English Language Arts 20
Sample Theme for Unit II

Anticipation--On the Threshold

The journey of life continues as young adults stand on the threshold of their futures. Life affords them the opportunities and challenges to make decisions about their future directions, their values, their relationships, and their dreams. This is a time of new beginnings and the establishment of responsible roles. It is also a time to enjoy the fullness of life and the satisfaction of living.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

...Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.

- Robert Frost

Possible sub-themes: Roles and Responsibilities, Choices and Commitments, Perspectives and Passages, Values and Goals.

English Language Arts 20

Unit II Objectives

In the second 50-hour unit, the following objectives will be addressed.

Students will:

Speaking

New Objectives for Unit II

• review oral activities carefully for content, organization, presentation, and style
• introduce and thank a speaker
• practise interviewing skills, informal and career-oriented
• deliver formal speeches on familiar topics
• other:

Possible Objectives from Unit I for Review and Reinforcement

• practise the behaviours of effective speakers
• speak to clarify and extend thinking
• speak to inform and persuade
• practise the roles of group members
• other:

Listening

New Objectives for Unit II

• provide appropriate feedback (e.g., supportive stance, eye contact, gesture, comment)
• listen to understand and learn
• listen to analyze and evaluate
• evaluate a speaker’s qualifications to speak about a given subject
• write a paraphrase and précis of an oral presentation
• other:

Possible Objectives from Unit I for Review and Reinforcement.

• recognize listening as an active, constructive process which requires listeners to:
  • anticipate a message and set a purpose
  • seek and check understanding by making and confirming predictions and inferences
  • evaluate and analyze
• recognize factors that interfere with effective listening, including personal biases
• practise the behaviours of effective listeners
• listen for personal pleasure and aesthetic satisfaction
• assess own ability to listen effectively
• other:

Writing

New Objectives for Unit II

• prepare final copy using appropriate conventions of publication (e.g., title page, endnotes, bibliography)
• write a short research essay on a topic of own choosing
• write a letter of application and a résumé
• other:

Possible Objectives from Unit I for Review and Reinforcement

• write to reflect, clarify, and explore ideas
• write to describe, narrate, inform, and persuade
• recognize and use what is known as the writing process
• practise the behaviours of effective writers
• write introductions which engage interest and focus readers’ attention
• write effective conclusions appropriate to overall intent
• outline a multi-paragraph composition
• experiment with a variety of forms of writing
• other:

Reading

New Objectives for Unit II

• recognize the major literary forms, elements, and techniques
• relate the structure of the work to the author’s purpose and theme
• understand the tone and organization of the formal and informal essay
• state and evaluate author’s theme, tone, and viewpoint
• recognize and explain allusions, symbols, figurative language, and stylistic devices in a literary text
• locate, assess, and summarize information from a variety of sources
• make and defend an informed critical response
• other:

Possible Objectives from Unit I for Review and Reinforcement

• recognize reading as an active process which requires the reader to:
• make connections
• find meaning
• make and confirm predictions and inferences
• reflect and evaluate
• practise the behaviours of effective readers
• relate literary experience to personal experience
• read an increasingly wide range of material for personal enjoyment and extension of experiences
• compare, contrast, and evaluate texts
• other:

Key Language Concepts

Teachers are encouraged to continue diagnosing the strengths and needs of their students. See the section on pp. 26-28 for language concepts to be addressed at this grade level.