Part 1. Instruction: Review the presentations from 12/17 and 12/18. Answer the questions below. What is the meaning of spatial intelligence? Use your own words to answer the question.

What is playacting? Use your own words to answer the question.

What is underrepresentation? Use your own words to explain. Give 2 examples in our society for underrepresentation.

Part 2. Annotation.
Continued - Article 2: How Today’s Toys May Be Harming Your Daughters and Sons -
BY NATASHA DALY

Use this GREEN highlight color for keywords and important details
In each paragraph, USE this CYAN-BLUE color to HIGHLIGHT ONE SENTENCE that is the MAIN IDEA.

Consequence of Gendered-Toys on Children
[10] Targeting toys by gender has consequences beyond socialization. A 2015 study found that boys are more likely to play with toys that develop spatial intelligence—K’nex, puzzles, Lego bricks—than girls are. Marketing can certainly play a role, says study author Jamie Jirout, a developmental psychologist at the University of Virginia. The girl-oriented product line Lego Friends focuses on playacting rather than construction; aisles in some toy stores distinguish “building sets” from “girls’ building sets.”

[11] Boys also appear to play differently. According to a 2012 study by Dr. Susan Levine, boys opted to play with more complex puzzles—and get more spatially related encouragement from parents. Parents fostered spatial thinking—tall, big, edge, top, and bottom—when children played with more challenging puzzles. These distinctions shaped later life: “Spatial skills are a piece of the explanation for the underrepresentation of women in science and tech,” says Dr. Levine. Informal play activities are important to developing spatial skills, and are not only important for math and science but for what we call ‘executive function’—higher-level thinking.” Being comfortable with certain types of toys may shape kids’ confidence in specific subjects.

Is there more gender equality in toys in the 2010s?
[12] There are signs things may be changing. Major toy retailers from Target to Walmart to Amazon are de-emphasizing gender labeling of toys. Even the oldest toy store in the world—Hamley's in the U. K., which dates back to 1750—stopped gender labeling in 2012. But the toys remained heavily gendered-split with gender roles reminiscent of those pushed on kids in 1925, but more fantastical: The homemaker is the princess; the carpenter becomes the action hero. Dr. Sweet, professor of California State University, says, "you take the pink advertising off television, but there’s still a pink aisle in the toy store". In the toy industry, developing and marketing toys by gender is a reliable and profitable approach. Big companies like Hasbro or Disney have earned billions of dollars by promoting pink fluffy uniforms or boyish action figures.

[13] Ultimately, it may be up to parents to break the gender stereotypes when buying toys. “How parents view what is appropriate for girls and boys to play might be influencing children for long term,” says Jirout. “Girls and boys don’t care about the color of their toys until they learn it from adults or television.”

Part 3. Answer the reading comprehension questions. Cite evidence from the text. Explain how the evidence supports your answer. Use your own words to answer.

How do gendered-toys affect children’s development of spatial intelligence? Cite evidence from the text. Explain how the evidence supports your answer.

Why is informal play important to child development? What are the long term consequences for children playing with gendered toys? Cite evidence from the text. Explain how the evidence supports your answer.

Why are women underrepresented in science and technology fields? Cite evidence from the text. Explain how the evidence supports your answer.

Based on the text, is there more gender equality in the toys in 2010s? If yes, where is the evidence in the text for the more gender equality? If no, where is evidence in the text that says no improvement in gender equality? Cite evidence from the text. Explain how the evidence supports your answer.

Make an inference from the text: How can parents ensure boys and girls develop equally well spatial intelligence? What kind of gender toys do you want your child(ren) to have and why? How would you ensure you will be successful?

Exit: Write down 3 things you want the toy industry to do/change in order to promote more spatial intelligence for boys and girls.
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