CSEC English B (Grade 9) by Mrs. Mona Bacchus
RATIONALE
It is envisaged that persons certified by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) will demonstrate the ability to understand and appreciate what they listen to, read and view, and the ability to express themselves clearly in speech and in writing. The teaching and testing of English is founded on the premise that the abilities mentioned are fostered by the study of language and literature, separately and jointly, and that the abilities are vital factors in managing personal and social well-being. Indeed, in the current socio-political world climates, the study of language and literature underpins our understanding of human dynamics, and prepares us to respond critically to the wealth of material that bombards our lives through the media.
AIMS
The syllabus aims to:
- develop the ability to use the spoken language, Caribbean Standard English (CSE1);
- develop the ability to understand and respond to spoken and written Caribbean Standard English;
- develop the ability to use language effectively for communicating across cultures at different levels, that is, intra-personal, inter-personal and groups;
- develop the ability to monitor personal thinking processes through the application of metacognitive strategies;
- develop the ability to articulate personal experiences (real or imagined) in spoken and written language;
- promote in students a willingness and ability to inform themselves about, and to contribute reasoned opinions on social issues;
- promote an appreciation of the variety of purposes for which language is used;
- promote an understanding and appreciation for the place and value of the varieties of English and of the dialects and creoles of the Caribbean and other regions in different social and cultural contexts;
- develop a critical awareness of the use of language devices used for narrative, descriptive, argumentative and expository writing;
- develop the ability to respond to literature for pleasure and insight, to recognise and respond to the writer’s craft, and to make sensitive appraisals of value judgements and other concepts expressed in Literature;
- use knowledge of the various forms of information for the students’ own enlightenment, while recognising the importance of acknowledging the contribution of such sources to their own
Lessons
- Recognise facts stated explicitly
- Extract specific information from what is read or heard
- Extract implied information
- Identify stated or implied time sequence
- Draw valid conclusions and inferences from information presented
- Recognise cause-effect relationship
- Identify main and subordinate ideas and trace their development
- Recognise the difference between denotative and connotative language
- Identify passages in which the main purpose is informative (expository) rather than literary or argumentative
- Interpret and respond to tables and pictorial communication, such as diagrams, conventional signs and symbols
- Deducing reasons and motives and particular perspectives for specific spoken and written communications (other than those with an overt argumentative intent)
- Appreciating the appropriateness of different uses of tone, mood, register, code and style in talks and speeches, and in literary forms (prose, verse and drama), in relation to the author’s intention
- Detecting connotations in the use of words and in the presentation of ideas and distinguishing between connotative and denotative meaning
- Detecting and assessing the apt use of devices
- Recognising and responding to the appropriateness or otherwise of the medium, including form and structure used by a speaker, director or author to achieve the intended effect of a talk or speech, letter, article or essay, poem, novel, story or play
- Visualising the situation, attitudes, mood and setting of a play and appreciating how they influence the actions and interaction of actors in the performance of that play
- Recognising implicit themes
- Responding to good literature (West Indian and other literatures in English): novels, short stories, poems and plays
- Making critical appraisal of values and concepts expressed in literature; and relating these to everyday living
- English B: Comparative Essay Writing
- Poetry Comprehension - Unseen Poem
- Poetry Comprehension 2 - Unseen Poem
- Prose Extract Comprehension
- To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
- Unseen Drama Comprehension
- To Kill A Mockingbird - Chapter One
- To Kill A Mockingbird - Chapter Two
- Organising and sequencing ideas to communicate emotions and imaginative interpretations of experience
- Recognising the various literary devices and their contribution to meaning and demonstrate an ability to interpret, at various levels different creative works
- Using language (tone, mood, register, code and style) appropriate to particular situations and contexts
- Distinguish factual statements from opinion expressed in various forms
- Detect connotations in the use of words and in the presentation of ideas
- Evaluate the effectiveness of language devices used to persuade
- Recognise the range of techniques of persuasion employed in social intercourse and by the mass media and assess the argumentative effects
- Present reasoned evaluative comments on proposals and situations of various kinds, in language that is clear and appropriate to the occasion
- Demonstrate the ability to employ, wherever necessary, a range of argumentative techniques for emotional impact
- Present a logical argument using justifiable techniques
- Critically analyse issues that have come to public attention