Page 55 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: English, 2007 (Revised)

Grade 11, University Preparation
4. Reflecting on Skills and Strategies
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | English
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By the end of this course, students will:
Metacognition
4.1 explain which of a variety of strategies they found most helpful before, during, and after writing, then evaluate their strengths and weaknesses as writers to help identify the steps they can take to improve their skills (e.g., evaluate different ways of organizing research; share with peers a strategy or tech- nique that they have found helpful in writing effective introductions and conclusions; assess their approach to editing and proofreading their work, and make changes where necessary)
Teacher prompts: “How did peer editing improve the quality of a recent piece of your writing?” “What have you observed about similarities and differences in your writing process for different types of writing?” “Name one aspect of your writing that you have strengthened this semester, and one aspect that needs more attention. What will you do to improve in that area?”
Interconnected Skills
4.2 identify a variety of skills they have in listening, speaking, reading, viewing, and representing, and explain how these skills help them write more effectively (e.g., explain how reading widely can help them discover new possibilities for their writing; explain how listening to speeches and oral tales has helped them improve their essay writing and narrative writing)
Teacher prompt: “Has reading this selection of essays given you new ideas about how you might begin your own essay?”
Portfolio
4.3 select a variety of types of writing that they think most clearly reflect their growth and competence as writers, and explain the reasons for their choice (e.g., select a finished piece of writing for a class anthology of creative writing, and explain why they think it is a good example of their work; select a finished piece of writing that caused them the most frustration to produce, and explain the problems they encountered and how they attempted to resolve them, and another finished piece that shows their growth as a writer, and explain how and where it shows improvement)
Teacher prompts: “What pieces of your writ- ing represent the style of writing you prefer or the text form you feel most comfortable writing? Explain why.” “Do you see yourself as a stronger creative or technical writer? To what do you attribute this strength?”