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Identity Lesson Plan

This lesson plan introduces students to the concept of identity through a warm-up activity where they share anonymous facts about themselves. A discussion on defining and influencing factors of identity follows. Students analyze a poem exploring the poet's identity and are assigned to connect themes in the poem to parts of the poet's childhood. As homework, students write their own "Where I'm From" poem reflecting on the aspects of their lives that have shaped who they are. The next class involves sharing and reflecting on the experience of exploring identity through poetry.

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Emily Peeler
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115 views2 pages

Identity Lesson Plan

This lesson plan introduces students to the concept of identity through a warm-up activity where they share anonymous facts about themselves. A discussion on defining and influencing factors of identity follows. Students analyze a poem exploring the poet's identity and are assigned to connect themes in the poem to parts of the poet's childhood. As homework, students write their own "Where I'm From" poem reflecting on the aspects of their lives that have shaped who they are. The next class involves sharing and reflecting on the experience of exploring identity through poetry.

Uploaded by

Emily Peeler
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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https://global.umn.edu/icc/documents/I_Am_From_Faculty_Guide.

pdf

Framing: Identity - do some activities to have you think about your own background, learn a little
bit more about your peers, which should help you as you read the book (Ghost Boys)

“Where I’m From” Lesson Plan

Warm up activity - “How well do we know each other?”


An index card will be distributed to each student.
Students will be asked to write one little-known fact about themselves on this card.
It should be something that people could not know just by looking at them.
Their names should not appear on the cards.
The cards will be collected when they are finished.
A few of the cards will be read aloud and the class will be asked who they think the fact
describes.

Opening discussion questions (discuss in table groups & share):


How do you define identity?
What aspects of life influence identity?
What sorts of things make or have made you who you are?

Examples of identity
Age
Abilities - physical & mental abilities, mental health, etc.
Race - based on physical features
Ethnicity - based on culture (common language, national origin, etc.)
Gender
Sexual orientation
Socioeconomic status - where you stand in society based on income, wealth,
poverty, etc.
Religion

Likes & dislikes


Experiences

Background on the poet/poem - poetry as a means of expressing/dealing with identity


Slide on George Ella Lyon
Poem - author looks at her childhood and tries to understand herself by naming things
that have turned her into the person she is

Read the poem aloud; answer questions on comprehension, vocab, etc.

Themes of Identity
Poem split into 6 different “themes” (these will help with brainstorming later) - household
items, nature, household atmosphere, religion, culture, family
Work in table groups to assign each theme to the appropriate part of the poem
Discuss answers with whole class, which belong where and why

Brainstorming - worksheet
Individual task

Homework: write your own “Where I’m From” poem


Students will have the original poem and an additional example poem as well as the
brainstorming worksheet to help them/give them ideas or inspiration

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In the next lesson students can share their poems, either with the whole class, in table groups,
in partners, gallery walk, etc.

Questions to guide reflections:


Describe the experience of writing this poem. Was it easy or difficult?
Describe the experience of reading the poem aloud. How did you feel?
What did you notice in the poems read aloud by others?
What similarities and differences did you notice between your poem and that of the other
students?
What did you learn about yourself in this activity?
Was there anything that surprised you, either in writing your poem or sharing it with the
class?
What was valuable or interesting about this activity?
How might completing this activity help you while reading the book?

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At or near the end of the unit, or once the students have gotten to know the main character of
the book, they can do this activity again, this time writing as the main character of the novel (in
pairs or groups).

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