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Change the Way they Read!

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About this Lesson-

Reading at an elementary level is crucial to the development of children. It allows them not only to gain reading and writing skills, but shapes their thinking and how they view society. Most children’s books have specific gender roles that are maintained to demonstrate the different roles that exist in society. Unfortunately, most books depict the woman as the mother who spends most of her time in the kitchen, and the man as the father who appears to be the more dominant figure who works most of the day. There are also depictions of how girls and boys should dress and behave. The girl is viewed as the one wearing pink, playing with dolls, and obsessing over fashion and boys. The boy is viewed as the more masculine and tough person associated with much darker colors. Although this is often seen as harmless, the effects on children is evident everyday. The manner in which children treat and speak to each other, or a change in behavior can have a direct correlation to many stories read.

 

Goals-

  1. Break the stereotypes associated with both genders

  2. Emphasize the necessity of being gender inclusive

  3. Discover new books that teach valuable lessons while remaining gender neutral

  4. Demonstrate that people can choose to like and become whatever they wish because there should be inherent no distinctions between the genders

  5. Challenge stereotypes and create change at a young age

 

Materials-

  • Gender neutral and inclusive books. Some recommendations are:

    • Sleeping Bobby by Mary Pope Osborne

    • Princess Smartypants by Babette Cole

    • Goblinheart by Brett Axel

    • Ballerino Nate by Kimberly Bradley

    • A Fire Engine for Ruthie by Leslea Newman

    • The Ugly Dumpling by Stephanie Campisi

  • Standard materials for discussion or creative activity for the books afterward:

    • Sheets of white paper, colored paper, lined paper

    • Pencils/colored pencils/markers/crayons

    • Extra materials if needed such as stickers, paint, beads

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Procedure-

  • Make sure to begin by saving a period of time everyday for story time in order for students to be opened to the world of literature.

  • Have the children gather around the reader rather than sit at their desks so that they are actively involved and are able to visually see the pictures and the text.

  • Read a gender neutral and inclusive book to the children.

  • After every page, make sure to reference the images or even parts of the text that were significant to recognize. For example, if a character stated that it's okay to be different or that girls don't have to dress a certain way, etc, remember to point it out.

  • When the end of the story is reached, state briefly what you took from the story.

  • Follow this by asking what the students thought of the story and what they believe the message is.

  • Ask them what their favorite page, text, or picture was. Encourage them to try and read one of the sentences on the page.

  • If time allows and if they insist, read another story in order for them to go home and have truly gained a significant amount of insight.

  • Have them engage in a creative activity, preferably arts and crafts. This will enable them to enjoy themselves while applying what they learned.

  • Examples of activities that can be conducted:

    • Draw the main character

    • Write what you learned

    • Draw your favorite picture from the book

    • Write how the book made you feel

    • Write and draw your biggest dream

  • Make sure that every so often you ask the students what they remembered from past stories read the day before, in order to continue to remind them of the important lessons learned.

  • Finally, have fun with this!

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Intended Results-

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What a teacher can hope to have gained from this lesson is growth in behavior, personality, and thinking for their students. This lesson should gradually help children understand that no one is entitled to a set of roles and that they can express themselves however they choose. A sense of respect, kindness, and confidence will hopefully soon develop in each of these students, as they begin to understand that being different and not trying to be someone society accepts is a beautiful and unique thing. The intention is that these students will grow into the people they wish to be and not the stereotypical people constantly depicted in the media and literature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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