Where I Come From

Curriculum	Transforming Conflict, p.67
Lesson Name	Where I Come From
Grade Band	Middle School (6-8) High School (9-12)

Curriculum

Transforming Conflict, p.67

Lesson Name

Where I Come From

Grade Band

Middle School (6-8)

High School (9-12)

Required Material/s	Handout 1: “Where I Come From” Maps Handout 2: Core Values Magazines Scissors Glue Markers and Colored Pencils Optional: student-sourced photographs representing ancestry, family, traditions, communities, or life experiences Internet access
Standards / Competencies	CASEL Core Competencies Relationship skills Responsible decision-making Self-awareness Self-management Social awareness Common Core ELA-Literacy Standards Listening and speaking  Writing NCSS Social Studies Themes Individual development and identity Global connections Individuals, groups, and institutions
Recommended Time	40 minutes on day one, 50 minutes on day two

Required Material/s

Handout 1: “Where I Come From” Maps
Handout 2: Core Values
Magazines
Scissors
Glue
Markers and Colored Pencils
Optional: student-sourced photographs representing ancestry, family, traditions, communities, or life experiences
Internet access

Standards / Competencies

CASEL Core Competencies

Relationship skills
Responsible decision-making
Self-awareness
Self-management
Social awareness

Common Core ELA-Literacy Standards

Listening and speaking 
Writing

NCSS Social Studies Themes

Individual development and identity
Global connections
Individuals, groups, and institutions

Recommended Time

40 minutes on day one, 50 minutes on day two

Essential Question	Why does knowing more about who we are help us understand others?

Learning Objectives	Students will: Identify core personal values. Connect ancestry, family, traditions, communities, and life experiences to identity. Create “Where I Come From” maps. Recognize how they feel when an aspect of their identity or core values is challenged.
Important Vocabulary	Identity Core Values Ancestry Traditions Community Life Experiences

Learning Objectives

Students will:

Identify core personal values.
Connect ancestry, family, traditions, communities, and life experiences to identity.
Create “Where I Come From” maps.
Recognize how they feel when an aspect of their identity or core values is challenged.

Important Vocabulary

Identity
Core Values
Ancestry
Traditions
Community
Life Experiences

Activating Prior Knowledge	Tell students to think about times in their lives when they have come into conflict with others, giving them time to think of specific experiences. Ask: What feelings did you experience? Invite students to share feelings experienced with the class. Ask a student to record comments that are shared. Ask students what these feelings do or don’t have in common. Note that all these emotions can be intense and personal, and this is especially true when one or more parties feels that the conflict challenges an aspect of their identity. Explain that today the class is going to look at how identity shapes perspective. Understanding our identities will make us better able to engage with conflict in a constructive way.
Core Instruction	Day One Explain that today, students are going to create maps which will enable them to explore their identities in more detail. These maps will allow them to show and explain the paths that have led them to become the person they are today. Distribute Handout 1. Explain that the students will work on their map individually to illustrate the people, places, experiences, and objects that formed them into the person they are today including their ancestry, their family, the cultural and religious traditions they follow, the communities they are part of, and their life experiences. Emphasize that students can show as much or as little about their lives as they are comfortable doing. Directions for engagement in this exercise are flexible. The maps can use words, pictures, or a combination of both. They can include collages, drawings, written messages, photographs, or other creative forms of expression. Day Two Give students the opportunity to share their maps. Once students have shared their maps, ask them to hang them up around the classroom, creating a “Where We Come From” gallery. Invite students to move around the room to see one another’s maps
Wrap-up	Encourage students to reflect on the experience of creating and sharing their “Where I Come From” maps. Ask the following questions: What did you learn from your own map? What did you learn from other maps? How were different students’ maps alike or different? Say: Sometimes, experiences stand out to us as important. When ideas drawn from one of our experiences help us guide our lives, we call those ideas our “core values.” Ask: What did you learn about your core values by creating a map? How do your core values shape choices you make in life? What feelings might you experience if a core value of yours was challenged?

Activating Prior Knowledge

Tell students to think about times in their lives when they have come into conflict with others, giving them time to think of specific experiences.

Ask: What feelings did you experience?

Invite students to share feelings experienced with the class. Ask a student to record comments that are shared.

Ask students what these feelings do or don’t have in common. Note that all these emotions can be intense and personal, and this is especially true when one or more parties feels that the conflict challenges an aspect of their identity. Explain that today the class is going to look at how identity shapes perspective. Understanding our identities will make us better able to engage with conflict in a constructive way.

Core Instruction

Day One

Explain that today, students are going to create maps which will enable them to explore their identities in more detail. These maps will allow them to show and explain the paths that have led them to become the person they are today. Distribute Handout 1.

Explain that the students will work on their map individually to illustrate the people, places, experiences, and objects that formed them into the person they are today including their ancestry, their family, the cultural and religious traditions they follow, the communities they are part of, and their life experiences.

Emphasize that students can show as much or as little about their lives as they are comfortable doing.

Directions for engagement in this exercise are flexible. The maps can use words, pictures, or a combination of both. They can include collages, drawings, written messages, photographs, or other creative forms of expression.

Day Two

Give students the opportunity to share their maps.
Once students have shared their maps, ask them to hang them up around the classroom, creating a “Where We Come From” gallery. Invite students to move around the room to see one another’s maps

Wrap-up

Encourage students to reflect on the experience of creating and sharing their “Where I Come From” maps.

Ask the following questions:

What did you learn from your own map?
What did you learn from other maps?
How were different students’ maps alike or different?

Say: Sometimes, experiences stand out to us as important. When ideas drawn from one of our experiences help us guide our lives, we call those ideas our “core values.”
Ask: What did you learn about your core values by creating a map? How do your core values shape choices you make in life? What feelings might you experience if a core value of yours was challenged?

Assessment

Taking Informed Action

Use the 26 core value words representing the alphabet on Handout 2 as inspiration to think of an additional 26 words (one word for each letter, A-Z) representing ideas you or others might hold as core values.

Visit this website to explore either, or both, of the following two interesting (and free) resources about core values:

Download this lesson to access handouts.

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