Page 48 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: English, 2007 (Revised)

Teacher prompts: “What inferences can we draw about the characters from the opening scene of this play?” “What does the physical presentation of this poem – the way it is laid out on the page and its unusual typography – contribute to its meaning?”
Extending Understanding of Texts
1.5 extend understanding of texts, including increasingly complex or difficult texts, by making appropriate and increasingly rich con- nections between the ideas in them and per- sonal knowledge, experience, and insights; other texts; and the world around them (e.g., compare the thinking and responses of a fiction- al character in a crisis with their own probable reactions in similar circumstances; explain how their understanding of literary theory helped them interpret a theme in a work of fiction; com- pare the perspective on a current social issue expressed in an editorial with the perspectives expressed in at least two other texts on the same issue; explain how the portrayal of a particular human experience in a novel compares with the depiction of a similar experience in a popular film)
Teacher prompts: “How did your research into the social and political realities of the period affect your understanding of the play?” “Does your knowledge of Aboriginal experience help you understand the narrative?”
Analysing Texts
1.6 analyse texts in terms of the information, ideas, issues, or themes they explore, examin- ing how various aspects of the texts contribute to the presentation or development of these elements (e.g., explain how the theme of a poem is reinforced through repetition, diction, and choice of images; explain how the organization of a personal essay strengthens the argument; trace the evolving moral or spiritual values of a character at different points in the development of a story)
Teacher prompts: “How do the metaphors in this poem help the reader understand the ideas and emotions the poem describes?” “Why do you think this story is told from the point of view of a young person? Could the same ideas be conveyed as convincingly by a narrator who was older and more experi- enced?” “What elements of the story strengthen the author’s presentation of the theme?” “How is the thesis of this essay re- inforced through the essay’s structure?”
Evaluating Texts
1.7 evaluate the effectiveness of texts, including increasingly complex or difficult texts, using evidence from the text to support their opin- ions (e.g., evaluate the effectiveness of a film adaptation of a text on the basis of specific criteria, such as evocation of setting, dramatiza- tion of character relationships, pacing of action, and visual representation of ideas and themes; evaluate how effectively the graphic elements in a text contribute to its satirical intent; evaluate the historical accuracy of a biography given on a website by researching reliable sources; compare the treatment of a similar theme in a selection of short stories and explain why they consider one treatment to be more effective than the others)
Teacher prompts: “How effectively has the author used dialogue to reveal character?” “Has your research revealed any significant omissions or misrepresentations in this bio- graphical sketch?”
Critical Literacy
1.8 identify and analyse the perspectives and/or biases evident in texts, including increasingly complex or difficult texts, commenting with growing understanding on any questions they may raise about beliefs, values, identity, and power (e.g., explain, on the basis of research, how the historical and/or cultural context of a novel accounts for the social attitudes expressed by its characters; compare the perspectives on current events or social or environmental issues expressed in the editorials or feature articles of different newspapers or magazines)
Teacher prompts: “What groups are ignored in this historical account of your town or city?” “What social and legal conditions of this period might help us understand the actions and attitudes of the female characters in the text?” “How do Shakespeare’s tragedies illustrate the Elizabethan concept of Chain of Being?” “Do the editorials in these three publications present different political perspectives? Have these publications been known to represent particular political lean- ings historically?”
2. Understanding Form and Style
By the end of this course, students will:
Text Forms
2.1 identify a variety of characteristics of literary, informational, and graphic text forms and explain how they help communicate meaning (e.g., the choice of narrator affects the tone and
READING AND LITERATURE STUDIES
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English
ENG3U