International Literacy Day Lesson Plan
Activities for Low Literacy and ESL Adult Learners
Sep 16, 2009
International Literacy Day is a UNESCO initiative that aims to educate the international community on global literacy and learning issues. This lesson plan is designed for use on International Literacy Day in an adult classroom, but can easily be modified for any time of the year.
The activities are divided into four sections to develop the following intermediate level skills:
- Reading
- Listening
- Speaking
- Writing
Learning Objectives for Literacy Day Lesson Plan
Students will:
- explain the significance of International Literacy Day
- independently read at appropriate level
- practice forming two questions and speaking one question out loud
- practice team work skills
- write in journals to four prepared writing prompts
Materials for Literacy Day Lesson Plan
- Article referencing Literacy Day
- Global, national, and local literacy rates, current for the year
- Human interest article about a low literacy learner winning a literacy award
Literacy Day Lesson Plan Activities - Approximately 45 minutes
Reading Activity – 10 minutes: About International Literacy Day
- On their own, students read article about Literacy Day
- In lecture format, teacher supplements article with most current global, national, and local statistics
Listening Activity – 10 minutes: The Faces Behind the Numbers
- Breathing life into the statistics – teacher reads aloud the human interest story
- Instruct students to think of questions as they listen
- Handout copy of the article
- Divide students into pairs
- Instruct students to write down two questions by choosing from who, what, where, when, why, how, formulated questions
Speaking Activity – 15 minutes: What Else Do We Want to Know?
- In large group discussion, each student asks one of the questions they wrote
- Instruct students to take turns asking questions
- Anybody can answer the questions from the rest of the group
Writing Activity – 10 minutes: Visualizing Success and Acknowledgment
In a journal, have students finish the following sentences in free-writing format:
- Literacy Day is about ______________
- People learning to read should ___________________
- When Leonard won the award, he felt _________________
- If I won an award, I would feel _____________________
More Resources for Literacy Day
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) website provides more resources for celebrating Literacy Day and for the promotion of literacy. There are photos, videos, a poster to download, as well as an overview of the current and previous years' themes.
Brief descriptions of the winners of various literacy awards from all around the world can be found as well. These awards are intended to honour the inspiring work of institutions, organizations, and individuals that strive to provide innovative and effective literacy programming against incredible odds. These stories are excellent material and resources to promote the importance of International Literacy Day in the classroom.
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