English 11 - Self and Society (Building Community)

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 use language to help establish and maintain relationships within the school and community, to collaborate to get things done, and to value and support others.

It is expected that students will:

interact purposefully, confidentially, and ethically in a variety of situations
communicate to clarify their ideas, understanding, and opinions
value and respect the diversity of language and culture in Canadian society
demonstrate an openness to the divergent ideas and opinions expressed by classmates and others
demonstrate an appreciation for the role of language in the organization and celebration of special events

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Self and Society (Building Community) in other grades click on an icon below.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Language helps create a sense of community. As they examine, share, and celebrate their own and others' uniqueness, students learn to appreciate and respect their similarities and differences.

Provide students with examples of multicultural literature written by immigrants or Aboriginal authors. Discuss with them the unique and common experiences of people whose lives are described in the literature. Each student chooses one person's experience and explores it in more depth by writing a letter from the perspective of a person from that culture, role-playing the individual, writing a sequel to the person's story, or conducting a videotaped interview with an Aboriginal person or a recent immigrant to Canada.
Challenge students to investigate their heritage by interviewing their parents or grandparents and reading about their cultural roots. Students may use the information to write stories or essays that trace some aspect of their family histories, write about the immigration experience of their first Canadian ancestor, or compile family albums or family trees. Provide opportunities for students to display their finished products and answer questions from their peers about the work.
Have students create a student newspaper based on the information from their interviews with parents or grandparents.
Ask each student to choose an area of interest (e.g., music, leisure activities, career interests) and find a partner with a contrasting view. Ask each pair to join another pair. Students in pair A discuss the topic, explaining and defending their respective positions and inquiring about each other's reasoning. Pair B observes and provides feedback on strategies used for dealing effectively with divergent views.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

Students demonstrate their openness, respect, and competence in the way they speak and respond to their classmates in day-to-day activities and discussions, as well as when they focus on the learning outcomes in this area.

When students research and report on cultural heritage and Aboriginal and immigrant experiences, ensure that they are aware of the learning outcomes they are expected to demonstrate. Criteria such as the following can be applied to a wide variety of representations, including drama, videotapes or audiotapes, multimedia presentations, essays, stories, poetry, or visual displays:
- clear central theme reflects a positive stance toward the culture involved
- includes relevant detail to develop and support central theme
- draws on appropriate sources and resources
- information is balanced and credible
- reaches conclusions (or offers a strong overall impression) that avoid stereotyping
From time to time, pose questions such as the following to prompt discussion and reflection:
- Is it important to be part of school or community celebrations? Why or why not?
- What kinds of school or community celebrations are important to you? Which ones can you imagine yourself telling your children and grandchildren about? What makes them stand out for you?
After students have discussed divergent ideas and opinions with partners, and observed and offered feedback to other pairs, have each group of four present a brief report to the class about the strategies they used and observed. The teacher may wish to provide an outline such as the following:
- Language that helped to keep the discussion calm _______ .
- Strategies that helped to make a position clear _______ .
- Strategies that people used to keep the focus on why they held their own view (rather than attacking another view)_______ .
- Ways people showed that they respected each other's right to hold a different opinion or view _______ .
Students can also write brief self-assessments.