English 11 - Comprehend and Respond (Comprehension)

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

It is expected that students will:

• demonstrate an understanding of the main ideas, events, or themes of a variety of increasingly complex novels, dramas, stories, poetry, other print material, and electronic media
• organize details and information that they have read, heard, or viewed using a variety of written or graphic forms
• synthesize and report on information from more than one source that they have read, heard, or viewed to address a variety of topics and issues
• develop coherent and plausible interpretations of abstract, complex, or specialized materials
• interpret details and subtleties to clarify gaps or ambiguities in written, oral, or visual works
• interpret details in and draw conclusions from the information presented in a variety of graphic formats, including illustrations, maps, charts, and graphs

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Comprehend and Respond (Comprehension) in other grades click on an icon below.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• During a novel study, have students chart the major elements of fiction and discuss the way these elements work together to contribute to the meaning. Students then present their charts to the class and discuss their understanding of the interrelationship of elements. Ask students to identify three key questions that will help them investigate the most important ideas of the novel.
• Guide students in a discussion about ways they might introduce the characters in a literary work to the class (e.g., role play, photos or drawings, a horoscope for the character, a series of letters between characters, a character's family event). After introducing their characters, have students write "what happens next" stories for a character, or place the character in a different work.
• After watching a time-travel video, ask students to use the setting from the novel to write stories that occur in a different time, reinterpreting the impact of the setting on the characters and plot.
• Ask students to locate three sentences from a novel, short story, or TV documentary that reflect or capture its theme.
• Have students explain the theme of a novel, essay, magazine article, or short story in one sentence.
• Provide students with technical or factual information and have them summarize and present it in graphic form. For example, a student could present a set of instructions as a hand-drawn or computer-generated flow chart.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

• When students develop mind maps or other representations that summarize novels or other materials they have studied, look for evidence that they are able to:
  • focus their work around key themes or aspects of the works
  • incorporate relevant and accurate details
  • make clear and logical connections among elements
  • address all important aspects of the works
  • offer some insight or interpretation of subtleties or implicit features
• Assess students' abilities to synthesize information from more than one source by having each student select a topic of personal interest, develop a list of three to five key questions, and locate relevant information from at least three different sources. Ask students to summarize what they learn by responding to each of the questions in note form, including diagrams if needed. Look for evidence that they are able to combine the information, avoiding duplications or contradictions, and make decisions about which points are most important.
• To check on students' comprehension of works studied in class, form small groups and ask each group to prepare a series of three to five questions about a different selection. Have groups exchange questions, then discuss, summarize, and present their answers. Groups may refer back to the selections during their discussions. For each presentation, the group that designed the questions offers feedback and assessment on the extent to which answers are thorough, logical, relevant, and supported by specific references to the selection.

RECOMMENDED LEARNING RESOURCES

• The Act of Writing
• The Business of English
• Coast To Coast
• Coming of Age
• Develop Your English Skills
• Discoveries in Non-Fiction
• Discovering Poetry
• Essays: Patterns and Perspectives
• Family Issues
• Far and Wide
• How Porcupines Make Love III
• The Little, Brown Handbook
• Living Theater
• Matters of Gender
• On The Edge
• Poetry Alive
• Print Out
• Process and Practice
• The Project Book
• The Prose Reader
• Reflections
• Searchlights
• Speaking for Success
• Stories from Asia
• The Storyteller
• Tracing One Warm Line
• What A Writer Needs
• World Literature, Signature Edition
• The Writer's Workshop
• Your Voice and Mine

• Tabloid Frenzy

• Malcolm X

Previous Organizer Next Organizer

  BC Ministry of Education Home Page