English 11 - Communicate Ideas and Information (Knowledge of Language)

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

It is expected that students will:

• use a variety of communications technologies, including telecommunications hardware and software
• use appropriate formats and documentation to present information from a variety of sources
• adjust their form, style, tone, and language to suit specific audiences and purposes
• use a variety of computer functions and software to create and edit their presentations
• incorporate electronic research sources into desktop-published work

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Communicate Ideas and Information (Knowledge of Language) in other grades click on an icon below.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• Discuss with students the difference between connotation and denotation, and emotionally laden and neutral words. For example, look at the differences between words such as nervous and terrified, thin and skinny, and dead and murdered. Then have students draw charts with columns for words ranging from weakest to neutral to most powerful. Present students with a word or phrase that has a number of synonyms, list the synonyms, and have students place them on their charts. Have students each write two descriptions of a person - one using emotionally laden words and the other using more neutral language. Ask students to edit one another's work to neutralize it or make it emotionally charged. Discuss the process.
• Use direct instruction to teach students about common grammar and usage errors. Provide students with a paragraph to edit that contains common grammar, usage, capitalization, and spelling errors. Then have groups of students each select one of the common errors and present a lesson to the class.
• Have students work as electronic pen pals, sending e-mail messages that contain intentional errors. Have the recipients correct the errors and reply. Discuss the significance of grammatical errors in electronic communications when there are no contextual, tonal, or body language clues to clarify meaning.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

• When students work with connotative and denotative language, provide a few minutes at the end of the activity for them to complete these prompts:
  • Something I hadn't thought of before is _____ .
  • Two ways I can use what I noticed about emotionally charged language are _____ .
  • One situation in which it will always be important to use neutral language is _____ .
• Collaborate with students to generate criteria for assessing their lessons for common grammatical and usage errors. Criteria should focus on the extent to which they apply knowledge of language conventions and describe relevant strategies, tools, and technologies. For example, note the extent to which students:
  • clearly identify and describe specific usage issues or problems
  • provide illustrative examples
  • offer relevant and practical suggestions or strategies
  • include appropriate practice or monitoring activities
  • respond to questions with relevant, clear information
• Students can check their knowledge about language conventions, communications technologies, and ways of documenting information by answering questions posed by their classmates. For example, each student can pose one question as part of an impromptu classroom quiz on language or communications technology. Have students prepare at least two questions each in case another student asks the same question.

RECOMMENDED LEARNING RESOURCES

• The 21st Century Dictionary of Acronyms and Abbreviations
• The 21st Century Dictionary of Quotations
• The 21st Century Grammar Handbook
• The 21st Century Guide to Pronunciation
• The 21st Century Synonyms and Antonyms Finder
• The Communications Handbook
• Develop Your English Skills
• Horizons
• Literary Terms
• The Little, Brown Handbook
• The Oxford Dictionary of Current English
• The Oxford Study Dictionary
• Poetry Alive
• Print Out
• Process and Practice
• The Prose Reader
• Reflections
• Roget's Twenty-First Century Thesaurus
• Sentencecraft
• Stories from Asia
• Technically-Write!
• World Literature, Signature Edition
• The Writer's Workshop
• Writing Clear Essays
• Writing for Results

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