The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9-12 - Ministère de l'éducation ...

ENGLISH, GRADES 9 AND 10 (2007) AND GRADES 11
AND 12 (2007)
See the Preface for important information on the organization of the following material.
Although none of the expectations in the English curriculum explicitly addresses environmental
education, in each of the strands in the various courses the development of environmental
understanding can be fostered through both the learning context (e.g., a topic, thematic unit, or
issue related to the environment) and learning materials (e.g., books, websites, media).
In all courses in the English curriculum, students are encouraged “to look beyond the literal
meaning of texts and to think about fairness, equity, social justice, and citizenship in a global
society” (see the section “Instructional Approaches” in the front matter of both the Grade 9–10
and 11–12 policy documents). In addition to the opportunities to explore environmental issues
afforded by this approach, students acquire literacy skills, including skills related to research and
inquiry, that support the development of environmental literacy (see the section “Literacy,
Mathematical Literacy, and Inquiry/Research Skills” in the front matter of the policy
documents).
In many cases, when global, historical, political, social, and/or economic issues are referred to in
the expectations (especially when they are connected to Aboriginal perspectives), the inclusion
of environmental topics would be a logical extension and would help students appreciate the
scope of the impact that the environment has on their world.
English, Grade 9, Applied (ENG1P)
Media Studies
3.1 describe the topic, purpose, and audience for media texts they plan to create (e.g., a
storyboard for a music video to raise money for an environmental cause; the outline for a
radio broadcast over the school PA system to commemorate a famous Canadian) and
identify challenges they may face in achieving their purpose
Note: One of the examples in this expectation illustrates how environmental connections can be
made through the choice of the topic and purpose of the media texts students are expected to
create. A similar approach can be adopted in expectations in the Writing strand, with respect to
pieces of writing students are expected to produce.
68 Environmental Education, Grades 9−12: Scope and Sequence of Expectations, 2011