Page 107 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: English, 2007 (Revised)

Grade 12, University Preparation
2. Understanding Media Forms, Conventions, and Techniques
3. Creating Media Texts
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | English
Audience Responses
1.4 explain, with increasing insight, why the same media text might prompt different responses from different audiences (e.g., explain why the use of celebrities in fundraising campaigns might prompt both negative and positive responses; explain why a particular audience might respond negatively to violence in a widely popular video game while a different audience does not; explain why different audiences might interpret a political campaign brochure differently2)
Teacher prompts: “Why do you think some people enjoy daytime talk shows while oth- ers do not?” “Explain why a journalist might respond to a news broadcast differently than an ordinary viewer.”
Critical Literacy
1.5 identify and analyse the perspectives and/or biases evident in texts, including complex and challenging texts, commenting with under- standing and increasing insight on any ques- tions they may raise about beliefs, values, identity, and power (e.g., debate the implicit assumption in an anti-smoking campaign that it is acceptable to limit some individual freedoms to achieve a collective social benefit; determine whether and how mainstream media coverage of a war or conflict manufactures consent or creates support for the war effort)
Teacher prompt: “How does a broadcast of a national political convention reflect the values, beliefs, and perspectives of its creators, and to what purpose? In what ways might one TV channel’s [or newspaper’s] coverage of an election campaign differ from another’s?” “What perspectives were omitted in this televised discussion of contemporary social issues?”
Production Perspectives
1.6 explain, with increasing understanding and insight, how production, marketing, financing, distribution, and legal/regulatory factors influence the media industry (e.g., in a small group, chart the costs of a thirty-second ad on prime-time television, a full-page ad in a daily newspaper, a thirty-second ad on a local radio station, and a full-page ad in a community newspaper, and explain why the costs of the
advertisements vary so dramatically)
Teacher prompts: “How might owning a radio station, a television station, and a magazine help a film company promote its newest feature film?” “What are the implications of having the soft-drink vending machines in schools controlled by a single soft-drink company?”
By the end of this course, students will:
Form
2.1 identify general and specific characteristics of a variety of media forms and demonstrate insight into the way they shape content and create meaning (e.g., explain how the format and presentation of news items on television can create a culture of fear; explain why film adap- tations of novels often differ significantly from the novels they are based on, and describe the nature of the differences in a specific example)
Teacher prompt: ”What might you experience differently in viewing an event on television rather than ‘live’ on site, or vice versa?”
Conventions and Techniques
2.2 identify conventions and/or techniques used in a variety of media forms and demonstrate insight into the way they convey meaning and influence their audience (e.g., reality television shows use editing and the careful manipulation of setting and costume to conceal the extent to which they are controlled by the producer; TV news coverage intersperses reporter narration with brief speech clips from protagonists to add interest and authenticity)
Teacher prompt: “List some conventions that are used in many video games and explain how they shape the way the games are played.”
By the end of this course, students will:
Purpose and Audience
3.1 describe the topic, purpose, and audience for media texts they plan to create (e.g., a story- board for a short videotaped editorial on a current issue or topic aimed at an adult audience; a multi- media presentation for peers on an environmental issue3) and identify practical, interpretive, and/ or creative challenges they may face in achiev- ing their purpose
Teacher prompt: “What are some interpretive or creative challenges you might face in pro- moting the benefits of free speech to a diverse community?”
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2. TL Media 7-10 “Reading Between the Lines (Predictions)” 10
3. TL Media 7-10 “Planning a Public Service Announcement” 16