Page 157 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 to 12 | First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies

Critical Literacy
C1.8 identify and analyse the perspectives and/or biases evident in texts dealing with themes, ideas, and issues related to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures, including increasingly complex texts, commenting on any questions they may raise about beliefs, values, identity, and power (e.g., explain how the perspective of a news columnist is revealed in the selection of facts in an article; analyse several issues of a popular print or digital magazine to identify which ethno-cultural groups are under-represented; identify messages about power relations in the lyrics of a popular song; explain how the organization of a letter can imply a power imbalance when the introductory remarks do not contextualize the writer and his or her base of knowledge)
Sample questions: “What social and legal conditions of the historical period in which
this story is set might help you understand
the actions and attitudes of the First Nations characters?” “What different political perspec- tives do the editorials in these two publications present? In your opinion, do the texts represent First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals fairly? Why, or why not?”
C2. Understanding Form and Style
By the end of this course, students will:
Text Forms
C2.1 identify a variety of characteristics of literary, informational, and graphic text forms, and explain how they help communicate meaning or reflect a world view (e.g., conflict and charac- terization are used in a short story to convey the world views of the characters; the introductory sentence of a movie review often signals whether the review is positive or negative; information can be organized in a question-and-answer, problem- solution, or cause-and-effect pattern in an article, brochure, or other informational text form)
Sample questions: “How might the ideas about identity expressed through dialogue in this play be conveyed in a short story? What aspects of meaning would be gained or lost by using the narrative form?” “Why are safety instructions usually presented in a list of steps rather than in prose paragraphs? Why is the order in which the steps are listed important?”
Text Features
C2.2 identify a variety of features of texts from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures, and, as appropriate, relevant texts from non-Indigenous sources, and explain how they help communicate
meaning or reflect a world view (e.g., explain how the subheadings in a magazine article on a First Nations, Métis, or Inuit theme help the reader make connections to the content; identify the non- narrative features of a report on housing in First Nations or Inuit communities and explain how they support the text; explain how the layout of the front page of a First Nation community newspaper draws the reader’s attention to main features)
Sample questions: “Which features of this magazine article made complex ideas about
an issue of importance to Inuit communities more accessible to non-Inuit readers?” “Why did the poet use a different font at this point in the poem? How did that alter the meaning?” “What textual features does the author use to reveal the First Nations, Métis, or Inuit identity of the characters?”
Elements of Style
C2.3 identify a variety of elements of style in texts related to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures, and, as appropriate, in relevant texts from non- Indigenous sources, and explain how they help communicate meaning or reflect a world view and enhance the effectiveness of the text (e.g., explain how the use of personification to define what a living being is reflects a particular world view in works by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit writers; identify how the use of dialect affects the reader’s interpretation of a character; identify the purpose of rhetorical questions in a report)
Sample questions: “What information about setting does the dialect of the character in
this story convey?” “What is the effect of the rhetorical questions in this section of the report?”
C3. Reading with Fluency
By the end of this course, students will:
Reading Familiar Words
C3.1 demonstrate an automatic understanding
of most words in a variety of reading contexts related to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures (e.g., correctly identify terms used in newspapers to refer to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals, communities, and governments; read with understanding words in grade-level texts on topics of importance to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures and terms associated with cooperative education courses and placements; read and correctly define terms used in various
tax and budget forms)
Sample question: “What does the term ‘settlement’ mean when used by Métis com- munities in reference to their homelands?”
READING AND LITERATURE STUDIES
155
English: Understanding Contemporary
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Voices
NBE3C