Not much is known about the American writer Mona Gardner (1899-1978), but she left us with a story that is perfect for developing teenagers’ critical literacy (and irony) skills.
The story is set in India some time in the later years of colonisation (which was imposed by the British from 1858 to 1947). Although the story is very short indeed, it would be great for a Socratic seminar, or any other kind of discussion focusing on stereotypes or irony.
Read it below or download it from this link.
My plan for this is to preface it with a brief inquiry into the history of colonisation in India. This would give students the opportunity to practice their research and source evaluation skills to ensure they get spaced practice.
I might then adapt the lesson here (also shown below) to include more of a critical literacy slant.
My critical literacy bookmarks would guide students in considering perspectives, voices, and attitudes in the text. Given the brevity of the text, this should all be manageable within 1 lesson, yet give us plenty to refer back to as we continue reading through the year.
How might you make use of this short story? Can you think of any text pairings (in any media) or a way it might work to enhance your students’ critical literacy skills? Let us know in the comments below or join our Facebook group and share there.
We’ve got this!
