March, 2016
Understanding ‘Global Issues’ is not an abstract concept. It helps young people understand the world – their world. And I believe the classroom is the perfect place for that understanding to begin.
After the ‘Reading Aloud’ lessons, young people have real understanding of ‘Global Issues’. Real understanding comes when they see that learning being put into practice around them. If they can see human rights principles being played out in their school environment, the benefits become real for them as individuals and as part of their community. When equality, dignity and respect are regularly seen in action, positive behaviour becomes the norm and this has a knock-on effect across the school.
Reading Aloud - Benefits
1. It is an important time to reflect on the value of what is being discussed 2. It encourages creative and critical thinking 3. It improves the classroom climate, as students help each other while reading aloud 4. It improves listening skills 5. And it also promotes vocabulary acquisition 6. It encourages playfulness. For example:
7. Finally, reading aloud is about breathing. That is what reading aloud is. That is what we do when we speak. We breathe with certain modulations and turn them into words and that is connected with our heartbeats and with everything else, it is an essential part of the condition by which we live. So we breathe words! Saying them aloud adds the store of knowledge, helps understand the world around us, but also connects absolutely with what is inside us.
Lesson Plan
According to the latest data (2014), 793 million adults – two thirds of them women – lack basic reading and writing skills (UNESCO). Yet, studies show that literacy is the foundation for emotional and physical well-being, intellectual growth, and economic security. 'Reading Aloud to Raise Awareness of Literacy' project was an important time for reflecting on the value of literacy and reading for all of us in day-to-day life. 1. First I gave them the names of each woman (wrote on the board), ask if they knew them. 2. Then, I aloud short texts about those women. They achieved something remarkable, yet are relatively unknown. Source: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/unsung-heroes 3. They were all surprised to know what they have done. Then they realised it was International Women’s Day. 4. As a group, we discussioned about why we celebrate International Women’s Day, if we should celebrate it; we talked about equal rights, sexism, etc, and we also worked with vocabulary related to social issues (from the texts) using a separate worksheet. 5. Read some Global Literacy Statistics from UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and World Literacy Foundation:
• If all children in low-income countries left school literate, 171 million people could move out of poverty. (World Literacy Foundation)
• According to the latest data (2014), 793 million adults – two thirds of them women – lack basic reading and writing skills. (UNESCO) • On tests involving 4,500 to 10,000 students in 43 countries, half of the girls said they read for at least 30 minutes a day, compared with less than one-third of the boys. (UNESCO) • Even though the size of the global illiterate population is shrinking, the female proportion has remained virtually steady at 63 to 64%. (UNESCO) • Poorly-literate individuals are less likely to participate in democratic processes and have fewer chances to fully exercise their civil rights (UNESCO) • A child born to a mother who can read is 50% more likely to survive past the age of five than a child born to an illiterate woman. (UNESCO) • A literate and educated girl is three times less likely to acquire AIDS, she will earn at least 25% more income, and she will produce a smaller, healthier family. (UNESCO) • Illiterate people earn 30-42% less than their literate counterparts. (World Literacy Foundation)
6. I divided the class into small groups and, based on what they had discussed before, each group had to present one idea to help raise awareness of literacy and maybe help change the statistics. They should use ‘reading aloud’ and the vocabulary about social issues.
7. Students' ideas:
8. As we did not have anything prepared on that day, they chose a poem and recorded it (‘Phenomenal Woman’ by Maya Angelou):
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