Course Profile - Curriculum Services Canada

Prior Knowledge Required
• Depending on the ISP option selected, ensure that students have been introduced to the necessary
skills and literary terms to complete the assignment.
Planning Notes
• The ISP for the Grade 9 academic course can take a variety of forms. The key components which
must be present for any ISP would be process work, research, written report or essay, an oral
presentation, and a creative component. Possible options for an ISP would be:
• A research report based on a theme/topic inspired by course work, e.g., adolescent alienation,
teen suicide, nuclear war, racism, gangs, the environment, and family conflicts.
• A independent novel study, where the student would not only write a literary analysis of the novel,
but also a biographical study of the author and “book talk” about the text.
• An author study, where the student profiles several works and themes by a particular author.
• A scrapbook of reading responses on a particular theme, which would include reading one noncourse
novel, two non-fiction articles and two poems on a selected theme. Students could also
provide response journals, answers to analysis questions, research the novel author, and complete
creative extension(s).
• The creative component should be presented in combination with the oral presentation. Possible
suggestions for creative extensions within the ISP framework include: a painting or sculpture reflecting
the theme under study, a short story or alternate ending based on the novel read, a newspaper or
magazine focusing on the topics/themes of the independent readings, a 3-D model of the setting for the
novel read, designing a game, creating a video or radio play based on the readings, a sound or visual
collage, to name only a few options.
• The teacher should conference with the teacher/librarian to arrange time in the library/resource centre
for the research component. If the ISP is introduced early in the term, this would provide an ideal
opportunity for an orientation to the library and its various services.
• The ISP is intended to be a project that the students work on over the length of the course. Therefore
it should be introduced early in the term and students should be afforded time to conference with the
teacher and show proof of process work as the term progresses. Final written work and presentations
would take place towards the end of term.
Teaching/Learning Strategies
• Outline the expectations of the assignment, being sure to conference with students about the
timeline/due dates for all components of the process and product.
• The steps in the process are:
• Submit a proposal, which could include a topic, a theme, an author and/or proposed readings.
• Complete the required reading.
• Visit the library/resource centre and complete required research.
• Draft the major paper.
• Conference with peers, revising and editing work as required.
• Submit written work, including the major paper and work/response journals, (a minimum of four
over the course of the term, i.e., one per month).
• Deliver an oral presentation for the whole class, approximately ten minutes in length.
• Share the creative component, likely in conjunction with the oral presentation.
Unit 6 - Page 9
•English - Academic