UNIT 1

CRITICAL READING AND CRITICAL LITERACY

A. Learning Outcome
At the end of the course, students are able to be competent in comprehending the concept of
critical reading and critical literacy.

B. Competency Standard
1. Ss are expected to understand the difference between critical reading and critical literacy.
2. Ss are expected to understand the basic principles, objectives, advantages, and
implementation of critical reading and literacy.

C. Critical Reading
The scholars make a clear distinction between critical and non-critical reading as
explained in the following table.

Table 1. The differences between critical and non-critical reading.

Non-Critical Reading Critical Reading

Actively textual recognition aims to
understand a text as a systematic structure
which consists of information, ideas, and
opinion of the authors (Edge, 2011).
A higher-level thinking in reading skill in
which the readers employ questioning
attitude, logical analysis, and inference to
examine the values of the reading text
(Wang & Giert, 2011).
Interaction process between reader and text
in this sense their background knowledge
and experience become the essential
components to make accurate evaluation
and analysis of the texts (Tierney &
Pearson, 1994).

Principles of Critical Reading

Critical readers analyze beyond the literal and interpretive comprehension of the
reading texts. They give judgement to the authenticity of the authors’ ideas, read
skeptically and analytically to evaluate the value of the texts (Douglas, 2000). There are
three objectives of critical reading:
 1. Social, interpretive, active, and critical aspects of a reading as a process not just as a
skill.
2. Texts are set of social practice and understanding.
3. Readers come to reading tasks with their own reading purposes, cultural identities, and
social roles.

Key Concepts of Critical Reading

Critical reading originates from the post structuralist views of reading, it claims the
subjectivity of the readers is combined with the texts when their personal experiences are
integrated with the characters’ experiences. Wallace (2003) proposes three key concepts of
critical reading:
1. Critical Talk and Interpretation
Critical talk deals with facts and truths, it helps readers to ignore their own feelings,
beliefs, and views. Readers can achieve critical talk by collaborating with their teachers
as a co-authored. Likewise, readers can make the interpretation of text with their peers
and teachers in the classroom. The process occurs with family members and friends
outside the classrooms.
2. Resistance to Text
Through the resistance to text, readers deconstruct and analyze the text to determine the
ideology, to understand hidden messages inscribed in the texts. By doing so, readers
may have better understanding of the world.
3. Consciousness
One of the purposes of critical reading is to make readers aware of the hidden elements
of the texts. This process is deeper than just noticing, it leads readers to the closer
awareness of the texts.

Critical Reading Strategies

Critical strategies are the strategies which lead the readers to read critically and
develop critical thinking. Cooper (2002) proposes ten critical reading skills:
 Table 2. Critical Reading Skills
No Strategies Description
1. Annotating Highlighting the important statement of information such as
main idea, supporting details, keyword, definition, and
transition of text (Zywica & Gomez, 2008).
2. Previewing Providing a general understanding and organization of the
passage, article, and book through fast reading (Mikulecky &
Jeffries, 2007).
3. Contextualizing Focusing teaching and learning objectively on the concrete
application in a specific context in accordance of the students’
point of interest (Mazzeo, 2003).
4. Outlining Identifying relation between concepts and arranging those
concepts in an orderly manner which involve high level skill
(Anderson, 1990).
5. Analyzing Analyzing text by relating it with other aspects such as genre,
opposition history, and philosophy (Barry, 2002).
6. Summarizing Taking the main ideas from a piece of text in different forms
and explaining it in your own words (Kissner, 2006)
7. Paraphrasing Expressing the meaning of word or phrase using other words
or phrases in an attempt to make the meaning easier to
understand (Richard & Schmidt, 2010).
8. Synthesizing Highlighting the significance of the texts from the readers’
point of view by bringing together information from several
sources (Moreillon, 2007).
9. Questioning Questioning the content, author, presented events, arguments,
issues, and ideas to develop good comprehension (Tankersley,
2003).
10. Reflecting Critically reviewing experience from practice used to inform
and change the future practice (Bulman, 2008).

D. Critical Literacy
The notion of critical literacy is rooted in the work of Paulo Freire (1970) with his
famous work entitled Pedagogy of the Oppressed, he believes that teachers might help
students from the oppressed community by helping them reading the word and the world.
Critical literacy closely relates to the sociological and political issues and analyze the
connection between language and power within a text. Some scholars make clear differences
between critical literacy and critical reading as explained in the table follows.
 Table 3. Differences between Critical Reading and Critical Literacy

Critical Literacy Critical Reading

Aspect of thought which enables the
readers to challenge texts and life. It helps
the readers to question the validity of the
use of power as presented in various texts
(Mc. Laughlin & De Voogd, 2004).
An approach that uses texts to analyze and
transform relation of cultural, social, and
political power (Luke & Dooley, 2011).
A higher-level thinking in reading skill in
which the readers employ questioning
attitude, logical analysis, and inference to
examine the values of the reading text
(Wang & Giert, 2011).
Interaction process between reader and text
in this sense their background knowledge
and experience become the essential
components to make accurate evaluation
and analysis of the texts (Tierney &
Pearson, 1994).

Principles of Critical Literacy

Critical literacy has become the alternative approach to teaching English particularly
in English speaking countries. Mc.Laughlin & DeVoogd (2004) propose some principles of
critical literacy:

1. Focuses on the issues of power, promote reflection, transformation, and action.

Power has a function to question the particular perspectives and involve readers in
the self-reflection to identify the missing, discounted, and silenced voices.
Transformation is created from the readers’ background knowledge which lead the
readers to promote taking action.
2. Focuses on the problem and its complexity.
Readers engage in problematizing by trying to understand the problem and its
complexity. In doing so, they raise questions and find alternative explanation as a way to
understand the complexity of the information.
3. Technique that promotes critical literacy are dynamic and adapt the context in which they
are used.
 In order to export critical literacy approach to another setting, teachers need to
make adaptation to its method. It is due to the fact that there is no technique can promote
critical literacy without certain adaptation which make it more applicable, meaningful in
particular context.

4. Examining multiple perspectives

Students analyze the texts from the multiple perspectives in diverse classes such
as math, literature, social studies, and science. They express their ideas from various
viewpoints which help them to expand their thinking and discover various beliefs,
positions, and understandings.

Practicing Critical Literacy

Being critically literate is a developmental process. To be able to critically understand
the texts, readers might start with practice and reflection. These are some ideas and
resources to help them engage in critical literacy (Mc.Laughlin & DeVoogd, 2004). Before
implementing these ideas and resources in the lesson, teachers need to adapt them in
accordance with the particular contexts.
1. Juxtaposing texts, photos, videos, and lyrics.
Juxtaposing is a technique that help students demonstrate their multiple perspectives.
Teachers use juxtaposing technique by using various format and informational sources.
2. Problem posing
Readers question the author’s messages from critical perspectives. Teachers have the
responsibilities to explain and demonstrate how problem posing work, guide them to
raise questions about the text, give sufficient opportunities to monitor students as they
practice problem posing, and encourage students to use their own strategy to do problem
posing.
3. Alternative Text
By creating alternative text, readers might analyze the text in different way and start to
understand the complexity of the issue being examined. An alternative text represents a
different perspective about the topic experienced by the readers.
 Critical Literacy Questions
These are some questions which promote reading from critical stance

Table 4. Critical Literacy Questions

Printed Text Video or photos
Whose viewpoints are expressed? Who is in the video?
What does the author want us to think? Why are they there?
Whose voices are missing, silenced, or Who is silenced or discounted?
discounted?

How might the alternative perspectives What might the alternative video
be represented? show?
Why was this article written? What action might you take on the
basis of what you have viewed?
Whose interests are served by the text? What does the
photographer/videographer want
you to think?
What was not said about the topic? Who or what is missing from the
Why? What are the consequences? video or photo?

E. Read the Text below and Do the Follow-up Tasks.

Still at War with the Tobacco Epidemic,

Indonesia must Control E-Cigarettes too

Several countries are banning e-cigarettes due to revelations of health risks to both
users and bystanders. But in Indonesia, the world’s second-largest cigarette market,
the government has yet to put in place policies to prevent youths from taking up
vaping.

More than 1,000 people were confirmed ill and at least 19 people died from a severe
lung disease linked to vaping in the United States (US). The country has recently
considered banning flavored e-cigarettes in response to the deaths and illness
associated with vaping. Twenty countries in South America, the Middle East and
Southeast Asia have banned the possession and sale of e-cigarette products.

There has been no research on the prevalence of vaping among youth in Indonesia, but
the Indonesian government should be alarmed by the reports of illness and death due
to vaping in the US. The government should take immediate actions to prevent a youth
vaping epidemic in Indonesia, especially since July, a leading US-based e-cigarette firm,
entered the market in early July.
 The sale of vaping devices in Indonesia might increase the number of young people
who smoke, as vaping among non-smoking youth can be a gateway to tobacco
smoking. This will further burden Indonesia, which already has the highest rate of
youth smokers in the region. A fifth of Indonesians between 13- and 15-years old
smoke cigarettes.

Why Indonesia needs to control vaping

While it is true that vaping emits fewer chemicals than combustible cigarettes do, it
produces other toxic substances. These substances include nicotine, a substance that is
as addictive as heroin, and metals in the same or higher levels than combustible
cigarettes. Nicotine itself may increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases and harm
brain development, which deteriorates attention, memory and learning. The e-
cigarette has not yet been proven as an effective tool to stop smoking. Instead, vapers
might be at risk of being dual users, smoking and vaping, or if they quit smoking, they
could not give up vaping for a long term.

Tobacco-related diseases cost Indonesia almost Rp 4.2 trillion (US$295 billion) by 2019.
By controlling e-cigarettes and their use, the government can save the young
generation from becoming smokers as e-cigarettes tend to attract youth and may turn
them into smokers.

Adopted from https://theconversation.com/still-at-war-with-the-tobacco-epidemic-

indonesia-must-control-e-cigarettes-too-124432

1. What is this text about? How do we know?

2. Why does vaping is considered to have better side effect compare to cigarette?
3. Why does the government need to regulate the use of vaping?

F. Click the link of the video and Watch it. After that, answer the following questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzAb_GKjoSI

1. How does innovation develop the society?

2. Why does the innovation become the power to drive the development of the society?
3. Explain some innovation which influence the society as mentioned in the video!

G. Read the Text below and Do the Follow-up Tasks.

A Racial Justice Campaign Brought New
Attention to Indonesia’s Poorest Region.
 Will It Translate to Support for
Independence?

The issue of human rights in West Papua has attracted increasing attention—both
within Indonesia and internationally—in recent years. The global anti-racism
movement has sparked a new discussion about West Papua, and helped campaigners
reach more people than ever before. “I think [Black Lives Matter] enabled Papuans to
speak of racism in a way that Indonesians and othWers can understand,” says Ligia
Giay, who helps publish the newsletter Voices of Papua.

The government has been accused of human rights violations including torture,

extrajudicial killings and politically motivated arrests. Wenda claims he is among
them. The 46-year-old has been involved in pro-independence activism for decades.
He fled to the U.K., where he has continued international advocacy for independence,
after escaping from prison in 2002, where he faced charges for  inciting an attack on a
police station in which he denies involvement.

Economic inequality is another point of contention. West Papua has abundant resources—it is
timber-rich and home to the world’s largest gold mine and third largest copper mine—but it is
one of the poorest regions in Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s most populous nation and its largest
economy. Around a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line. Environmental
destruction, often linked to resource exploitation, is another grievance (Wenda says West
Papua—if it won independence— would be the world’s first “Green State.”)

Tensions have been escalating. In 2019 unrest broke out in West Papua after police in Java—
Indonesia’s most populous island, home to the capital Jakarta—reportedly called a group of
Papuan students racist names like “monkey.” At least 43 people were killed, including at least
one Indonesian soldier, according to Human Rights Watch. Over 6,000 troops were deployed
to quell unrest.

Adopted from https://time.com/5919228/west-papua-lives-matter-independence/

1. What kind of social realities does the text portray?

2. In whose interest is the text written?
3. What view of the world is the text presenting?

H. Click the link of the video and Watch it. After that, answer the following questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxQ7dEeHziw&t=162s

1. Who is in the video?

2. Who are silenced or discounted?
3. What does the videographer want you to think?
 UNIT 2
WE ARE PAPUANS

A. Learning Outcome
At the end of the course, students are able to be competent in comprehending the components of
a paragraph.

B. Competency Standard
1. Ss are expected to understand the concept of main idea.
2. Ss are expected to understand the concept of supporting details.
3. Ss are expected to understand the concept of concluding sentence.

Warming up

1 2

https://www.zubludiving.com
https://www.zubludiving.com

3 4

https://iradiofm.com
https://www.idntimes.com/
Task 1. Answer the questions and discuss with your peers.
1. Mention the name of those tourist resorts! Where are they located?
2. What is the uniqueness of Papua?
3. What are the strategic roles of Papua to our country?

Reading Skills

Paragraph

A paragraph means a group of connected sentences which develop one topic. It comprises
three parts; a topic sentence, supporting detail, and sometimes a concluding sentence.
 Topic sentence usually contains main idea of the paragraph, it could be found in the first
sentence of the paragraph. A good topic sentence informs readers about the essence of the
paragraph.
 Supporting sentences provide detail information or explanation to support the topic
sentence. They are found in the middle sentences which are connected by transition words
or phrases.
 A concluding sentence summarizes the ideas presented in the previous paragraphs, but it is
written in different ways. For those reasons, a concluding paragraph needs longer
paragraph which is usually started with a transition such as clearly in conclusion.

(adapted from settlementatwork.org)

Example:
A group of UN special rapporteurs recently wrote
to the Indonesian Government regarding reports The topic sentence
they collated on the deaths of six West Papuans
between 2017 and late 2018. It is as a result of
alleged unlawful arrests, documenting worrying
reports of “excessive use of force” and violence
by security forces including harassment, arbitrary
arrests and detentions by Indonesian security
forces in West Papua and Papua Provinces. The
 group expressed serious concerns about an
apparent culture of impunity and lack of
investigations into allegations of violations in
West Papua as a whole. In response, Indonesia’s
representative to the United Nations, Hasan Kleib, The supporting details
described the rapporteurs’ joint communication as
“inappropriately and unevenly crafted”. They did
not mention the massacre of Indonesian road
construction workers in Nduga, while the
massacre did not fall under the scope of the
rapporteurs’ particular submission. Kleib’s citing The concluding sentence
of it was a useful reminder that human rights
violations add fuel to the conflict between West
Papuan fighters and Indonesia’s military and vice
versa.

Reading Corner
Task 2. Work in pairs. Read this following paragraph and answer the following questions.

Black Lives Matter in Indonesia Too

In the memorable photograph of Obby Kogoya, the black Indonesian university student is
flat on his stomach on the road; a policeman’s hand claws at his nostrils and another cups
his chin while he screams in obvious pain. He is framed by a dense tangle of arms and legs
of police who have ganged up to arrest him for participating in a peaceful protest. Even if
you have never been to Indonesia, let alone the university town of Yogyakarta in Central
Java where Kogoya went to school, the image of craven police brutality against a young
black man will be familiar.

The echoes with the plight of African Americans is not lost on Indonesians from Papua and
West Papua, the country’s two easternmost provinces, which are populated mainly by
dark-skinned Melanesians and home to a long-standing separatist struggle. Recently,
Papuans have been juxtaposing the photo of Kogoya, who was arrested in 2016 at age 21,
with George Floyd, the 46-year-old black man killed by Minneapolis police in late May.

That Black Lives Matter is proving so resonant halfway around the world should be no
surprise. Over the past two weeks, countries from New Zealand to the U.K. have seen
protests in solidarity with Floyd. But the case of Indonesia, and of Papua, is one of the
movement’s most powerful ripple effects. Seven years after it started in the United States,
Black Lives Matter’s framework for understanding systemic racism and violence against
black people is providing a novel way to understand a little-known, little-reported, heavily
militarized and racialized conflict in the world’s fourth-most populous country.

Many foreigners don’t even realize there are black Indonesians, but they make up the
majority of the 4.3 million people who live in Papua and West Papua. These are Indonesia’s
easternmost provinces, on one end of New Guinea island, which is split between Indonesia
 and Papua New Guinea. The two provinces were annexed by the postcolonial Indonesian
republic in 1963.

Today, Indonesian Papua is tightly patrolled by the Indonesian military, and it remains
almost forbidden to both foreign journalists—who rarely get permits and when they do are
heavily surveilled—and domestic ones, whose reports are subject to draconian anti-
defamation laws. Papua is also home to the world’s largest gold mine, Grasberg, which was
until recently operated by an American company, Freeport. Under an increasingly heavy-
handed military presence, Papuans have faced sundry human rights abuses: police killings
and beatings, the intimidation of indigenous leaders, forced conversions, and the detention
of peaceful activists. And when Papuans go to other islands in Indonesia, they face racism,
surveillance, and dormitory raids.

There is a complex mix of factors in play. On one hand, the militarized posture toward
Papua is similar to many states’ attitudes toward separatism, which is typically quelled with
extreme force—think of India-administered Kashmir or Catalonia in Spain. But it is
enmeshed with broader racism, so Papuan identity is besieged from two sides. Colorism is
pervasive in Indonesia and affects dark-skinned people not just from Papua but also from
such eastern provinces as Flores and Maluku. The reasons for this include both the colonial
hangover common to many Asian countries—Indonesia was under Dutch rule until 1945—
and domestic majoritarianism coming from lighter-skinned ethnicities like the Javanese and
Sundanese. Fairness creams and beauty products are ubiquitous, the vast majority of
television and film actors are light-skinned, and black skin is heavily stigmatized.

Adopted from https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/16/black-lives-matter-papua-indonesia/

1. What is the main idea of each paragraph? Explain how do you determine the main idea of
this passage!
2. Identify 3 details from the passage!
3. Which main idea of the passage is directly stated or implied? Explain!
4. Compare 2 paragraphs from the passage, evaluate which paragraph has the clearest main
idea and explain your answers!
5. What do you think the author wanted you to learn from this passage and how does it
relate to the main ideas?

Task 3. Work in pairs. Make critical literacy questions based on the reading passage above and
discuss the answers of your critical literacy questions with your peers.
Task 4. Work in pairs. Discus this contextual issue with your partners.
Papua is well-known as the Indonesia’s land of gold. The world’s largest and most profitable gold
mine is located in Paniai, Papua. But, it is also known as the poorest province in Indonesia which are
lack of infrastructure performance development, poor bureaucratic performance, high separation
movement.
If you were the president of Indonesia, what are your plans to improve the social economic condition
of Papuans?

Self-Reflection
Task 5. What do you learn after reading the passage? Write a reflective journal to express your
ideas on Papuans discrimination.
 UNIT 3
AGAINST THE PANDEMIC

A. Learning Outcome
At the end of the course, students are able to differentiate fact and opinion, form their own
opinion, and evaluate the credibility of information sources.

B. Competency Standard
1. Ss are expected to be able to differentiate fact and opinion.
2. Ss are expected to be able to evaluate the credibility of information sources.
3. Ss are expected to be able to form their own opinions.

Warming up

Task 1. Click the link of the video and Watch it. Then, answer the questions and discuss with
your peers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA16bSHc9FI

1. What are the messages delivered in the video?

2. How does the pandemic affect the society?
3. How does life in the new normal look like?

Reading Skills

Distinguishing Fact and Opinion

A fact is considered as a statement which might be right or wrong, it could be proven through
research, observation, or experiment.

On the other hands, an opinion could not be proven because it is someone’s belief, feeling, or
judgement which might be very subjective.

(adapted from mdc.edu)

Task 2. Read each sentence. Determine if it is a fact or an opinion and explain your answers.

1. Jakarta leads the nation in introducing various policies to persuade people to get
vaccinated and help bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control. (F/O)
Explain:
2. Visiting malls and shopping centers require you to show proof of vaccination — either
for the first jab or both jabs — in Jakarta, Bandung in West Java, Semarang in Central
Java and Surabaya in East Java under current public activity restrictions (PPKM). (F/O)
Explain:
3. Targeted discrimination in the name of the health and well-being of the larger population
is not a novelty in the ongoing pandemic. (F/O)
Explain:
4. The Jakarta administration has claimed that the capital is nearly at herd immunity
(defined by a threshold proportion of 70 percent of the population), with 8.5 million
people having received their first jab against a target of 8.8 million. (F/O)
Explain:
5. Persuasion, rather than the use of force, remains the best course for the government to
meet the target of vaccinating 208 million people before the end of the year. (F/O)
Explain:

Reading Corner

Task 3. Work in pairs. Read this following paragraph and answer the following questions.

Discriminating against the Unvaccinated

Jakarta leads the nation in introducing various policies to persuade people to get vaccinated
and help bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control. Some of these policies smack of
discrimination against people who are not vaccinated but unlike mandatory vaccination, they
do not necessarily violate human rights. With that in mind, Jakarta has imposed policies that
may be seen as discriminatory against the unvaccinated. Some discrimination is unavoidable
to protect the health of the larger community, so the argument goes.
 Some of these policies had already been put into practice, such as the mandatory proof of
COVID-19 tests for taking public transportation within the city or between cities, and the
requirement to wear face masks in public places. What's more, Indonesians cannot travel to
certain countries because we got a vaccine that is not widely recognized. Targeted
discrimination in the name of the health and well-being of the larger population is not a
novelty in the ongoing pandemic.

Visiting malls and shopping centers require you to show proof of vaccination — either for the
first jab or both jabs — in Jakarta, Bandung in West Java, Semarang in Central Java  and
Surabaya in East Java under current public activity restrictions (PPKM). Jakarta has even made
vaccination a prerequisite for receiving government assistance under various social safety net
programs.

As the national vaccination program progresses, it becomes clearer that a sizeable portion of
the population is still refusing to get vaccinated even though they have access to a vaccine.
Many people are still not convinced that COVID-19 exists, let alone the need for a vaccine
against it. They now find themselves at the wrong end of targeted discriminatory policies. One
indicator of the prevalence of anti-vaxxers is that among the elderly, only 15 percent of the
21.5 million people aged 60 and older are fully vaccinated. This is one of the three groups that
received first priority, along with health workers and those working in public services, when
the government rolled out its vaccination program in January. In comparison, the vaccination
rate is already 100 percent for health workers and 80 percent for public service workers. Since
June, vaccination is open to everyone 12 years of age and older.

Persuasion, rather than the use of force, remains the best course for the government to meet
the target of vaccinating 208 million people before the end of the year. Denying the
unvaccinated social assistance and public services seems a little harsh and could be on shaky
legal ground as the policy targets the poor, but other milder forms of discrimination against
the unvaccinated are necessary and should be legally permissible.

Adapted from The Jakarta Post, 12 August 2021 available at

https://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2021/08/12/discriminating-against-the
unvaccinated.html

Task 4. Work in pairs. Make critical literacy questions based on the reading passage above and
discuss the answers of your critical literacy questions with your peers.

Task 5. Work in pairs. Discus this contextual issue with your partners.
The government considers vaccination as the solution to stop the Covid pandemic. On the other hands,
the study shows that Covid is one of the diseases which could not be eliminated by using vaccination.
Also, the effectiveness of the vaccine to protect people from Covid -19 is still questionable.
As a citizen, how do you react to this condition?
 Self-Reflection

Task 6. What do you learn after reading the passage and watching the video? Write a reflective
journal to express your ideas on the mandatory vaccination program in Indonesia.
 UNIT 5
ESCORT SERVICE

Learning Outcome
At the end of the lesson, students are able to recognize voice and viewpoint of the author.

Competency Standard