Identity: Lesson Plans & Materials
Lesson #1: The Identity Wheel
Lesson #2: What Kind of Citizen
Lesson #3: Diversify the Stories in Your Life
Overview & Goals
Identity is the collection of characteristics, experiences, and beliefs that make each person unique. It includes aspects like race, ethnicity, gender, culture, family background, and personal values. Understanding our own identity helps us recognize what shapes our perspective and how we connect with others. In the context of racial injustice, examining identity allows us to see how societal systems can shape the experiences of individuals and groups in unequal ways.
The goal of these lessons is to help students explore their own identities and appreciate the diverse identities of others. By reflecting on what makes them who they are, students will better understand the intersection of individual and shared experiences. They will also examine how aspects of identity can influence privilege, bias, and systemic inequality. This awareness is essential for fostering empathy, celebrating diversity, and working toward a fairer, more inclusive community.
Key Concepts & Skills to Develop
- Identity: Identity is who you are—what makes you unique, like your culture, family, beliefs, and experiences. Everyone's identity is different, and that’s what makes our world interesting and diverse.
- Respecting Diversity: Learning about other people and their identities helps us understand and respect differences.
- Identity and Inequaality: Sometimes, parts of our identity can impact how we’re treated or the opportunities we have because of systems in society.
Guiding Questions
What are some of the key dimensions of your identity? How do they shape who you are?
How do you think your identity is similar to or different from the identities of your friends or classmates?
Why is it important to understand and respect the identities of others?
Have you ever felt like a part of your identity wasn’t understood or appreciated? How did that make you feel?
How do systems in society treat people differently based on parts of their identity, like their race or gender?