By Esther Eisen
Drama
Culminating Task: Present memorized monologue (30%)
Exam: None
Review #1
1. Did you enjoy this course? Why or why not?
I really enjoyed this class. It was definitely one of my favourite grade 10 classes. You can really learn a lot from this class. It is a really fun learning environment where you get a lot of time working in really fun situations with your friends.
2. What were some course highlights (what did you enjoy learning, what did you find interesting)?
Some of the things I really enjoyed were watching the funny presentations and hanging out with my friends!
3. Did you find this course useful? Why or why not?
Contrary to popular belief, the drama course is not a “jokes course” and you can actually learn a lot. You learn to get more comfortable in front of people and you have the opportunity to improve your public speaking and memorizing skills. All of these things are helpful in other courses!
4. What was your reason for taking this course and were you happy with your decision?
I’ve always loved drama. I took drama classes for a couple of years when I was younger and was signed to a few agencies and used to go on acting auditions for commercials and stuff like that so it’s always been a passion. I was really happy with my decision because I could excel in the course, have fun with my friends and learn from the amazing Ms. Roca.
5. What do you wish you had known going into this course?
There’s nothing that really happened that I didn’t expect. Just know that there are lots of performances and presentations and you must participate if you want a good mark!
6. What was the amount of homework and typically what kind of homework were you assigned (ie. textbook work, essays, projects, worksheets, etc.)?
There wasn’t a whole lot of homework but when you are assigned a presentation or monologue to memorize, it’s very time consuming. For example, when you’re given a monologue you must first read it over a million times to memorize it, and then once it’s memorized you have to get into character and find your character’s voice, habit, walk, talk, etc.
Review #2
1. Did you enjoy this course? Why or why not?
Personally, I did not really enjoy this course. The only reason is because I found it very stressful to perform in front of people often. Although I did like being with my friends and having a class that wasn’t a sitting and listening kind of class.
2. What were some course highlights (what did you enjoy learning, what did you find interesting)?
My favourite thing that we did in class was probably watching people perform because it is so much fun to watch everyone’s hard work come to life.
3. Did you find this course useful? Why or why not?
I found this course useful because it forces you to be brave and stand up in front of people and do things like recite a monologue or improvise.
4. What was your reason for taking this course and were you happy with your decision?
I took this course because I thought it would be fun and easy. I wasn’t happy with my decision because I really didn’t enjoy performing in front of people often.
5. What do you wish you had known going into this course?
I wish I had known how much there was to memorize.
6. What was the amount of homework and typically what kind of homework were you assigned (ie. textbook work, essays, projects, worksheets, etc.)?
In this course, the workload would definitely fluctuate. For example, there might be no work for a week and then you might have a performance in a couple of days, so you have to do a lot of preparation for that. My biggest piece of advice about drama is that you get out what you put in. For example, if you put a lot of effort in, it will definitely pay off, and if you don’t, it is very obvious. If you’re someone who likes to perform and is willing to put some effort in, I think you will really enjoy it.
Business
Review #1
Culminating Task: Present proposed business idea (with a report) (30%)
Exam: None
1. Did you enjoy this course? Why or why not?
I enjoyed this course because I found it easy to do well in and the environment of the class was very relaxed.
2. What were some course highlights (what did you enjoy learning, what did you find interesting)?
My favourite part of business was watching Dragon’s Den.
3. Did you find this course useful? Why or why not?
I didn’t find this course useful because nothing that we covered really stuck with me and I found that a lot of what we learned, I already knew.
4. What was your reason for taking this course and were you happy with your decision?
I took this course because I thought it would be good information to have and I was happy with my decision. Because it was a pretty light work load, it evened out some of my heavier courses.
5. What do you wish you had known going into this course?
I wish I had known that we don’t really learn as much about business as I thought we would.
6. What was the amount of homework and typically what kind of homework were you assigned (ie. textbook work, essays, projects, worksheets, etc.)?
We didn’t get that much homework. On the off chance that we did, we would get a project or some textbook work. Every once and awhile we would get a test, but it was usually open book.
French
Culminating Task (with percentage): 15%
Exam (length and percentage): 1.5 hrs, 15%
1. Did you enjoy this course? Why or why not?
I did enjoy it because I like French and it is something I am interested in. At the same time, Grade 10 French is much more difficult than Grade 9 French.
2. What were some course highlights (what did you enjoy learning, what did you find interesting)?
I found all of it interesting, not one particular thing.
3. Did you find this course useful? Why or why not?
I did find it useful because I know I can use it later on in my life.
4. What was your reason for taking this course and were you happy with your decision?
I took it because I’m interested in French and I was happy that I took it.
5. What do you wish you had known going into this course?
I wish I had known how much more difficult it would be than grade 9 French.
6. What was the amount of homework and typically what kind of homework were you assigned (ie. textbook work, essays, projects, worksheets, etc.)?
I had a medium amount of homework and it was mainly textbook questions and handouts.