Acknowledgements (Opens in new window)
Welcome to Grade 11 English
As you work your way through the learning activities, you will notice that you have a great deal of choice: Choice in some of the stories or informational texts you will read, choice in the video or audio files that you will listen to, and choice in how you will demonstrate your learning.
Your teacher will help you narrow down your options along the way so that you can develop your reading, writing, speaking, listening and media skills.Next, you will learn more about how this course is organized and start thinking about your culminating task.
As you proceed through this course, keep the the following central question in mind:
How can you use the power of your words, your voice, and your media self to become an agent of change?
At the end of the course, you will demonstrate your learning by becoming an agent of change and creating a change campaign.
What is an agent of change?
Agents of change are people who look at the world around them, see a problem, and figure out a way to address it. Their solutions to problems can have a lasting impact and continue to fuel change years later.
In the late 2000s, three Canadians (Karen Nasmith, Regan Smith, and Julie Dzerowicz) wanted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the city level.
They cared so much that they wanted to start an initiative for Toronto residents to measure their carbon footprints and take action to reduce their energy use.
Although it was difficult to get their initiative started, they stuck with it, and in 2010 founded Project Neutral. Since then, the project has expanded to London and Waterloo Region.
At age nine, Hannah Alper was concerned about the environment. She saw the negative effects that environmental change were having on the lives of animals.
She cared so much that she started a blog to raise awareness and inspire change.
Today, Alper is a keynote speaker, blogger, author, and social media activist. She has met and spoken with leaders in Canada and all over the world.
Hannah’s blog (Opens in new window)
How to find your spark (Hannah’s TEDx talk) (Opens in new window)
Discover More
Choose an agent of change that you like and profile them to the rest of the class. Please try your best to not do the same as someone else! Hint:
What is a change campaign?
A change campaign is a response to a real-world problem or concern.
A change campaign is developed through the inquiry process, in which you ask questions, conduct research, and create a solution.
A change campaign is shaped by questions like the following:
- Where do power imbalances exist in society?
- How can respect, equality, and empathy be promoted?
In The Culminating Unit, you will build a “change campaign” for a problem that you want to address. You will apply your learning from the course to create campaign materials in both written and audio/video formats.
The following questions can help you start thinking about how you might want to create change in the world around you.
Independent Reading
In addition to your change campaign, you will be choosing a novel or a play to read independently.
Each Learning Activity has a section at the end dedicated to guiding you through your independent reading. Look out for this icon, that will lead the way.
When making your selection, consider
- subject matter that you are interested in
- your available time commitment
- your reading level
- your preference for reading in print or digital format
Please choose a book from the following list(Opens in new window) for your independent study.
Once you have selected a novel or play, you can begin reading. Take a look at the “Tips for independent reading study (Opens in new window)” and decide which reading strategies you will apply to the first part of your reading.
Your Independent Reading Portfolio
Once you have chosen your book, you will need to set up a portfolio where you will keep your notes and tasks related to your independent reading. This can be a section of your notebook where you can organise your notes and answer prompts given to you throughout the course when you see this icon.
Reading Notes:
- Before you begin: What do you know about this story? What do the images, the author hint about? Why did you choose this story?
- As you begin reading: Who are the main characters? Where and where is the story taking place? What seems to be the conflict, do you have an idea of what it will be?
Independent Reading
You should complete:
- one-third of your novel or play by the end of Learning Activity 1.5
- two-thirds of your novel or play by the end of Learning Activity 2.5
- The entire novel or play by the end of Learning Activity 3.4