Understanding Our Own Stories

Unit	Community-Building for High School Classrooms
Lesson Name	Understanding Our Own Stories
Grade Band	High School (9-12)

Required Materials	Basket or bowl for questions Boundary Breaker Questions Personal Identity Wheel, 1 per student (see link below) Perspectacles video Social Identity Wheel, 1 per student (see link below)
Standards / Competencies	SEL Core Competencies: Self-Awareness: identifying emotions, experiencing self-efficacy, linking feelings, values and thoughts, demonstrating honesty and integrity Self-Management: managing one’s emotions, exhibiting self-discipline Social Awareness: taking others’ perspectives, recognizing strengths in others, demonstrating empathy and compassion, identifying diverse social norms, showing concern for the feelings of others Relationship Skills: communicating effectively, developing positive relationships, showing leadership in groups, resolving conflicts constructively, seeking or offering support when needed ELA Standards: Listening and Speaking Social Studies Theme: Individual Development and Identity
Recommended Time	53 mins

Required Materials

Basket or bowl for questions
Boundary Breaker Questions
Personal Identity Wheel, 1 per student (see link below)
Perspectacles video
Social Identity Wheel, 1 per student (see link below)

Standards / Competencies

SEL Core Competencies:

Self-Awareness: identifying emotions, experiencing self-efficacy, linking feelings, values and thoughts, demonstrating honesty and integrity
Self-Management: managing one’s emotions, exhibiting self-discipline
Social Awareness: taking others’ perspectives, recognizing strengths in others, demonstrating empathy and compassion, identifying diverse social norms, showing concern for the feelings of others
Relationship Skills: communicating effectively, developing positive relationships, showing leadership in groups, resolving conflicts constructively, seeking or offering support when needed

ELA Standards: Listening and Speaking

Social Studies Theme: Individual Development and Identity

Recommended Time

53 mins

Essential Question	How does understanding and claiming our own stories help us to receive the stories of others?
Learning Objectives	Analyze our own stories and identities.

Activating Prior Knowledge	Invite students to sit in a circle on the floor, with no double parking. Explain that you are going to begin with an activity known as boundary breakers. It is an activity meant to build community, break down boundaries, and get to know one another. Explain that boundary breakers works by having a student select a question, read it to the group, place it back in the basket/bowl, and then ask someone to answer it first while determining if the question will go left or right around the circle. Students may “pass”, but once everyone else has answered all “passers” will be required to answer. Stress that there is no right nor wrong answer to the questions and that students may interpret the questions however they like. Lastly, students should laugh with one another, not at one another. Determine the first student by asking who has a birthday closest to the current date. Whomever the first student selects to answer their question first will be the next student to pick a question. Repeat the process until time is up.
Core Instruction	Share today’s learning goal, noting that we are going to examine our stories and identities through a variety of modes, the first will be a video called “Perspectacles”. Before playing the video, begin by asking the students the question “how would you treat people if you knew their stories? how would people treat you if they knew yours?”. Play perspectacles for the class. After viewing the video, ask students to think of one word that comes to mind after watching perspectacles. Ask students to put a thumb up when they have a word. Once all students have a word, go around the room and have everyone share. Students do not need to explain why they chose the word they did. After students finish sharing, explain that students will have the chance to explore their own stories and identities with two different graphic organizers as they consider the things people might “see” about them if they had their own perspectacles. Stress that students do not need to share anything on the handouts they feel uncomfortable sharing and that each wheel is there to help them come to a better self awareness and self understanding. After 10 minutes of reflecting, ask each student to share ONE thing from their wheels with the class that they feel comfortable sharing. Hand out the list of prompts for the Personal Narrative and invite students to continue their self exploration by writing into their stories. Ask students to pick one of the prompts to reflect on quietly. The teacher should participate in this reflection as well. 10 minutes into the writing, ask students to review their work and underline a sentence or phrase they are proud of AND would feel comfortable sharing with the rest of class.
Wrap-up	Gather students together to review the emotions discussed during the small group activity. Ask students one thing that they learned about empathy or what empathy means to them. Create a class empathy chart on chart paper, noting different ways they can show empathy.
Learning Beyond Classroom Walls	Have all students share their phrases/sentences with the class. The teacher should do this as well. Collect the narratives as they are or ask students to complete them as homework to use in another activity.

Activating Prior Knowledge

Invite students to sit in a circle on the floor, with no double parking. Explain that you are going to begin with an activity known as boundary breakers. It is an activity meant to build community, break down boundaries, and get to know one another.

Explain that boundary breakers works by having a student select a question, read it to the group, place it back in the basket/bowl, and then ask someone to answer it first while determining if the question will go left or right around the circle. Students may “pass”, but once everyone else has answered all “passers” will be required to answer. Stress that there is no right nor wrong answer to the questions and that students may interpret the questions however they like. Lastly, students should laugh with one another, not at one another.

Determine the first student by asking who has a birthday closest to the current date. Whomever the first student selects to answer their question first will be the next student to pick a question. Repeat the process until time is up.

Core Instruction

Share today’s learning goal, noting that we are going to examine our stories and identities through a variety of modes, the first will be a video called “Perspectacles”.

Before playing the video, begin by asking the students the question “how would you treat people if you knew their stories? how would people treat you if they knew yours?”. Play perspectacles for the class.

After viewing the video, ask students to think of one word that comes to mind after watching perspectacles. Ask students to put a thumb up when they have a word. Once all students have a word, go around the room and have everyone share. Students do not need to explain why they chose the word they did.

After students finish sharing, explain that students will have the chance to explore their own stories and identities with two different graphic organizers as they consider the things people might “see” about them if they had their own perspectacles. Stress that students do not need to share anything on the handouts they feel uncomfortable sharing and that each wheel is there to help them come to a better self awareness and self understanding. After 10 minutes of reflecting, ask each student to share ONE thing from their wheels with the class that they feel comfortable sharing.

Hand out the list of prompts for the Personal Narrative and invite students to continue their self exploration by writing into their stories. Ask students to pick one of the prompts to reflect on quietly. The teacher should participate in this reflection as well. 10 minutes into the writing, ask students to review their work and underline a sentence or phrase they are proud of AND would feel comfortable sharing with the rest of class.

Wrap-up

Gather students together to review the emotions discussed during the
small group activity. Ask students one thing that they learned about
empathy or what empathy means to them. Create a class empathy chart on
chart paper, noting different ways they can show empathy.

Learning Beyond Classroom Walls

Have all students share their phrases/sentences with the class. The
teacher should do this as well. Collect the narratives as they are or
ask students to complete them as homework to use in another
activity.

Supplementary Resources	National SEED Project Circle of Identities Wheel: SEED partners with communities, organizations, and institutions in bringing people together to learn through self reflection, build relationships through structured dialogue, and create change through systemic analysis. Personal Identity Wheel (Univ. of Michigan) Social Identity Wheel (Univ. of Michigan)

Lesson prepared by Ellen McCormick

Download this lesson to access handouts.

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