# data[].attributes.body
To me, the colour green represents teaching English because it's the colour of change, and the world of literature is constantly changing.

# data[].attributes.body
The semicolon is a symbol that I associate with teaching English because there is always room to continue each and every discussion.

# data[].attributes.body
A lightbulb is an image that I associate with teaching English because it represents the moment of understanding

# data[].attributes.body
I CAN explain the course syllabus in broad terms.

I CAN explain two or more key strategies that underpin the teaching of intermediate English.

I CAN describe the means of assessment.

I CAN articulate what I might do for the first assignment.

# data[].attributes.body
What do I need to know?
- that critical literacy provides opportunities to tap into the interests and needs of the learners
- it allows students to exercise their broadening awareness of the world around them
- students need to have autonomy in order to feel as though they're being heard and gain a sense of accomplishment

What do I need to do?
- point out assumptions and problems within texts
- model the use of critical questions
- teach students to evaluate texts for credibility
- provide access to a variety of texts
- use relevant texts and topics that allow students to take on various positions

# data[].attributes.body
I CAN explain the thinking behind Teaching for Understanding (TfU) and how the pedagogical framework can be employed in the classroom.

I HAVE accessed the Teaching for Understanding (TfU) planner and have a good understanding of how to use it effectively

# data[].attributes.body
Students will watch Harry Style's music video for his song "Adore You." Students will be divided into groups of 4 for a place mat activity. On a piece of chart paper, students will answer the question: what are the common themes between the "Adore You" music video and the song lyrics? A graded rubric will be given to each group in order to assess their oral communication skills.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Harry Styles - Adore You (Official Video)

# data[].attributes.body
This activity asks students to deliver a speech with 3 minutes to prepare.

Success Criteria
Three minutes to prepare
Cannot use their notes
Don't use the word "you"

# data[].attributes.body
I CAN describe the expectations of the oral communication strand and several strategies for teaching them.

I WILL need to build a resource bank with lesson plans and activities that help meet the expectations of the oral communication strand.

I WILL use 60-second impromptu speeches in my classroom

# data[].attributes.body
Othello in the Classroom
LANGUAGE
Othello, and all of Shakespeare's works, allows students to investigate the English language and its history.

PERFORMANCE
Performing Shakespeare will help students learn how to read Shakespeare and will increase their appreciation for the play and how its written.

LITERARY CONCEPTS
Culture, science, technology, and the environment, and society are three concepts that could easily be used in a literature study of this text.

GENERATIVE TOPIC
An option for a generative topic on Othello would be: Racism.

# data[].attributes.body
Persepolis in the Classroom
GLOBAL STUDIES
The graphic novel presents students with the opportunity to hear from a voice and listen to a story from outside of their identity.

FORM
Persepolis is a great text for students to learn about and examine form and technique, and how pictures tell stories.

LITERARY CONCEPTS
Identity, perspective, and text types are three concepts that could easily be used in a literature study of this text.

GENERATIVE TOPIC
An option for a generative topic on Persepolis would be: Nationalism, Heroism, and Martyrdom.

# data[].attributes.body
1. Write a letter to your past self about how you've changed

2. You wake up one morning and something about your life has drastically changed about your life...

3. Write about one event that changed you

# data[].attributes.body
I CAN suggest several approaches to literary texts

I CAN use Othello and Persepolis in the classroom

I CAN form engaging generative topics

# data[].attributes.body
Purpose: the text is designed to convince blue-collar men to buy Ford's electric truck.

Form: commercial ads are usually short in length, have a narrator, and show multiple videos and photos in quick succession

Context: the ad aired in 2022 and was created by Ford, a well-known American company that has a reputation for selling trucks,

Audience: this commercial ad is intended for white, blue-collar Ammerican men.

# data[].attributes.body
The 2022 Ford F150 Lightning commercial (text) seeks to convince blue-collar men to buy their electric truck (purpose) by associating the product with appealing images of white American masculinity and ignoring any associations with femininity. This suggests that images related to the blue-collar working man contribute to how masculinity is represented in American culture (implication).

# data[].attributes.body
I CAN provide an overview of the media strand.

I CAN discuss several means of achieving the media strand's expectations.

I CAN use performances of understanding in the context of media studies.

# data[].attributes.body
I CAN provide an overview of the writing strand

I CAN discuss several means of achieving the writing strand expectations

I CAN use spark writing activities in my classes

# data[].attributes.body
During my visit to Ashbury College, I spoke with one of the English teachers who explained her new approach to novel studies this year. Each week, the students have to read a specific section of the chosen class novel and reply to discussion prompts on an online platform. This process reminded me of university.

In my own class, I can see myself using this approach; however, I would likely have students complete their discussions in class. In the public and catholic boards, homework is not very common until about grade 10 or 11, with the exception of math practice and the occasional studying. Additionally, many students do not have access to technology, so an online format would not work well in these environments.

For my current class, I would use this approach to guide small discussion groups at the start of every class. Instead of written responses, the students would sit with their group members and discuss a prompt that they were provided with. One student would record the discussion.

# data[].attributes.body
I CAN describe Ashbury and the independent sector as a whole.

I KNOW where to look for independent sector jobs and the experiences and qualifications needed in order to be successful.

I WILL incorporate more group and partner work in my classroom as that is an effective strategy I observed at Ashbury.

# data[].attributes.body
Cottagers and Indians is a play filled to the brim with humour and heart. Arthur Cooper, an Anishnawbe man, is on a mission to repopulate the lakes with manoomin (wild rice). The local non-Indigenous cottagers disapprove of Arthur's project, and Maureen Poole takes it upon herself to 'save the beauty of the lake.'

Both Arthur and Maureen are passionate about their fight, and both have very personal connections to the lake. It was very interesting to read this play and see the two perspectives. The play is an important reminder of the ways colonialism continues to oppress Indigenous peoples as well as the connection between colonialism and global warming.

Cottagers and Indians would be a great text to use in a classroom. The text would require some pre-learning regarding the impacts and history of colonialism, but ultimately, this would be a pretty easy text to use in many spaces.

I would use this text during a unit or alongside a generative topic on environmentalism.

# data[].attributes.body
The Marrow Thieves is a dystopian novel that illustrates a future that seems completely impossible but quickly takes on a certain sense of reality as the story goes on. There are a number of themes in this novel, including global warming, and colonialism, as well as the return of residential schools.

Introducing this book to a class would require some pre-learning and prior knowledge. It is important, especially at the intermediate level, to make sure that students have a good understanding of the strength of Indigenous cultures pre-colonialism AND post-colonialism before introducing them to texts that focus on trauma.

This novel would be well-suited to a unit or generative topic on identity.

# data[].attributes.body
I CAN suggest several approaches to teaching literary texts including developing interesting and relevant generative topics, creating effective performances of understanding, and providing thought-provoking discussion questions.

# data[].attributes.headline
Old Stories Live on in Different Forms and Influence the World Today

# data[].attributes.subject
Old Stories Live on in Different Forms and Influence the World Today

# data[].attributes.body
Erica English, Émilie Vriend, and Megan O’Keefe Major use Greek mythology as an entry-point into the study of language conventions. The throughlines for the unit ask students to analyze language conventions, cultural atmospheres, and target audiences. The performances of understanding challenges students to first become familiar with Greek mythology and eventually, to write their own mythological tale.

This mini-unit interested me initially because of my own research area in translatio studii and the movement of texts over time, language, and location. I would love to use this unit in a class, especially since many of my students this year are fans of the Percy Jackson series. If I were to use this unit, I would incorporate some of the Percy Jackson short stories in order to speak to my students' interests.

# data[].attributes.headline
How to identify reliable sources of news and information

# data[].attributes.subject
How to identify reliable sources of news and information

# data[].attributes.body
Olivia Macri, Sarah Siddiqui, Chayse Hill, and Rahma Arab created a mini-unit on news media. The unit throughlines ask students to analyze different forms of news media and critically engage with them to decide their credibility and reliability. The performances of understanding invite students to look at different media types develop ideas about them.

Media literacy is an area that I don't always necessarily feel prepared to teach, but it's an area I'm very interested in which is why this mini-unit appealed to me. I am constantly looking for new and interesting ways to bring media studies into my classroom and this unit is an important topic for students to learn. For my own teaching practice, I don't think I would ask students to analyze brochures, but I would ask them to analyze headlines and perhaps infographics used on Instagram. Social media is where many people get their news from so it would be an effective way to teach students about misinformation and how to check sources.

For older grades, I would connect this unit to a research essay or report in order for them to practice finding and citing information.

# data[].attributes.body
The colour blue represents home to me because it reminds me of the blue siding on my dad's house and how it contrasts, quite unfortunately, with the orange brick. I think about my sister's blue eyes in contrast with my dad's dark brown. I think about the blue bathroom walls that my family covered in white clouds using sponges.

# data[].attributes.body
The symbol of a train means home to me because my childhood home was right next to a set of train tracks. We would always hear trains going by, and as kids, we'd always try to chase them. Every time I hear a train or when I'm on a train, I think of home.

# data[].attributes.body
To me, home means trees. This image represents home to me because I was always surrounded my nature growing up, and I continue to immerse myself in the outdoors. My siblings and I would always climb the tree around our house growing up, and I remember always being fascinated by them. I still am fascinated by them today.

# data[].attributes.body
I CAN describe several units from other students and could adapt or use them in the classroom