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HAVERGAL COLLEGE
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Uncalendar 2016–2017
ENGLISH
GRADE 7
Grade 7 English
Think about the last time you heard or read a great story. Perhaps it was a story your friend told you
about her weekend, or maybe this story is found in your favourite novel, the one you re-read every
summer because you enjoy it so much.
No matter what form a story takes, it has the power to make us laugh, cry, think, and dream. Stories
also help us better understand ourselves and the world around us.
The Grade 7 English course focuses on the power of the story and the many forms a story can take. In
particular, we look at how stories shape our own identity by exploring “her story”: the portrayal of girls
and women in literature. We read and discuss different types of stories that represent different types of
women: creators, rebels, pioneers, and historical figures. As we learn about the diverse roles of girls and
women, we ask ourselves: Where do I see myself in this story? What is MY story? What will my story be?
GRADE 8
Grade 8 English
In many respects, Grade 8 English doesn’t differ from most other English courses. Are there many
different genres? Check. Do we study grammar? Check. Will it cover paragraph writing? Yes. Sounds
pretty familiar, right? So what makes this course unique?
First, you will get a chance to read and discuss some interesting, thought-provoking short stories and
try your hand at writing your own. Also, you will read three novels—one on your own, two with your
classmates—and create a multimedia project related to their themes, as well as a monologue from
the perspective of a character of your choice. Later in the year, you will explore the wacky world of
fairies and errant mortals in
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
and try your hand at applying Shakespeare’s
language and ideas to modern contexts in the playbill project. Finally, you will create a rich social
media profile based on a novel character of your choice. Through it all, you will make connections
with various Jungian archetypes - the Sage, Ruler, Jester, and the Magician - which help us understand
basic human motivations as well as our own set of values and personality traits. Ultimately, you will
have many chances to become a better writer through practice and a lot of step-by-step instruction to
demystify the art of crafting strong, effective paragraphs and creative pieces of writing.