Page 6 - Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12 Native Languages

THE PROGRAM IN NATIVE LANGUAGES 5
At Levels 1–5, half-credit courses, which require a minimum of fifty-five hours of scheduled instructional time, must adhere to the following conditions:
• The two half-credit courses created from a full course must together contain all of the expectations of the full course, drawn from all of the strands of that course and divided in a manner that best enables students to achieve the required knowledge and skills in the allot- ted time.
• A course that is a prerequisite for another course in the secondary curriculum may be offered as two half-credit courses, but students must successfully complete both parts of the course to fulfil the prerequisite. (Students are not required to complete both parts unless the course is a prerequisite for another course that they wish to take.)
• Thetitleofeachhalf-creditcoursemustincludethedesignationPart1orPart2.Ahalf- credit (0.5) will be recorded in the credit-value column of both the report card and the Ontario StudentTranscript.
Boards will ensure that all half-credit courses comply with the conditions described above, and will report all half-credit courses to the ministry annually in the School September Report.
Teaching Approaches
Students need to be able to do more than use memorized expressions in order to communi- cate in a language they are learning. They need to be able to use the vocabulary and language structures in a variety of contexts, and they must become familiar with some of the idiosyn- crasies of the language and appreciate its subtleties of expression.
All of the necessary language skills can be taught using the communicative method. In this approach to teaching a language, emphasis is placed on extensive use of the language in the classroom. Students use the language both in ordinary conversation and in the discussion of issues. Their speaking practice is thus realistic and informal, providing the opportunities they need to learn to express themselves naturally. In this approach, grammatical accuracy is emphasized, and students are taught to aim for accuracy and clarity of expression.
It is important that students have opportunities to learn in a variety of ways: individually and cooperatively; independently and with teacher direction; through hands-on activities; and through the study of examples followed by practice. There is no single correct way to teach or to learn. The nature of the Native language curriculum calls for a variety of strategies for learning. The strategies should vary according to the curriculum expectations and the needs of the students.
Communicative language teaching can take many forms, depending on the emphasis favoured by the teacher. These include student-directed activities and multidisciplinary strategies, in which language learning is related to other subject areas, such as geography and history.
In Native language programs, teachers must work with the principal and the community to establish realistic goals, choose the dialect and orthography, develop long-range plans, and take part in the ongoing review of the program. It is also important for teachers to take part in organizing special school-wide events, such as Language Week. They should also encourage students in the Native language program to use the Native language they are studying in school projects, drama nights, and school clubs.