Communications 12

Communicate Ideas and Information
(Presenting and Valuing)

This sub-organizer contains the following sections:
Prescribed Learning Outcomes
Suggested Instructional Strategies
Suggested Assessment Strategies
Recommended Learning Resources

Prescribed Learning Outcomes

It is expected that students will:

• demonstrate the ability to produce various communications, including documented research and business reports, multimedia presentations, debates, summaries, descriptions, explanations, instructions, letters, and narratives
• use a variety of tools and techniques to enhance the impact of presentations
• demonstrate a commitment to high-quality work when presenting ideas and information in a variety of school, community, and work contexts
• adjust presentations according to purpose, topic, and audience

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Communicate Ideas and Information (Presenting and Valuing) in grade 11 click below.

Suggested Instructional Strategies

• Divide the class into groups of five to produce news programs dealing with school events or community affairs. Have each group create a plan and divide up the research, writing, interviewing, and editing tasks. Then have students take turns in a variety of production roles, including scriptwriting, producing, directing, operating the video camera, and designing the set. Each group can then present its video to the class.
• Provide students with samples of covering letters sent with job applications. Have students, as a class, make a list of the types of information included in the letters. Ask them to make an inventory of their personal management skills (e.g., punctuality, responsibility), critical thinking skills, and communication skills. Then have each student select a job advertised in a newspaper or on the Internet, noting the qualifications required. Ask them to write letters applying for the jobs, mentioning appropriate skills from their inventory. As an extension activity, have students select a second job to apply for and adapt their covering letters for the different audience and requirements.
• Use real estate or other "for sale" ads to show students how information can be adjusted for a particular purpose. Then have students describe something a person might either sell or have fixed (e.g., a car, a house, a bicycle, sports equipment). Have students write up and present two descriptions: the first, to a potential buyer, highlights the best qualities or features of the object; the second, to a repairperson, describes what needs to be fixed or replaced. As a class, discuss the importance of considering purpose and audience when preparing and interpreting details in oral and written presentations. Ask students to consider at what point adjusting for purpose or audience can become unethical.

Suggested Assessment Strategies

• When students produce programs about school or community news, check that their videos:
  • use clear, concise, and properly enunciated language
  • include specific details
  • show adequate topic development
  • are engaging and interesting
  • are truthful and insightful
  • meet the purpose of the assignment
  • show competent basic filming technique, including appropriate camera angle, lighting, and set design
  • show evidence of thoughtful script editing and sound editing
• To evaluate students’ covering letters, check that they have used standard business letter format and that all required information is included, such as:
  • title of job
  • skills required
  • level of education
  • work or character references
  • availability for interview
• When students prepare workplace communications, check that they can:
  • define the purpose and audience
  • recognize different formats and styles expected (e.g., formal versus informal)
  • recognize and apply conventions of oral and written workplace communications
  • select an appropriate medium
• When students write different descriptions for different purposes and audiences, look for evidence that they:
  • recognize differences in purpose and audience
  • use language that suits each audience
  • adjust the amount and level of information for each audience
  • recognize that adjusting content may be unethical if the result misleads the reader

Recommended Learning Resources

Print Material

• Canadian Writer’s Companion
• The Communications Handbook
• English Skills With Readings, First Canadian Edition