Acknowledgements(Opens in a new window)
Each of us is meant to have a character all our own, to be what no other can exactly be, and do what no other can exactly do.
– William Ellery Channing
Who are you going to be?
In the following video, Michelle Obama, the former First Lady of the United States of America, is giving a commencement speech to the graduating class at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky on May 11, 2013. She discusses the powerful question: “Who are you going to be?”.
Explore this!
Explore the following clip from Michelle Obama's commencement speech.
The thematic focus of this course is the power of the individual and ways individuality can survive and thrive in society.
Throughout your learning activities, you will encounter both fictional and real-like stories about people and their quests to express their individuality. You, in turn, will also be given opportunities to think about your own sense of individuality and how it is expressed in the world.
You will be selecting your best four journal entries to submit as part of your literary portfolio in Learning Activity 4.2, so it’s great to have a variety to choose from. Your literary portfolio will be worth 15% of your course grade.
For this course, you are required to keep a journal and a notebook. They may be kept electronically or in a physical form, but note that for a few items, you may be asked to revise and submit them. As you come to these items, choose the form that works for you.
Notebooks and journals
The notebook icon will occur when you are asked to consider reflective questions and/or answer questions based on a text. Your notebook will not be submitted.
Journals have a different purpose. Journal questions will ask you to think reflectively and make clear connections to your self-identity. You may consider a character or a situation and how similar or different your own life may be from that individual and/or circumstance.
Throughout the course, you will be prompted to complete a variety of journal entries. Here is a list of all journal entry topics you will discover as you progress through the content.
| Location | Title |
|---|---|
| 1.1 | The real me |
| 1.3 | Changemakers |
| 1.4 | My passion |
| 1.4 | Communication skills |
| 2.1 | Identity |
| 2.2 | Self-reflection as a reader |
| 2.3 | The Pedestrian |
| 2.4 | Reader response |
| 3.1 | Symbolic object reflection |
| 3.1 | Archetypes in art |
| 3.2 | Proverbs |
| 3.3 | Diversity and superheroes |
| 3.4 | Understanding conflict |
| 4.1 | Utopia |
| 4.1 | Dystopia |
Try to complete as many of the journal prompts as you can when you come across them in the learning activities. You will be selecting your best four journal entries to submit as part of your literary portfolio in Learning Activity 4.2, so it’s great to have a variety to choose from. Your literary portfolio will be worth 15% of your course grade.
Make sure that the entries for your Journal and Notebook are always identified clearly with the unit and learning activity number and perhaps a title and date. This will help you stay organized and easily find what you are looking for. Your journal and notebook can be sections of the same folder on your desktop. If you are keeping your work on a digital platform like a drive or website, you can use headings and folders to stay organized.
Now let’s attempt your first journal entry.
Journal entry: The real me
For your first journal entry, consider the following questions and write down your thoughts/answers.
Practice writing your answers in complete sentences and paragraphs.
- How would others describe you? If this is a challenging question, maybe contact a few friends, relatives, or colleagues for their description of you and then revise their response in a summary paragraph or chart. Now reword these descriptions using your own words and/or the prompt: “I think some people feel I am…”. Explain using descriptive adjectives, details, and examples if possible.
- How would you describe yourself? What kind of person do you know yourself to be (positive and negative traits)? You can use the prompt: “I feel I am …". Explain using descriptive adjectives, details, and examples, if possible.
- Does the description from external people match the one you have of yourself? Explain why or why not with examples, if possible.
- What are some reasons that what a person shows or communicates to society may not match with what they know or feel about themselves?
- Review your thoughts about William Ellery Channing's quote from the beginning of this learning activity. What additional insights can you add?
Save or put aside this first journal entry. As suggested, you may want to create a folder on your device for these entries or you can create a digital portfolio online. Be sure you can locate it later on when you are asked to choose your best journal entries for grading.
For this learning activity, you will:
- explore ideas of self-identity
- understand the difference between a journal and a notebook for this course
- learn about four principles of communication
- understand the concept of Form, Language, Audience, Purpose (FLAP)
So, let’s get started.
Effective communication
Humans are social beings. We like to feel that we are part of a family, group, community, or nation.
Effective communication allows us to connect with each other in meaningful ways so that these types of groups can survive and thrive.
We will investigate the specific reasons for communicating and connecting with each other a little later on. First, let’s examine the process of communication.
Regardless of the form or the number of people involved, the process of communication relies on the same three elements:
- the sender
- the receiver
- the message
When we communicate, we take on the role of either the sender or the receiver. Both roles require the use of strategies and skills for effective communication to happen.
One way to refer to the message being communicated is to call it a "text". A text can take the form of audio, video, or a combination of the two.
For any message or text to be effective, both the sender and the receiver need to determine its purpose.
More about texts
Most people think a text is either something written down in words or a short message you send on your phone. However, the word “text” can be used to describe any message that must be “read” to be understood.
For example:
- words on a page or screen are a text because you read the words, sentences, and paragraphs to determine what the writer is telling you
- a painting is a text (you “read” the images, the shapes, the colours)
- a movie is a text (you “read” the images, the characters, the dialogue, the action, even the music)
Try it!
Examine your surroundings. How many texts can you identify?
Consider icons on your devices, images, your immediate environment, your clothing, and other things around you.
Purpose
Understanding the purpose of the message or text is critical to effective communication. Both the sender and the receiver need to determine its purpose.
Notebook
This is your first notebook activity where you answer questions to help you check your understanding of the content so far.
Generally speaking, there are four reasons or purposes for communication:
- to inform
- to persuade
- to connect
- to entertain
To practice identifying purpose, copy the charts that follow in your notebook or access the following fillable and printable document Reasons to Communicate (Opens in new window) to complete the activity. Once completed, compare your thinking with the suggestions provided. Note: there can be more than one purpose.
When you’re ready, compare your answers with the suggestions provided in the following table. Press “Show Answers” to check.
| Message/text | Reason to communicate | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
|
to share information, facts, or instructions on a topic |
to inform |
|
to convince others of an opinion or to influence or encourage them to believe or do something |
to persuade |
|
to share understanding, support, or empathy with/for others |
to connect |
|
|
to entertain; depending on the text, it could also be
|
There can be more than one purpose behind a text. For example, while the main purpose of an online ad might be to inform you of when the sale is taking place, it may also be trying to persuade you to visit a website to spend your money because the discounts are so awesome!
There can also be hidden purposes or bias in a text. For example, you might read a report on the top ten safest cities in the country to live in. It appears at first that the purpose of the report is to inform you of safety statistics, until you realize that the report has been created by a home security company hoping to persuade you to buy one of their security systems.
Try it!
Recall that there are four purposes of a text: to inform, to persuade, to connect, and to entertain. As you consider these options, recall that there can be more than one purpose.
The wind had been howling all day. Although it had tried, the sun had not been able to break through the clouds that spread, heavy and iron-gray, across the sky. The woman had always loved November days such as these. They reminded her of her family home and the quiet afternoons she would spend alone, watching the geese head south for the winter. It was interesting, she thought, that she hadn't found a good enough reason to go back and visit her family in years.
The purpose here is to entertain. The vivid description of this chilly November day and the introduction of this unnamed woman sound like the beginning of a story. A reader might want to read on to find out why the woman hasn’t been home in years.
Another purpose of this passage might be to connect to a reader emotionally. This connection would probably be strong for a reader who feels the same way as the young woman about the stormy November day, or about family.
Canada entered World War II on September 10, 1939, and joined Britain and France in the war against Germany. At that point, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King’s plan was to ensure that Canada played only a limited role in the war. He promised that only volunteers would serve overseas to fight. Canada was unprepared for war. The regular army of about 4,500 men possessed virtually no modern equipment.
The purpose here is to inform and share information about Canada’s involvement in World War II. The passage offers the reader facts that can easily be checked and verified (using other texts or documents) for truth and accuracy.
After a year on tour @this1rocks will be @ClubToons tonight for one show only! Limited tickets. Don’t miss it - it’s gonna be amazing!
The purpose here is to inform and share information about what’s going on at the club tonight.
The purpose of this text is also to persuade the receiver to come to the show because it’s a special event that they’ll regret missing. This text also attempts to make an emotional connection to the receiver by promising a lot of fun.
The purpose is to inform audiences about the film, CODA, including the names of the actors and the crew involved in making the film. The purpose may also be to persuade potential audiences to view the film with its use of colours and characters.
The film CODA was released in 2021 and was written and directed by Sian Heder. It is a coming-of-age story that focuses on the importance of family and personal ambition. The movie’s poster illustrates the film’s focus on family while also hinting at the presence of some sort of journey through the symbolism of the vehicle that the characters are sitting on in the poster. The bright colours and joyful expressions displayed on the characters’ faces indicate that the story of this film is positive and uplifiting.
Knowing your purpose helps you to plan the best way to get your ideas across.
For example, if your purpose is to entertain young children, the vocabulary you use will be much simpler than if you are trying to persuade an employer to hire you. On the other hand, if your purpose is to get a job, using child-friendly language to convince employers of your maturity might not work as well.
The vocabulary and the phrases you use commonly fall under the term diction.
Definition
Diction
- style of speaking or writing as dependent upon choice of words and phrases
- the accent, inflection, intonation, and speech-sound quality manifested by an individual speaker
Source:
Definition of diction. (n.d.). www.dictionary.com. Retrieved August 2, 2022, from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/diction
Diction is very important when creating texts, whether for written, spoken or other sensory purposes. Your choices can really make a difference for communicating your thoughts and ideas clearly to a specific audience. Like any English skill, though, good diction takes practice, so don’t be discouraged when you receive feedback on your work. It is all about improving your communication skills and learning strategies to become effective communicators. One strategy to improve diction is to use a dictionary and/or a thesaurus to improve your vocabulary and phrase choices. Another strategy is to share your work with peers. Oftentimes, they can clearly identify when a word or phrase choice seems awkward and unclear.
Note that different words and phrases will have different meanings depending on the context or overall situation. Slang, euphemisms (kinder language, like saying, “the employer let go of many workers,” rather than “the employer fired everyone!”) and coarse language are not always acceptable. Not everyone will take offense, but some people may, so it's always best to keep your choices neutral, especially in public settings or when communicating professionally.
English language learners must also be considered when communicating ideas. Language, phrases, and gestures are not universally understood. For example, if you are speaking to a non-native English speaker, make sure you provide definitions for a catchphrase or expression. Also, if you are translating words from another language into a speech or document, make sure you use an exact definition. You can consult many digital tools to translate from language to language.
The form the text takes is affected by purpose, as well. Depending on what information you have been asked to share, you will choose a format to best suit your needs. The person asking you may also expect or even request a certain form. In the case of a job interview, for example, an in-person conversation is probably better than back-and-forth text messages.
There is a great deal of information to consider when communicating effectively with others, whether in written or spoken form.
As this unit continues, you will learn different strategies to help you understand how these elements interact when you are the sender and when you are the audience (receiver) of the message.
Form, language, audience, and purpose (FLAP)
Form, language, audience, and purpose (FLAP) interact with each other. This acronym will help you remember key elements when reading and writing texts.
Definition
Acronym: (noun)
An abbreviation consisting of the first letters of each word in the name of something, pronounced as a word: NASA is an acronym for National Aeronautics and Space Administration; SCUBA is an acronym for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.
Source:
Cambridge Dictionary. (2022, May 4) Acronym. Dictionary.Cambridge.Org. Retrieved May 4, 2022, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/acronym
How is the text formatted? As an article, essay, report, story, poem, film, email, text, advertisement, photo, painting, speech, or presentation?
In addition to the sentences and phrasing, how can this also apply to the words being used? What level of diction (basic, general, or advanced) is being used?
Who is the message for? Someone younger? Older? Peers?
Why is the message being sent?
Identify FLAP in the following examples:
The wind had been howling all day. Although it had tried, the sun had not been able to break through the clouds that spread, heavy, and iron-gray, across the sky. The woman had always loved November days such as these. They reminded her of her family home and the quiet afternoons she would spend alone, watching the geese head south for the winter. It was interesting, she thought, that she hadn’t found a good enough reason to go back and visit her family in years.
| Form | sounds like a story, fiction |
| Language | longer sentences, pretty descriptive |
| Audience | older: teens, adults |
| Purpose | to entertain, to connect |
Canada entered World War II on September 10, 1939, and joined Britain and France in the war against Germany. At that point, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King’s plan was to ensure that Canada played only a limited role in the war. He promised that only volunteers would serve overseas to fight. Canada was unprepared for war. The regular army of about 4,500 men possessed virtually no modern equipment.
| Form | reads like a report, an informational text |
| Language | straightforward, easy language |
| Audience | anyone interested in World War II |
| Purpose | to inform |
After a year on tour @this1rocks will be @ClubToons tonight for one show only! Limited tickets. Don’t miss it - it will be amazing!
| Form | social media post |
| Language | very casual, slang |
| Audience | teens, young adult, peers |
| Purpose | to inform, to persuade, to connect |
| Form | a poster (movie) |
| Language | simple, straightforward |
| Audience | everyone |
| Purpose | to inform, to persuade |
Read the following two emails (Opens in new window). These emails were adapted from From Text to Talk: Communication Skills for Today and Tomorrow by Dr. Steven Van Zoost.
Notebook
- Using FLAP, identify the elements and check your answers when you’re ready.
Form: How was the message formatted?
Both texts are in the form of emails.
Language: What kind of language is being used?
The email from Susan Clark is very casual, with simple and conversational volcabulary. The email from Grace Wong is more formal and uses business vocabulary.
Audience: Who is the message for?
Susan Clark's email is intended for a person in a professional capacity, likely a bank manager. The sender probably doesn't know this person. Grace Wong's email is also intended for a person in a professional capacity. In this case, it is the head of Parks and Recreation. Again, it doesn't seem like the sender knows this person personally.
Purpose: Why is the message being sent?
In the case of Susan Clark, the message is to inform the bank of a serious and private problem. In addition, Clark is hoping to persuade the manager to help solve the problem quickly. In the case of Grace Wong, she is trying to persuade the head of Parks and Recreation to interview her for a position.
- Both people used the same email form for their messages. Given each person’s purpose, is this form an effective choice? If not, suggest and explain a better form for the messages.
It is not an effective form for Susan’s purpose because of the sensitive nature of her message. She gives a lot of personal banking information in the email and emails aren’t a very secure way of sending information as they can often be accessed and read by people other than the intended recipient. A better choice of form is a personal meeting where the information can be discussed privately.
It is a good choice of form for Grace’s purpose because she’s simply informing the department of her interest in the job and trying to persuade them to contact her for an interview. Also, she mentions that the job was posted online, so an electronic or digital form for a response is appropriate.
- Whose language is more effective and appropriate for their audience and purpose? Explain with examples.
The audience for both Susan and Grace is a professional person. Both want to persuade them to act on important things (missing money, a job interview). The language that best suits this purpose should also be professional and business-like so Susan’s vocabulary and spelling (“this stinks” “thanx”) is not as effective as Grace’s more formal use of language.
Notebook
Read the article Never Going to Grow Up, Not Me (Opens in new window) and complete the Question Sheet and Answer Key (Opens in new window).
After checking your responses, complete the following questions in your notebook:
- What concepts do I need to improve upon?
- What did I do well?
- What are my next steps to ensure I understand all the concepts?
- What steps might I take to improve and grow as a learner?
Culminating project
At the end of this course, you will complete and submit a culminating project. For the culminating project, you will apply what you have learned in this course in order to plan, design, and pitch your own idea for a dystopian novel. Your culminating project will be worth 15% of your final grade. If you would like to get a head start on the culminating project, explore Learning Activity 4.3 for specific guidelines and steps for creating a concept for your own dystopian novel and completing the project.
You are off to a great start, having successfully completed the first learning activity. You familiarized yourself with the intent of the course, with principles of effective communication, and some of the activities, including the significance of notebooks and journals. In Learning Activity 1.2, you will learn about the term “changemakers”, and how individuals in society both past and present continually make positive changes for the world.
Self-check quiz
Check your understanding!
Complete the following self-check quiz to determine where you are in your learning and what areas you need to focus on.
This quiz is for feedback only, not part of your grade. You have unlimited attempts on this quiz. Take your time, do your best work, and reflect on any feedback provided.
Press Quiz to access this tool.
Connecting to transferable skills
Ontario worked with other provinces in Canada to outline a set of competencies that are requirements to thrive.
Read through the framework and the student considerations (Opens in new window). Copy this document into your notes - you'll refer to it in each unit.
Note the indicators that you think you will develop in this course. Throughout this course, you should revisit these skills to reflect on which ones you actually develop and if your original predictions were correct.
As you continue through this unit and the rest of the course, keep your notebook updated and be mindful of opportunities to apply and develop transferable skills.