SCHOOL OF TEACHER EDUCATION

ENG 107
TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT OF LITERATURE STUDIES
1ST SEMESTER, A.Y. 2023-2024

Module 4
SOCIAL CLASS AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION
MS. JAROL S. BATILARAN, LPT
Instructor

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Module 4
Topics:
Social Class and Sexual Orientation
 Social Literacy
 Sexual Orientation

Overview:
Adolescence is the dawn of sexual attraction. It happens due to the hormonal changes of puberty.
These changes involve both the body and the mind — so just thinking about someone attractive can cause
physical arousal. These new feelings can be intense, confusing, sometimes even overwhelming. Teens are
beginning to discover what it means to be attracted romantically and physically to others. And recognizing the
importance of social literacy and one's sexual orientation is part of that process.

Module Outcome:
At the end of the module, the studentsmust be able to:
 Defined social literacy and sexual orientation
 Enumerated social literacy practices
 Created a digital storytelling in terms of social literacy
 Formulated rules/guides and limitations based on sexual orientation

Lecture/Discussion
Social Literacy Definition
Social Literacy means the achievement of positive social skills, knowledge and positive human values,
that support people’s ability to behave responsibly and with a commitment to complex social processes and
their ability to successfully and deliberately mediate his or her world as a family member, employee, citizen
and student for life.
Social Literacy Practices
1. Sharing
Children between the ages of three and six are often self-centered when it comes to sharing expensive
resources. By the age of seven or eight, children are more concerned about righteousness and are more likely
to be involved.
Praise your child for sharing and show how it makes others feel. Say something like, “You have chosen
to share your meal with your sister. I bet he feels happy about that. That’s a good thing to do.
2. Cooperating
Teamwork means working together to achieve a common goal. Children who work together are
respectful when others make requests.
For children, collaboration can involve anything from building a toy tower together to playing a game
that requires everyone to participate.
Create opportunities for the whole family to work together.
3. Listening
Listening isn’t just about being quiet – it means really absorbing what someone else is saying. Listening
is also an important part of healthy communication.
Giving your child plenty of opportunities to practice listening can strengthen this ability.
4. Following Directions
Kids who struggle to follow directions are likely to experience a variety of consequences .
 Don’t give a young child more than one direction at a time.
 Don’t phrase your directions as a question
 Don’t forget that mistakes are normal
5. Respecting Personal Space

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 It is important to teach children how to respect the personal space of others. Create home rules that
encourage children to respect other people’s private space. “You knock on doors,” and “Keep your hands to
yourself,” are just a few examples.
6. Making Eye Contact
Good eye contact is an important part of communication.
If your child has an eye problem, give reminders immediately after the truth. In a calm voice, ask,
“Where should your eyes go when someone speaks to you?”
7. Using Manners
Saying please and thank you and using good table habits can be very helpful in helping your child pay
attention to the right reasons.
It is important, however, that children know how to be polite and respectful.
Sexual Orientation
Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of
these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one
gender. These attractions are generally subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,
and bisexuality, while asexuality (the lack of sexual attraction to others) is sometimes identified as the fourth
category.
These categories are aspects of the more nuanced nature of sexual identity and terminology. For
example, people may use other labels, such as pansexual or polysexual, or none at all, According to
the American Psychological Association, sexual orientation "also refers to a person's sense of identity based on
those attractions, related behaviors, and membership in a community of others who share those
attractions". Androphilia and gynephilia are terms used in behavioral science to describe sexual orientation as
an alternative to a gender binary conceptualization. Androphilia describes sexual attraction
to masculinity; gynephilia describes the sexual attraction to femininity.The term sexual preference largely
overlaps with sexual orientation, but is generally distinguished in psychological research.A person who
identifies as bisexual, for example, may sexually prefer one sex over the other. Sexual preference may also
suggest a degree of voluntary choice, whereas sexual orientation is not a choice.
Scientists do not know the exact cause of sexual orientation, but they theorize that it is caused by a
complex interplay of genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences. Although no single theory on the cause
of sexual orientation has yet gained widespread support, scientists favor biologically based theories.There is
considerably more evidence supporting nonsocial, biological causes of sexual orientation than social ones,
especially for males. There is no substantive evidence which suggests parenting or early childhood experiences
play a role with regard to sexual orientation.Across cultures, most people are heterosexual, with a minority of
people having a homosexual or bisexual orientation.A person's sexual orientation can be anywhere on a
continuum, from exclusive attraction to the opposite sex to exclusive attraction to the same sex.
Sexual orientation is studied primarily within biology, neuroscience,
and psychology (including sexology), but it is also a subject area in sociology, history (including social
constructionist perspectives), and law.

What Is Sexual Orientation?

The term sexual orientation refers to the gender (that is, male or female) to which a person is attracted. There
are several types of sexual orientation that are commonly described:
 Heterosexual (straight). People who are heterosexual are romantically and physically attracted to
members of the opposite sex: males are attracted to females, and females are attracted to males.
Heterosexuals are often called "straight."
 Homosexual (gay or lesbian). People who are homosexual are romantically and physically attracted to
people of the same sex: females are attracted to other females; males are attracted to other males.
Homosexuals (whether male or female) are often called "gay." Gay females are also called lesbian.
 Bisexual. People who are bisexual are romantically and physically attracted to members of both sexes.
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Do We Choose Our Orientation?
Being straight, gay, or bisexual is not something that a person can choose or choose to change. In
fact, people don't choose their sexual orientation any more than they choose their height or eye color. It is
estimated that about 10% of people are gay. Gay people are represented in all walks of life, across all
nationalities, ethnic backgrounds, and in all social and economic groups.
No one fully understands exactly what determines a person's sexual orientation, but it is likely
explained by a variety of biological and genetic factors. Medical experts and organizations such as the
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Psychological Association (APA) view sexual
orientation as part of someone's nature. Being gay is also not considered a mental disorder or abnormality.
Despite myths and misconceptions, there is no evidence that being gay is caused by early childhood
experiences, parenting styles, or the way someone is raised.
Efforts to change gay people to straight (sometimes called "conversion therapy") have been proven to
be ineffective and can be harmful. Health and mental health professionals caution against any efforts to
change a person's sexual orientation.
At What Age Do Kids "Know"?
Knowing one's sexual orientation — whether straight or gay — is often something that kids or teens
recognize with little doubt from a very young age. Some gay teens say they had same-sex crushes in
childhood, just as their heterosexual peers had opposite-sex crushes.
By middle school, as they enter adolescence, many gay teens already recognize their sexual
orientation, whether or not they have revealed it to anyone else. Those who didn't realize they were gay at
first often say that they always felt different from their peers, but didn't exactly know why.
Becoming aware of — and coming to terms with — one's sexual orientation can take some time.
Thinking sexually about both the same sex and the opposite sex is quite common as teens sort through their
emerging sexual feelings.
Some teens may experiment with sexual experiences, including those with members of the same sex,
as they explore their own sexuality. But these experiences, by themselves, do not necessarily mean that a
teen is gay or straight. For many teens, these experiences are simply part of the process of sorting through
their emerging sexuality. And despite gender stereotypes, masculine and feminine traits do not necessarily
predict whether someone is straight or gay.
Once aware, some gay teens may be quite comfortable and accept their sexuality, while others might
find it confusing or difficult to accept.

How Gay Teens Might Feel

Like their straight peers, gay teens may stress about school, grades, college, sports, activities, friends,
and fitting in. But in addition, gay and lesbian teens often deal with an extra layer of stress — like whether
they have to hide who they are, whether they will be harassed about being gay, or whether they will face
stereotypes or judgments if they are honest about who they are.
They often feel different from their friends when the heterosexual people around them start talking
about romantic feelings, dating, and sex. For them, it can feel like everyone is expected to be straight. They
may feel like they have to pretend to feel things that they don't in order to fit in. They might feel they need to
deny who they are or hide an important part of themselves.
Many gay teens worry about whether they will be accepted or rejected by their loved ones, or whether
people will feel upset, angry, or disappointed in them. These fears of prejudice, discrimination, rejection, or
violence, can lead some teens who aren't straight to keep their sexual orientation secret, even from friends
and family who might be supportive.
It can take time for gay teens to process how they feel and to accept this aspect of their own identity
before they reveal their sexual orientation to others. Many decide to tell a few accepting, supportive friends
and family members about their sexual orientation. This is called coming out.
For most people, coming out takes courage. In some situations, teens who are openly gay may risk
facing more harassment than those who haven't revealed their sexual orientation. But many lesbian, gay, and
bisexual teens who come out to their friends and families are fully accepted by them and their communities.
They feel comfortable and secure about being attracted to people of the same gender. In a recent survey,
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teens who had come out reported feeling happier and less stressed than those who hadn't.

How Parents Might Feel

Adolescence is a time of transition not just for teens, but for their parents too. Many parents face their
teen's emerging sexuality with a mix of confusion and worry. They may feel completely unprepared for this
next stage of parenthood. And if their child is gay, it may bring a whole new set of questions and concerns.
Some are surprised to learn the truth, always having thought their child was straight. Others wonder
whether the news is really true and whether their teen is sure. They might wonder if they did something
to cause their child to be gay — but they shouldn't. There is no evidence that being gay is the result of the
way that someone was raised.
Fortunately, many parents of gay teens understand and are accepting right from the start. They feel
they have known all along, even before their teen came out to them. They often feel glad that their child
chose to confide in them, and are proud of their child for having the courage to tell them.
Other parents feel upset, disappointed, or unable to accept their teen's sexual orientation at first. They
may be concerned or worried about whether their son or daughter will be bullied, mistreated, or marginalized.
And they might feel protective, worrying that others might judge or reject their child. Some also struggle to
reconcile their teen's sexual orientation with their religious or personal beliefs. Sadly, some react with anger,
hostility, or rejection.
But many parents find that they just need time to adjust to the news. That's where support groups and
other organizations can help. It can be reassuring for them to learn about openly gay people who lead happy,
successful lives.
With time, even parents who thought they couldn't possibly accept their teen's sexual orientation are
surprised to find that they can reach a place of understanding.
Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation
What is sexual orientation?
Sexual orientation is about who you’re attracted to and want to have relationships with. Sexual
orientations include gay, lesbian, straight, bisexual, and asexual.

Sexual orientation is different from gender and gender identity

Sexual orientation is about who you’re attracted to and who you feel drawn to romantically,
emotionally, and sexually. It’s different than gender identity. Gender identity isn’t about who you’re attracted
to, but about who you ARE — male, female, genderqueer, etc.
This means that being transgender (feeling like your assigned sex is very different from the gender you
identify with) isn’t the same thing as being gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Sexual orientation is about who you want
to be with. Gender identity is about who you are.
There are a bunch of identities associated with sexual orientation:
 People who’re attracted to a different gender (for example, women who are attracted to men or men
who are attracted to women) often call themselves straight or heterosexual.
 People who’re attracted to people of the same gender often call themselves gay or homosexual. Gay
women may prefer the term lesbian.
 People who’re attracted to both men and women often call themselves bisexual.
 People whose attractions span across many different gender identities (male,
female, transgender, genderqueer, intersex, etc.) may call themselves pansexual or queer.
 People who’re unsure about their sexual orientation may call themselves questioning or curious.
 People who don't experience any sexual attraction for anyone often call themselves asexual.

It’s also important to note that some people don't think any of these labels describe them accurately. Some
people don't like the idea of labels at all. Other people feel comfortable with certain labels and not others. It's
up to you to decide how you want to label yourself, if at all.

Bullying
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 Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived
power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are
bullied and who bully others may have serious, lasting problems.
In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:
 An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to
embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over
time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.
 Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than
once.
 Intentional:The behavior was aggressive and a deliberate attempt to hurt another person

Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or
verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.

Types of Bullying
There are three types of bullying:

1. Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things. Verbal bullying includes:

 Teasing
 Name-calling
 Inappropriate sexual comments
 Taunting
 Threatening to cause harm
2. Social bullying, sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting someone’s reputation or
relationships. Social bullying includes:
 Leaving someone out on purpose
 Telling other children not to be friends with someone
 Spreading rumors about someone
 Embarrassing someone in public
3. Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or possessions. Physical bullying includes:
 Hitting/kicking/pinching
 Spitting
 Tripping/pushing
 Taking or breaking someone’s things
 Making mean or rude hand gestures

The roles youth play

Situations involving bullying are often more complex than they seem. Three widely recognized roles in
bullying situations are victim, bully, and bystander. However, bullying situations are rarely simple. Youth
who are victims of bullying may also act as bullies under some circumstances.
Youth bystanders can either exacerbate a bullying situation, or intervene to stop it. Bystanders who
make the bullying worse do so by either participating in the bullying themselves or providing the bully with an
encouraging audience. Helpful bystanders, on the other hand, stand up for the victim when they see bullying
occur, or get someone else who can help.
Be cautious about labeling. While we use the terms “victim,” “bully,” and “bystander” to refer to the
roles that youth can play, it is important to consider the impact that these labels can have on young people’s
identities. Many researchers and educators believe that such labeling sends a message that the bullying
behavior cannot change. There are many factors that might influence a youth’s behavior, such as the youth’s
peers, family situation, and school climate. While we use the terms victim, bully, and bystander throughout
this site for simplicity, we believe it is better to focus on the bullying behaviors, rather than the labels.

Who is at risk?
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 All young people are in danger of being bullied at some point during their adolescence—but there are
certain populations at greater risk. Depending on the environment, some groups—such as youth who are
perceived as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered, youth with disabilities, and socially isolated youth—may
be more likely to be bullied.

What are the results?

The effects of bullying involve both the bully and the victim. Youth who are bullied are more likely to
suffer from the following:
 Depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and thoughts of suicide
 Health issues like headaches, sleep problems, abdominal pain, bed-wedding, and fatigue
 Academic issues including poor attendance, low test scores, and increased dropout rates

Youth who bully:

 Are at greater risk of smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol
 Perform poorly in school and have a poor perception of school environment
 Are more likely to become involved in criminal activity and to experience psychiatric disorders

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Reference:
https://www.englishbix.com/social-literacy-examples/#:~:text=Social%20Literacy%20means%20the%20achievement,a%20family%20member%2C
%20employee%2C%20citizen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_orientation
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/sexual-orientation.html
http://preventingbullying.promoteprevent.org/what-bullying
https://www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/what-is-bullying
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/sexual-orientation/sexual-orientation

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