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Course Profile   Studies in Literature (ETS4U), Grade 12, University Preparation, Catholic

 

Course Overview

Policy Document:  The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12, English, 2000.

Prerequisite:  Grade 11 English, University Preparation, ENG3U

Course Description

This course is for students with a special interest in literature and literary criticism and interpretation. The course may focus on themes, genres, time periods, or countries. Students will analyse a range of forms and stylistic elements of literary texts and respond personally, critically, and creatively to them. They will also assess critical interpretations, write analytical essays, and complete an independent study project.

How This Course Supports the Catholic School Graduate Expectations

Students in ETS4U will be presented with unique challenges to their Catholic education and the curriculum outlined in this profile. It is the intent of the profile to present opportunities to the student to integrate the core values of Scripture with literary text and textual interpretation. ETS4U encourages the student to extend their faith from a personal conscience to an active social conscience through the application of the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations.

Course Notes

This profile has been designed to work with the Course Profiles developed by the Public Board so that, by combining the profiles, the teacher has access to several units adapted for this course. ETS4U contains links to Catholic Graduate Expectations, providing discussion and writing activities related to foundation concepts such as human dignity, justice, stewardship, and empowerment.

ETS4U introduces students to schools of literary thought as a means of developing critical-thinking skills and empathy for diverse perspectives. It is designed for those students who enjoy reading.

Students study a wide range of interpretive and critical perspectives and reading materials on topics related to culture, gender, race, era, and political systems. With a focus on reading strategies and skills, re-reading from different perspectives, ETS4U recognizes the bias that people have when they interpret text and makes connections to the self and the reader’s world. In keeping with the theory of intertextuality, the course compares and contrasts schools of thought while grouping expectations accordingly. In this respect, the expectations and their clustering apply to postsecondary standards and disciplines required of a university destination course.

Considerations for planning:

·         Teachers should obtain resources related to literary criticism and theory, and consider strategies for responses, assumptions, and misconceptions about schools of literary thought.

·         The theories in this course are to be used as theory only and not as text. The teacher is to introduce the theoretical concept, using literature to apply it.

·         The study of media and non-fiction should be ongoing throughout the course and integrated into each unit.

·         The selection of texts should reflect the rich diversity of cultures.

·         These texts should also be sensitive and specific to the community in which the curriculum is delivered.

Considerations for implementing the course:

·         Students are to keep a journal of their reactions and responses to the various texts studied. The journal is to be used for consultation of growth and perspective when they create a personal voice in the culminating unit.

·         Teachers are advised to have students select their text for the culminating unit by the end of Unit 3.

·         Accommodations, where appropriate, must be made based on individual learning needs and interests.

·         Opportunities to clarify common misconceptions of literary theories (e.g., feminism) will arise in the course.

Units:  Titles and Time

Unit 1

Overview: Schools of Thought and You

5 hours

Unit 2

Formalism, Reader Response, Deconstructionism: the writer, the reader,
the owner

25 hours

* Unit 3

Mythopoeic Criticism: Echoes and Resonance

20 hours

Unit 4

Feminism and Marxism: Voices

20 hours

Unit 5

Marginalized Voices: Discourse

20 hours

Unit 6

Culminating Voices: Advocating a Voice

20 hours

* This unit has been developed in this Course Profile.

Course Overview Chart

Cluster

Learning Expectations

Assessment Categories

Focus

1

RI1.03, RI1.04, RI3.02, RI3.03, RI3.05, RT1.01, RT2.01, RT2.03
CGE2a, CGE2b, CGE3b, CGE3f

Knowledge/ Understanding

Overview: Schools of Thought and You

2

RI1.02, RT1.01, RI1.03, RT102, RI1.04, RT2.01, RI2.02, RT2.02, RI3.01, RT2.03, RI4.02, RI3.02, RI3.03
CGE1c, CGE2b, CGE2c, CGE2d, CGE3c, CGE5d, CGE5e, CGE7i

Knowledge/ Understanding, Thinking/Inquiry, Communication, Application

Formalism, Reader Response, Deconstructionism: The writer, the reader, the owner

3

RI1.03, RT1.01, RI1.04, RT1.02, RT2.02, RI2.01, RT1.03, RI3.01, RI4.02, RI3.04, RI3.02, RI4.01, RI3.03
CGE1a, CGE1c, CGE2a, CGE2b, CGE2e, CGE3b, CGE3e, CGE4b, CGE4e, CGE4f, CGE4g, CGE5b, CGE5e, CGE5f, CGE5g, CGE7f

Knowledge/ Understanding, Thinking/Inquiry, Communication, Application

Mythopoeic Criticism: Echoes and Resonance

4

RI1.02, RT1.01, RT1.03, RI1.03, RT1.02, RI1.04, RT2.01, RI3.01, RT2.02, RI3.02, RT2.03, RI3.04, RI3.05, RI4.01, RI4.02
CGE2a, CGE2b, CGE2c, CGE3d, CGE4a, CGE4b, CGE5b

Knowledge/ Understanding, Thinking/Inquiry, Communication, Application

Power: Feminism(s) and Marxism

5

RI1.01, RT1.01, RI1.02, RT2.01, RI1.03, RT2.02, RI1.04, RT2.03, RI3.01, RI3.02, RI3.04, RI3.05, RI4.02
CGE1d, CGE1h, CGE3b, CGE3e, CGE4a, CGE4d, CGE4f, CGE4g, CGE5e, CGE5g, CGE7f, CGE7g

Knowledge/ Understanding, Thinking/Inquiry, Communication, Application

Marginalized Voices

6

RI1.01, RT1.01, RI1.03, RT1.02, RI1.04, RT2.03, RI2.02, RI2.03, RI3.02, RI3.03, RI3.04, RI3.05, RI4.01, RI4.02
CGE2b, CGE2c, CGE2d, CGE3e, CGE4a, CGE4b, CGE4f, CGE4g, CGE5e, CGE5g, CGE7g

Thinking/Inquiry, Communication, Application

Advocating a Voice: Culminating Unit

 

Unit 1:  Overview: Schools of Thought and You

Time:  5 hours

Unit Description

This unit briefly introduces a variety of literary schools of thought, such as Formalism (New Criticism), Reader Response Theory, Deconstructionism, Marxism, Feminism(s), Mythopoeic criticism, Postcolonialism, and Marginalism. Students take on a persona through which they analyse a short fiction piece. As a diagnostic activity, they write a paragraph analysing a second short fiction piece using a different literary lens. Students’ responses, both taped and written, will be recorded for reviewing later in the course. Finally, they engage in a class discussion on what literature is.

Unit Overview Chart

Cluster

Learning Expectations

Assessment Categories

Focus

1.1

RT2.01, RI1.04, RI3.05
CGE2a, CGE2b, CGE4a

Communication
Application
Thinking/Inquiry

Multiple Interpretations

1.2

RI3.02
CGE2a, CGE2b

Knowledge/Understanding

Schools of Thought

1.3

RI3.02, RI1.03
CGE3e, CGE3f,

Communication
Application
Thinking/Inquiry

Questions of Theory

1.4

RI.1.03, RI3.04, RT2.03, RT1.01
CGE3b

Communication
Application
Knowledge/Understanding Thinking/Inquiry

Literary Lens Writing

 

Focus

Teaching/Learning Strategies

Assessment

1.1
Multiple Interpretations

Task Card/Persona

Sentence Prompts

Panel Discussion

Performance Task Classroom Presentation

1.2
Schools of Thought

Lecture

Question and Answer Quiz/Test

1.3
Questions of Theory

Socratic Dialogue

Question and Answer

Response Journal

1.4
Literary Lens Writing

Writing to Learn

Diagnostic Writing – content

 

Unit 2:  The Mosaic of Literature

Time:  25 hours

Unit Description

This unit introduces students to the Formalist, Reader Response, and Deconstructionist approaches to literature. Students select one of these schools of literary thought and explore it further through research and a presentation. Some activities include a pre-writing exercise followed by a round table discussion, journal entries, minor research, and a brief essay. In the culminating activity, students design a mosaic representing the literature and media work studied that is reflective of one of the schools of literary thought, and present a rationale of their interpretation. Expectations are grouped to create an environment where students can analyse and write independently, as well as collaborate and create with their peers.

Unit Overview Chart

Cluster

Learning Expectations

Assessment Categories

Focus

2.1

RI3.03, RI1.02, RI2.02
CGE2b

Knowledge Understanding Communication
Thinking/Inquiry

Article pre-reading and pre-writing

2.2

RI3.01
CGE2c, CGE5e

Communication
Application
Thinking/Inquiry

Literary Circle

2.3

RI3.03, RI3.02
CGE1c

Knowledge/Understanding Thinking/Inquiry

Literature Study

2.4

RT2.01, RT1.01, RT1.02
CGE2d

Thinking/Inquiry
Communication
Application

Literary Theory

2.5

RI1.03, RI1.04, RI4.02
CGE3c

Thinking/Inquiry
Communication
Application

Literary Path

2.6

RT1.01, RT2.01, RT2.03, RT2.02
CGE5d, CGE7i

Communication
Application
Thinking/Inquiry

Mosaic

 

Focus Task

Teaching/Learning Strategies

Assessment

2.1
Pre-reading Pre-writing

Note making

Reflection Issue

Based Analysis

Checklist

Conference

2.2
Literary Circle

Collaboration

Discussion

Literature Circles

Round Table

Facilitation

Observation Oral Questions and Answers Presentations

2.3
Literature Study

Reading Response

Writing Process

Reflection

Essay Peer Editing

2.4
Literary Theory

Oral Explanation

Inquiry Process

Questioning Process

Guided Reading

Guided Writing

Read Along

Response Journal Conference

2.5
Literary Path

Brainstorming

Concept Clarification

Research Process

Facilitation

Self Assessment

Response Journal

Checklist

Conference

2.6
Mosaic

Simulation

Sketching to Learn

Collaboration

Panel Discussion

Conference

Multimedia Applications

Presentation

Response Journal Exhibition/Demonstration

 

Unit 3:  Mythopoeic Criticism

Time:  20 hours

Unit Description

This unit introduces students to a variety of archetypes from various sources (e.g., myth, fable, fairy tale, scripture). Students are encouraged to keep a journal of their reactions and responses to sources; journal entries should explore archetypal representations in sources used. As a pre-reading activity, students discuss familiar stories to recognize the role of archetypes in their cultural experience. Students begin to read a novel one week ahead of this unit in preparation for a discussion of archetypes within the novel. Essay excerpts from Karl Jung and Northrop Frye provide further preparation for writing an analytical essay.

Unit Overview Chart

Cluster

Learning Expectations

Assessment Categories

Focus

3.1

RI2.01, RT1.01
CGE5f, CGE5e

Communication
Application

Myth/Fable/Fairy Tale

The familiar stories

3.2

RT2.02, RI3.04
CGE1a, CGE1c, CGE4b, CGE4g CGE7f

Communication Application Thinking/Inquiry

The Prodigal Son

3.3

RI4.02, RI1.03, RT1.02, RI1.04
CGE2a, CGE2e, CGE3e, CGE5b, CGE7f

Knowledge/Understanding Thinking/Inquiry

Novel Study

3.4

RI1.03, RT1.03, RI3.02
CGE3b, CGE4e, CGE5b

Knowledge/Understanding Communication
Application Thinking/Inquiry

Essays of Jung and Frye

3.5

RI1.03, RT1.02, RI2.01, RI3.01, RI3.03, RI3.04, RI4.01
CGE2b, CGE2e, CGE4f, CGE5b, CGE5g

Thinking/Inquiry Communication
Application Knowledge/Understanding

Analytical Essay

 

Focus Task

Teaching/Learning Strategies

Assessment & Evaluation of Student Achievement

3.1
The Familiar Stories

Directed reading

Jigsaw

Reading of literature

Group Presentation

3.2
The Prodigal Son

Teacher-directed reading

Tableau

Application of archetypes

Dramatization

Formative listening

Presentation Rubric

3.3
Novel Study

Directed reading

Journal entry

Sketching to learn

Literature circles

Round table

Small Group Presentation Performance Task

Questions and answers

Response Journal

3.4
Essays of Jung and Frye

Pre-writing (Individual Reading Locating and rereading passages, Scanning text)

Jung and Frye Focus Group

Journal Response

Conference

Peer feedback

Response Journal

3.5
Analytical Essay

Writer’s Contract

Student Essay Focus Group

Writing Process

Application of technology

Rough Draft edit

Conference/peer edit/feedback Rubric for essay evaluation

 

Unit 4:  Feminism and Marxism: Voices

Time:  20 hours

Unit Description

Students explore issues of power and how they are addressed through narrative. Students gain an understanding of the means by which positions of power or powerlessness reveal themselves in text. They investigate language and its construction as a means of understanding positions of power. The culminating activity focuses on assembling a collection of objects symbolic of the characters in the text and their relative status.

Unit Overview Chart

Cluster

Learning Expectations

Assessment Categories

Focus

4.1

RT1.01, RI1.03, RT2.02, RI1.04
CGE2a, CGE3d

Knowledge/Understanding Thinking/Inquiry
Communication

Introduction to Marxist and Feminist Literary theory

4.2

RI1.03, RT1.01, RI1.02, RI3.01
CGE4a, CGE4b

Knowledge/Understanding Thinking/Inquiry

Text Study

4.3

RI3.05, RT1.01, RI4.01, RT2.03, RI4.02
CGE5b

Knowledge/Understanding Thinking/Inquiry
Application

Critical Interpretations of Text

4.4

RI1.02, RI3.02
CGE2c

Knowledge/Understanding Application

Commentaries about power

4.5

RI3.04, RI4.02, RT1.02, RT1.03
CGE2b

Knowledge/Understanding Thinking/Inquiry
Communication
Application

Personal perspectives on power

4.6

RIV.01, RTV.01, RIV.03, RTV.02, RI1.02, RT1.01, RI1.03, RT1.02, RI1.04, RT2.01, RI3.04, RT2.02, RI3.05, RT2.03, RI4.01
CGE2a, CGE2b, CGE2c, CGE3d, CGE4a, CGE4b

Knowledge/Understanding Thinking/Inquiry
Communication
Application

Culminating Activity - The Shoebox

 

Focus

Teaching/Learning Strategies

Assessment

4.1
Introduction to Marxist and Feminist Literary theory

Role Play

Group Discussion

Class discussion

Diagnostic Observations

4.2
Text Study

Directed Reading

Group Discussion

Response Journal Checklist

4.3
Critical Interpretations of Text

Group Presentation

Reflective Journal Response

Conference

Presentation

Response Journal

Checklist

4.4
Commentaries about power

View variety of media text illustrating power and powerlessness

Focus Group Discussion for Analysis

Question and Answer Report

4.5
Personal perspectives on power

Analysis of Societal power structures (e.g., family, school, peer group)

Think/Pair/Share

Performance Task

4.6
Culminating Activity – The Shoebox

Writing Process

Creative Product

Oral Presentation

Checklist Rubric Conference

Unit 5:  Marginalized Voices: Discourse

Time:  20 hours

Unit Description

This unit introduces students to marginalized voices (e.g., Post-colonialism, Race, and others). Through exploration of a variety of literary works and/or media, students apply their skills and knowledge to one of these critical theories. While developing problem solving, group dynamics, and accountability skills, the students debate the retention or the removal of a controversial piece of literature. Students are expected to plan and organize their thinking into a logical and cohesive debate. After the debate, students assess the strengths and weaknesses of their peers and their own performances.

Unit Overview Chart

Cluster

Learning Expectations

Assessment Categories

Focus

5.1

RT1.01, RI4.02
CGE1d, CGE3e, CGE3b

Knowledge/Understanding, Communication

Introducing Marginalized Voices

5.2

RT2.01, RT2.02
CGE4g, CGE4a, CGE1h

Knowledge/Understanding, Communication
Thinking/Inquiry
Application

Portrayal of Voice

5.3

RT2.03
CGE7f, CGE5e, CGE7g

Knowledge/Understanding Communication
Application

Portrayals in Poetry

5.4

RI1.01, RI1.02, RI3.01, RI3.02, RI3.05
CGE4f, CGE5g

Knowledge/Understanding Communication
Thinking/Inquiry
Application

Planning your Perspective

5.5

RI1.03, RI1.04, RI3.04, RI4.02
CGE3b, CGE4d

Knowledge/Understanding Communication
Application
Thinking/Inquiry

Presenting your Perspective

 

Focus

Teaching/Learning Strategies

Assessment

5.1
Introducing Marginalized Voices

Lecture

Socratic Dialogue

Response Journal

5.2
Cinematic Portrayal of Voice

Directed Viewing

Think/Pair/Share

Concept Clarification

Response Journal

Questions and Answers Oral

Quiz or Test

5.3
Portrayals in Poetry

Directed Reading

Dramatic Monologue

Tableau

Exhibition/Demonstration

Response Journal

5.4
Debate Planning

Pre-writing

Round Table

Conference

Peer Assessment

Self-Assessment

5.5
Debate Presentation

Presentation

Checklist

Observation

Performance Task

 

Unit 6: Advocating a Voice

Time:  20 hours

Unit Description

This culminating unit is the independent study wherein students reinforce the critical-thinking, analytical, presentation, and writing skills they have already demonstrated in the preceding units. The final product has three tasks: an analytical essay, a creative presentation, and a self-assessment sheet. Students choose and read a piece of fiction (e.g., play, novella, novel, anthology of poetry or short stories) and write an analytical essay that applies the school(s) of thought to which the student feels the greatest connection. Students are encouraged to blend the schools of thought into a framework that works the best for them and produce a creative multi media presentation (such as a poetry reading, dramatic monologue, mock interview) that rewrites or adapts a character or scene from their text using a school(s) of thought studied. Finally, students revisit their tape of themselves from Unit 1 and the diagnostic paragraph they originally wrote and fill in a self-assessment sheet outlining the degree of personal growth over the course.

Unit Overview Chart

Cluster

Learning Expectations

Assessment Categories

Focus

6.1

RI1.03, RT1.01
CGE2b

Knowledge/Understanding Thinking/Inquiry

Self-directed Reading

6.2

RI1.03, RI3.02, RI3.03, RI4.02, RT1.02
CGE2c, CGE4f

Knowledge/Understanding Thinking/Inquiry

Research and Discovery

6.3

RI1.01, RT1.03, RI1.04, RI2.02, RI2.03, RI3.05, RI4.01,
CGE7g, CGE2d

Communication
Application

Writing Process: Drafts and Conferencing

6.4

RI3.02, RI3.04, RI3.05, RT2.01, RT2.02, RI4.01
CGE3e, CGE4a, CGE5e, CGE5g

Communication
Application

Speaking Out

6.5

RT2.03
CGE4b, CGE4g

Thinking/Inquiry
Communication

Reflection and Evaluation

 

Focus

Teaching/Learning Strategies

Assessment

6.1
Self-directed Reading

Thing/Pair/Share

Directed Reading/Thinking

Reading Response

Response Journal

Observation

Conference

6.2
Research and Discovery

Learning Contract

Independent Study

Inquiry Process

Research

Internet

Response Journal

Conference

6.3
Writing Process: Drafts and Conferencing

Conferences

Independent Study

Writing Process

Conference

Essay

Peer Evaluation

6.4
Speaking Out

Oral Presentation

Rehearsal/Repetition/Practice

Role Play

Storyboard

Independent Study

Multimedia Applications

Classroom Presentation

Peer Evaluation

6.5
Reflection and Evaluation

Guided Writing

Directed Thinking

Reflection

Portfolio

Self-assessment

Response Journal

Teaching/Learning Strategies

Students enrolled in the ETS4U course have successfully completed the Grade 11 University Preparation course ENG3U and have a special interest in literature and literary criticism. The teacher needs to select literary text in a variety of forms and styles, as the students are to respond personally, critically, and creatively to the literature studied in the course.

Strategies that are used within the whole class, small group, and individual activities incorporate a variety of approaches to develop skills in the following areas.

Whole Class Activities

Teachers should model expectations for students with regard to in-depth and varied literary analysis, including clear and concise communication of such analysis. Whole class discussions should provide the framework to demonstrate the various factors that influence the many lenses through which literary text can be considered.

Teacher-directed:

·         direct instruction

·         Socratic method

·         review

·         reading aloud to students

Student-directed Seminars

Small Group Activities

Activities that produce collaborative products or explore an array of perspectives provide students opportunities to extend and clarify their own ideas, as well as to gain insight and knowledge from the observations of other students. Small groups of two to five students are also useful in peer assessment as a strategy for improving student learning and awareness with regard to the achievement charts.

Activities should include:

·         pre-reading activities (brainstorming, webbing);

·         writing groups (pre-writing activities, conference partners, revision and editing groups);

·         discussion/seminar groups;

·         ‘book club’ activities;

·         panels, debates, round table discussions;

·         think/pair/share activities.

Individual Activities

Individual activities require students to develop and to exhibit critical-thinking skills that incorporate several schools of literary criticism. These perspectives form the basis of personal, critical, and creative responses to literary texts. The independent study project gives the students an opportunity to pursue individual interests, as well as craft their own theory of literary criticism. Students should be encouraged to read materials from a wide range of historical periods, cultures, voices, etc. Specific and ongoing assessment of individual activities assists students in maximizing their abilities in all aspects of the curriculum.

Activities should include:

·         independent Study Project;

·         reader response activities;

·         analytical essays;

·         creative writing;

·         tests, quizzes;

·         student-teacher conferences;

·         self assessment.

Assessment & Evaluation of Student Achievement

Assessment is essential to monitor student learning and allows teachers to identify student strengths and weaknesses. Effective assessment gives students and parents the information they need to improve students’ performance.

Evaluation is a judgment based on specific criteria (from the achievement charts and curriculum expectations). Emphasis is placed on assessment tasks that are varied in nature, administered over a period of time, and designed to provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in a meaningful context. The diversity of student experiences and learning styles must be respected and incorporated into the evaluation.

The Achievement Chart for English is the basis for reporting on student progress, as outlined in The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12, Program Planning and Assessment, 2000. The goal of the ongoing assessment is to provide varied and frequent opportunities to evaluate student performance. Seventy per cent of the grade will be based on assessments and evaluations conducted throughout the course. Thirty per cent of the grade will be based on a final evaluation in the form of an examination, performance, essay, and/or other methods of evaluation.

Assessment Tools

Rubrics are used to evaluate student achievement on performance activities. They can be developed in conjunction with other teachers and students and used to address specific expectations. They are particularly useful when evaluating essays, presentations, and creative projects. Checklists are used to monitor student progress and are an excellent tool for ensuring process work is complete. Conferences are used in conjunction with a rubric or checklist to evaluate student learning through their ability to communicate their learning.

Accommodations

The nature of critical theory is complex and, for some students, may be a significant challenge. Teachers are encouraged to use many varying strategies to make the materials accessible to students.

Teachers are encouraged to make reasonable accommodations. However, teachers should not change course expectations to such an extent that the academic integrity is diminished.

Where appropriate, the teacher should:

·         compact lessons regarding the mechanics of writing and facilitate learning of advanced editing skills;

·         encourage the use of technology (e.g., Dreamwriter, Alpha-smart);

·         encourage oral discussion before and after reading to increase the students’ level of comprehension;

·         ensure provision of alternate modes for information sharing (e.g., videos, plays, graphics, tapes,) to support reading comprehension;

·         allow additional time for completion of reading activities;

·         allow additional time, when required, for completion of assignments;

·         read or clarify questions for the student and encourage student to rephrase questions, in his/her own words;

·         encourage the deaf or hard of hearing student to advocate for his own appropriate accommodations;

·         make use of oral tests or provide the student with a reader or a scribe;

·         provide test materials in large print, braille or audio tape;

·         ensure classroom accessibility to students who use mobility aids (e.g., canes, crutches, walkers and wheelchairs);

·         consult student IEPs for specific direction on accommodation.

Resources

Units in the Course Profile make reference to the use of specific texts, magazines, films, videos, and websites. Teachers need to consult their board policies regarding use of any copyrighted materials. Before reproducing materials for student use from printed publications, teachers need to ensure that their board has a Cancopy licence and that this licence covers the resources they wish to use. Before screening videos/films with their students, teachers need to ensure that their board/school has obtained the appropriate public performance videocassette licence from an authorized distributor, e.g., Audio Cine Films Inc. Teachers are reminded that much of the material on the Internet is protected by copyright. The copyright is usually owned by the person or organization that created the work. Reproduction of any work or substantial part of any work on the Internet is not allowed without the permission of the owner.

Professional Resources

Abrams. M.H. Glossary of Literary Terms, 3rd ed. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1997. ISBN 0030765854

Brualdi, A. “Multiple Intelligences: Gardner’s Theory.” Teacher Librarian 26, 2 (November-December 1998): 26-28.

Campbell, L. and B. Campbell. Multiple Intelligences and Student Achievement: Successful Stories from Six Schools. Alexandria: ASCD, 1999. ISBN 087120360X

Coelho, E., B. Costiniuk, and C. Newton. Antiracism Education. Getting Started; A Practical Guide. Toronto: OSSTF, 1995. ISBN 0920930700

Friend, M., W. Bursick, and N. Hutchinson. Including Exceptional Students. A Practical Guide for Classroom Teachers. Scarborough: Allyn and Bacon, 1998. ISBN 0205283810

Goodwin, A.L., ed. Assessment for Equity and Inclusion. Embracing All Our Children. New York: Routledge, 1997. ISBN 0415914736

Hawthorne, J.A. A Concise Glossary of Contemporary Literary Theory. London: Oxford U.P., 1998.
ISBN 0340692227

Makaryk, I.R., ed. Encyclopaedia of Contemporary Literary Theory: Approaches, Scholars, Terms. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1997. ISBN 080206860X

Pinar, W.F., W.M. Reynolds, P. Slattery, and P.M. Taubman, eds. Understanding Curriculum. An Introduction to the Study of Historical and Contemporary Curriculum Discourses. New York: Routledge, 1995. ISBN 0791416623

Ryan, M. Literary Theory: A Practical Introduction. Malden: Blackwell, 1999. ISBN 0631172750

Seidman, S., ed. Queer Theory/Sociology. Cambridge: Blackwell, 1996. ISBN 1557867399

Seldon, R., P. Widdowson, and P. Brooker. A Reader’s Guide to Contemporary Literary Theory. London: Prentice Hall, 1997. ISBN 0134919521

Reading Materials for In-Class Use

Note: These are suggested materials only. It is understood that Board approval practices will prevail. In some communities some of these will be controversial and should be avoided.

Abraham, P. The Romance Reader. New York: Berkeley, 1996. ISBN 1573225487

Anderson-Dargatz, G. The Cure for Death by Lightning. Toronto: Knopf, 1996. ISBN 0394281578

Angelou, M. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. New York: Signal Hill, 1989. ISBN 0929631048

Atwood, M. Alias Grace. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1996. ISBN 077100835X

Atwood, M. Cat’s Eye. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1988. ISBN 077100871

Atwood, M. Lady Oracle. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1976. ISBN 0771008155

Atwood, M. The Blind Assassin. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 2000. ISBN 0771008635

Atwood, M. The Handmaid’s Tale. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1986. ISBN 0395404258

Atwood, M. The Robber Bride. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1993. ISBN 007100821X

Banks, R. The Sweet Hereafter. New York: Harper Collins, 1999. ISBN 00060167033

Bradley, M.Z. Mists of Avalon. New York: Knopf, 1982. ISBN 0394524063

Bradley, M.Z. The Firebrand. New York: Pocket Books, 1988. ISBN 0671667033

Brand, D. In Another Place, Not Here. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 1996. ISBN 0394281779

Brand, D. Land To Light On. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1997. ISBN 077101645X

Burnard, B. A Good House. Toronto: Harper Collins, 1999. ISBN 000648526X

Cart, M. My Father’s Scar. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1996. ISBN 031218137X

Cohen, M. Elizabeth and After. Toronto: Knopf, 1999. ISBN 0676971709

Cunningham, M. The Hours. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1998. ISBN 0374172897

Findley, T. Not Wanted on the Voyage. Markham: Penguin, 1985. ISBN 014007306X

Findley, T. The Piano Man’s Daughter. Toronto: Harper Collins, 1995. ISBN 0002243792

Findley, T. The Wars. Toronto: Penguin, 1986. ISBN 0140050116

Findley, T. You Went Away. Toronto: Harper Collins, 1996. ISBN 0002243857

Fowles, J. The French Lieutenant’s Woman. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1969. ISBN 0451135989

Frazier, C. Cold Mountain. New York: Atlantic Monthly, 1997. ISBN 0871136791

French, M. Leaving Home. Toronto: New Press, 1972. ISBN 0887707122

Govier, K. Angel Walk. Toronto: Little, Brown and Co., 1996. ISBN 0316319066

Gowdy, B. Mister Sandman: A Novel. Toronto: Somerville House, 1995. ISBN 1895897548

Heyer, M. The Weaving of a Dream. Markham: Puffin, 1986. ISBN 0140505288

Hoffman, M. Amazing Grace. London: Frances Lincoln Ltd., 1991. ISBN 0711206996

Hurston, Z.N. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: Harper Perennial, 1998. ISBN 0060931418

Irving, J. A Prayer for Owen Meaney. Toronto: Ballantine, 1990. ISBN 0345361792

Kingsolver, B. The Bean Trees: A Novel. New York: Harper Perennial, 1989. ISBN 0060915544

Kogawa, J. Obasan. Toronto: Doubleday, 1994. ISBN 0385468865

Lee, H. To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1960. ISBN 0397001517

Lowry, L. Number the Stars. New York: Bantam Doubleday, 1986. ISBN 0440220335

Matas, C. Daniel’s Story. New York: Scholastic, 1993. ISBN 0590465880

McCourt, F. Angela’s Ashes. A Memoir. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1996. ISBN 1568953968

Michaels, A. Fugitive Pieces. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1996. ISBN 0771058837

Mistry, R. A Fine Balance. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1995. ISBN 0771060521

Mistry, R. Such a Long Journey. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1993. ISBN 0771098979

Naipaul, V.S. A Bend in the River. New York: Vintage Books, 1989. ISBN 0679722025

O’Brien, T. In the Lake of the Words. Toronto: Penguin, 1995. ISBN 0140250948

Ondaatje, M. Anil’s Ghost. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 2000. ISBN 077106893X

Ondaatje, M. Coming Through Slaughter. Toronto: General Publishers, 1982. ISBN 0773670289

Ondaatje, M. In the Skin of a Lion. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1987. ISBN 0771068875

Ondaatje, M. Running in the Family. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1982. ISBN 0771068840

Ondaatje, M. The English Patient. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1992. ISBN 0771068867

Polacco, P. Mrs. Katz and Tush. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1992. ISBN 0440409365

Proulx, A. The Shipping News. Toronto: Scribner’s, 1993. ISBN 068419337X

Ricci, N. In a Glass House. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1993. ISBN 0771074522

Ricci, N. Where She Has Gone. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1997. ISBN 0771074549

Rushdie, S. East, West: Stories. Toronto: Knopf, 1994. ISBN 0394280938

Rushdie, S. Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism 1981-1991. London: Granta, 1991.
ISBN 014014224X

Rushdie, S. The Ground Beneath Her Feet. Toronto: Knopf, 1999. ISBN 0676970621

Russell, W. Shirley Valentine. London: Methuen, 1988. ISBN 0413189503

Ryga, G. The Ecstasy of Rita Joe and Other Plays. Toronto: New Press, 1971. ISBN 0887700721

Salinger, J.D. Catcher in the Rye. Toronto: Little and Brown, 1991. ISBN 0316769487

Schlink, B. The Reader. New York: Vintage Books, 1998. ISBN 0375707972

Selvadurai, S. Cinnamon Gardens. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1998. ISBN 0771079559

Selvadurai, S. Funny Boy: A Novel in Six Stories. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1994.
ISBN 0771079508

Shields, C. Larry’s Party. Toronto: Random House, 1997. ISBN 0679308776

Shields, C. The Stone Diaries. Toronto: Random House, 1993. ISBN 0394223624

Sutcliffe, W. New Boy. New York: Penguin, 1996. ISBN 0140279105

Tan, A. The Joy Luck Club. New York: Ballantine, 1990. ISBN 0804106304

Tan, A. The Kitchen God’s Wife. New York: Ballantine, 1991. ISBN 080410753

Thomas, A. Coming Down From Wa. Toronto: Viking, 1995. ISBN 0670863661

Urquhart, J. Away. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1993. ISBN 0771086598

Urquhart, J. Changing Heaven. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1994. ISBN 0771086628

Urquhart, J. The Underpainter. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1997. ISBN 0771086644

Vanderhaeghe, G. Homesick. Toronto: Emblem Editions, 1987. ISBN 0771086911

Vanderhaeghe, G. The Englishman’s Boy. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1996. ISBN 0771086938

Vassanji, M.G. The Book of Secrets. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1997. ISBN 0771087217

Walker, A. The Color Purple. New York: Pocket Books, 1982. ISBN 0671019074

Watts, I.N. Good-Bye Marianne. Toronto: Tundra, 1998. ISBN 0887764452

Weiler, D. Bad Boy. Toronto: Groundwood, 1989. ISBN 0888990839

Wong, J. Red China: My Long March from Mao to Now. Toronto: Doubleday, 1996. ISBN 0385254903

OSS Considerations

Studies in Literature, Grade 12, University Preparation must be preceded, successfully, by English,
Grade 11, University Preparation.

Studies in Literature, Grade 12, University Preparation is an optional course and cannot replace English, Grade 12, University Preparation.

This course could be offered in the form of Distance Education. In this model, students from several schools could be assigned one teacher. Readings could be completed independently, conferencing with the teacher could occur electronically (both private and group discussion), and written assignments could be couriered between teacher and student.


Appendix 1

Teaching Strategies - Glossary of Selected Terms

Adapted from the Electronic Curriculum Planner

Ministry of Education, Queen’s Printer for Ontario, 2001

Activity-Based Strategies:

An oral presentation involves the formal or informal presentation of material to an audience. Oral presentations can vary greatly both in content and format. An oral presentation is an effective way for delivering reports, new material, facts, questions, and suppositions about a topic.

Rehearsal/repetition/practice is a strategy whereby students engage in repeated encounters with facts, rules, patterns, skills, or procedures that need to be recalled and applied during demonstrations of learning.

Simulation is a model or set of circumstances that replicates real or hypothetical conditions through which students respond and act as though the situation were real. Simulation is used when learning about complex processes, events or ideas.

Arts-Based Strategies:

Role-playing is a process in which one explores the thoughts and feelings of another person by responding and behaving as that person would, in a simulated situation. It can involve pairs, groups, or the whole class.

Sketching to learn is a strategy whereby students visually represent the ideas they hear, read or think about in pictorial/graphic form during or immediately following a presentation. It is often used to help students follow a listening, viewing or reading experience in order to process new and complex ideas or concepts.

Tableau is a purposeful arrangement of a group of people representing a moment frozen in time. Tableau may be used to explore sequence, plot development, and characterization by arranging a number of tableaux in a series or to initiate or summarize discussion.

Cooperative-Learning Strategies:

Literature circles is a process in which students meet to discuss their reading experiences, reveal their perceptions about the text, clarify concepts, and participate in a shared experience with the text. A literature circle comprises three to five students who read the same text and gather to discuss and share responses. Students read the text and record their thoughts in a journal, then meet with their group. All students in the group have an opportunity to relate their impressions and contribute to the discussion.

Round table is an information-sharing strategy that is used to generate multiple answers to a question posed by the teacher. Students respond in writing to a question that requires answers that are factual, not conceptual or controversial. In sequential Round Table, one piece of paper circulates and students add information that answers the question as it comes to them.

Think/pair/share is a strategy whereby students think alone for a specified amount of time (wait time) in response to a question that the teacher poses, form pairs to discuss their ideas, and then share responses with the class.

Direct Instruction Strategies:

Conferences are meetings to discuss student work in pairs or small groups in order to facilitate learning (e.g., report on progress, point out strengths, consider problems/solutions, and focus on specific topics). Conferences can be conducted in a variety of formats with the teacher, with other students and with parents/guardians.


Appendix 1  (Continued)

 

A directed reading-thinking activity is a process in which students are assisted to set purposes for and make predictions about their reading. Students gain ideas and information and make connections with literature: stories, poems, narratives, and genre. The process also allows students of different abilities and backgrounds to successfully find meaning in text.

Guided writing is a process of using a variety of writing experiences to direct student understanding of the process, purpose and form of writing. Guided writing demonstrates ways of creating, describing, recording, explaining and organizing information.

A lecture is an oral presentation of information during which the learner is responsible for taking appropriate notes. A lecture provides an opportunity for students to develop and practise listening and note-taking skills.

Prompts are words, phrases, or sentences used to focus, direct or stimulate thinking (e.g., "The next step is..." or "Why would you...?"). This strategy can be used to reinforce the positive aspects of students’ response, and can encourage students to complete an incomplete response or revise an incorrect one.

A storyboard is a series of sketches that frame events (e.g., of a story, film, advertisement) in sequential order. It is used as a visual planning tool for larger presentations in a variety of formats. Each frame consists of scenes or figures with commentary that helps those involved in the production to visualize the story and sequence.

Independent-Learning Strategies:

Independent study is a strategy that develops, with teacher guidance, students’ ability to plan, explore, organize and communicate a topic of interest independently and in more detail. It is also used to generate thoughts, review or research a topic, and extend personal learning within the framework of curriculum expectations.

A learning contract is a negotiated plan of intent between teacher and student/s to meet the learning needs/interests of an individual, or small group. A learning contract gives students a role and responsibility in shaping learning experience because the students and teacher develop it collaboratively.

Reading response is a strategy whereby students make thoughtful, personal connections with the ideas, language, emotions, and experience in a literary text. Reading response enables students to articulate links to personal experience and to form generalizations from the text for deeper meaning and understanding.

Reflection is a thinking process that involves taking time to consider information and making sense of it in light of previous experience. Reflection also involves looking back to evaluate previous experience and learning to identify possible problems and opportunities ahead.

A response journal is a form of writing in which students make thoughtful connections to texts, activities, and experiences. A response journal provides sustained opportunity to explore, analyse, question, interpret, or reflect in order to gain new insights and enriched appreciation or understanding.

Inquiry and Research Strategies:

The inquiry process is a set of strategies whereby students answer questions - either their own or those developed collaboratively - to solve problems and make decisions. In ways similar to the research process, the inquiry process includes discernable stages, though these may or may not be followed in a fixed order depending on the task and learning style. Following an inquiry (and research) methodology provides opportunities for students to acquire an attitude of inquiry and build habits of mind to be independent learners.


Appendix 1  (Continued)

 

Research is the process whereby students investigate a topic by asking questions, locating and selecting resources, analysing and evaluating information, reporting findings, and transferring learning for purposes of extending and creating knowledge, solving problems, and making decisions. Research is used by students to acquire further learning about topics of personal interest, or for information required for school projects and assignments.

The writing process is a process whereby writers work through key steps from discussion or brainstorming, selecting a topic, planning, writing a first draft, revising, redrafting and editing to publishing a finished/polished written product.

Technology Application Strategies:

Graphic applications are computer software programs, such as paint and draw programs, which are used to create and edit images, pictures, and other visuals. The use of graphic applications and desktop publishing software can enhance work by clarifying and illustrating the text to improve communication, provide additional information, illustrate ideas, appeal to the visual learner and act as memory aids.

Multimedia applications are computer software programs that integrate a variety of elements such as sound, animation, text, and graphics into a presentation format. Multimedia applications allow students to practise their skills in a variety of technologies creating a multimedia production.

The Internet (Net) is a worldwide computer network connecting users to each other for communication. Because of the open structure, the use of the Internet requires the teaching and learning of critical searching skills in order to find and use relevant, valid, and useful information in a timely, safe, and ethical manner.

Thinking Skill Strategies:

Analysing bias and stereotype is a process that examines inequities based on race, ethnicity, gender, class, points of view or perceptions, and any number of physical or mental attributes of individuals. It allows students to examine their own personal prejudices as well as systemic discrimination, and to understand how social, political, economic, organizational, and cultural structures in society contribute to these perceptions.

Brainstorming is a group process for generating questions, ideas, and examples, and is used to illustrate, expand, or explore a central idea or topic. Brainstorming involves students sharing whatever material comes to mind and recording every idea, without making judgements about the material being generated.

Concept clarification is a process that defines a concept by identifying its critical attributes, identifying examples and creating analogies to help students visualize or remember the concept.

Expressing another point of view is a strategy used to develop critical thinking in students and the ability to look at issues from more than one perspective. It includes identification of whose point of view is being considered, the needs and concerns of the person identified, investigation of information about the person identified, and summarizing the position of that person.

Issue-based analysis is a strategy used to develop the higher level thinking skills of analysis and synthesis. It involves summarizing the material, distinguishing fact and opinion, identifying sources, and analysing biases in primary source materials commonly using a visual organizer or frame.

Media analysis is the examination of commercial media works for the purpose of “decoding” the work; that is, determining the purpose, intended audience, mood, message, and techniques used to create the work. Key concepts of media analysis include recognition that media construct reality, have commercial implications, contain ideological and value messages, and have social and political implications.


Appendix 2

Glossary of terms – Selected Assessment Strategies

Adapted from the Electronic Curriculum Planner, Ministry of Education, Queen’s Press for Ontario, 2001.

 

The classroom presentation is an assessment that requires students to verbalize their knowledge, select and present samples of finished work and organize thoughts, in order to present a summary of learning about a topic.

The conference is a formal or informal meeting between the teacher and student and/or parent;

it has a clear focus on learning for discussion.

The essay is a writing sample used to assess student understanding and/or how well students can analyse and synthesize information; it is a pencil-and-paper assessment where a student constructs a response to a question, topic, or brief statement. It provides the student with the opportunity to communicate his/her reasoning in a written response.

The exhibition/demonstration is a performance in which a student demonstrates individual achievement through application of specific skills and knowledge; it is used to assess progress in tasks that require students to be actively engaged in an activity. (e.g., designing a mural).

The interview is a form of conversation in which all parties (teacher, student and parent) increase their knowledge and understanding.

The learning log is an ongoing record by the students of what they do while working on a particular task or assignment; it makes visible what students are thinking and/or doing through frequent recordings over time.

Observation is a process of systematically viewing and recording student behaviour for the purpose of making programming decisions; it permeates the entire teaching process by assisting the teacher in making the decisions required in effective teaching.

The performance task is an assessment which requires students to demonstrate a skill or proficiency by asking them to create, produce, or perform; it may be an observation of a student or group of students performing a specific task to demonstrate skills and/or knowledge through open-ended “hands-on” activities.

The Portfolio is a purposeful collection of samples of students’ work that is selective, reflective, and collaborative; it demonstrates the range and depth of student achievement, knowledge, and skills over time and across a variety of contexts.

Questions are posed by the teacher to determine if students understand what is or has been presented, or to extend thinking, generate ideas or problem solve.

Answers provide opportunities for oral assessment when the students respond to a question by speaking rather than by writing.

Quizzes, tests, and examinations are assessments in which the students demonstrate their knowledge and, in some cases, demonstrate their skills.

The response journal provides frequent written reflective responses to material that students are reading, viewing, listening to, or discussing.

Self-assessment is the process of gathering information and reflecting on one’s own learning; it is the students’ own assessment of personal progress in knowledge, skills, processes, or attitudes. It leads students to a greater awareness and understanding of themselves as learners.


Appendix 3

Definition of Core Terminology–Schools of Literary Thought

 

Deconstructionalism/Post-Structuralism

“The overall aim of poststructuralism and deconstructive “critique” is different from the rigorous “scientific” analyses of structuralism. Instead of attempting to account for how things are, their order, deconstruction and poststructuralism aim at describing the limits of understanding in terms of such various factors as the intellectual assumptions that allow limits and definitions to be assumed, the social relationships of power that are served by these definitions and individual and “subjective” ends that are served.”

Davis, Robert Con & Ronald Schleifer. Contemporary Literary Criticism. Literary and Cultural Studies, 4th ed. New York; Longman, 1998, p.319.

 

Feminism

Feminist and gender studies are so diverse that a definition encompassing them all could easily be criticized as misleading, outdated, or impractical. This study includes, but is not limited to, investigating social constructions related to gender as they appear in literature. More recent feminist and gender studies have moved beyond simple critiquing of patriarchal culture implicit in a text and consider numerous viewpoints that can also include gay/lesbian culture.

Davis, Robert Con and Ronald Schleifer. Contemporary Literary Criticism. Literary and Cultural Studies, 4th ed. New York; Longman, 1998.

 

Formalism/Structuralism

“In its literary criticism, structuralism is closely related to formalism… The principle aim of these movements was to displace “content” in literary analysis and to focus, instead, on literary “form” in a detailed manner analogous to the methods of empirical scientific research.  Both movements also sought to organize the generic structures of literature into a system consistent with the inner ordering of works that close reading revealed. Literature is viewed as a complex system of “forms” and analyzable with considerable objectivity at different levels of generality – from the specific components of a poetic image or line through the poem’s genre to that genre’s place in the system of literature.”

Davis, Robert Con and Ronald Schleifer. Contemporary Literary Criticism. Literary and Cultural Studies, 4th ed. New York; Longman, 1998, p.257.

 

Appendix 3  (Continued)

 

Mythopeicism

“The principle common to most branches of archetypal criticism is the hypothesis that the structures of myth and ritual are connected with (i.e., continuous with, extend themselves into) the structures of literature, and therefore a knowledge of myth and ritual are primary to the critical understanding of literature. Archetypal criticism focuses on images, symbols, metaphors, characters, plots, events, and themes that continually recur in works of literature but which cannot be satisfactorily explained or explicated as matters of biographical, historical, or social influence because they are in some way linked to sources prior to these contexts. These literary elements are called “archetypes” (Greek arch, “first” + typos, “form” or “type”). While the first task of archetypal literary criticism is to examine the presence and function of these recurring forms in the literary text, however they got there, most archetypal critics go on to theorize the more difficult matter of the nature and origin of such forms. Predictably, this sees archetypal criticism engaging fields such as psychology, psychoanalysis, religious studies, anthropology and comparative mythology in an interdisciplinary fashion.”

http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~english/Gill/archetypal.html

 

(Neo-)Marxism

Based on the writings of Karl Marx, (1818-1883) this school of thought contends that history and culture is largely a struggle between economic classes, and literature is often a reflection of the attitudes and interests of the dominant class. An often-repeated statement from Marx expresses a basic idea specific to this form of criticism. “It’s not the consciousness of men that determines their being, but on the contrary, their social being that determines their consciousness.”

Selden, Raman, Peter Widdowson, and Peter Brooker. A Reader’s Guide to Conemporary Literary Theory, 4th ed. London: Prentice-Hall, 1997.

 

Reader Response Theory

This approach to criticism argues that the reader brings considerable meaning to a text in much the same way that observation alters the object under study. In other words, the reader, through their own values, experiences, and reading strategies, actively participates in the production of meaning in the text.

Selden, Raman, Peter Widdowson, and Peter Brooker. A Reader’s Guide to Conemporary Literary Theory, 4th ed. London: Prentice-Hall, 1997.

 


Coded Expectations, Studies in Literature, Grade 12, University Preparation, ETS4U

Reading and Interpreting Literary Texts

Overall Expectations

RIV.01 · read and demonstrate an understanding of a range of literary texts from various periods and countries;

RIV.02 · demonstrate an understanding of how form, diction, syntax, voice, and style are used to communicate meaning and enhance the impact of literary texts;

RIV.03 · demonstrate an understanding of a range of critical interpretations of literary texts;

RIV.04 · assess the function and significance of literature in society.

Specific Expectations

Understanding the Meaning of Literary Texts

RI1.01 – analyse a range of literary works, with an emphasis on in-depth study of particular genres, authors, themes, time periods, or countries;

RI1.02 – analyse literary texts in performance or recorded on film or tape;

RI1.03 – select, use, and adapt reading strategies to interpret challenging literary texts (e.g., research the social, cultural, and political context of a literary period before reading; reread a text to identify connections among ideas, incidents, characters, images, and themes; research critical assessments of an author’s work);

RI1.04 – analyse how literary texts provide insight into diverse human experiences and perspectives (e.g., compare the representations of heroes in a range of poems and novels).

Understanding the Forms, Language, Voice, and Style of Literary Texts

RI2.01 – identify elements of literary forms and evaluate their effectiveness in communicating meaning and enhancing the impact of texts (e.g., write an essay explaining how variations in chronological order or point of view are used to achieve multiple layers of meaning in a novel; compare how a similar idea is expressed in a sonnet and a free-verse poem);

RI2.02 – describe the diction and syntax used in literary texts and evaluate how effectively they help communicate meaning and enhance impact (e.g., assess the effect on the reader of inverted word order in a poem; describe how diction is used to reveal the social class of characters in a novel);

RI2.03 – describe the voice and style used in literary texts and evaluate how effectively they help communicate meaning and enhance impact (e.g., describe the distinctive voices in a novel with multiple narrators and assess the effect of their use for an independent study project on the contemporary novel).

Understanding Interpretations of Literary Texts

RI3.01 – analyse and assess their own and others’ responses to a range of literary texts (e.g., record and assess a group’s responses to sections of a novel; write an analytical academic essay comparing critical reviews of a poem with their own interpretation);

RI3.02 – demonstrate an understanding of key concepts and specialized terms in literary criticism (e.g., consult a glossary of literary terms or specialized reference sources to understand unfamiliar terminology and allusions; explain concepts and specialized language used in critical interpretations of a film; use the specialized language of literary criticism appropriately and effectively in an analytical academic essay);

RI3.03 – analyse and assess critical interpretations of literary texts researched through the use of print and electronic sources (e.g., write a brief synopsis of a critical article and assess the degree to which it increases understanding of a play; create an annotated bibliography of secondary sources, assessing their usefulness for helping readers understand a novel);

RI3.04 – analyse literary texts by applying key literary concepts (e.g., explain the use of archetypes in short stories; analyse the power relationships among characters from different social classes in a novel or film; discuss how a psychoanalytical interpretation helps clarify the motivations and actions of a tragic hero; debate whether a poem has only one meaning that resides solely in the text or whether each reader negotiates a unique meaning based on personal background and experience);

RI3.05 – analyse how social, cultural, and political contexts and the perspectives of various readers influence the interpretation of literary texts (e.g., explain the appeal of a play that has been presented successfully in different parts of the world; analyse the influence of contemporary social attitudes about gender and race on our understanding and interpretation of a play or novel from another historical period).

Understanding the Social Purposes of Literary Texts

RI4.01 – analyse the relationships between literary texts and the social, cultural, and political contexts in which they were created (e.g., explain why certain authors have been persecuted or certain literary texts suppressed; conduct research to explain the effect of literary works that have had a significant impact on society);

RI4.02 – analyse and assess the social functions of literary texts (e.g., prepare an independent study project about how literature defines, reinforces, or challenges commonly held values; explain how a contemporary novel or play contributes to public dialogue on a social issue; explain the impact on society of selected works of literature).

Responding to Literary Texts

Overall Expectations

RTV.01 · produce personal and critical responses to a range of literary texts and criticism;

RTV.02 · produce creative responses to a range of literary texts and criticism.

Specific Expectations

Responding Personally and Critically to Literary Texts

RT1.01 – explain ideas, intuitions, and feelings evoked by literature (e.g., discuss possible interpretations of an image to understand a theme in a poem; keep a graphic record of personal reactions to ideas from primary and secondary sources; describe and explain personal responses in a group to clarify and challenge the ideas, issues, and themes in a text and to negotiate a common interpretation);

RT1.02 – produce critical responses to ideas, themes, and issues presented in a range of literary texts (e.g., evaluate the relationship between the structure and ideas in a sonnet; challenge the values conveyed in plays of the Theatre of the Absurd for an independent study project);

RT1.03 – produce critical responses to interpretations of texts and theories of literary criticism (e.g., analyse a particular interpretation of a novel to identify significant evidence from the text that is not included in the interpretation; debate the critical view that meaning resides solely in the text).

Responding Creatively to Literary Texts

RT2.01 – design and create, individually or collaboratively, literary or media works in response to literary texts (e.g., write a satire exposing the human foibles and social follies of characters in literary texts; write and perform an original short play extending a theme in literature);

RT2.02 – adapt a character, scene, or idea from a literary text for presentation in another form or medium (e.g., role-play characters from a novel in a trial situation; use ideas and themes from a poem as the basis of a short story);

RT2.03 – assess the extent to which their created or adapted works expand understanding of ideas, themes, and issues in the original literary texts (e.g., use a class-developed rubric to assess the effectiveness of the created or adapted works; make an oral presentation explaining how the work created or adapted underlines the continuing relevance of the original text).

 


Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations

 

The graduate is expected to be:

 

A Discerning Believer Formed in the Catholic Faith Community  who

 

CGE1a    -illustrates a basic understanding of the saving story of our Christian faith;

CGE1b    -participates in the sacramental life of the church and demonstrates an understanding of the centrality of the Eucharist to our Catholic story;

CGE1c    -actively reflects on God’s Word as communicated through the Hebrew and Christian scriptures;

CGE1d    -develops attitudes and values founded on Catholic social teaching and acts to promote social responsibility, human solidarity and the common good;

CGE1e    -speaks the language of life... “recognizing that life is an unearned gift and that a person entrusted with life does not own it but that one is called to protect and cherish it.” (Witnesses to Faith)

CGE1f     -seeks intimacy with God and celebrates communion with God, others and creation through prayer and worship;

CGE1g    -understands that one’s purpose or call in life comes from God and strives to discern and live out this call throughout life’s journey;

CGE1h    -respects the faith traditions, world religions and the life-journeys of all people of good will;

CGE1i     -integrates faith with life;

CGE1j     -recognizes that “sin, human weakness, conflict and forgiveness are part of the human journey” and that the cross, the ultimate sign of forgiveness is at the heart of redemption. (Witnesses to Faith)

 

An Effective Communicator   who

CGE2a    -listens actively and critically to understand and learn in light of gospel values;

CGE2b    -reads, understands and uses written materials effectively;

CGE2c    -presents information and ideas clearly and honestly and with sensitivity to others;

CGE2d    -writes and speaks fluently one or both of Canada’s official languages;

CGE2e    -uses and integrates the Catholic faith tradition, in the critical analysis of the arts, media, technology and information systems to enhance the quality of life.

 

A Reflective and Creative Thinker   who

CGE3a    -recognizes there is more grace in our world than sin and that hope is essential in facing all challenges;

CGE3b    -creates, adapts, evaluates new ideas in light of the common good;

CGE3c    -thinks reflectively and creatively to evaluate situations and solve problems;

CGE3d    -makes decisions in light of gospel values with an informed moral conscience;

CGE3e    -adopts a holistic approach to life by integrating learning from various subject areas and experience;

CGE3f     -examines, evaluates and applies knowledge of interdependent systems (physical, political, ethical, socio-economic and ecological) for the development of a just and compassionate society.

 

A Self-Directed, Responsible, Life Long Learner   who

CGE4a    -demonstrates a confident and positive sense of self and respect for the dignity and welfare of others;

CGE4b    -demonstrates flexibility and adaptability;

CGE4c    -takes initiative and demonstrates Christian leadership;

CGE4d    -responds to, manages and constructively influences change in a discerning manner;

CGE4e    -sets appropriate goals and priorities in school, work and personal life;

CGE4f     -applies effective communication, decision-making, problem-solving, time and resource management skills;

CGE4g    -examines and reflects on one’s personal values, abilities and aspirations influencing life’s choices and opportunities;

CGE4h    -participates in leisure and fitness activities for a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

 

A Collaborative Contributor   who

CGE5a    -works effectively as an interdependent team member;

CGE5b    -thinks critically about the meaning and purpose of work;

CGE5c    -develops one’s God-given potential and makes a meaningful contribution to society;

CGE5d    -finds meaning, dignity, fulfillment and vocation in work which contributes to the common good;

CGE5e    -respects the rights, responsibilities and contributions of self and others;

CGE5f     -exercises Christian leadership in the achievement of individual and group goals;

CGE5g    -achieves excellence, originality, and integrity in one’s own work and supports these qualities in the work of others;

CGE5h    -applies skills for employability, self-employment and entrepreneurship relative to Christian vocation.

 

A Caring Family Member   who

CGE6a    -relates to family members in a loving, compassionate and respectful manner;

CGE6b    -recognizes human intimacy and sexuality as God given gifts, to be used as the creator intended;

CGE6c    -values and honours the important role of the family in society;

CGE6d    -values and nurtures opportunities for family prayer;

CGE6e    -ministers to the family, school, parish, and wider community through service.

 

A Responsible Citizen   who

CGE7a    -acts morally and legally as a person formed in Catholic traditions;

CGE7b    -accepts accountability for one’s own actions;

CGE7c    -seeks and grants forgiveness;

CGE7d    -promotes the sacredness of life;

CGE7e    -witnesses Catholic social teaching by promoting equality, democracy, and solidarity for a just, peaceful and compassionate society;

CGE7f     -respects and affirms the diversity and interdependence of the world’s peoples and cultures;

CGE7g    -respects and understands the history, cultural heritage and pluralism of today’s contemporary society;

CGE7h    -exercises the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship;

CGE7i     -respects the environment and uses resources wisely;

CGE7j     -contributes to the common good.

 

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