Grade 8 - Communicate Ideas and Information (Composing and Creating)

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 employ a variety of effective processes and strategies, including the use of electronic technology, to generate, gather, and organize information and ideas.

It is expected that students will:

formulate pertinent questions to help them develop works of communication on a wide variety of topics
compose or create works of communication for specific audiences and purposes, including to entertain, persuade, or inform
locate, access, and select relevant information from a variety of sources (including technological sources) for defined purposes
identify gaps in information obtained
organize and structure information in a variety of literary, expository, persuasive, and other forms
identify the purposes and audiences for their communications
acknowledge sources in their written work
apply various strategies to generate and shape ideas

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

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Students learn how to organize and convey information effectively through direct instruction, practice, and sharing their ideas with others.

Review with students various methods of organizing information, such as creating charts, webbing, categorizing, and outlining. Explain how the organization of information relates to the form of the final product and its purpose. Let students practise different ways of organizing information.
Use a debate as a lead-up activity for writing editorials. Ask each student to choose an issue of personal importance, make a web of ideas that relate to it, and use words or phrases to show the relationships among the ideas. Then challenge students to write editorials on their issues.
Ask each student to prepare a report to persuade a parent to purchase a certain product over several others. Have students gather information about their products (e.g., athletic shoes, mountain bikes) that can be used to persuade parents. Instruct them to use appropriate and accurate technical language to describe the products featured. Each report should include an introduction, a picture of and details about the product, reference to the student's sources of information, and a persuasive summary.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

Students need structured opportunities to develop and demonstrate an increasing repertoire of planning and composing skills. Facilitate their self-assessment, as well as peer and teacher feedback, by providing clear expectations, often as checklists or other forms to guide the planning stage.

Work with students to develop a checklist they can use as they research and acquire information for different purposes. For example, criteria for preparing persuasive presentations about current issues might require that the student:
- clearly identifies the issue and key inquiry questions
- describes the audience and purpose
- lists at least three special features or considerations that will appeal to the audience (or address audience needs) and will help to accomplish the purpose
- researches a variety of relevant sources
- records relevant information, including source documentation
- organizes information in a form that is easy to use
- focusses the presentation around a specific purpose and viewpoint
- selects details to support the purpose and viewpoint
Assess students' abilities to choose and apply effective ways of organizing information by reviewing their planning notes for evidence that they:
- choose formats that match the nature of the information and the purpose of the activity
- use a variety of formats
- tailor the forms they use to their learning styles or preferences
- use their notes or charts as working documents, making changes as they acquire new information
- use their planning notes to develop their presentations (there should be a clear relationship between planning and presentation)