Page 111 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10: English, 2007 (Revised)

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | English
body language. Non-verbal communica- tion through gestures, facial expressions, and body movement.
coherence. The underlying logical connect- edness of the parts of an oral, written, or visual text. A paragraph is coherent if all of its sentences are connected logically so that they are easy to follow. An essay is coherent if its paragraphs are logically connected.
collage. A form of art in which a variety of materials, such as photographs, fabric, objects, and printed text, are attached to
a surface. Students can demonstrate their understanding of many themes and issues through the choice of materials and design elements of a collage.
colloquialism. A word or expression used in everyday conversation but not in formal language (e.g., Gimme a break!).
comma splice. A sentence error caused
by using a comma instead of a stronger punctuation mark or a conjunction to join two main clauses (e.g., The picnic is an annu- al event, this year it will be held at the lake).
commonly confused words. Words often mistaken for other words that are spelled or pronounced in the same or almost the same way (e.g., compliment/complement, effect/affect).
comprehension. The ability to understand and draw meaning from spoken, written, and visual communications in all media.
comprehension strategies. A variety of cognitive and systematic techniques that students use before, during, and after lis-
tening, reading, and viewing to construct meaning from texts. Examples include: making connections to prior knowledge and experience and to familiar texts; skimming text for information or details; scanning text to determine the purpose of the text or type of material; visualizing to clarify or deepen understanding of the
text; finding important ideas; questioning; adjusting reading speed according to the level of difficulty of the text or the kind of reading; rereading a passage to clarify meaning; reading ahead; considering how the meaning of the text matches up with prior knowledge; summarizing information; inferring; analysing and synthesizing. See also reading strategies.
concept map. A graphic organizer students can use to explore knowledge and gather and share information and ideas. Features of concept maps may include various shapes and labels, as well as arrows and other links to show relationships between ideas.
controlling idea. An important or central concept, theme, or argument that is used to unify a written, oral, or media text.
conventions. Accepted practices or rules in the use of language. In the case of writ- ten or printed materials, some conventions help convey meaning (e.g., punctuation, typefaces, capital letters) and other con- ventions aid in the presentation of content (e.g., table of contents, headings, footnotes, charts, captions, lists, pictures, index). See also text features.
creative thinking. The process of thinking about ideas or situations in inventive and unusual ways in order to understand them better and respond to them in a new and constructive manner. Students think creatively in all subject areas when they imagine, invent, alter, or improve a con- cept or product.
critical literacy. The capacity for a partic- ular type of critical thinking that involves looking beyond the literal meaning of texts to observe what is present and what is missing, in order to analyse and evaluate the text’s complete meaning and the author’s intent. Critical literacy goes beyond con- ventional critical thinking in focusing on issues related to fairness, equity, and social
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