Samuel e-learning Assignment

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/girls-read-online-literature-970.html?tab=4#tabs

Readwritethink.org has 2 sets of lesson plans: one for girls and one for boys. I focused on the lesson plans for girls.

The section titled "Girls Read: Online Literature Circles" lists the following learning outcomes:

Students will

• Gain an understanding of the roles of women in diverse cultures by reading realistic fiction, set in a variety of times and places, that features strong female protagonists
• Develop skills in written expression by sharing their reactions to literature with an e-mail partner or with members of an online literature circle
• Develop skills in oral expression by sharing their reactions to literature with members of a classroom literature circle
• Participate as reflective members of an online literacy community by responding to questions and posting reviews

Part of the lesson plan involves creating an account in the online book report website, "Teenreads.com", and rating/reviewing the books they have read on the website.

The majority of the work (reading/discussions) happens in the classroom context, where students form groups to read a book and then piece together what they have read with their classmates. They also perform self-evaluation in order to help them reflect on their learning processes. The evaluation form can be found here. http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson970/self.pdf


Review:
1. While some forms of feminism discourage the idea of classifying literature into "boys" and "girls" literature, I like the idea of teenagers reading empowering, gender-specific literature during their formative years so that they can choose who they want to be. One of the books on the reading list, "The Breadwinner", depicts an 11-year old girl earning income to support her family in Afghanistan. It breaks down traditional roles and encourages these teenagers to think about their contributions to family and society beyond gender-defined boundaries.
2. I think the lesson plan could fit into a very Singapore/MOE context. There is both a collaborative approach to learning via the reading of books in groups, where each member reads a subdivision of the book and shares it with her peers before they read the book as a whole. There is also a move towards SDL through self-evaluation, which encourages reflection and self-improvement in their learning processes.
3. I really like the idea of contributing to an online community as part of literature. It heightens the awareness of community as part of literary appreciation, and encourages both the sharing of ideas and learning from others that enhances the literary experience. It also gives students the sense of importance as they add value to a book by sharing their learning with the wider community.

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