Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Doors

Unit	Community-Building for High School Classrooms
Lesson Name	Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Doors
Grade Band	High School (9-12)

Required Materials	Handout: Social Identity Wheel.pdf Handout: Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors Handout: Ms. Marvel & Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors Free excerpt of Ms. Marvel: No Normal located at Internet Archive
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, Reading Social Studies Theme: Individual Development and Identity
Recommended Time	90 mins

Required Materials

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, Reading

Social Studies Theme: Individual Development and Identity

Recommended Time

90 mins

Essential Question	How does understanding and claiming our own stories help us to receive the stories of others?
Learning Objectives	Analyze our own identities (“looking back”)  Analyze the stories of others  Identify commonalities and shared experiences  Affirm the stories of our peers

Activating Prior Knowledge	Teacher states: Today we are going to learn about the common human experience through the framework of Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding doors. To begin, let’s learn about you and your classmates. Distribute to students Social Identity Wheel.pdf. Use an example from the social identity wheel handout to demonstrate how the wheel should be filled in. Then, ask students to fill in the wheel for themselves. The teacher should be sure to tell students that they should only share personal information that they are comfortable sharing and discussing with the classroom community. When students have finished, the teacher should ask them to answer the questions under the wheel: What did you learn about yourself? Which parts of the wheel were easiest to fill out? Which parts of the wheel were the hardest to fill out? Are there important aspects of your identity that don’t fit on the wheel? Were you surprised by any of the categories on the wheel? Instruct the students to respond to the questions on the social identifiers worksheet with the aspects of their identity that they have previously established. The teacher may utilize this as the foundation for a classroom discussion regarding various aspects of their identities to establish commonalities. Ask the students about their commonalities and shared experiences as individuals and a class. These responses can be displayed for the class.
Core Instruction	Teacher states: Now that we as a classroom community found some commonalities, let’s see if we can widen that circle with the framework of Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors. Distribute: Handout: Handout: Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors. Begin reviewing the framework by reading the quote on the handout. The teacher can also watch the short video of Rudine Sims Bishop as well for added emphasis. Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors. Then have students read the handout for a Golden Line. Students read silently paying attention to and noting places where text raises questions, conflicts or confirms beliefs, or causes them to reconsider assumptions. Students choose at least two different “Golden Lines” that they will share with their partner. Once finished with the reading, students complete think-pair-share activity in which they share their “Golden Lines.” Students should be sure to direct students to the location of the “Golden Line” before sharing by reading aloud. Students should also share why they chose the line and its significance. After the think-pair-share activity, the whole class should share their “Golden Lines” and open discussion on the framework of Windows, Mirrors and Sliding Glass Doors. With the open share and discussion, the teacher should formatively assess the students’ understanding of the framework by asking why is this framework helpful? Teacher states: Now that we have defined the framework of Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass doors and discussed its importance, let’s apply it. Review directions for Handout: Ms. Marvel & Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors with students. Have students complete the graphic organizer individually. Then complete think-pair-share activity sharing their responses to the graphic organizer. As a whole class, have students share their responses to the graphic organizer. Ask the students about their commonalities and shared experiences as individuals and a class with the story of Ms. Marvel: No Normal. These responses can be displayed for the class.
Wrap-up	Teacher states: As we finish today’s lesson, we have defined the framework for Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors and its importance. We have also identified common experiences that we all have as members of the human race. Let’s finish this lesson with an exit text in which you can explain the importance of Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors. Have students complete a journal reflection answering the questions below: How is the Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors framework beneficial in understanding others? How can the framework help to end prejudice, discrimination or racism? Students should submit their learning journal as exit tickets. This can be five to six sentence reflective writing.
Learning Beyond Classroom Walls	Students can read other literature and histories to better understand other perspectives.

Activating Prior Knowledge

Teacher states: Today we are going to learn about the common human experience through the framework of Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding doors. To begin, let’s learn about you and your classmates.

Distribute to students Social Identity Wheel.pdf. Use an example from the social identity wheel handout to demonstrate how the wheel should be filled in. Then, ask students to fill in the wheel for themselves. The teacher should be sure to tell students that they should only share personal information that they are comfortable sharing and discussing with the classroom community.

When students have finished, the teacher should ask them to answer the questions under the wheel:

What did you learn about yourself?

Which parts of the wheel were easiest to fill out?

Which parts of the wheel were the hardest to fill out?

Are there important aspects of your identity that don’t fit on the wheel?

Were you surprised by any of the categories on the wheel?

Instruct the students to respond to the questions on the social identifiers worksheet with the aspects of their identity that they have previously established. The teacher may utilize this as the foundation for a classroom discussion regarding various aspects of their identities to establish commonalities.

Ask the students about their commonalities and shared experiences as individuals and a class. These responses can be displayed for the class.

Core Instruction

Teacher states: Now that we as a classroom community found some commonalities, let’s see if we can widen that circle with the framework of Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors.

Distribute: Handout: Handout: Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors. Begin reviewing the framework by reading the quote on the handout. The teacher can also watch the short video of Rudine Sims Bishop as well for added emphasis. Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors. Then have students read the handout for a Golden Line.

Students read silently paying attention to and noting places where text raises questions, conflicts or confirms beliefs, or causes them to reconsider assumptions. Students choose at least two different “Golden Lines” that they will share with their partner.

Once finished with the reading, students complete think-pair-share activity in which they share their “Golden Lines.” Students should be sure to direct students to the location of the “Golden Line” before sharing by reading aloud. Students should also share why they chose the line and its significance.

After the think-pair-share activity, the whole class should share their “Golden Lines” and open discussion on the framework of Windows, Mirrors and Sliding Glass Doors. With the open share and discussion, the teacher should formatively assess the students’ understanding of the framework by asking why is this framework helpful?

Teacher states: Now that we have defined the framework of Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass doors and discussed its importance, let’s apply it.

Review directions for Handout: Ms. Marvel & Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors with students. Have students complete the graphic organizer individually.

Then complete think-pair-share activity sharing their responses to the graphic organizer.

As a whole class, have students share their responses to the graphic organizer.

Ask the students about their commonalities and shared experiences as individuals and a class with the story of Ms. Marvel: No Normal. These responses can be displayed for the class.

Wrap-up

Teacher states: As we finish today’s lesson, we have defined the framework for Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors and its importance. We have also identified common experiences that we all have as members of the human race. Let’s finish this lesson with an exit text in which you can explain the importance of Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors.

Have students complete a journal reflection answering the questions below:

How is the Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors framework beneficial in understanding others?

How can the framework help to end prejudice, discrimination or racism?

Students should submit their learning journal as exit tickets. This can be five to six sentence reflective writing.

Learning Beyond Classroom Walls

Students can read other literature and histories to better understand other perspectives.

Supplementary Resources

Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors
“Mirrors, Windows, & Sliding Doors” | Akhand Dugar | TEDxMountainViewHighSchool
The Social Identity Wheel Handout comes from The Essentials of Dialogue by Generation Global although the Social Identity Wheel was developed by Tanenbaum,
The Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors handouts was developed by Facing History based on the work of Rudine Sims Bishop, “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors,” Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books from the Classroom 6, no. 3 (Summer 1990), available at Reading Is Fundamental (January 2015).
The Golden Line activity was adapted from WestEd Reading Apprenticeship.
The Think-Pair-Share activities were adapted from Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Instructional Content Adaptations

Mini Lesson (30 mins):

The lesson can be divided into three mini-lessons:

What is my Social Identity?
What are Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors?
How can I apply Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors?

Written by Tim Hall, Ph.D., K-12 Social Studies Instructional Specialist, Vance County Schools

Download this lesson to access handouts.

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