Grade 12 - English Literature, EAL4U (2007)

Reading and analysing literature

Exploring and applying knowledge of literary interpretations

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

read a wide range of literary texts from contemporary and historical periods, including novels, plays, short stories and poetry, with an emphasis on international authors from various countries and cultures and an in-depth study of particular genres and themes (e.g., read a variety of texts or excerpts from authors from the same country and historical period)

identify major international authors from diverse cultures, regions, time periods, and literary movements (e.g., Margaret Atwood, Chinua Achebe, Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Robertson Davies, Charles Dickens, Nadine Gordimer, Ernest Hemingway, Aldous Huxley, Joy Kogawa, Michael Ondaatje, Mary Shelley, John Steinbeck, Rohinton Mistry, Elie Wiesel)

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

use pre-reading strategies to interpret texts (e.g., read a work of literary criticism to gather information about the Romantic movement before reading a poem by Wordsworth, Shelley, Byron, Coleridge, Keats)

use a variety of strategies to enhance comprehension of a text (e.g., verify or confirm the meaning of literary terms and concepts by referring to print and electronic resources)

select and use specific evidence from a text to support analysis (e.g., paraphrase main and secondary ideas, refer to a specific portion of text when analysing character development)

make inferences and draw conclusions about purpose and meaning in texts and complex compositional elements (e.g., analyse themes and motifs in Margaret Laurence's The Diviners)

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

analyse the relationship between literary texts and the social, cultural, historical, and political contexts in which they were created (e.g., explain why certain authors have been persecuted or certain works suppressed)

analyse the influences on an author related to gender, time period, culture, and politics (e.g., compare cultural values expressed in texts from different cultures such as British, Indian, or Caribbean)

analyse the literary and socio-historic importance of the literary text and its relation to a literary movement or genre (e.g., analyse the qualities that give international appeal to texts such as The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje or The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood)

analyse how the perspectives of various readers influence the interpretation of literary texts (e.g., explain why a reader's interpretation of a text is different from that of someone from a different period or culture)

question and challenge the ways in which literary texts have been constructed in order to present a particular viewpoint or perspective (e.g., describe the insight into different human experiences and perspectives promoted in novels by writers such as Ernest Hemingway and Margaret Atwood, and assess the validity of these beliefs)

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

identify organizational patterns in literary texts, and evaluate how effectively they are used in Canadian works to help communicate meaning and enhance impact (e.g., assess complex organizational patterns such as interior monologues and alternating points of view in short stories by Guy Vanderhaeghe, Alice Munro, Jack Hodgins, Alice Walker)

describe the diction and syntax used in a literary text and evaluate how effectively they help communicate meaning and enhance impact (e.g., draw parallels between the dialect and the social status of certain characters in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen or Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt)

explain the literary/rhetorical devices used in texts and evaluate how effectively they help communicate meaning and enhance impact (e.g., explain the significance or effect of elements such as alliteration, allusion, anecdote, antithesis, assonance, hyperbole, imagery, irony, metaphor, atmosphere, and onomatopoeia in the works of poetry of Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, Robert Browning, Dylan Thomas, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Irving Layton, Michael Ondaatje, Leonard Cohen)

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 reading the same text more than once helps extend comprehension of and appreciation for the text)

identify their strengths and weaknesses in reading and interpretating texts, 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., identify reliable and objective sources on the Internet)

collect and synthesize information from reliable primary and secondary print and electronic resources (e.g., narrow topic and establish focus of research to facilitate collection of information)

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, assess, and apply interpretations of literature to enhance understanding of texts under study;

analyse and assess the concepts and terms found in literary interpretations (e.g., assess the validity of ideas and concepts contained in works of literary criticism, such as A. C. Bradley's analyses of Shakespeare's plays)

apply concepts and theories in works of literary interpretations to expand their own analysis of literary texts under study (e.g., integrate references from various sources of literary criticism to support their thesis)

produce personal, analytical, and creative responses to literature in a variety of forms;

record, in a journal maintained for this purpose, their critical and creative responses to texts under study

write a research paper related to a text, a literary movement, or an author under study (e.g., synthesize the key beliefs and style of a selected author's works, the impact of his or her writing, and the reasons for his or her enduring success)

write a critical review of one or more texts under study (e.g., evaluate the influence of Mordecai Richler's writing on Canadian literature and identity), supporting their opinions about the effectiveness of the form, content, and style of each work with relevant evidence

write persuasive texts (e.g., essay-type answers) conveying their analyses of issues, topics, or texts under study, and support their theses with relevant evidence, including specific references to texts under study

write a literary essay that develops and supports a thesis about one or more elements of a text under study

write a variety of creative texts, using structure, diction, syntax, voice, imagery, and style to communicate meaning and enhance impact (e.g., retell a story from another character's point of view, write a personal narrative on a theme in a novel under study, rewrite an episode in a different period or in a different style)

produce media texts that convey their interpretation of one or more texts under study, using appropriate technological/media aids (e.g., create a short documentary about the life, times, and impact of an author 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 texts, and set goals for strengthening the areas in which they need improvement