Page 131 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 to 12 | First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies

Demonstrating Understanding of Content
C1.3 identify the most important ideas and supporting details in texts from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures, and, as appropriate, in relevant texts from non-Indigenous sources, including increasingly complex or difficult texts (e.g., outline various definitions of sovereignty or self-governance explored in a poem; explain what the subheadings in an essay reveal about the writer’s attitude to the events described; create a mind map to illustrate character relationships in a short story or novel with a First Nation, Métis, or Inuit setting)
Sample question: “What key facts in the story support the author’s interpretation of events?”
Making Inferences
C1.4 make and explain inferences of increasing subtlety about texts from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures, and, as appropriate, relevant texts from non-Indigenous sources, including increasingly complex or difficult texts, supporting their explanations with well-chosen stated and implied ideas from the texts (e.g., explain how the narrative voice supports the text’s message about the nature of social and spiritual relationships; explain what the table of contents of a magazine suggests about the target audience; explain how the introduction to a novel foreshadows certain events in the plot)
Sample questions: “What do the layout and typography of this poem contribute to its meaning?” “What details in the introduction to this historical novel about the Métis Nation convey the austerity of life in the nineteenth century?”
Extending Understanding of Texts
C1.5 extend their understanding of texts from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures, and, as appropriate, relevant texts from non-Indigenous sources, including increasingly complex or difficult texts, by making rich connections between the ideas in them and in other texts and to their own knowledge, experience, and insights (e.g., compare the ways in which the beliefs and values of a fictional character shape his or her response to a crisis with their own probable reactions in similar circumstances; apply their knowledge of First Nations, Métis, or Inuit traditions to identify and explain symbolic elements of a novel; identify similarities and differences between the ideas expressed in an editorial on a current issue related to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities and the ideas on the same topic expressed in at least two other texts)
Sample questions: “How does your knowledge of First Nations, Métis, or Inuit spirituality help you understand the narrative?” “How
is the thesis of this essay supported by Elders’
teachings, academic storywork, and/or First Nations, Métis, and Inuit world views?”
Analysing Texts
C1.6 analyse texts, including increasingly complex or difficult texts, in terms of the information, themes, ideas, and issues they explore in relation to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures, explaining with increasing insight how various aspects of the texts contribute to the presentation or development of these elements (e.g., explain how the poem’s theme of spirit as a life force is reinforced through repetition, diction, and choice of images; trace the evolving moral or spiritual values of a character through the development of a story; explain why internal conflict frequently appears
in novels with central First Nations, Métis, and Inuit characters, and identify aspects of the charac- terization in a particular novel that heighten the expression of this theme)
Sample questions: “How do the metaphors in this poem reinforce the ideas about identity that the poem expresses?” “How does the structure of the story reflect the character’s spiritual journey?”
Evaluating Texts
C1.7 evaluate the effectiveness of texts from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures, and, as appropriate, relevant texts from non-Indigenous sources, including increasingly complex or difficult texts, using evidence from the text to support their opinions (e.g., evaluate the effective- ness of a text on the basis of specific criteria, such as authenticity of setting, psychological depth of portrayals of First Nations, Métis, or Inuit characters, and accuracy of cultural information; evaluate how effectively the visual elements of a graphic novel featuring a First Nation protagonist contribute to the satirical intent; evaluate the historical accuracy of a biography of a prominent First Nation, Métis, or Inuk figure by researching reliable sources; compare the relationship between humans and the natural world expressed in a selection of short stories, and explain why they consider one treatment of the theme to be more effective than the others)
Sample questions: “In what ways does the author’s use of dialogue reveal character more effectively than a third-person description could? What kinds of information can dialogue give that could not be readily conveyed through a third-person description? What kinds of information could a third-person description give that is not communicated through the dialogue?” “Was the use of flashback an effective way to explain the factors that influenced the central character’s choices? What other techniques could the author have used? Do you think they would have been
as effective? Why, or why not?”
READING AND LITERATURE STUDIES
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English: Understanding Contemporary
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Voices
NBE3U