Where and when do you read? Do you only use digital platforms and read news, social media feeds and fiction online? Or do you sometimes pick up an actual newspaper or book to read? And how long does it last until you get distracted? By your thoughts, by something popping up on you cell phone screen, or by actual people, or real-life events?

Did you know that research shows that onscreen reading makes us more impatient? And that this Guardian article draws upon the same research, and adds a number of other studies from across the world to prove its point? The first task for you in today’s lesson is to read these two articles, the second longer than the first, and track your own reactions. As the first challenges you overtly to react a certain way, the second challenges you more covertly. How do you respond? Monitor your reactions and take notes along the way.

The second task this lesson is to read two more articles, one from BBC and one from UC Berkeley. They both encourage you to read, but for different purposes and within different genres, thus also presenting different strategies. Take notes, depending on your previous experience with study techniques. Did you learn anything new from reading these articles? Or do you already employ these strategies on a daily basis?

But the main question for today is: how did you do when asked to read almost an hour in one sitting?


Studying abroad project



person holding terrestrial globe scale model taken
Photo by Artem Bali on










Useful websites:


  • finne fram til og drøfte internasjonale utdanningstilbud og arbeidsmuligheter
  • reflektere over hvordan kulturforskjeller og ulike verdisystem kan påvirke kommunikasjon
adult book business cactus
Photo by on

Criteria for evaluation:

1-2 3-4 5-6


Brick Lane

Bilderesultat for brick lane film







In the news: Erna Solberg speaks to UN General Assembly

She mentioned the importance of girls’ education and spoke about other sustainable development goals, such as Life below Water and the huge amount of plastics found in our oceans. She also spoke about Norway’s candidacy for a seat in the UN Security Council.

H.E. Mrs.Erna Solberg

Listen to the whole speech/read the transcript here:

“The extremists have shown what frightens them the most – a girl with a book”

Yesterday, this article was posted in the New York Times. It relates directly to the topics we are working with, quality education and gender equality. It is about an incident in Pakistan where 14 schools, most of them for girls, where burned down during one night, in a district where only 11% of the girls know how to read and write.


Girl Rising

“One girl with courage is a revolution”

As an introduction to the topic Global Challenges you are going to watch the film Girl Rising.



As we watch the film, take notes, as you are to to discuss the film in your groups afterwards. Also, note down all the global challenges that are dealt with in the film and see if you can group them together in a logical order.

Discussion questions:




Ingunn and Hanna

Quality Education and Gender Equality

As agreed from your last blog posts, we will start working with the global goals of quality education and gender equality. These two goals are often intertwined, which is why I put them together.

Start with reading about the goals here and here.

Write a summary in your own words about what you learn from the two different sites. What is the actual problem? Why is Quality Education and Gender Equality so important that they take up two of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals?
And how are these two goals, 4 and 5, so intertwined? Explain and discuss.
Also include how you would like to work with these goals. Post this on your blog.

When you finish, read the short story “Chinasa” by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adicie. You will find the story on It’s Learning and get it as a handout. Note down difficult words and look them up. Comment on how, if at all, this short story relates to UN Goals 4 and 5.

Hanna & Ingunn

The personal statement

Many learning institutions outside of Norway demand a personal statement from their applicants. This statement is meant to set you apart, to show why you belong at this school, or this particular program. You have read an example of a personal statement, and now it is your turn to try:

Write a personal statement to a university/learning institution that tells about yourself- your hopes, ambitions, life experiences and inspirations. You could focus on your background and how this has shaped your dreams and aspirations, or tell about a personal talent or quality, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. How does this relate to what person you are? Remember to write persuasively.

UCAS has some tips on how to write your text:
– “Structure your info to reflect the skills and qualities the universities and colleges value most.
– Write in an enthusiastic, concise and natural style – nothing too complex.


Hanna’s class:

Goal no. 6 of the UN Sustainable Development Goal is “Clean Water and Sanitation.”


This is the last goal we will look at.

Why is access to clean water and sanitation so important? Why can this issue cause conflicts, both between companies, ethnic groups and even nations?


In pairs you will choose a water-related conflict and co-write a text about this conflict. You can do this by using Google Docs or Padlet – just remember that both of you need to have access to the document.

You will need to include:

  • what is the conflict about? Explain the issues, and what led to this conflict
  • where and for how long has this conflict taken place?
  • how is the conflict being handled? Protests, demonstrations, law suits, armed conflict, etc.
  • what kind of solution would you offer to this conflict?

On Wednesday, you will join another pair to talk about the conflict you have chosen, and to listen to the research they have done on another water-related conflict.


You will find a good overview of the water crisis here.


(Pictures taken from:,, and



International Day

Work with this task:

Do option 2 as a post on your blog.

Below you find a link to a google docs document. Choose two rooms you want to participate in on International Day (one black and one red) and write your name in the corresponding box. No more than two students per class in each box!

Now find more information about the rooms (human library and other rooms/activities) in the link below. Make an information poster to be put on the door and which can also be shared with teachers and students before International Day. E-mail this to your teacher no later than Friday, October 27 1 pm.