Identity 3: What's your identity?

Title: What's your identity?

Author: M. Hill

Subject: ELA

Grade: 6

Week: 1, lesson 3

Unit/Lesson Plan #: Identity 3

Unit theme: Identity

Textbook references:

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

Learning objectives:

- Understand that understanding personal identity is key to defining one's voice as a writer/reader.

- Define identity

- Begin to think about what characteristics make up one's identity

Key Questions, Concepts, or Themes:

Line of Inquiry:

How does exploring others’ voices and identities help us to define our own voices and understand the role of individual voice and identity as critical elements of ourselves as writers/thinkers?

Essential Questions:

What is identity?

Why is understanding your identity important to understanding yourself as a reader and writer?

Stage 1:

WARM-UP: On an index card, define "identity." (anonymously).  Reread the "Author's Note" at the end of Esperanza Rising.

JOURNAL: What is identity? How was Pam Munoz Ryan's identity important in her writing Esperanza Rising?

Stage 2:

Post all students' definitions of identity on the board. Go through all definitions as a class, and come to a collective definition of identity.

Stage 3:

Create a bubble brainstorm of identity. To do this, place name in the center of the board, and add elements of identity around the edge. As a class, create an example brainstorm of Esperanza's identity (from Esperanza Rising). Students may utilize the text and their reading notes to aid in this discussion.

Homework: Answer journal question, Create individual identity bubble brainstorm - using images, words, color, etc.

Assessments: (attach/link copies)

__ Group assessment

__ Observation of process/student work

_x_ Self-assessment by student

_x_ Teacher generated assignment

__ Written project

__ Test/Quiz

_x_ Other: _____________Journal, Brainstorm_______________________