Page 61 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10: English, 2007 (Revised)

Grade 9, Applied
2. Understanding Form and Style
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | English
Teacher prompts: “Do the character’s actions match or contradict what he or she says in dialogue?” “Which sentences in the article support your conclusions about the author’s opinion?” “What can we infer from the head- line of a newspaper article and the photo- graph used to illustrate it? Which sentences in the article confirm our inferences? Are any of our inferences not confirmed by the text?”
Extending Understanding of Texts
1.5 extend understanding of simple texts and some teacher-selected complex texts by making basic connections between the ideas in them and personal knowledge, experience, and insights; other texts; and the world around them (e.g., visually depict the main conflict in a story as if for a book dust jacket, using illustrations, photo- graphs, or artefacts; use a T-chart or a Venn dia- gram to compare the experience of a character in a story to their own experience or the experience of a character in a different story; comment on the discussion of a teen issue, such as body image, in a magazine article, drawing on their own experience and understanding of the issue)
Teacher prompts: “How do you think this photograph relates to the situation in the text?” “How does reading a story about a character who overcomes difficulties affect you? Does it inspire you to overcome diffi- culties of your own?”
Analysing Texts
1.6 analyse texts in terms of the information, ideas, issues, or themes they explore, examining how various aspects of the texts contribute to the presentation or development of these elements (e.g., explain how the behaviour of the main character at the climax of the story reveals the story’s theme; show how flashbacks are used in a graphic novel to explain the present behaviour of the hero; determine how the diagrams in a technical manual support the information con- veyed by the text)
Teacher prompts: “When did you realize what this story was really about? What made you understand its theme?” “If you cover the dia- grams as you read this technical manual, can you understand how to operate the equipment?”
Evaluating Texts
1.7 evaluate the effectiveness of simple texts and some teacher-selected complex texts, using evidence from the text to support their opinions (e.g., choose which of two articles on a topic such as fishing or cooking is most informative and
explain the reasons for their choice; select one of two biographies for further exploration based on a comparison of subject matter, narrative style, and visual presentation, and explain the reasons for their choice)
Teacher prompts: “Explain what you learned about fishing from the article you chose that was absent from the other article.” “Were there any illustrations or other elements in this biography that particularly influenced your choice?” “What aspects of your favourite website keep you interested in it?”
Critical Literacy
1.8 identify the perspectives and/or biases evident in simple texts and some teacher-selected com- plex texts and comment on any questions they may raise about beliefs, values, and identity (e.g., choose which depiction of a“rebellious teenager”is more accurate – the character in
a Young Adult novel or the character in a TV sitcom – and explain why; create dialogue for an unheard character in a story or song; role- play the reaction of a minor character in a play to the resolution of the conflict)
Teacher prompts: “Is there another perspective that could be presented on this topic?” “What information would you need to include if you were to write on this topic from a different viewpoint?” “In what ways are the depictions of [gender/sexual orientation/ability/age/ economic circumstances] in this text similar
to or different from those in other texts you are familiar with?” “Does this text make you feel good about yourself, or not?”
By the end of this course, students will:
Text Forms
2.1 identify a few different characteristics of informational, literary, and graphic text forms and explain how they help communicate meaning (e.g., recipes list ingredients separately from cooking instructions to help readers assem- ble the components they need before they start to cook; drama texts provide stage directions to help readers visualize the action; newspaper articles follow the 5 W’s pattern to communicate the most relevant information to the reader effi- ciently; opinion pieces guide the reader through the argument by means of a topic sentence, sup- porting details, and transitional words)
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