Grade 10 course descriptions

Note: The following course descriptions represent the 2008-2009 academic year and are subject to change for the 2009-2010 year

Grade 10 Academic Program - Wilderness Integrated Course (WIC)

The primary theme in grade 10 is community. Personal and Social Education introduces students to the skills that make a community work; Moral Education introduces students to the concept of how morals form the basis of a community. These courses and Career Choice Education are combined with History of Canada and Quebec as well as English to form the core foundation of the WIC program. There are five other basic tenets to the WIC program: ownership, authenticity, adventure, experiential learning and completing processes. WIC courses are integrated into four thematic units: sea, forest, the North and rivers and mountains.

The WIC program focuses on delivering course content through hands-on techniques in outdoor environments. This provides opportunities for students to find success outside of the conventional classroom setting and make meaningful connections between themselves, their work, and their environment.

Within the WIC community, students gain valuable work-related skills through exposure to different scenarios, challenges and expeditions. They learn about themselves and how to interact effectively with others. These experiences help students establish their values and needs in the context of human relationships, educational life, and career choices.

Math 416
Math 416 comprises algebra, geometry and statistics and is a course designed for students with average ability. Algebra provides students with the opportunity to learn how to analyse variations using different modes of representation geometry and statistics and solve problems dealing with systems of linear relations. The geometry unit has students learning to solve problems using the concept of similarity and using trigonometric ratios. In statistics students will learn to solve problems that involve gathering data and using measures of position.

This course is designed to enable the students to:

• prepare students for mathematics in grade 11
• establish connections between the knowledge they are acquiring and ones they already have in mathematics and other disciplines
• encourage students to communicating their ideas on the topic studied using the proper mathematic vocabulary
• increase the student's ability to formulate hypotheses, analyze, and solve problems using appropriate strategies

Math 436
Math 436 is a program designed for grade 10 students who wish to study sciences, commerce, business administration or a technical trade. It is important that students have previously demonstrated consistent ability to acquire mathematical concepts. The course includes functions, algebra, factoring, polynomial functions, systems of equations in two variables, analytic geometry, isometric and similar figures and statistical analysis.

This course is designed to enable the students to possess ability to:

• use algebra
• analyze geometric situations
• have a more critical attitude towards statistical study

English
The purpose of this course is to encourage success in secondary academic programs through expanding a student's level of knowledge through reading, writing, analytic, oral communication and thinking skills. Using novels, poems, plays, short stories and opinion pieces, students study and interpret challenging texts from contemporary and historical periods. Students will also analyze and create effective media works. An important focus is the thoughtful use of spoken and written language.

This course is designed to enable the students to:

• read and understand a range of literary texts, both contemporary and historic
• demonstrate and understand the elements from an array of literary forms
• use a range of print and electronic sources to gather information and explore ideas for written work
• use a variety of organizational techniques to present ideas and information logically and coherently in written work
• revise written work, independently and collaboratively, focusing on ideas and opinions, accuracy, clarity and coherence
• edit and proofread to produce final drafts, using correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation
• use knowledge of vocabulary and language to speak, write and read competently and effectively for a variety of purposes and audiences, a level of language appropriate to the context
• use listening techniques and oral communication skills to participate in classroom discussions and more formal activities, such as dramatizing, presenting, and debating

Science 416 and 436
The grade 10 physics-chemistry course is compulsory and is based solely on the grade 10 Physical Science course designed by the Ministry of Quebec (Physical Science 436). The course comprises three modules which are pursued and evaluated in terms of theoretical and laboratory modes. This course builds in core and advanced levels of learning. The more advanced version of the course is a prerequisite for students who wish to take advanced chemistry and physics in grade eleven.

Upon completion of the course, students will understand the organization of concepts related to chemical and physical phenomenon. Students will begin to master laboratory based technical skills, develop the ability to reason inductively, solve problems related to science and chemistry and learn to work methodically and safely while conducting scientific research.

Beginner French 10
This is an introductory French course that allows learners to be exposed to and develop skills in the fields of speaking, listening comprehension, reading comprehension and writing. The course goal for those students who remain in the programme for more than one year is to acquire enough skills to eventually integrate into Core FSL.

The goal of the Beginner French course (from the Québec Education Program) is to develop the student's capacity for oral (speaking and listening) and written (reading and writing) communication so as to enable them to express their view of the world. They will then be able to communicate with young people and adults from near and far and acquire and transmit cultural knowledge.

French Second Language (FSL)
Objectifs

• Le cours de français vise à aider l'élève à développer des compétences langagières, à communiquer de façon cohérente et structurée en exerçant les quatre compétences : l'oral, l'écoute, la lecture et l'écriture.
• Un tel apprentissage vise à donner les outils nécessaires à l'élève pour devenir un citoyen capable de participer pleinement aux échanges d'idées et à l'évolution de la société.
• Dans un second ordre, l'apprentissage de la langue englobe aussi la connaissance d'une société et d'une culture, de leur compréhension et au développement de celles-ci.

Comme aucun cahier d'exercices n'est requis dans le cours de français, l'utilisation de Destination 4 sera complétée par l'usage de d'autres outils telle la recherche internet sur divers thèmes choisis par l'enseignante. On retrouvera aussi la lecture de livres, des dictées, des exercices divers, des exposés oraux, des jeux, des films de pays francophones, de la musique francophone, des projets, des sketches, des sorties culturelles, etc.

Grade 10 History of Québec and Canada
The History of Québec and Canada course explores all the major turning points in Quebec and Canadian history from the French Regime to the Contemporary Period. The course seeks to convey a global perspective of history using hands-on and experiential methods. The diversified nature of Quebec history is recognised by emphasizing the contributions of all groups to the collective past and it seeks to develop students' abilities to interpret historical events objectively. Students who complete the course will understand:

• the foundations of the French Empire in America
• the development of the St. Lawrence colony
• the effects of the Conquest and of the American Revolution on the St. Lawrence colony
• the socio-economic changes and clashes which marked the early stages of parliamentary government
• the new developments in Quebec and Canada in the second half of the 19^th century
• the main economic, political and social factors which marked the second phase of industrialization in Quebec and beyond