3.19.08/3.20.08: Current events: Identity & Perspective

Title: Current events: Identity & Perspective

Author: M. Hill

Subject: ELA

Grade: 6

Week: 3.17.08

Unit/Lesson Plan #: 4/3

Unit theme: Media and Persuasion in the Present

Textbook references: Three Wishes: Palestinean and Israeli Children Speak by Deborah Ellis

Learning objectives:

- To explore how personal identity influences perspective

- To explore the differences between subjective and objective writing

- To compare and contrast two first-hand interviews on current events

- To consider how identity personal opinion influences our perceptions 

- To make text-self and text-world connections 

Key Questions, Concepts, or Themes:

How does your identity influence your perspective? In what ways does your background (such as gender, age, ethnicity, religion/beliefs, family, etc.) change your opinions?

Stage 1: 

Students will be given the lesson's key question to answer during a journal warm-up:

How does your identity influence your perspective? In what ways does your background (such as gender, age, ethnicity, religion/beliefs, family, etc.) change your opinions?

As a class, we will then discuss more broadly  how identity influences perspective and will create a full class brainstorm of students' thoughts on this question.

Stage 2:

I will read students two different interviews from Three Wishes: Palestinean and Israeli Children Speak by Deborah Ellis ("Talia, 16" p. 28-33 and "Yanal, 14" p. 56-62).  

Stage 3:

  After these pieces students will be given an opportunity to discuss and debrief, with the focus question remaining how identity influences perspective.  As in both of these interviews the children mention the media and "what they know" about conflicts in Palestine and Israel, we will discuss how media influences identity and why this might be so.

Homework: N/A

Assessments: (attach/link copies)

_X_ Group assessment

__ Observation of process/student work

__ Self-assessment by student

__ Teacher generated assignment

__ Written project

__ Test/Quiz

__ Other: ____class participation rubric______________________