English 12 - 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, confidently, and ethically in a variety of interpersonal and electronic school, community, and career-related contexts
demonstrate respect for the ways in which individuals and communities use and respond to language
demonstrate a willingness to present, seek out, and consider diverse, contrary, or innovative views
assess personal, classroom, and community interactions
demonstrate a willingness to contribute to language activities that celebrate school and community values, events, or accomplishments

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

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Developing a sense of community involves not only co-operating in the creation of a product but also sharing the results of joint efforts. Participation in such activities provides students with a clearer sense of themselves in relation to the community.

Explain to students how the use of interviews, personal recollections, and literary materials can add richness to the content of a report. Then have them prepare reports on the contributions of particular cultures to Canada. Students' presentations of their findings might include videos, bulletin board displays, presentations by guests from the community, film strips, maps, charts, or time lines.
Suggest that students organize a literary night to celebrate the language, literature, and communications of people in the community. Students might be responsible for:
- asking community members to make presentations
- designing the program
- arranging for media coverage and photography
- hosting the guests
Ask students to write personal reflections on what they learned about the strengths of other cultures' communications and what they learned about organizing an event.
Work with students to help them identify defining qualities of their families or cultures. Ask them each to gather two articles from magazines, newspapers, or the Internet or two clips from radio or TV that accurately reflect those qualities and two that misrepresent them. Have students make a Fact or Fabrication bulletin board displaying these articles or images to help people challenge some stereotypes about cultural differences.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

Students demonstrate their confidence, commitment, and values in the ways they participate in classroom activities. They can also offer reports and documentation to demonstrate that they have applied these skills in a wide variety of situations beyond the classroom.

To assess students' application of their interaction skills, ask them to document and analyse their participation and competence in a variety of community and career related situations. Collaborate with students to develop a list of required situations. For example:
- interactions through electronic media
- volunteer activities
- activities related to work experience
- activities involving people or views that are unfamiliar or different from their own
- situations in which they deal with conflict
Have students brainstorm ways to document each interaction (e.g., photographs, written case studies, audiotaped comments, testimonials from others involved, videos, printed copies of e-mail exchanges). Ask them to include self-analyses that identify their purposes, strategies, strengths, weaknesses, what they learned about themselves, and how they can apply what they learned to new situations.
Before students organize classroom or school events such as literary nights, ensure that they are aware of the expectations and criteria for effective participation. For example, work with students to develop a checklist of expectations that can guide teacher observations as well as self- and peer assessment. Criteria might include:
- commitment to the project
- individual contributions to planning, preparation, execution, and follow-up
- willingness to work with and support others