Year 1, Lesson 2.4: Identity

Unit Learning Goal

Students will practice self-reflection and develop a purpose-driven mission.

Lesson Goal

Students will be able to define identity and articulate the different dimensions of their own identity.

Assessment

  • Monitor group discussion during the completion of the Frayer Model and the turn-and-talk for nuanced understandings of identity.

  • Review students’ written identifiers and Identity Pies for awareness of various dimensions of identity.

  • Analyze Exit Tickets for accurate definitions of identity.

CASEL Alignment

Self-Awareness, Identity

Portfolio Documentation

Resources

Prerequisites

None

Total Time

45 minutes

  • Remind students that last lesson students discussed how they spent their time and then discussed together elements that they would prefer in their workspaces. Consider asking students to share some of the elements that they remember from this discussion.

    • Ask students what they took away from the discussion regarding the relationship between how we spend our time and how that can inform our choices for what we may like or not like in our future work environment.

    This week, you can tell students that they’ll be further considering different aspects of themselves that will help them think about the type of person they want to be in the future and how their work might fit into their identit(ies).

Instructions

1. Opener: Who am I? [5 minutes]

  • Instruct students to write down 5 to 10 key aspects of what they consider their identity.

  • Remind students that identity can include things that we see “above the surface” such as our race or ethnicity, but also elements “below the surface” like our beliefs and other elements about who we are.

  • Keep this reflection for their Good Work Portfolio.

2. Identity List. [10 minutes]

  • Display or write on a front board the following definitions of identity [Make clear to students that these are just some elements of identity to consider, there are more]:

    • “Social identity means your sense of who you are based on your membership in certain groups.” For example, “ ability, age, social class, ethnicity, gender, nationality, language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.”

    • “Personal identity means the unique (special and individual) ways you define yourself.” For example, “family, religion, and interests” or “race, neighborhood, and job.”

    • “Age, gender, religious or spiritual affiliation, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status are all identities. Some identities are things people can see easily (like race or assumed gender), while other identities are internalized and are not always easy to see (like a disability, socioeconomic status or education level).”

    • “Identity encompasses the memories, experiences, relationships, and values that create one’s sense of self. This amalgamation creates a steady sense of who one is over time, even as new facets are developed and incorporated into one's identity.”

3. Frayer Model. [5 minutes]

  • As a class, complete a Frayer Model defining the word “identity.”

    • A Frayer model includes “defin[ing] the term, pinpointing its most important characteristics, and then provid[ing] both examples and non-examples of the word.”

4. Identity Map. [15 minutes]

  • Display on a front whiteboard or pass out to each student the following list of visible and invisible aspects of culture and identity. Ask them to consider whether they would expand or change their identity list.

    [Please adapt this list as appropriate to your age level and local context.]

  • Athletics

  • Personal Characteristics or Attributes

  • Temperament

  • Hobbies/Interests

  • Habits

  • Able or Non-Able Bodied

  • Neurodivergent or Neurotypical 

  • And more 

  • Gender

  • Ethnicity

  • Race

  • Religion

  • Socioeconomic status

  • Language

  • Relationships

  • Sexual Orientation

  • Career 

  • Education

  • Next, tell students that they will be drawing an “identity pie” that represents who they are, with the “slices” of the pie representing elements of their identity that have greater or lesser significance to their sense of self if this feels appropriate. All aspects can be drawn equally if that feels more appropriate. Larger slices of pie represent more dominant aspects of one’s identity(-ies).

    • Please note: You do not have to use pie as your metaphor for this assignment if it does not feel appropriate to your context or students. Students should feel free to represent themselves in whatever way feels most comfortable. For example, some people use trees, with the various branches representing aspects of their identity.

  • Tell students in advance that they will be asked to share their pies with the class so they should only share elements that they feel comfortable discussing within the class.

  • “There is one activity that I often do in the Orientation Week of a new academic session that I ask my students to create a collage about themselves in which they use pictures from magazines or newspapers to present their likes and dislikes; so I think one such ‘Identity Collage’ may increase their interest even further and make it more exciting for the learners. Or if they are like high school students so we can ask them to create an ‘Identity Timeline’ using ‘comic strip app and or otherwise, where they can share how their identity has evolved with some significant moments of their lives.”

    -Tehmina Adnan, Educator in Pakistan

5. Turn-and-Talk. [5 minutes]

  • Have students turn to a peer and discuss their identity pies.

  • Ask students to reflect on the meanings of each dimension of their identity, including the life experiences that have shaped who they are, and the importance that each aspect of their identity plays in their life.

  • Ask students to consider how the different dimensions and roles that make up their identities might play into the choices they make regarding doing “good work” and future careers.

  • Keep the identity pie handout for the Good Work Portfolio.

6. Closing and Exit Ticket. [5 minutes]

  • Ask students to complete the Lesson 2.4 Exit Ticket.

    • Students will respond, in their own words, to the question “How would you define identity?”.

  • Keep the written reflection for the Good Work Portfolio.

Lesson Walkthrough

Watch this short video guide for lesson specific advice from The Good Project Research Team.