By Esther Eisen
Biology
Culminating: none
Exam: 2 hours and 30%
1. Did you enjoy this course? Why or why not?
I really enjoyed this course because it really gave an in-depth look at some of the fundamental concepts of biology that I am personally very interested in.
2. What were some course highlights (what did you enjoy learning, what did you find interesting)?
I really enjoyed the homeostasis unit. In this unit, we learned in detail about the excretory system, the endocrine system, and the nervous system. I have always been interested in this and this unit was honestly one of the coolest things I have learned about in school. Along with being extremely interesting, it was also by far the easiest unit in terms of workload and memorization for the test.
3. Did you find this course useful? Why or why not?
I think this course will be useful in my future studies in university as this is the field that I want to study. I also feel as though there is a reason that this is a prerequisite for almost every science program as it gave a basic overview of many concepts that will be studied in university.
4. What was your reason for taking this course and are you happy with your decision?
I took this course because I had to in order to get accepted into the university programs I am interested in. I am happy that I took it because I learned a lot. I think people who are considering taking this course should understand that a lot of hard work and time must be put into this course in order to do well. SBI4U is more than just memorizing terms and numbers as one must actually deeply understand the ideas learned in class.
5. What do you wish you had known going into this course?
I wish I knew how much work this course requires and that it is different and a lot more difficult than SBI3U. But I personally enjoyed this course more as it gave a microscopic look on biology as opposed to a macroscopic look. It was nice to have the contrast from grade 11 and learn a different type of biology.
6. What was the amount of homework and typically what kind of homework were you assigned (ie. Lots of textbook work, essays, projects, worksheets, etc.) ?
Typically, the homework would be textbook readings and questions or studying for a test. All of the evaluations were either quizzes or tests, except for one paper we had at the end of the semester. Normally, every night I would study and rewrite class notes from that day. This was so I could actually understand and learn what we did that day and so that I would not be behind the next day.
Environment and Resource Management
Culminating task: “Greenventions” (10%)
Exam: 2 hours and 20%
1. Did you enjoy this course? Why or why not?
I enjoyed this course for the most part because I learned about real issues facing our world today. The course was catered to today’s world and events, which I found very interesting.
2. What were some course highlights (what did you enjoy learning, what did you find interesting)?
A highlight for me was learning about climate change because of how much climate change impacts us and how it will affect our world. It is a very current issue and I found it beneficial to learn about in class.
3. Did you find this course useful? Why or why not?
I think this course will be useful for my knowledge about our world but not for my future studies. Some concepts that we discussed in the class I know I will not look at in my future studies. However, this course was a nice change from usual science and math courses I take.
4. What was your reason for taking this course and are you happy with your decision?
I took this course because I needed an extra credit to graduate and because I did not want to take another science or “challenging” course. I am content with this course because I got the credit I needed but I know this mark will not be submitted to university, so it does not affect me very much.
5. What do you wish you had known going into this course?
To be honest, I originally thought this course would be an easy 90 but it really was not. I had to put in a lot more time than I thought into the assignments in order to get the 90% I wanted. For those who take this course in the future, be prepared to put time and thought into the course work as it is noticeable when you do an assignment the night before!
6. What was the amount of homework and typically what kind of homework were you assigned (ie. Lots of textbook work, essays, projects, worksheets, etc.) ?
The entire course was assignment based. There was no nightly homework besides completing the next assignment.
Data Management
Culminating Task (with percentage): 10% research report
Exam (length and percentage): 20% final exam
1. Did you enjoy this course? Why or why not?
I liked this course just because it was so different from functions and the other Grade 12 maths.
2. What were some course highlights (what did you enjoy learning, what did you find interesting)?
The course highlight would be the completion of the final research project. Seeing all the research and work put into one finished project is very rewarding.
3. Did you find this course useful? Why or why not?
I found it useful because I am not going into a math-focused program in university and thought having one math would be helpful.
4. What was your reason for taking this course and are you happy with your decision?
I took this course because I wanted to take at least one math course in grade 12. I do regret taking it just because it was not a prerequisite and I am not someone who enjoys math.
5. What do you wish you had known going into this course?
A lot of people take this course thinking it will be an easy 90 but it is a difficult course if you do not put the required time and effort. Do not go into data doing the bare minimum and expecting an amazing mark. In my opinion, I would say that if you do not like math, do not take this course. A lot of people will say it is easier than Advanced Functions and Calculus, but that does not mean it is easy- it is still challenging.
6. What was the amount of homework and typically what kind of homework were you assigned (ie. Lots of textbook work, essays, projects, worksheets, etc.) ?
Time management is very important. You are working on your final report while you are doing term work. A lot of research and work goes into the final report.
Writer’s Craft
Culminating Task (with percentage): One Act Play (30%)
Exam (length and percentage): None
1. Did you enjoy this course? Why or why not?
Great course, especially if you love to read and write. There were no essays as this course focuses on the creative aspect of writing as well as the process. I definitely recommend taking this course in grade 12.
2. What were some course highlights (what did you enjoy learning, what did you find interesting)?
My course highlight was writing and performing a slam poem.
3. Did you find this course useful? Why or why not?
I definitely found this course helpful, especially since I had it first semester, before I had taken grade 12 English.
4. What was your reason for taking this course and are you happy with your decision?
I heard a lot of great things about the course from past grade 12s. I also wanted to work on my writing. I am happy with my decision.
5. What do you wish you had known going into this course?
It’s really different from traditional English courses so there is not much prior information you need going into the course. I guess I wish I would have known the emphasis put on formatting and overall representation of work.
6. What was the amount of homework and typically what kind of homework were you assigned (ie. Lots of textbook work, essays, projects, worksheets, etc.) ?
There was a fair amount of work given, especially during the poetry unit, but there is plenty of class time to work on it.
Law
Culminating Task (with percentage): None
Exam (length and percentage): 2 hour exam, 30%
1. Did you enjoy this course? Why or why not?
Law was probably the course I’ve most enjoyed taking at Forest Hill. It was really challenging but intellectually rewarding.
2. What were some course highlights (what did you enjoy learning, what did you find interesting)?
I really enjoyed how current events were incorporated into the course.
3. Did you find this course useful? Why or why not?
It was very useful. It was practically useful as we learned about our constitutional rights, and further solidified my interest in pursuing a legal career.
4. What was your reason for taking this course and are you happy with your decision?
I have been interested in law for a while so naturally I chose it. I am very happy with my decision.
5. What do you wish you had known going into this course?
I wish I had known that it wasn’t impossible if you consistently did your homework and the reading.
6. What was the amount of homework and typically what kind of homework were you assigned (ie. Lots of textbook work, essays, projects, worksheets, etc.) ?
There were lots of writing tasks that I enjoyed and reading was assigned most days.
Kinesiology
Culminating Task (with percentage): None
Exam (length and percentage): 30%, 2 hours
1. Did you enjoy this course? Why or why not?
I really enjoyed this course! It was very applied and you can relate the concepts learned in class to real life. You learn in depth about the body (both systems and anatomy). It is really interactive in the sense that you can visualize most things. That being said, this course required a lot of hard work and studying. Someone cannot pass, or do well, without studying and hoping they can “just get by”. But studying for the tests or doing the assignments was not terrible as I am interested in the subject. If you are not willing to put in time and effort into this course, then do not take it.
2. What were some course highlights (what did you enjoy learning, what did you find interesting)?
I really enjoyed the anatomy unit of the course. In this unit, we learned in detail about the bones and muscles and how they work. I found it very interesting to learn the names and types of bones we have in our body, as well as the functions of the different muscles in our body. We also learned about how our muscles work and the role our brain plays in muscle contraction. This unit was definitely the highlight of the course.
3. Did you find this course useful? Why or why not?
I think this course will be useful in both my future studies, as well as my life as a whole. As I plan on going into health sciences, I know that many of the concepts discussed in class will come back in university. Although I doubt that I will remember all of the course material in huge detail, I am sure that having prior exposure will help me succeed.
4. What was your reason for taking this course and are you happy with your decision?
I originally took this course because it sounded cool and because I needed another credit. It was the only course of the options that sounded interesting to me. I am happy I took this course because everything we learned was genuinely interesting and the way the class was taught was interactive, visual, and applied.
5. What do you wish you had known going into this course?
Going into this course, I wish I would have known how much work it would be.
6. What was the amount of homework and typically what kind of homework were you assigned (ie. Lots of textbook work, essays, projects, worksheets, etc.) ?
The classwork was different all of the time, which is another reason I enjoyed the course. For the most part, nightly homework consisted of textbook readings with questions or a worksheet. The evaluations are what differed. We had a huge mix of both tests and assignments. The assignments ranged from creating an infographic, to round tables, to 3D models of a joint. This ensured that even if someone was not a “good test taker”, they could still do well in the course from the wide variety of other assessments.