From Darkness To Light

• ENGLISH
• Secondary Education

Education is not just preparation for life; education is life itself!

Expected Learning Outcomes

I will be able to:

* share the importance of education in one’s life. 

* comment on how literacy helps in building a nation and contributes in family welfare. 

* share my responses to the evaluative questions based on the comprehension of lesson.

Imagine...

You are in a foreign country, and have bought a new phone that will get activated in no less than five hours. People of that country are comfortable neither in English nor Hindi. You see these signboards around... 

Describe your feeling(s) during those few hours in just one word!

Luckily, this feeling will be TEMPORARY for us!!

But there are children, adults and old people who experience this throughout their lives!!

A life of nothing but fears and dependencies... 

A life of being lost all the time...

A life in DARKNESS...

FACTS!!

# As per NSO, India's average literacy rate is 77.7%.

# As a whole, the global literacy rate is high. The literacy rate for all males and females that are at least 15 years old is 86.3%. Males aged 15 and over have a literacy rate of 90%, while females lag at just 82.7%. 

# Developed nations as a whole have a literacy rate of 99.2%.

Let's explore one such journey of Kong Cecilia.

By: Sonali Kumar

About the author...

From Darkness to Light

Let's enjoy the audio of the text...

‘I was lost but literacy found me’. Elaborate.

Why is thumb referred to as
Cecilia’s best friend?

How was Kong Cecilia leading a life of
dependencies and using her
children as a crutch?

Why is it necessary to be literate?
How does it affect us,
our family and the nation?

SUCCESS CRITERIA
Now, I CAN:
* share the importance of education in one’s life.
* comment on how literacy helps in building a nation and contributes in family welfare.
* share my responses to the evaluative questions based on the comprehension of lesson.

1. Strongly agree
2. Agree
3. Not sure
4. I need some help.

Expected Learning Outcomes

I WILL BE ABLE TO:

• share ideas about the importance of literacy in one's life.
• make inferences based on comprehension of the text 
• share my responses to answer the questions based on the text.

From Darkness to Light

Comprehension Check

Read the extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Extract 1

How was Cecilia's thumb significant to her?

Who is 'I' in the extract?

1. Kong Cecilia
2. Sonali Kumar
3. the writer

The word in the text which is similar in
the meaning to
'support' is ___________.

1. crutch
2. terrifying
3. probably

When and why was Cecilia's life 'a life of dependency'?

Explain the phrase
'inherited destiny'.

Extract 2

Literacy classes taught Cecilia ________________.

The literacy classes were held _____________.

1. in the evening
2. in the afternoon
3. at noon

In the extract, 'a group of conscious people' refers to __________.

1. social activists
2. uneducated people
3. educated people

The word _________ is synomynous in meaning to 'poised'.

1. hover
2. release
3. drop

Extract 3

What does 'neo-literate' mean?

The antonym of the word
'perpetual' is ____________.

1. lasting
2. eternal
3. caducous
4. eonian

What problems did Cecilia face when
she was not able to read and write?

Cecilia feels grateful today. Make a list of at least four things which she can do now, but was not able to do earlier.

Why did Cecilia say, 'I blushed with embarrassment'?

There is a saying that when you educate a woman, you educate a family. Discuss how Kong Cecilia's
education would have benefitted her entire family.

SUCCESS CRITERIA:
Now, I CAN:
* share ideas about the importance of literacy in one's life.
* make inferences based on comprehension of the text
* share my responses to answer the questions based on the text.

1. Agree
2. Strongly agree
3. I need some help.
4. Not sure