1.Cultural: Suitable novels for learners from around the world are listed here. These novels explore how cultural and social forces impact on the lives of people. A brief synopsis of each novel is given to guide the learner.

2. Emotional: Young people are faced with many challenges in their personal lives. A poor self image, rejection and abuse are some of the factors that create turmoil in the lives of young people. Ready access to literature and information ought to help young people with their emotional problems.    

3. Reasoning: The whole purpose of education is to help young people develop their powers of reasoning. Very often young people take what they are given in writing as being the truth. Young people need to become critical of all information.

4. New Justice: There are many forces at play in the world which impact negatively on people's lives. Local, national and world issues need to be interrogated in order that people can have economic opportunities, a sustainable environment, good education and affordable health. These and other issues are highlighted in this section.

Literacy provides access to information, life-long learning and work opportunities. It is also an important tool for understanding and asserting one's human rights. It is therefore a key aspect of social justice. Schools must promote a high level of critical literacy amongst learners and in this manner try to redress past inequalities.

The teaching of critical literacy should be rooted in the world of the learner. Learners make sense of their world and bring this knowledge to their reading of texts. Through reading and viewing and listening to texts, learners are able to gain new perspectives on their world, and then use this knowledge to modify their world in such a manner that it contributes to social and environmental justice.

There are various steps to critical literacy. Learners should draw on their existing knowledge to make sense of texts. Teachers should appreciate that there is more than one interpretation of a text, and should ask questions that give learners the opportunity to respond personally to texts.

Typical Questions:

1. Have you ever had an experience like that?

2. Have you ever felt like that?

3. From whose point of view was this text/photo taken?

4. Are there alternative points of view to be taken into account?

5. Why was this particular alternative chosen?

Re-Write:

Learners should be given opportunities to create alternative possibilities.

By assisting learners to acquire critical literacy, teachers can make an important contribution to social and environmental justice. They can also choose texts, which enable learners to engage critically with their world, for example, texts about access to the resources in our society.

These are: health services; water; wealth.

Literate learners should be able to:

•  use languages to assert their own rights,

• show respect for other religions and cultures,

• challenge infringements of human rights;

• fulfill personal and civic responsibilities.

Reading has to become a means of developing language and of experiencing a wider world than that in which the learners find themselves. Through reading important social issues will be encountered and explored.