Page 214 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: English, 2007 (Revised)

podcast. A digital recording of a broadcast, available on the Internet for downloading to a personal computer or audio player.
point of view. The position of the narrator in relation to the story; thus, the vantage point from which events are seen (e.g., the omniscient, the third-person, or the first- person point of view).
pragmatics. The study of how people choose what they say or write from the range of possibilities available in the lan- guage and the effect of those choices on listeners or readers. Pragmatics involves understanding how the context influences the way sentences convey information (e.g., the speaker/author/producer’s choice of text form, text features, use of conventions, and presentation style affect how the listener, reader, or viewer will understand the text).
précis. A concise summary of the ideas in a text.
print and electronic resources.
Information/reference materials in print or electronic media. Examples include: books (fiction and non-fiction), newspa- pers, magazines, encyclopaedias, reports, television programs, videos, CD-ROMs, computer graphics programs, word- processing programs, models for writing (e.g., stories or essays by published writ- ers), style guides, databases, dictionaries, thesauri, spell-check programs.
prior knowledge. The background experi- ence and knowledge that a student brings to classroom learning. Instruction builds on prior knowledge in order to introduce new learning. Since students come to school with a wide variety of prior knowl- edge, teachers need to be aware of their students’ backgrounds in planning lessons.
product placement. The use of brand-name products in television programs, movies, games, and other media productions as a form of paid advertising.
proofreading. The careful reading of a final draft of written work to eliminate typographical errors and to correct errors in grammar, usage, spelling, and punctua- tion. See also writing process.
reader’s notebook. A notebook in which individual students record observations and reflections about texts read and their reading process, as well as related dia- grams, definitions, lists (e.g., “books read”, “books to read”), explanations, descriptions, predictions, findings, and conclusions. The reader’s notebook supports students’ thinking about their reading and is a help- ful tool for discussing their reading with the teacher and their peers.
readers' theatre. An instructional activity in which students: adopt the roles of dif- ferent characters and of a narrator to read a text; or develop scripts based on familiar texts, practise their parts, and then present their rehearsed reading to others.
reading fluency. The ability to read with sufficient ease and accuracy to focus the reader’s or listener’s attention on the meaning and message of a text. Reading fluency involves not only the automatic identification of words but also qualities such as rhythm, intonation, and phrasing at the phrase, sentence, and text levels, as well as anticipation of what comes next in a text.
reading strategies. Approaches used before, during, and after reading to figure out unfamiliar words, determine mean- ing, and increase understanding of a text. Examples include comprehension strategies and word-solving strategies, including the use of cueing systems. Good readers use a combination of word-solving and compre- hension strategies, while maintaining a focus on developing and deepening their understanding of a text. See also compre- hension strategies.
GLOSSARY
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