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EFP: Literary Studies + Spoken Language 11
English First Peoples
Core Competencies
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Big Ideas
Grandes idées
The exploration of oral text and story deepens understanding of one's identity, others, and the world.
text
any type of oral, written, visual, or digital expression or communication:- Visual texts can include gestural and spatial components (as in dance) as well as images (some examples are posters, photographs, paintings, carvings, poles, textiles, regalia, and masks).
- Digital texts can include electronic forms of oral, written, and visual expression.
- Multimodal texts can include any combination of oral, written, visual, and/or digital elements and can be delivered via different media or technologies (some examples are dramatic presentations, web pages, music videos, online presentations, graphic novels, and closed-captioned films).
story
a narrative text that shares ideas about human nature, motivation, behaviour, and experience. Stories can record history, reflect a personal journey, or explore identity. Stories can be oral, written, or visual, and used to instruct, inspire, and/or entertain listeners and readers. First Peoples texts and stories provide insight into key aspects of Canada’s past, present, and future
texts
any type of oral, written, visual, or digital expression or communication:- Visual texts can include gestural and spatial components (as in dance) as well as images (some examples are posters, photographs, paintings, carvings, poles, textiles, regalia, and masks).
- Digital texts can include electronic forms of oral, written, and visual expression.
- Multimodal texts can include any combination of oral, written, visual, and/or digital elements and can be delivered via different media or technologies (some examples are dramatic presentations, web pages, music videos, online presentations, graphic novels, and closed-captioned films).
stories
a narrative text that shares ideas about human nature, motivation, behaviour, and experience. Stories can record history, reflect a personal journey, or explore identity. Stories can be oral, written, or visual, and used to instruct, inspire, and/or entertain listeners and readers. Voice is powerful and evocative.
Oral and other texts are socially, culturally, geographically, and historically constructed.
First Peoples voices and texts play a role within the process of Reconciliation.
Reconciliation
the movement to heal the relationship between First Peoples and Canada that was damaged by colonial policies such as the Indian residential school system Self-representation through authentic First Peoples text is a means to foster justice.
authentic First Peoples text
a written, oral, visual, digital, or multimodal text that:- presents authentic First Peoples voices (i.e., historical or contemporary texts created by First Peoples, or created through the substantial contributions of First Peoples)
- depicts themes and issues important to First Peoples cultures (e.g., loss of identity and affirmation of identity, tradition, healing, role of family, importance of Elders, connection to the land, the nature and place of spirituality as an aspect of wisdom, the relationships between individual and community, the importance of oral tradition, the experience of colonization and decolonization)
- incorporates First Peoples storytelling techniques and features as applicable (e.g., circular structure, repetition, weaving in of spirituality, humour)
- includes respectful portrayals or representation of First Peoples, their traditions, and their beliefs
Learning Standards
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Curricular Competencies
Using oral, written, visual, and digital texts, students are expected individually and collaboratively to be able to:
Comprehend and connect (reading, listening, viewing)
Demonstrate understanding of how First Peoples languages and texts reflect their cultures, knowledge, histories, and worldviews
Access information for diverse purposes and from a variety of sources to inform development of oral texts
variety of sources
includes print, digital, visual, artistic and diverse cultural sources from multiple perspectives Apply appropriate strategies in a variety of contexts to guide inquiry, extend thinking, and comprehend oral and other texts
strategies
Strategies used will depend on purpose and context. These may include making predictions, asking questions, paraphrasing, forming images, making inferences, determining importance, identifying themes, and drawing conclusions. variety of contexts
includes independent and collaborative settings, and formal and informal situations Recognize and appreciate how different forms, formats, structures, and features of texts reflect different purposes, audiences, and messages
different forms, formats, structures, and features of texts reflect different purposes, audiences, and messages
Students may consider the relationship between form and function (e.g., considering the role in various texts of elements such as negative space in graphic novels, advertisements on websites, lighting and camera angles in film and photography, use of music, paragraph length, line breaks in poetry, silence and intonation in spoken word, and use of colour). Think critically, creatively, and reflectively to explore ideas within, between, and beyond texts
Recognize and identify personal, social, and cultural contexts, values, and perspectives in oral and other texts, including gender, sexual orientation, and socio-economic factors
personal, social, and cultural contexts, values, and perspectives
Students should be prompted to understand the influence of family, friends, community, education, spirituality/religion, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, land/place, settlement patterns, traditional First Peoples teachings, economic factors, political events (local and beyond), and colonial policies; to understand that authors write from a perspective influenced by such factors; and to understand the relationship between text and context. Demonstrate understanding of how language constructs and reflects personal, social, and cultural identities
language constructs and reflects personal, social, and cultural identities
- A person’s sense of identity is a product of linguistic factors or constructs, including oral tradition, story, recorded history, and social media; voice; cultural aspects; literacy history; linguistic background (English as first or additional language); and language as a system of meaning.
- Students may consider register (jargon, colloquialisms, vernacular, dialects, accent, diction, slang).
Construct meaningful personal connections between self, text, and world
Recognize and understand the roles of story and oral traditions in expressing First Peoples perspectives, values, beliefs, and points of view
oral traditions
Oral traditions are the means by which cultural transmission occurs over generations, other than through written records. Among First Peoples, oral traditions may consist of told stories, songs, and/or other types of distilled wisdom or information, often complemented by dance or various forms of visual representation such as carvings or masks. In addition to expressing spiritual and emotional truth (e.g., via symbol and metaphor), these traditions provide a record of literal truth (e.g., regarding events and/or situations). They were integrated into every facet of life and were the basis of First Peoples education system. They continue to endure in contemporary contexts. Understand and evaluate how literary elements, techniques, and devices enhance and shape meaning and impact
Recognize and understand the diversity within and across First Peoples societies as represented in texts
Assess the authenticity of First Peoples texts
Understand the influence of land/place in First Peoples oral and other texts
land/place
refers to the land and other aspects of physical environment on which people interact to learn, create memory, reflect on history, connect with culture, and establish identity Identify bias, contradictions, distortions, and omissions
Create and communicate (writing, speaking, representing)
Respectfully exchange ideas and viewpoints from diverse perspectives to build shared understandings and extend thinking
exchange ideas and viewpoints
- using active listening skills and receptive body language (e.g., paraphrasing and building on others’ ideas)
- disagreeing respectfully
- extending thinking (e.g., shifting, changing) to broader contexts (e.g., social media, digital environments)
- collaborating in large and small groups
Demonstrate speaking and listening skills in a variety of formal and informal contexts for a range of purposes
speaking and listening skills
- Strategies associated with speaking skills may include the conscious use of emotion, pauses, inflection, silence, and emphasis according to context.
- Strategies associated with listening skills may include receptive body language, eye contact, paraphrasing building on others’ ideas, asking clarifying questions, and disagreeing respectfully.
range of purposes
may include to understand, to inquire, to explore, to inform, to interpret, to explain, to take a position, to evaluate, to provoke, to problem solve, and to entertain Select and apply appropriate spoken language formats for intended purposes
Express and support an opinion with evidence
Respond to text in personal, creative, and critical ways
Use writing and design processes to plan, develop, and create engaging and meaningful texts for a variety of purposes and audiences
writing and design processes
There are various writing and/or design processes depending on context, and these may include determining audience and purpose, generating or gathering ideas, free-writing, making notes, drafting, revising and/or editing, and selecting appropriate format and layout. audiences
Students expand their understandings of the range of real-world audiences. These can include children, peers, and community members, as well as technical, academic, and business audiences. Use creative processes to plan, develop, and create engaging and meaningful oral texts for a variety of purposes and audiences
creative processes
may include conception, drafting, revising, and delivering/performing Assess and refine oral and other texts to improve clarity, effectiveness, and impact
refine oral and other texts to improve clarity, effectiveness, and impact
- creatively and critically manipulating language for a desired effect
- consciously and purposefully making intentional stylistic choices (e.g., using sentence fragments or inverted syntax for emphasis or impact)
- using techniques such as adjusting diction and form according to audience needs and preferences, using verbs effectively, using repetition and substitution for effect, maintaining parallelism, adding modifiers, varying sentence types
- using strategies associated with oral texts, such as the conscious use of emotion, pauses, inflection, silence, and emphasis
- rehearsing with the help of a constructively critical listener, a mirror, and/or audiovisual recording
Use a variety of techniques to engage listeners
Experiment with genres, forms, or styles of oral and other texts
Use the conventions of First Peoples and other Canadian spelling, syntax, and diction proficiently and as appropriate to the context
Understand intellectual property rights and community protocols and apply as necessary
Content
Students are expected to know the following:
A wide variety of BC, Canadian, and global First Peoples texts
A wide variety of text forms and genres
forms
Within a type of communication, the writer, speaker, or designer chooses a form based on the purpose of the piece. Common written forms include narratives; journals; procedural, expository, and explanatory documents; news articles; e-mails; blogs; advertisements; poetry; novels; and letters. genres
literary or thematic categories (e.g., science fiction, biography, satire, memoir, poem, visual essay, personal narrative, speech, oral history) Common themes in First Peoples texts
Common themes in First Peoples texts
- connection to the land
- the nature and place of spirituality as an aspect of wisdom
- the relationships between individual and community
- the importance of oral tradition
- the experience of colonization and decolonization
- loss of identity and affirmation of identity
- tradition
- healing
- role of family
- importance of Elders
Reconciliation in Canada
First Peoples oral traditions
- the legal statusof First Peoples oral traditions in Canadalegal statusFirst Peoples oral histories are valid evidence of ownership of the land within Canadian law. The Supreme Court of Canada recognizes that First Peoples oral tradition is as important as written documents in considering legal issues. See resource disputes (e.g., Delgamuukw or Xeni Gwetin), treaties and title cases (e.g., Nisga’a), and environmental impact studies (e.g., Puntledge River Dam, Berger Inquiry).
- purposes of oral texts
- the relationship between oral tradition and land/place
Protocols
Protocols
- Protocols are rules governing behaviour or interactions.
- Protocols can be general and apply to many First Peoples cultures, or specific to individual First Nations.
- protocols related to the ownership and use of First Peoples oral textsownership and use of First Peoples oral textsStories often have protocols for when and where they can be shared, who owns them, and who can share them.
- acknowledgement of territoryacknowledgement of territory
- Students understand the protocols involved in the acknowledgement of traditional First Nations territories.
- Students understand the purpose of acknowledgement of First Nations traditional territories.
- situating oneself in relation to others and placesituating oneself in relation to others and place
- relates to the concept that everything and everyone is connected
- Students understand why it is common First Nations practice to introduce oneself by sharing family and place connections.
- processes related to protocols and expectations when engaging with First Nations communities and Aboriginal organizationswhen engaging with First Nations communities and Aboriginal organizationsStudents understand the necessity of learning what protocols might govern interactions in First Nations communities and Aboriginal organizations.
Text features and structures
Text features
attributes or elements of the text that may include typography (bold, italics, underlining, font choice), guide words, key words, titles, diagrams, captions, labels, maps, charts, illustrations, tables, photographs, and sidebars/text boxes structures
how text is organized - narrative structures, including those found in First Peoples textsthose found in First Peoples textsfor example, circular, iterative, cyclical
- form, function, and genre of oral and other textsfunctionthe intended purpose of a text
Strategies and processes
- reading strategiesreading strategiesThere are many strategies that readers use when making sense of text. Students consider what strategies they need to use to “unpack” text. They employ strategies with increasing independence depending on the purpose, text, and context. Strategies include but may not be limited to predicting, inferring, questioning, paraphrasing, using context clues, using text features, visualizing, making connections, summarizing, identifying big ideas, synthesizing, and reflecting.
- oral language strategiesoral language strategiesspeaking with expression; connecting to listeners, asking questions to clarify, listening for specifics, summarizing, paraphrasing.
- metacognitive strategiesmetacognitive strategies
- thinking about our own thinking, and reflecting on our processes and determining strengths and challenges
- Students employ metacognitive strategies to gain increasing independence in learning.
- writing processeswriting processesThere are various writing processes depending on context. These may include determining audience and purpose, generating or gathering ideas, free-writing, making notes, drafting, revising, and/or editing. Writers often have very personalized processes when writing. Writing is an iterative process.
- oral storytelling techniquesoral storytelling techniquescreating an original story or finding an existing story (with permission), sharing the story from memory with others, using vocal expression to clarify the meaning of the text, using non-verbal communication expressively to clarify the meaning, attending to stage presence, differentiating the storyteller’s natural voice from the characters’ voices, presenting the story efficiently, keeping the listener’s interest throughout, using an expanding repertoire of techniques to enhance audience experience
- presentation and performance strategies
Language features, structures, and conventions
- features of oral languagefeatures of oral languageintonation, enunciation, volume, pacing, expression, purpose, diction, acoustics
- elements of styleelements of stylestylistic choices that make a specific writer distinguishable from others, including diction, vocabulary, sentence structure, and tone.
- syntax and fluency
- rhetorical devicesrhetorical devicesexamples include figurative language, parallelism, repetition, irony, humour, exaggeration, emotional language, logic, direct address, rhetorical questions, and allusion
- usageand conventionsusageavoiding common usage errors (e.g., double negatives, mixed metaphors, malapropisms, and word misuse)conventionscommon practices of standard punctuation in capitalization, quoting, and spelling of Canadian and First Peoples words
- literary elements and devicesliterary elements and devicesTexts use various literary devices, including figurative language, according to purpose and audience.
- literal and inferential meaning
- persuasive techniquespersuasive techniques
- ethical, logical, and emotional appeals
- may include using repetition, rhetorical questions, irony, or satire
- citations and acknowledgementsacknowledgementsformal acknowledgements of another person’s work, idea, or intellectual property
Note: Some of the learning standards in the PHE curriculum address topics that some students and their parents or guardians may feel more comfortable addressing at home. Refer to ministry policy regarding opting for alternative delivery.