English Language Arts:
Grade 12
Note: The list of resources in this section provides an update to English Language Arts 30: A Bibliography for the Secondary Level (1999).
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (Audiocassette). Richler, Mordecai and Chetwind, Lionel. Audiovision Canada (AUC), 1998. 112 min. ISBN 0-7789-0020-7 ($18.95 cassette).
Mordecai Richler’s comic tale of a young hustler filled with drive, dreams, and the determination to become a "somebody" is presented in this audiocassette. Richard Dreyfus stars as Duddy, and with the combination of the soundtrack of the movie, and a special narration of the movie’s visual action, the story is uniquely presented.
Suggested Use: A30
Butterbox Babies (Video). Sullivan Entertainment (MCI), 1995. 120 min. Order no. SUL010-61 ($99.00).
(CAN) Butterbox Babies is the true story of the downfall of Lila and William Young, who built the Ideal Maternity Home in Nova Scotia during World War II. Regarded as a discreet and safe haven for unwed mothers, the Home was resented by the mainstream medical community. As rumours of medical malpractice, mysterious baby deaths, and the burial of infants in butterboxes started spreading through the community, Lila and William found themselves under investigation by the government’s Department of Health.
Suggested Use: B30
Other Use: Canadian Studies
The Canadian Oxford Dictionary (Print-Non-Fiction). Barber, Katherine, ed. Oxford University Press (LRDC), 1998. 1707 p. Order no. 1409 ($33.75 hdc.).
(CAN) The Canadian Oxford Dictionary answers basic questions Canadians may have about their language by giving advice on Canadian spelling and usage. Definitions of over 130,000 words are given, as well as information on English as it is used worldwide and in Canada. Definitions, worded for ease of comprehension, are presented within entries in order of their familiarity or frequency in Canadian usage, making the dictionary easy to consult. An added feature of this dictionary is its encyclopedic element. Short biographies of over 800 Canadians and 5,000 other international individuals, and almost 6,000 place names, more that 1,200 of them Canadian are featured.
Suggested Use: Language Resource; Teacher Reference
Other Use: English Language Arts 10; English Language Arts 20
Cowgirls: 100 Years of Writing the Range (Print-Anthology). Poirier, Thelma, ed. Red Deer College Press (RAI), 1997. 295 p. ISBN 0-88995-168-3 ($17.95 pbk.).
(CAN) Red Deer College published this compilation of writing by or about women of the range. In selections of prose and poetry, the experiences, impressions, and contributions of women of the North American West are presented. Some cowgirls in this book live quiet lives on the range; others are better known in the rodeo arena, but they all share the common bond of writing about the western range. Teachers are advised that the anthology includes content for mature readers.
Suggested Use: A30
Other Use: English Language Arts 10; English Language Arts 20
The Dialogic Curriculum: Teaching and Learning in a Multicultural Society (Print-Non-Fiction). Stock, Patricia Lambert. Heinemann Educational Bks (GDS), 1995. 107 p. ISBN 0-86709-365-X ($42.50 pbk.).
(WCP) This in-depth resource provides a model of exchanged journal writing between a teacher and students. The self-reflective process is used to extend students’ literature experience and to help them gain confidence and insights that culminate in essay writing. Interesting classroom ideas such as using e-mail exchanges and pairing students with writers in the community are explored. Although the writing style makes this resource a challenging read, it is well suited to a teacher’s professional development plan.
Suggested Use: Teacher Reference
Other Use: English Language Arts: Grades 6 to 9; English Language Arts 10; English Language Arts 20
Our Town (Audiocassette). Wilder, Thornton, Craven, Frank and Chandler, Harry. Audiovision Canada (AUC), 1999. 59 min. ISBN 0-7789-0027-4 ($18.95 cassette).
This adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize winning play features the narration of William Holden as George Gibbs, and Martha Scott as Emily Webb, the boy and girl who live next door to each other, fall in love, and get married. This audiocassette combines the soundtrack of a movie—the voices, sounds, and music—with a special narration of the movie’s visual action.
Suggested Use: B30
Practical Approaches to Teaching Shakespeare (Print-Non-Fiction). Reynolds, Peter. Oxford University Press (OUP), 1991. 124 p. ISBN 0-19-831954-1 ($38.50 pbk.).
This resource demonstrates strategies to help students find Shakespearean plays accessible, meaningful, and enjoyable. Through the use of examples from five familiar Shakespearean plays, the author suggests ways students can explore a range of possibilities for meaning. Encouraging a collaborative search for understanding, the book illustrates methods for active participation in listening to and enacting dramatic passages. Included are a table of contents, a discography, a bibliography, a list of recommended visual material, and an index.
Suggested Use: B30; Teacher Reference
A Tale of Two Cities and Related Readings (Print-Anthology). Dickens, Charles, et al. (Literature Connections Series). McDougal, Littell/Houghton Mifflin (NEL), 1997. 548 p. ISBN 0-395-77544-2 ($17.56 hdc.). SourceBook - ISBN 0-395-78385-2 ($15.16 pbk.).
This anthology includes the novel A Tale of Two Cities and seven related prose, poetry, and drama selections. A Tale of Two Cities is Dicken’s classic story of evil and oppression during the French Revolution. The teacher’s sourcebook provides historic, literary, and thematic background to the selections, vocabulary assistance, maps, a timeline, a list of further reading, and suggestions for discussion or writing.
Suggested Use: B30; Multigenre
Working Days: Short Stories About Teenagers at Work. 1st ed. (Print-Anthology). Mazer, Anne, ed. Persea Books (PERS), 1997. 207 p. ISBN 0-89255-223-9 ($10.95 hdc.). ISBN 0-89255-224-7 ($7.95 pbk.).
Work is a part of young adult life that does not show up very often in young adult literature. This collection of short stories about teens finding identity, connection, and reality through work fills that void. Work often marks a transition from childhood into maturity, and the stories included in this anthology portray young people who gain far more than money through work. The work experiences range from working in a fast food restaurant to an assembly line in a factory. The relationships between young and old are explored in several of the selections. An introduction sets the tone for reading the stories, and biographical notes pertaining to the authors are included at the end of the book.
Suggested Use: B30; Short Stories
Other Use: English Language Arts 10; English Language Arts 20; Life Transitions 20/30
