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The study of literature is central in the secondary English curriculum; it offers students opportunities to expand their intellectual horizons and to extend and strengthen their literacy skills. As a creative representation of life and experience, literature raises important questions about the human condition, now and in the past. As students increase their knowledge of accomplished writers and literary works, and vicariously experience times, events, cultures, and values different from their own, they deepen their understanding of the many dimensions of human thought and human experience.
All students, regardless of their postsecondary plans, need to read a balance of exemplary literary, informational, and graphic texts that nourish the imagination, promote intellectual growth, contribute to a sense of aesthetic appreciation, and provide a broad range of language models for their own writing. They should be exposed to literary works drawn from many genres, historical periods, and cultures, by both female and male writers, that represent a wide range of perspectives and reflect the diversity of Canada and the world.
Members of the English Department help students learn to read with understanding, to read critically, to become familiar with various text forms and their characteristic elements, and to recognize the function and effects of various text features and stylistic devices. We help students understand that reading is a process of constructing meaning developed through strategies that good readers use to understand and appreciate what they read.
The study of literature and English at Campion also gives students and their teachers the opportunity to share their faith in every class. Through stories, students come to understand that the challenges facing individual characters can often be similar to the conflicts they face as they strive to live virtuous lives in a complicated society that often seems to contradict their faith and their values.
The literature studied at Campion focuses on many themes and virtues that are central to a faith-filled life. Virtues, and themes which are common in several courses from grades 9 through 12 include the wonder of God's creation, empathy and kindness, the role of conscience, finding wisdom, courage and strength, the redemptive power of love and the value of living a virtuous life, justice and compassion, redemption through suffering, repentance, the power of God's grace, and forgiveness. |