Grade 11 - Canadian Literature, EAT3M (2007)

Reading and analysing literature

Exploring and applying knowledge of literary interpretations

read a range of Canadian literary texts from diverse cultures, regions, and time periods;

read a range of Canadian literary texts, including novels, plays, short stories and poetry, with an emphasis on the study of particular genres, authors, themes, regions, and time periods (e.g., read and analyse a variety of texts or excerpts from a particular author)

identify and assess the influence of major Canadian authors from the colonial to the modern period in Canadian literature (e.g., Archibald Lampman, Charles G. D. Roberts, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Stephen Leacock, Morley Callaghan, Sinclair Ross, Hugh MacLennan, W. O. Mitchell, Farley Mowat, Mordecai Richler, Leonard Cohen, Margaret Laurence, Margaret Atwood, Robertson Davies, Alice Munro, Marian Engel, Timothy Findley, Joy Kogawa, Carol Shields, Michael Ondaatje, Yann Martel)

select, use, and adapt reading strategies to interpret the meaning of a variety of Canadian texts;

use pre-reading strategies to understand literary texts (e.g., research regional and historical contexts before reading a novel, identify a specific purpose for reading)

use a variety of strategies to enhance comprehension of a text (e.g., interpret textual cues and organizational patterns to understand and confirm the meaning of texts)

select and use specific evidence from a text to support analysis (e.g., paraphrase the thesis in an essay, refer to a specific passage when analysing the theme in a literary text)

make inferences and draw conclusions about the purpose and meaning of texts and complex compositional elements (e.g., identify and describe the author’s purpose in writing a text, identify symbols in literary texts)

analyse the diverse human experiences and perspectives in Canadian literary texts to deepen their understanding and appreciation of literature by Canadian writers;

analyse what the social, cultural, historical, and regional contexts of texts reveal about the evolution of the Canadian identity (e.g., compare and contrast major themes, issues, and perspectives in literary texts from a single Canadian cultural tradition, such as Aboriginal culture or Jewish traditions)

analyse the influences on the Canadian author related to gender, time period, culture, and politics (e.g., determine the extent to which the life experiences of a Canadian author are exemplified in the text)

assess the literary and socio-historic importance of a literary text and its relation to a literary movement or genre (e.g., analyse the qualities that give international appeal to a Canadian text such as Anne of Green Gables or Life of Pi)

analyse how social, cultural, and regional contexts and the perspective of various readers influence the interpretation of Canadian texts (e.g., describe why a reader from a minority group may or may not appreciate how a certain author has portrayed a historical event)

question and challenge the ways in which Canadian texts have been constructed in order to present a particular Canadian viewpoint or perspective (e.g., determine which regional or cultural positions, voices, and interests are represented or omitted from the Canadian text)

understand and assess elements of literary style to develop an understanding and appreciation of a variety of Canadian texts;

identify the organizational patterns of texts and evaluate their effectiveness in communicating meaning and enhancing the impact of Canadian texts (e.g., identify the use of interior monologues and explain how this technique contributes to the understanding of the character)

describe the diction and syntax used in a Canadian literary text, and examine regional and cultural diversity in language and expression (e.g., examine the use of regional or cultural dialect in dialogue and explain how dialect contributes to the reader’s understanding of a character’s identity)

identify the literary/rhetorical devices used in Canadian literary texts and evaluate how effectively they help communicate meaning and enhance impact (e.g., analyse the symbolism used in texts such as In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje and A Bird in the House by Margaret Laurence; analyse a writer’s style by evaluating the use of literary/rhetorical devices)

analyse their skills as readers and interpreters of texts and set goals for improvement.

identify the strategies they used before, during, and after reading, and identify which of them were most helpful in interpreting texts (e.g., explain how writing an essay about a text under study helps extend their comprehension of and appreciation for the text)

identify their strengths and weaknesses in reading and interpretation, and set goals for strengthening the areas in which they need improvement

apply research strategies independently, consulting and evaluating a broad range of print and electronic resources to extend their interpretation and analysis of literature;

evaluate information collected from print and electronic resources for authenticity, reliability, objectivity, currency, and logic, recognizing that evidence can be interpreted from many different points of view (e.g., recognize that certain literary criticism may be biased)

collect and synthesize information from reliable primary and secondary print and electronic resources (e.g., eliminate irrelevant details when synthesizing information in response to a specific research question)

incorporate quotations and definitions of literary terms into their own written texts, avoiding plagiarism and citing sources accurately, according to an accepted system of documentation

analyse and apply interpretations of Canadian texts to enhance understanding of literary texts;

demonstrate an understanding of the concepts and terms found in literary interpretations (e.g., read literary essays that develop and support a thesis about one or more elements of a text under study)

apply concepts and theories in works of literary interpretations to expand their own analysis of literary texts under study (e.g., apply concepts contained in a variety of related works of literary criticism and use prior knowledge of a writer’s philosophy, such as that of Margaret Atwood in The Handmaid’s Tale, to understand the text)

produce personal, analytical, and creative responses to texts under study in a variety of forms;

record, in a journal maintained for this purpose, their personal responses to texts under study and those read for personal interest, responding to ideas, issues, and themes found in texts

write a research paper related to a text or an author under study (e.g., synthesize information on a specific theme, such as identity or survival, in Canadian literature)

write persuasive texts (e.g., essay-type answers to questions, critical reviews) that express and justify a point of view about an issue, topic, or text under study, supporting their thesis with relevant evidence, including specific references to texts under study

write a literary essay that conveys their interpretation of texts under study (e.g., compare and contrast works with similar themes)

write creative texts in various forms (e.g., an additional scene in a play, a sequel to a short story, a personal or narrative essay), integrating literary/stylistic devices and features of texts under study into their work

produce media texts that convey their interpretation of one or more texts under study, using the appropriate technological/media aids (e.g., create a blog related to a text under study)

analyse their researching and writing strategies and set goals for improvement.

identify the skills and strategies they used in the process of researching and writing texts (e.g., explain how filing their research material according to their outline made writing the research paper easier, explain how using an editing checklist helped them in the editing stage of the writing process)

identify their strengths and weaknesses in researching and writing, and set goals for strengthening the areas in which they need improvement