Course opener
| Topic | What’s new in 2023? |
| Course introduction | Grade 9 English course, 2023 (ENL1W) supersedes the two Grade 9 courses outlined in The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10: English, 2007.
This curriculum provides educators with a comprehensive guide to supporting the development and consolidation of essential knowledge and skills in every student. |
| Vision and goals | The Grade 9 English course is designed to support students in developing and consolidating the literacy knowledge and skills they need to succeed in education and in life, and to encourage students to experience the joy and possibility that literacy learning can ignite.
The Grade 9 English course emphasizes evidence-based systematic and explicit instruction that supports students in developing and consolidating foundational knowledge and skills, including oral language, reading, writing, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. This curriculum was informed by recommendations in the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Right to Read inquiry report. |
| The elements of Grade 9 English course | Updated:
The new strand structure is as follows:
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| Instructional approaches in language | Added:
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| Program planning for students with special education needs, students with disabilities | Added guiding principles and subject-specific instructional strategies for students with special education needs and students with disabilities. |
| Program planning for English language learners | Added key considerations and research-informed pedagogy to support students who are culturally and linguistically diverse. |
| The role of school library | Updated language to reflect the important role of the library learning commons and teacher-librarians. |
| Education and career/life planning | Added new content to highlight how language and literacy programs can support students in education and career/life planning. Students can make authentic connections between the knowledge and skills they are learning in school and the knowledge and skills required to pursue future education, in different careers, and in a wide range of functions in daily life. |
| Assessment and evaluation | Revised the achievement chart to reflect the new learning areas in the Grade 9 English course. |
NEW Strand A. Literacy Connections and Applications
The learning related to Strand A takes place in the context of learning related to Strand B, C, and D, and it should be assessed and evaluated within these contexts.
| Topic | What’s new in 2023? |
| Transferable skills | Students will analyze and use transferable skills to support communication in various cultural, social, linguistic, and domain-specific contexts, and apply them when reading, listening to, viewing, and creating texts.
Students will evaluate and explain how transferable skills help them to express their voice and be engaged in their learning and implement a plan to develop their capabilities and potential. See A1 |
| Digital media literacy | Students will evaluate and explain their rights and responsibilities when interacting online with appropriate permission and make decisions that contribute positively to their digital identity and those of their communities.
Students will understand how to navigate online environments safely, manage their privacy, personal data and security; and interact in a way that supports their well-being and others, including seeking appropriate permission. Students will gather, evaluate, and use information, considering credibility, accuracy and perspectives with a focus on misinformation, disinformation, and curated information, to construct knowledge, create texts and demonstrate learning while respecting legal and ethical considerations. Students will understand the interrelationships between the form, message, and context of a text, the intended and unintended audience, and the purpose for production. Students will select and use digital and media tools to support stages of the design process and to develop and propose innovative solutions to address authentic real-world problems. Students will communicate and collaborate with various communities in a safe, respectful, responsible, and inclusive manner, when using online platforms and environments, including digital and media tools, and model cultural awareness with members of the community. See A2 |
| Applications, connections, and contributions | Students will analyze and explain the knowledge and skills to support learning in various subject areas and identify ways this learning can be used in everyday life and describe how they enhance understanding and communication.
Students will understand the historical contexts, contributions, lived experiences and perspectives of a diversity of individuals and communities, including those in Canada, by exploring the concepts of identity, self and sense of belonging in culturally responsive and relevant texts. Students will analyze themes explored in First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures to demonstrate an understanding of the varied identities, perspectives, relationships, legacies, truths, and ways of knowing, being, and doing. See A3 |
Strand B. Foundations of Language
| Topic | What’s new in 2023? |
| Oral and non-verbal communication | Students will explicitly learn non-verbal communication skills and strategies to understand and communicate meaning in various contexts.
Student will use precise and descriptive word choice, including domain-specific vocabulary from various subjects, and cohesive and coherent sentences during informal and formal communication to support audience comprehension. See B1 |
| Language foundations for reading and writing | Students will continue to develop and consolidate language foundations through explicit learning, application and refinement of orthographic, morphological, vocabulary knowledge and fluency to develop their reading and spelling skills.
See B2 |
| Language conventions for reading and writing | Students will apply new learning on cohesive ties including the understanding of their function and application of it in relation to sentence structure, grammar, capitalization and punctuation.
See B3 |
Strand C. Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts
| Topic | What’s new in 2023? |
| Knowledge about texts | Students will apply foundational knowledge and skills and drawing on their vocabulary and background knowledge to read, listen to, and view texts by creators with diverse identities, perspectives, and experiences, including diverse First Nations, Métis, and Inuit creators.
Students will learn about the patterns, features, and elements of style associated with various complex text forms and genres, including digital, media, and cultural texts. See C1 |
| Comprehension strategies | Students will continue to develop and apply comprehension strategies including:
See C2 |
| Critical thinking in literacy | Students will analyze how various perspectives and topics are communicated and addressed in a variety of texts, including digital, media, and cultural texts.
See C3 |
Strand D. Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts
| Topic | What’s new in 2023? |
| Developing ideas and organizing content | Students will create texts of various forms, genres, including digital and media texts.
Updated specific expectation on researching and gathering information to include students verifying the reliability of sources. New specific expectation on generating and developing ideas and details about complex topics using a variety of strategies, and drawing on various resources, including their own lived experiences. See D1 |
| Creating texts | New specific expectation on fluent writing, accurate and quick touch typing, and using appropriate word-processing programs and tools.
Students will apply their knowledge of language conventions from Strand B in their writing and use text patterns, features, and stylistic elements to express their ideas clearly and coherently. Students will apply new learning on cohesive ties from Strand B, including the understanding of their function and application in relation to sentence structure, grammar, and capitalization and punctuation, in the creation of texts. See D2 |
| Publishing, presenting, and reflecting | Students will publish and present texts they have created, using various media and tools, including digital tools.
Students will reflect on their learning, seek feedback from others, analyze their own texts, reflect on their use of techniques, tools, and technology, and consider how to improve as text creators. See D3 |
