Page 59 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10: English, 2007 (Revised)

Grade 9, Applied
3. Reflecting on Skills and Strategies
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | English
difficulty understanding English?” “How can you make sure that each member of your group feels heard?”
Clarity and Coherence
2.3 communicate in a clear, coherent manner for a few different purposes (e.g., present a speech with a clear beginning, middle, and end; ask clearly phrased questions after a guest speaker’s presen- tation; orally restate the main facts from a sim- ple informational text in the correct sequence 9)
Teacher prompt: “What are the main points of your speech, and how will you convey their importance to your audience?”
Diction and Devices
2.4 use appropriate words, phrases, and terminol- ogy, and a few different stylistic devices, to communicate their meaning clearly to their intended audience (e.g., use specialized termi- nology to explain a sports-related skill to peers;10 role-play the interaction between a teacher and student in discussions about various problems, such as absenteeism, tardiness, lateness of assignments; rewrite and perform a rap song so that the message in the song is accessible to an adult audience)
Teacher prompts: “How did you communicate the meaning of the specialized terminology to your audience?” “What is lost from the meaning and impact of the song when you paraphrase it?”
Vocal Strategies
2.5 identify a few different vocal strategies and use them selectively and with sensitivity to audience needs (e.g., use voice inflection to con- vey different meanings using the same text; work with a partner to plan and practise the appropri- ate use of volume to create emphasis during a class presentation;11 use changes of pace and pauses for dramatic effect when reading an urban myth from a website to the class)
Teacher prompts: “How did the meaning change when you placed the emphasis on the first half of the sentence?” “When would you read faster, and why?”
Non-Verbal Cues
2.6 identify a few different non-verbal cues and use them, with sensitivity to audience needs, to help convey their meaning (e.g., use eye con- tact to engage the audience;12 role-play commu- nication between two people who do not know
each other’s languages;13 identify non-verbal cues in a freeze-frame from a television news report; compare the impact of a story when it is read on tape and when it is read in front of the class)
Teacher prompts: “How can you express the character’s reactions without using words?” “What gestures could you use to make this part of your presentation more effective?”
Audio-Visual Aids
2.7 use a few different audio-visual aids to sup- port oral presentations (e.g., use a film clip to support the arguments made in a presentation analysing a character;14 create a timeline or flow chart to explain a sequence of events or steps; use a series of photographs to express the theme of an oral story)
Teacher prompt: “Which of the audio-visual aids you used for your presentation did you find to be the most effective?”
By the end of this course, students will:
Metacognition
3.1 describe a few different strategies they used before, during, and after listening and speaking; explain which ones they found most helpful; and identify steps they can take to improve their oral communication skills (e.g., explain which listening strategies helped them contribute to a group discussion; identify the most effective elements in their oral presentation and explain what they would do differently next time)
Teacher prompt: “What questions did you ask yourself to check whether you understood what was being said? What questions will you use next time, and why?” “What strate- gies did you use to make all the members of your culturally diverse audience more com- fortable and more receptive to your message?”
Interconnected Skills
3.2 identify a few different skills in viewing, representing, reading, and writing that help them improve their oral communication skills (e.g., describe how reading different texts from diverse cultures helps them connect to a diverse audience when they are speaking)
Teacher prompt: “What lessons can you learn from reading opinion articles that you could use as a speaker?”
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9. TLCC 7-12 “Take Five” 155 10. TL Library Research 9-12 “Looking for Relationships” 25 11. TLCC 7-12 “Effective Presentation Skills” 196 12. TLCC 7-12 “Effective Presentation Skills” 196 13. TL ESL/ELD Part II “Hot Seat” 15 14. TL Media 7-10 “Explaining the Key Concepts of Media Literacy” 4 and TL ESL/ELD Part II “Hot Seat” 15