Page 53 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9–12 | Classical Studies and International Languages

In classical languages, students primarily use English for their oral communication, but the skills and strategies they use also help them to develop their literacy in Latin or Greek. In international languages, much of their oral communication takes place in the target language, so their oral communication skills and their reading and writing skills reinforce one another.
Activating prior knowledge and connecting learning to past experiences help students acquire literacy skills in the language of study. Making connections to the literacy skills and strategies students already possess in their first language contributes to their literacy development in both languages. A focus on developing strategies that help students understand as well as talk and write about texts that are authentic, interesting, challenging, age appropriate, and linguistically accessible will increase student engagement, motivation, and success in classical studies and international languages.
The Ministry of Education has facilitated the development of materials to support literacy instruction across the curriculum in Grades 7–12. Helpful advice for effectively addressing the literacy demands of different curriculum areas, including classical studies and inter- national languages, may be found in resource materials available in the literacy domain of the EduGAINS website, at www.edugains.ca/newsite/literacy/index.html.
Critical Thinking and Critical Literacy
Critical thinking is the process of thinking about ideas or situations in order to understand them fully, identify their implications, make a judgement, and/or guide decision making. Critical thinking includes skills such as questioning, predicting, analysing, synthesizing, examining opinions, identifying values and issues, detecting bias, and distinguishing between alternatives. Students who are taught these skills become critical thinkers who can move beyond superficial conclusions to a deeper understanding of the issues they are examining. They are able to engage in an inquiry process in which they explore complex and multifaceted issues, and questions for which there may be no clear-cut answers.
Students use critical thinking skills in classical studies and international languages when they assess, analyse, and/or evaluate the impact of something and when they form an opinion and support that opinion with a rationale. In order to think critically, students need to ask themselves effective questions in order to: interpret information; detect bias in their sources; determine why a source might express a particular bias; examine the opinions, perspectives, and values of various groups and individuals; look for implied meaning; and use the information gathered to form a personal opinion or stance, or a personal plan of action with regard to making a difference.
Students approach critical thinking in various ways. Some students find it helpful to discuss their thinking, asking questions and exploring ideas. Other students may take time to observe a situation or consider a text carefully before commenting; they may prefer not to ask questions or express their thoughts orally while they are thinking.
Critical literacy is the term used to refer to a particular aspect of critical thinking. Critical literacy involves looking beyond the literal meaning of a text to determine what is present and what is missing, in order to analyse and evaluate the text’s complete meaning and the author’s intent. Critical literacy is concerned with issues related to fairness, equity, and social justice. Critically literate students adopt a critical stance, asking what view of the world the text advances and whether they find this view acceptable, who benefits from the text, and how the reader is influenced.
SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROGRAM PLANNING IN CLASSICAL STUDIES AND INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGES
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