UNIT 1: IDENTITY

LESSON 2: WHO AM I & WHAT ARE MY IDENTITIES?

This week is for building community and creating space for students to begin to investigate different parts of their identities and cultures. Students will focus on their personal and social identities and learn vocabulary to use when naming specific parts of their identities. 

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:

Who are you in relation to self, culture & society?

  • This lesson’s purpose is to provide students with examples of and definitions for a variety of social and personal identities. Students will be guided through an identity circles activity to differentiate their personal identities versus their social identities. and have

    • Who are you?

    • What are your identities (race, gender, sexuality, class, ability etc.)?

    • Describe your identity and how it relates to self, family, culture, community, and society.

    • PERSONAL IDENTITY

      Identity characteristics that you would give yourself. These can include traits, behaviors, beliefs, values, and other characteristics that make you who you are.

    • SOCIAL IDENTITY

      Identity characteristics that affect how others interact with you and you interact with others. These can include race, gender, age and other characteristics.

    • VISIBLE IDENTITY CHARACTERISTICS

      Identity characteristics that are readily seen by others

    • INVISIBLE IDENTITY CHARACTERISTICS

      Identity characteristics that are not readily seen by others.

    • RACE

      Race is a social construct developed by scientists and colonists in the 16th century to justify a racial hierarchy based on skin color and physical features. This allowed for the enslavement and inhumane treatment of people of color

    • ETHNICITY

      Markers acquired from the group with which one shares cultural, traditional and familial bonds.

    • GENDER

      A complex system of roles, expressions, identities, performances, and more that are given gendered meaning by a society and usually assigned to people based on the appearance of their sex characteristics at birth. How gender is embodied and defined varies from culture to culture and from person to person.

    • CLASS

      A category and identifier that denotes a person or group’s economic or social status

    • ASSIMILATION

      The process whereby a historically marginalized person or group voluntarily or involuntarily adopts the social, psychological, cultural, and political characteristics of a dominant group.

  • I can use critical reasoning skills to analyze and evaluate the multiple parts of my identity and culture.

  • Example: WA Social Studies Standards

    SSS1: Uses critical reasoning skills to analyze and evaluate claims

  • Click here to learn more about XITO’s decolonial framework, TIAHUI.

    • Interconnectedness Through Student-Centered Instruction

    • Historical Literacy Development

    • Unity Through Community

    • Intersectional Identity Development

RESOURCES & MATERIALS

Use the buttons below to view and download the resources and materials for this lesson. External links and resources are embedded within the slides and lesson plan.

LESSON PLAN
HANDOUTS & READINGS
SLIDES
ASSESSMENTS

Handouts & Readings:

Assessment:

  • Written Reflection Prompt: The Origins of Ethnic Studies

Additional materials:

  • Journals

  • Easel paper and markers

TIPS FOR TEACHERS

Journals - students should have  journals to record responses to prompts, engage in brainstorming, reflecting and drawing. Due to the content of this unit, having a journal is a great way for students to practice their writing skills while reflecting on their identities. In the weeks to come, they will  journal about observations they have about systems of oppression, influences from media, comments they hear or read etc. 

Stand by a quote - this activity can be used to interact with a text and with each other. In this example, the activity is embedded for use with Takaki’s introduction to his book.

  1. Write 5-6 quotes from text up on the board or around the room (with space for students to stand under). 

  2. Students go and stand next to the one that is significant to them (EX: choose one that you have a question about, an opinion about, a connection to, etc.)

  3. Students explain why they chose this quote to each other. Teacher may then call on groups to share out.