Communications 12

Comprehend and Respond
(Strategies and Skills)

It is expected that students will:

choose appropriate strategies before, during, and after reading, viewing, or listening for different purposes
demonstrate the ability to use a variety of strategies for locating information in print and non-print resources, including electronic resources
assess prior knowledge of and experience with specific topics
demonstrate the ability to record, organize, and store information they read, hear, or view
demonstrate the ability to listen and view critically
interpret a variety of technical, literary, and workplace communications

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Comprehend and Resond (Strategies and Skills) in grade 11 click below.

Review various ways of organizing information, such as webs, concept maps, outlines, and note formats. Give students a selection to read, view, or listen to. Ask them to use two different methods to organize the main ideas of the selection and decide which method is most useful and why.
Before students read or view a selection, prompt them to review their present knowledge of and experience with the topic by asking questions such as:
- What do you know about the topic?
- What response does the topic evoke in you?
- Why does it evoke this response?
After students read or view the selection, have them determine the author's or director's perspective and compare it to their own. Then ask students to discuss questions such as:

Have students brainstorm and discuss various sources of information. Sources might include the Internet, CD-ROMs, library databases, and reference texts. Ask student to assess each source for criteria such as accuracy, currency, and depth of information. Then give the class a research question such as: What are the latest developments in AIDS research? Have each student develop a research plan and prepare a list of six different sources of information about the question, using correct citation format. As a final activity, have students write research papers.
Review with students reading strategies such as scanning for specific information, skimming to get an idea of the contents and to prepare for in-depth reading, and rereading to confirm understanding. Ask students to choose magazines, newspapers, web sites, or other media with a variety of levels of reading difficulty and styles. Have them report to the class on which reading strategies they used with which types of information.

As students learn and practise various strategies for locating, organizing, and recording information, have them summarize what they have learned in response journals. Prompt them to assess their progress with questions such as:
- Which strategies do you find most efficient?
- Which strategies are most helpful?
- Which strategies do you find difficult?
- What could you do to become more skilled at using other strategies?
When students write responses after reading or viewing a selection, look for evidence that they have:
- connected the selection to their own experiences
- described their feelings about the topic
- provided specific information from the selection
- demonstrated a willingness to consider other points of view
- explained gaps in their understanding
When students write research papers, criteria such as the following can provide the basis for a performance rating scale:
- research question or topic is clear
- sequence of information is logical and clear
- includes information from a variety of documented sources
- reaches a logical conclusion
- sentence and paragraph structure are correct
- punctuation, grammar, and spelling are correct
To assess students’ ability to listen and view critically, show them a documentary and ask them to point out features such as bias, point of view, and completeness of information. Ask them to create questions that are answered by the video and questions that require more information than the video provides.

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Revised: March 5, 1999