​​In grade 9, students select between 3 (French Immersion Students) and 4 (English stream students) from the following elective/optional subject courses:

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Note: ALL grade 9 students will take grade 9 math all year and will earn 2 credits - Grade 9 Math and Grade 9 Transitional Math.​

Art Department:

Dramatic Arts / Arts dramatiques (Offered in both English and French Immersion)

1 credit course

Suggested Prerequisite: Students should have a genuine interest in drama.

This class runs during the school day schedule.

This course provides an introduction to dramatic elements and techniques through an exploration of drama forms. As the core of the course grade is performance based, students must be prepared to fully participate in performing activities. Topics covered include improvisation, script work, playwriting, performance and technical elements of backstage theatre.  All courses will be taught in our specialized theatre classroom.  There is no public performance assiociated with this class.

Technical Theatre

1 credit Course

Prerequisite:  None

This is not a performance course. This is an introductory course on backstage theatre production.  Students will focus on the production aspects of theatre; Lighting, Sound, Stage Construction, Set Painting, House Management, Marketing, Stage Management, and Backstage Crew positions.  Students study Ladder Safety, WHMIS, as well as are taught the Focus on Safety in the Arts booklet. Students will learn the various stages and equipment used in professional theatres today as well as the many careers in the theatrical arts and the structures of Canadian Professional theatre. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the history of technical theatre and will have opportunities to tour various performance venues and develop skills in conflict resolution, team and individual strategies for success, expectations on the job as well as a general understanding of workplace practices in any career of their choice.

Theatre Production (Morden Collegiate Theatre Troupe)

1 credit course

Prerequisite: Audition with course instructor.

Note:   This class will meet outside of the school day in both semesters, until the completion of the show in the Spring

This is a practical course involving the rehearsal and production of theatre and a show. The course will include rehearsal techniques, script analysis and practical experience in design, technical theatre and stage management.  The course will culminate in a public performance.  The course will be taught in our state of the art, flexible theatre space. This course will be supported by our technicians and design teams from our Backstage Theatre class.  The summation of this class is a public performance.  

Concert Band

1 credit courses

Through this four year program, students will explore music through group performance on wind and percussion instruments.  Students in band will study high quality wind band literature and be held to a high, yet attainable standard of performance.  Students will learn performance skills, musical notation, music theory, music history, and the proper playing mechanics of their instrument.  Emphasis will be placed on the ability to communicate fluently and expressively with the musical language.

Concerts, festivals, trips, and retreats are considered a part of each course, and it is an expectation that all band students participate in these.

For those students who do not own their instrument, rentals can be coordinated through the band teacher*.

*Financial assistance is available to any student who may be interested in taking courses with associated costs or fees.  Please see Ms. Sigurdson for more information.

Jazz Band (must also take Concert Band to be able to enroll in Jazz Band)

1 credit courses

Audition will be held prior to the course to determine placement in an appropriate ensemble.

The Junior Jazz Band provides an enrichment opportunity for students wanting to learn about jazz and perform in a smaller group setting.  Auditions for this group are held late in the spring of the previous school year.  Rehearsals are held during the regular school day.

Students in the course will learn various idioms of the jazz language and various jazz styles (swing, ballad, rock, latin).  They will also learn jazz forms, jazz chords, jazz scales, and improvisation.  Similar to concert band, the ability to communicate fluently and expressively using the jazz language will be emphasized.

Concerts, festivals, trips, and retreats are considered a part of Junior Jazz Band, and it is an expectation that all students participate in these. 

For those students who do not own their instrument, rentals can be coordinated through the band teacher*.

*Financial assistance is available to any student who may be interested in taking courses with associated costs or fees.  Please see Ms. Sigurdson for more information.

Concert Choir

1 credit course

Prerequisite: None

Students will receive one credit for this course. Classes are rehearsal-based, with the majority of class time spent studying repertoire. Choir 10S will provide students with:

Making Music

• an emphasis on good vocal technique (breath management, blend, balance)
• an emphasis on vocal and aural development through unison and part singing
• balanced experience to sacred and secular music within various genres, including various languages other than English
• the foundations of music theory
• the foundations to sight singing, including use of solfege

Creating Music

• opportunity to generate ideas and experiment with short rhythmic and notated compositions
• opportunity to revise, refine and share music ideas and creative work

Connecting in Music

• an introduction to important historical composers and musicians
• an opportunity to identify personal connections they have with music
• develop understandings about the roles, purposes and meanings of music in their world and in the world around them

Responding to Music

• various opportunities to respond to musical experiences (live and recorded) that reflects initial reactions
• use of suitable and accurate music-related vocabulary in their observations and descriptions on music experiences
• begin to analyze, interpret and apply their growing understanding of music within rehearsal and performance

*Financial assistance is available to any student who may be interested in taking courses with associated costs or fees.  Please see Ms. Sigurdson for more information.

Vocal Jazz Choir (highly recommended to take Concert choir along with Vocal Jazz)

1 credit courses

Prerequisite: None

Students will receive one credit for this course. Classes are rehearsal-based, with the majority of class time spent studying repertoire. This class runs during the school day schedule.​

Vocal Jazz10S and 20S will provide students with:

Making Music

• an emphasis on good vocal technique including, breath management, blend, balance, intonation
• an emphasis on vocal and aural development through unison and part singing
• an emphasis on good microphone technique
• sight reading skills will be developed
• opportunity to study various genres of jazz (swing, blues, bebop, funk, etc) and contemporary styles (pop, ballads, etc. )

Creating Music

• opportunity to generate ideas and experiment with short rhythmic and notated compositions
• opportunity to revise, refine and share music ideas and creative work

Connecting in Music

• an introduction to important historical jazz composers and musicians
• an opportunity to identify personal connections they have with music
• develop understandings about the roles, purposes and meanings of music in their world and in the world around them

Responding to Music

• various opportunities to respond to musical experiences (live and recorded) that reflects initial reactions
• use of suitable and accurate music-related vocabulary in their observations and descriptions on music experiences
• begin to analyze, interpret and apply their growing understanding of music within rehearsal and performance

*Financial assistance is available to any student who may be interested in taking courses with associated costs or fees.  Please see Ms. Sigurdson for more information.

Visual Arts

1 credit course

Prerequisite: None

This is an introductory course working with the basic elements of art through drawing, projects and painting assignments. The course will concentrate on the theory behind the creation of artworks as well as actual studio work.  At this level, paints and paper will be supplied for the students but they will be responsible for the following supplies - a sketchbook, one 2B, 4B pencil, one 6B pencil, and a white eraser. The Visual Art10G course provides the background for the Fine Art courses offered in Visual Art 20G,Visual Art 30S or Visual Art 40S.

ART FEE - $to be determined*

 *Financial assistance is available to any student who may be interested in taking courses with associated costs or fees.  Please see Ms. Sigurdson for more information.​

​ 

Business and Career Education:

 Business Innovations

1 credit course

 Prerequisite: None

Are you interested in one day starting your own business and being your own boss? Do you want to learn how businesses affect your everyday life? Do you want to learn about becoming a smarter shopper?

Business Innovations in an introductory course which offers you the opportunity to explore business related topics such as economics, entrepreneurship, marketing, technology, and finance. Throughout the course, you will apply the concepts and strategies learned to a variety of creative business projects/simulations.

Career Education

 1 credit course

Prerequisite: None

The grade 9 curriculum provides students with an overview of career development outcomes with an emphasis on building a positive self-esteem, exploring self-assessment, locating work information, selecting high school courses and personal finance/entrepreneurship. 

​Information & Communication Technology & Applying information & Communication Technology

1 credit from two half-credit courses

Prerequisite:  None

The purpose of this course is to reinforce and extend the ICT knowledge, attitudes, and skills acquired by the students in the Early and Middle Years.  The course will further prepare students to use ICT to learn and demonstrate their learning in all Senior Years courses. Topics covered include: Computer Orientation, the Internet, Spreadsheets, File Management, Databases,2D Animations and Web Design.

Home Economics:

Textiles Art and Design

1 credit course

Prerequisite: None

Students will study the principles and elements of design which assist them with selecting garments that suit their body type. Students will produce research about the history of clothing. One of the topics of study will include developing new sewing skills and techniques through completion of a sewing portfolio. Another topic will include clothing care, styles, brands, colours, textures, etc. Students will study introductory computer aided projects for clothing, housing and design. Students will demonstrate basic sewing skills by creating a basic garment, such as a hoody. Students will also construct a garment of their choice as a major project that reflects their sewing skills.

The actual content may vary from year to year depending on the needs of students involved in the course.

Project Fee - $to be determined.*

*Financial assistance is available to any student who may be interested in taking courses with associated costs or fees.  Please see Ms. Sigurdson for more information.

​Food & Nutrition

1 credit course

Prerequisite: None

This course will focus on a study of nutrients, personal nutrition, meal planning and food preparation. We are continually bombarded with information about nutrition and health from the news media, books and diet “experts", but are we getting the right information? The focus of the course is on the nutritional needs of the individual. An in-depth exploration of the major nutrients, their functions, sources and disease related issues. This program will teach skills that will enable students to make optimal use of the food dollar and practice meal planning throughout the FOOD LAB component of the course.

The actual content may vary from year to year depending on the needs of students involved in the course.

Project Fee - $to be determined*

*Financial assistance is available to any student who may be interested in taking courses with associated costs or fees.  Please see Ms. Sigurdson for more information.

Language Arts:

English as an Additional Language

1 credit course

Prerequisite: None

This course is intended for beginners learning to communicate in English. Students may have little or no knowledge of English and may experience great difficulty in the regular classroom. The three main focus of this course is developing everyday vocabulary, building community, and developing English listening, speaking reading, and writing skills.

French (NOT a French Immersion class)

1 credit course

Prerequisite: Grade 8 French

​Students without grade 8 French may be admitted to the course if they are willing and able to complete additional work to catch up with the class.

Over the four years of coursework, students will be expected to communicate orally and interact spontaneously. They will listen in order to understand the communicated message. Students will plan and write coherent texts to communicate the message. Students will read a variety of texts, for various purposes, and demonstrate understanding orally, in writing or visually. They will demonstrate a general knowledge of Francophone cultures and apply knowledge of Francophone cultures to interactions with others.

The focus of class time will be oral communication then reading and writing. Students are assessed according to message, fluency and accuracy.

 Reading is Thinking

*this course does not count as an English course for graduation requirements.

1 credit course

Prerequisite: None

This course is taught in conjunction with the grade 9 English Language Arts class and is for students who have historically struggled in their English classes in middle school.  This course emphasizes the key reading, writing, oral communication and thinking skills students need to be successful in their learning across high school curriculums. In particular students will read and respond to a variety of narrative and expository forms from a variety of content areas. The course activities will help develop confidence, and self-esteem when interacting with a variety of written and visual texts across curriculums. By the end of the course students will learn that:

• Reading is thinking
• Reading is a social act
• Reading empowers people and transforms the world
• Reading is a lifelong journey
• Students need to experience reading for the love of it

Other:​

Hockey Skills Academy

1 credit course

Prerequisite: none

Hockey skills academy is for everyone regardless of experience or ability. Instructors can help with finding the necessary equipment. 

The philosophy of the Morden Collegiate Hockey Skills Academy is to provide students with the opportunity to improve their hockey skills, fitness, and knowledge of the game while promoting a healthy active lifestyle. The intention of the program is not to develop future professional or international-calibre athletes, but rather to deliver individual technical skill development to students currently playing hockey while also offering the chance for all students to try the game at in an accessible school setting.

​Students will have the opportunity to educate themselves with many aspects of hockey such as fitness training, on-ice skill development, nutrition, sport psychology, as well as respect and fair play in sports. In addition, students will be given the opportunity to enhance their own personal skills while also being given a well-rounded view of the sport of hockey. Through these aspects of the program, we aim to provide these student athletes with the means by which they can achieve their full potential as athletes, coaches, managers, or officials.

In addition, it is the aim of Morden Collegiate to provide every student with the opportunity to experience success. The addition of the Hockey Skills Academy to our programming will enable us to continue to address the diverse needs of our students by providing an authentic and engaging learning option.

Finally, the Hockey Skills Academy provides students with a program that facilitates the development of soft skills such as peer relations, teamwork skills, leadership skills, and problem solving skills. Through the academy students will strive to improve themselves both in and out of the arena. Fee to be determined*.

Equipment pick up is the responsibility of the students/parents. Storage options are available if they have been previously arranged with the teacher.

*Financial assistance is available to any student who may be interested in taking courses with associated costs or fees.  Please see Ms. Sigurdson for more information. 

Transitional Math

This course is taught together with grade 9 math to all grade 9 students at Morden Collegiate.  

Transitional Math offers additional practice in Mathematical concepts such as investigations in algebra, additional focus on fractions, whole numbers, decimals and concepts and language within trigonometry, algebraic expressions, multiplying monomial and poluynomials, one and two step linear equations, and interpreting line graphs.  Students will also work on money management and problem-solving measurements of perimeter and areas, as well as use of percent, ratio, scale, and proportions in real life contexts.  Transitional math also offers grade 9 math teachers timet o focus on Learning to Learn skills such as persistence in learning, flexibility in thinking, and checking for accuracy and precision to name a few.