Literature, Life-Writing, and Identity

Teaching Activities

Week One

Week One is intended as an introduction to the idea of identity and will focus on the lens of names. Students will begin by creating a collage, mask (exterior and interior covered with images and quotes), or diorama called ‘Who Am I?’, which will allow students who struggle to communicate using language the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of content while expressing their unique skill set. Daily journals will be modeled and the routine of daily writing established. Front loading about the literary elements, identity formation, and the types of nonfiction will occur. A discussion of language and pejoratives will help shape an awareness of how we craft the identity of others as will some consideration of stereotypes. Vocabulary such as alienation, appropriation, assimilation, bias, code-switching, conformity, culture, discrimination, exclusion, gender, heritage, ideology, inclusion, linguistic assimilation, marginalize, migration, multicultural, ostracism, prejudice, racism, registers, self-esteem, stereotypes, values, and xenophobia will be explored. Students will complete the names unit by way of introduction into the larger unit and begin to fill in the chart that will give them a meta-perspective on the larger unit.

The Names unit will begin in a similar manner to Jill Campbell’s seminar on Literature, Life Writing and Identity.¹² Students will use their phones to pull up definitions for “names” and share them with the class. I’ll then project those definitions and ask them to reflect upon their own name. They will consider their first, middle and last names, nicknames, the way these names are pronounced and mispronounced, and the historical connections. Each student will jot their ideas in a quick journal and then orally present their ideas in a two-minute flow of ideas.

After this activity, students will be introduced to the overall theme of identity. They will explore what the term identity means and be led to understand how significant a positive self-image is. Looking back at the name activity and noting how many students discussed the history of their family name, or how they have adapted to people of other cultures mispronouncing their name, and other commonalities, will allow them to see the links between names and identity. Students will consider the following questions: What does your name mean? How does it sound? What does it mean to you? Have you ever wanted to change your name? Do people ever mispronounce your name? Why is stripping a person of their name (such as during the Holocaust or at Ellis Island) so damaging to one’s cultural identity?

Students will read Julia Alvarez’ piece “Nombres” to apply some of the strategies for analyzing literature, especially tone. “By Any Other Name” by Santha Rama Rau, and the poem “Our Tongues Were Slapped into Silence” will afford students the opportunity to see the damaging effects on identity of having one’s name and culture negated by another people. A number of selections relating to name are available in the resource section. After completing various readings, students will then write a one-page product about their own name.

Week Two

Week two will focus on longer and more revelatory journals as we shift our lens towards speech. Students will practice close reading, lit circles, and the GIST strategy as they work through the speech unit. Daily journals will continue as will focus on the reading process as will work on the chart. This week students will write an advice column for the school paper. Students will write letters about issues like bullying, dealing with racism about dark skin, wearing a hijab, coming out to one’s parents, or any other topic that piques their interest. Students will all work in small groups to come up with appropriate advice to one another and then each individual will write a response for the column using their best journalistic style. In addition, students will develop questions in class for an interview with a family member and work in small groups to develop those into ten open-ended questions that will provide a great deal of insight.

The manner in which we use language is an expression of our identity. Speech is more than merely words. It is a mode of expression that testifies to where we are from and who we are. Word choice, dialect, syntax and language all contribute to creating an identity through our speech. An introductory activity involving vocabulary will lead students to understand why word choice matters.

Using an inappropriate register can distract people from your ideas and the value of your opinion. A humorous example is the way in which Sheldon Cooper often uses a more formal register when addressing his friends, which makes his social ineptitude comedic on the popular sitcom “The Big Bang Theory”. However, a sad reality is that use of too informal a register might prevent an individual from advancing in a career. My purpose is to encourage students to have a speech style that is in sync with their culture, but to also develop alternate registers appropriate to different audiences. Students may consider focusing on what message they want to send and how they expect the recipient to feel upon hearing them in a given speech style. Sociolinguistically speaking, there are five registers, which describe the level of formality in a person’s speech. Intimate, casual, consultative, formal, and frozen are increasingly rigid levels which can be distinguished by the sophistication of the vocabulary used as well as the complexity and regularity with which the speaker uses grammar and syntax. An awareness of register and code-switching as a strategy will create a more savvy reader and writer who is able to understand an aspect of the art of persuasion.

A persuasive essay by James Baldwin, “If Black Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?” offers a compelling argument in a form that will challenge students. Vera Regan’s TedTalk “What Your Speaking Style, Like, Says About You,” offers a visual presentation of a text for students to reflect on how others perceive you based upon the register you use when speaking, as will Amy Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue”. A variety of other selections on speech, including the Dave Sedaris piece on having a speech impediment in the form of a lisp, are available in the resource section.

Week Three

Week Three seeks to have students use some of the vocabulary they have acquired as they will be engaging in a lot of conversation about being a teenager. Students will have even more independent responsibility released to them as they continue to write their daily journals, use the GIST strategy, operate in lit circles, filling in the chart, and practice the reading process. A homework assignment will require students to interview a family member about their family history via a structured series of questions will increase engagement and personal relevance. Hopefully, it will also allow students to learn about their roots from family members and create a deeper appreciation of their history and community. Students will then write a summary of their findings in the form of a letter to another relative to share the results of the interview. Exploring their roots will create an opportunity to dialogue with family in a different manner and provide many of my students with a new perspective on their family life. It is my hope that they will see their place in history and chafing at the restrictions inherent in being a teen will be reduced.

Teenagers are the recipients of a variety of conflicting messages about identity.¹³ The pace of change in modernity is constantly accelerating as a result of the use of technology, and communication is perhaps most notably altered for teens. They use social media, video games and cell phones to such an extent that they often feel isolated. Their entire lives are forever recorded on Snapchat and Instagram to the extent that they feel they are constantly “on stage”. For some, their material wealth is often in contrast to the poverty their parents experienced and they are judged to be unappreciative of their many luxuries. By the same token, the values celebrated in popular music refer to brand names, “bling”, and other material wealth necessary to be considered successful. In addition, that same music that occupies such a central position in their lives expresses a sexuality and image that is daunting to students who are still exploring their sexuality and the expression of that identity. Many students come from families that left other countries to offer safety or better opportunities to their children, and they perceive that these teens “have it easy”. Labels like “entitled,” and “spoiled”, “lazy” and “disrespectful” are indiscriminately used to describe this generation.

Even for teens who avoid those labels, there are challenges. Academically, students are forced to take rigorous AP classes, participate in a sport, and join a club just to have a chance to be accepted to a good university. And the future may not look bright as student loans, inability to earn enough to survive in the Bay Area, and global competition for jobs are their reality. Modern teens are also uniquely frustrated by and chafing against the restrictions dictated by their age. In an era where they are able to access virtually anything via Google or YouTube, they often feel curfews, dress codes, and other age-based restrictions are inappropriate. They respond to these many pressures with teenage angst, rebellion, over-achieving, joining in cliques, and using clothing or adornment to “try on” different identities.

One of the first activities will be a viewing of Lily Vellekamp’s Ted Talk about the challenges of being a teen. My hope is that this allows students to hear a thesis statement backed up with specific evidence on a topic they can all relate to and feel their frustrations are valid and their voice matters. A brochure created by the State Bar of California, “When You Turn 18” will be an invaluable real-world connection for students who will learn about laws relating to disturbing the peace, driving while intoxicated, lease agreements, and a myriad of other legal realities that change when a student reaches the age of majority. Students will read the article in Psychology Today by Judy Willis, M.D. “What to Do About Your Teenager’s Eye-Roll” and evaluate the advice she offers parents in coping with a dissatisfied teenager. A scholarly article by Emmeline Zhao “Why Identity and Emotion Are Central to Motivating the Teen Brain,” will provide a good opportunity to practice summarizing. A variety of other texts, including a song, are listed in the resource section for Teenagers.

Week Four

Students will select a topic that interests them, perhaps about race, religion, age, class or gender and form small groups. They must use at least three non fictions texts (but I recommend each individual view or read at least five) to create a PowerPoint to sensitively and powerfully educate their classmates. My rubric requires at least ten slides with at least three quotes and clips and at least one counter-argument that they will present to the class.

Week Five

As a summative assessment, students will view “Beautiful” by Sonya Rene, in which an African American woman provides a narrative about her lifelong struggles to accept her hair. Based upon this example, students will have the opportunity to write a narrative of their own focusing on some aspect of their identity that they will either read to the class or record video of themselves performing. Students may elect to only have me view the video or share it with the class. We will look back at the completed chart and really discuss how the variety of forms of non fiction worked in concert with the author’s purpose and message. We will further recall the diverse range of types of non fiction we explored and the variety of rhetorical strategies, tone and other aspects of the author’s expression that marked those pieces.

As a final cathartic activity students will be given an index card on which they are to write one word that has been used to label an identity they resent. On the reverse, students and the teacher will write all of the adjectives and emotions that relate to hearing that word and feeling restricted by it. Each individual will stand in a circle and hold the index card with the label facing away from their chest and say that word aloud. Teacher will provide about thirty seconds of silence for students to silently read the words they wrote on the back of the card. As the teacher plays the song “Perfect” by Pink, students will all rip their card into as many pieces as possible and either throws them into a trash can in the middle of the circle or throws them into the air.