Title of unit of learning:
Toys - A critical literacy unit
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2012
NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre
Toys- A critical literacy unit
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Situational Analysis
This school is located in Sydney. This unit was developed for a mainstream Kindergarten
class comprising 20 students of varying abilities and backgrounds. The students came
from middle-class situations and some students had difficulties in class participation.
Learner profile
Within this Kindergarten class, three students were identified as demonstrating a high
level of reading proficiency within the initial Best Start Assessment. Although presenting
with different strengths and unique learning needs, these students are engaged
learners who often answer analytical questions and have a well developed vocabulary.
Resources from the 'Gifted and Talented Kindergarten Identification toolkit' were used to
initiate discussions with parents and gain further information about individual student
strengths at home and at school.
Curriculum Design
The unit was designed to support critical thinking and visual literacy in the early years.
The Quality teaching model was used to guide curriculum design. Lessons offer
opportunities for all students to acquire deep knowledge, a humanistic world view
incorporating human rights and responsibilities, critical thinking skills and cultural
diversity.
Intellectual quality – higher-order thinking, metalanguage and substantive
communication
Quality learning environment – engagement, social support and high expectations
Significance – background knowledge, knowledge integration and connectedness.
Planning for differentiation: Lesson sequence
These lessons are designed to lead students toward an understanding of how
advertising can influence and define gender stereotypes.
Focus One: Being a boy and being a girl
Resources
Students consider their assumptions about
gender, and realise that gender is a cultural
construct and therefore, flexible and evolving.
Non-gendered outline of young person
English Outcomes
V8 Understands how language is used to include and exclude others.
TES1.2 Demonstrates the classroom skills of classroom and group interaction, makes brief oral
presentations and listens with reasonable attentiveness.
TES1.3 Recognises that there are different kinds of spoken texts and shows emerging
awareness of school purposes and expectations for using spoken language.
Lesson One
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Toys- A critical literacy unit
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2012
NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre
Draw a ‘non-gendered’ figure of a boy and a girl on the board or poster paper. Give them both
names, eg. Henry and Henrietta.
Ask students to describe the characteristics of a boy or a man, then a girl or a woman. Ask –
What do you think he/she likes doing? What do you think he/she will do when he/she is an
adult? Don’t influence or judge students’ answers. Write students’ answers around the girl and
boy figures as they offer them.
Spend some time discussing possible restricting notions and misconceptions about gender that
become evident as students contribute their ideas and knowledge.
Define the words gender stereotype and consider some that we have in our society. e.g. Girls
are sensitive, sweet and don’t like getting dirty, boys like rough sport and are good at building,
boys don’t cry, women like to shop, girls like dolls, women are better at childcare and men aren’t
good at housework, men should be tough and strong and women talk more than men.
Lesson Two
Revisit previous discussion about stereotypes and ask students to reflect upon what they know
about gender.
Use the following questions as a guide:

Where do we hear these stereotypes? (Family life, school, friends, television,
advertisements or electronic games)

How do these stereotypes effect how we act?

What happens if a boy or a girl, or a man or a woman does not fit the stereotype?

Can people act differently depending on who they are with?

Why do you think it is important for all of us to make our own decisions about what we
do?

How might it be damaging to only follow narrow gender stereotypes?
Conclusion
Read, discuss and colour the sheets about Jaci and Lew. Girls and Boys Come Out To Play. SA
Department of Education and Children’s Services.
Toy Design task
Students were asked to design a
toy that could be appropriate for a
girl and a boy.
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2012
NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre
Toys- A critical literacy unit
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Focus Two: Toy brochures- An analysis of representations
of gender
Resources
Conducting a critical analysis of a variety of toy
brochures, students learn that some toy
brochures present narrow gender stereotypes
that can influence their behaviour and the
choices they make.
Advertising brochures
Students compare brochures from different
stores such as Toys-R-Us, Myer Toy Store, EB
Games and Kids Stuff.
English Outcomes
V2 Enjoys experiencing and responding to a range of spoken and written texts.
V8 Understands how language is used to include and exclude others.
RES1.7 Demonstrates an emerging awareness that written and visual texts convey meaning and
recognises that there are different kinds of texts that serve different purposes.
WES1.9 Engages in writing texts with the intention of conveying an idea or message
Lesson One
Using the template ask students to discuss and write about the problems associated with the
representations of boys and girls in some of the toy brochures.

‘What are the toy brochures telling us about boys and girls?’

‘What should toy advertisers do to make toys good for boys and girls?
Ask students to create/imagine a toy suitable for boys and girls and make an advertisement to
promote it. Have students get into pairs or threes for five minutes to have a discussion about
their ideas before they begin.
Before students begin, remind them to think about the size and colour of the text in their poster,
whether they use boys or girls in their advertisement and what they might be wearing, the colour
and background of their advertisement. Remind students to use their dictionaries, the word wall
or to get help from a teacher to spell unknown words.
Lesson Two (extension for GT)
Ask students to think about what might happen if we treat boys and girls differently, for
example, by giving them different toys and clothes, offering them different sports and having
different expectations of them, from when they are young to when they are adults. Ask students
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Toys- A critical literacy unit
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2012
NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre
to prepare a talk that explains their analysis and prediction.
Conclusion
Students to come together in a circle to share their toy ideas and advertisements. Have Gifted
and Talented students present their speeches.
Focus Three: An analysis of advertisements shown on
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2012
NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre
Resources
Toys- A critical literacy unit
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television
Digital / Visual Advertisements
Students watch television advertisements
aimed at children and consider what
advertising is. Who makes it? Why is it on our
television? What is its purpose? What are the
positive things about it? What are the negative
things about it? Look at representations of
gender in the advertisements.
English Outcomes
V8 Understands how language is used to include and exclude others.
TES1.2 Demonstrates the classroom skills of classroom and group interaction, makes brief oral
presentations and listens with reasonable attentiveness.
TES1.3 Recognises that there are different kinds of spoken texts and shows emerging
awareness of school purposes and expectations for using spoken language.
Lesson One
Revisit previous lesson/discussion about the limited representations of boy and girls, and ask
students to reflect upon what they know about gender.
Watch a series of advertisements on the IWB. Some suitable toys are Baby Born, Barbie
Hairdresser, BeyBlade, Fur Real Dogs, Lego - Prince of Persia, Littlest Pet Shop, and My Little
Pony.
BeyBlade http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SG3tuYQUmw&feature=related
LEGO Prince of Persia http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X9F7i7CO74&NR=1
My Little Pony http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZRZWWvOcyk
Baby So Real http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2IH4gh6sLk&feature=related
Use the ‘Toy Advertisements’ sheet (see Appendix A) and the following questions as a guide:

Where do we hear these stereotypes? (Family life, school, friends, television,
advertisements or electronic games)

How do these stereotypes effect how we act?

What happens if a boy or a girl, or a man or a woman does not fit the stereotype?

Can people act differently depending on who they are with?

Why do you think it is important for all of us to make our own decisions about what we
do?

How might it be damaging to only follow narrow gender stereotypes?
Assessment
Throughout this unit of work, formative assessment of student understanding was used
to plan for future teaching and learning and assess student level of understanding.
Student work samples were analysed, as were ongoing observations of student
contributions and discussions.
Reflection
Most students in early childhood have an enormous capacity to learn and thrive with a
challenge, particularly when being inspired with quality subject matter. The students
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Toys- A critical literacy unit
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2012
NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre
identified as G&T in my class were identified in Literacy – Reading. Through this process,
I found that there are quite a few others who are of similar ability in writing and similar
or higher ability in Mathematics. Lessons that were designed for the students identified
as G&T were also suitable for the majority of the class. Rather than choosing a select
few to accelerate, we must keep standards as high as possible for all students. We
should challenge all students in an environment that embraces equality and social unity.
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2012
NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre
Toys- A critical literacy unit
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Toys- A critical literacy unit
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2012
NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre