By: Martha Cameli De Lellis Putri Jogo
Class XI.1
Without realizing it, we carry out literacy activities in our lives. Literacy is a person's ability to process and understand information when carrying out the process of reading and writing. In its development, the term literacy has begun to be used in a broader meaning. According to Elizabeth Sulzby (1986), literacy is a person's language skills in communicating in different ways according to their goals.
Syuradikara Catholic High School has implemented mandatory literacy activities for almost three months. Every morning, the school gives the students fifteen minutes to do literacy. Literacy implemented includes reading, writing, and speaking. Students are welcome to read any book except subject books, such as comics, novels, short stories, and other interesting story genres. The literacy team teachers provide around thirteen formats used in writing literacy activities. The varied writing formats make it easier for students to write concise information from the books they read. Students can also present their literacy results for one week in front of the class creatively.
There are some benefits and challenges from literacy activity as a new awareness. First, literacy is beneficial and makes it easier for me to learn. By being literate, I get important information I have never got at school. It expands knowledge and makes it easier to understand and digest knowledge. Second, it can also develop critical thinking skills and imagination. Third, my literacy activity is growing, and I have found a new hobby: reading novels. Nevertheless, when it comes to literacy, I face many challenges. One of them is I sometimes need help understanding sentences or words included in the books I read. However, challenges like this arouse high curiosity about new things being learned. Hence, I seek information about new words or things I find while reading to increase my knowledge.
In conclusion, one quote, "books are a window to the world", explains the true meaning of literacy. This proverb illustrates the importance of books, a literacy media that helps develop science and imagination. The school has given fifteen precious hours for all students to read. Therefore, students must make good use of that precious time. I hope that all Syuradikara Catholic High School students will become more interested in literacy and can change their views.*