Page 181 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: English, 2007 (Revised)

Grade 12, University Preparation
4. Collaborative Writing
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | English
Publishing
3.2 produce polished written work, using a vari- ety of effective presentation features appropri- ate for the purpose and intended audience (e.g., prepare a manuscript for submission to a specific literary publication, following the guide- lines provided by the publisher; produce a pol- ished piece of writing for submission to a school or community publication, providing accompa- nying images, such as photographs or other graphics, if appropriate; produce a polished short story for submission to a literary contest, adhering to the contest guidelines; produce a children’s story, with appropriate illustrations, for presentation to the library of a local elemen- tary school; produce a script, including stage directions, for a play for submission to a drama contest for secondary school students)
Teacher prompts: “What design features and fonts would best enhance your résumé for a summer job? A children’s story for an ele- mentary classroom?” “What do you need to do if you want your manuscript to be taken seriously?” “Why does a professional writer have to take deadlines seriously?”
By the end of the course, students will:
Generating Ideas Collaboratively
4.1 generate and explore ideas for potential writing projects collaboratively through brainstorming and other discussions with a partner or as a group in a workshop setting (e.g., as a group, brainstorm ideas for writing an opinion piece on a controversial issue, considering the pros and cons of possible actions, potential arguments, and the points of view of various stakeholders; with a partner, use graphic organizers to sort ideas and develop a direction for writing a personal essay; in small group, advance a plot sequence by ask- ing and proposing answers to a series of“what if”questions related to the options arising from conflicts between characters; work with a partner to develop a fully realized setting for a science fiction or horror narrative; as a group, brainstorm to develop an extensive bank of imagery suitable for use in writing surrealist poems)
Teacher prompts: “What ideas for writing your personal essay have emerged from your group’s discussion of ‘writing against the grain’?” “How has the group activity on experimental plot structure influenced the way you are approaching your short story?” “What ideas for personal narratives did you get by sharing your childhood memories
with your partner?” “What insights might not have occurred to you without the input of others?”
Providing Feedback to Peers
4.2 provide constructive feedback to peers on works in progress by working with a partner or as a group in a workshop setting (e.g., describe their personal response to a peer’s reading of his or her introduction to a story, and ask if it was the response he or she intended; make specific sug- gestions aimed at improving a peer’s personal essay, such as taking into account a wider range of cultural experiences, using appropriate slang or unconventional grammar to express strong feelings about an event described, or reorganiz- ing some of the paragraphs to make the essay more coherent; compose written feedback on a draft of a classmate’s work, praising particularly effective aspects of the piece and making specific suggestions for improving others)
Teacher prompts: “What persuasive techniques worked particularly well in this letter to the editor?” “What made the strongest impression on you in this piece of writing?” “What feature of or detail in the poem that your classmate read aloud provoked the strongest response from the group?”
Assessing Peers’ Work
4.3 assess peers’ written drafts, working with a partner or as a group in a workshop setting,
to aid peers in their revision process (e.g., work with a partner to assess the written work of another peer and to develop constructive sugges- tions for the peer to use in revising his or her work; refer to specific criteria, determined earlier by the class, in explaining their assessment of
a peer’s work; discuss the merits of suggestions for revision received from peers in their writing workshop)
Teacher prompts: “What criteria should be used to assess this type of writing?” “What specific suggestions for revision will you and your partner offer your peer?” “Can you sug- gest a possible future direction for this piece to your writing partner, and explain why going in that direction may improve the work?” “Discuss and account for similarities and differences in the responses to this work by individuals in the group. Negotiate an assessment, based on criteria established by the class, that everyone in the group can agree to.”
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