Foundation Statements

About Between the Lines 12

The Between the Lines 12 package is designed to meet the requirements for college preparation English courses. Its main aim is to provide an appropriate program for general/non-academic students, and thus is student-centred rather than subject-centred.
The selections and activities cater to the general students' interest in personal response and the relevance of literature to their own experiences.

The package consists of an anthology, a Teacher's Guide, a CD-ROM of the Teacher's Guide, and a Web site.

The Anthology

The Between the Lines 12 anthology contains 122 carefully chosen selections by Canadian and world writers and artists. The
selections represent these eight main themes, each pertaining to discovering the world around us:

• Future Considerations
• The World of Work
• Leisure, Dreams, and Happiness
• Media and Technology
• Memorable Moments and Influences
• Values, Beliefs, and Choices
• Individuals and Society
• Out in the World

The Teacher's Guide

Teacher resource material is designed to help teachers meet the requirements of the provincial or regional curriculum for Grade 12 English. To this end, the Teacher's Guide includes

• guidelines on how to plan a course of instruction using these materials
• strategies for teaching specific genres
• guidelines and tools to be used in assessment and evaluation
  olesson plans constructed to help teachers make optimum use of the selections

The lessons in the Teacher's Guide expand on the knowledge and skills introduced in the Student Book. In addition, the Teacher's Guide provides additional links to other Nelson Education English 12 resources (where appropriate), background information on the authors of student book materials, opportunities for using technology, opportunities for metacognition, activity-related blackline masters, and a complete assessment plan, including rubrics and student/peer checklists.

Meeting the Requirements of the Curriculum

The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12 English: 2000 states: "In their study of literary works by accomplished writers and from many genres, historical periods, and cultures, students consider personal and societal aspirations and explore possibilities. Through the study of literature, students strengthen their ability to use language as an effective tool for thought, expression, and communication" (p. 2). Consequently, the selections in the anthology reflect a wide range of literary and informational texts. This diversity of the texts appeals to a wide range of student interests and learning styles.

The Ontario Curriculum also notes that "students should have frequent opportunities to analyze various aspects of media
communication, including key elements of the works themselves, the audience and media industry codes and practices" (p. 10). While media study has been an integral part of many English programs for many years, it is now one of the four specific strands in the Grade 12 curriculum. Between the Lines 12 provides an entire unit of print media material, both written and visual, that teachers and students can use to meet curriculum expectations.

In addition to providing a wealth of forms and genres (see the chart that follows), the Between the Lines 12 anthology draws
on authors and artists from diverse cultures and geographical regions, with the majority being Canadian in origin.