there will be a “Made By Us” exam. 

How about Evernote? 

How about Google Docs?

ANY online tool that can help is great. 

Look up apps that allow you to scan paper and turn that pic into a searchable note

Brainstorming apps are also useful - Scapple

You need to share information and assignment structures - ie maybe a thesis

1. Form yourself a schedule that you can use in that group. This course has no deadlines that you don’t set. I will recommend deadlines, but there is NO penalty. 

There is also no penalty for non-submission of work. 

But wait... what fiendish trick is that? 

YOU STILL HAVE TO DEMONSTRATE MASTERY! 

Time Machine story (with swears!)

Why would I ever hand anything in early, on time or on a schedule? 

TO GET FEEDBACK FROM THE LOBBSTER

1. You need to be engaged. Deeply. I get it. I know. I understand. I have ADDDD - WAY more Ds - WAY worse

Soluche? YOU need to actively MAKE yourself be engaged. 

Obvious Tricks - is weird - 90% of this weirdness is for your benefit

4. Get help. Actually learn. Don’t just do stuff. Find out WHY. Seek answers. Actively improve your brain. Be excellent. 

Let’s start with a skill that is baseline in this class. 

Inferring.

Negotiating meaning based upon incomplete information, or symbolic information or hidden information, COMBINED with your own schema! (prior knowledge, experience, structures you’ve adapted, etc) 

I show you a cross - some see a two pieces of wood, others see something HOLY - this is about bringing your own information into the process.

Tip: Mr. the Lobb was inferring like a MACHINE with Blake Shelton’s country ass video. 

rl