Introduction
“Life is like a book. There are good chapters, and there are bad chapters. But when you get to a bad chapter, you don’t stop reading the book! If you do…then you never get to find out what happens next!”1
If life is like an evolving story, why then do my students define themselves by only one chapter? Why do they define themselves according to their climatic experiences rather than their personal resolve? This dissonance of beliefs ---“where I am from” and “who I am”---- causes friction in the urban classroom both relationally and instructionally. This short-sighted way of living---this lack of vision---not only poses a dangerous threat to students’ well-being, but it is indeed an urgent need that must be redressed with practical truth. The dissonance of beliefs ---“where I am from” and “who I am”----causes friction in the urban classroom that undermines social and academic growth.
In an effort to help my students more clearly define the difference between their person and their personal experience, this unit allows students to view life and identity through the eyes of both fictional and nonfictional characters, as they first study a literary work and then, informational texts. Through the process of analyzing character, historical research, and personalized discussion and writing activities, students will explore various aspects of individual identity in connection with familial, social, and political constructs.
This unit follows two tracks, one reading and one writing. Its components work to increase literacy across various mediums, expose students to various forms of expression, and inspire further research. In essence, the seminar format offers culturally-relevant texts with multi-faceted meanings from which students can draw various conclusions. This versatility allows for purposeful group discussions and collaborations as well as personal reflections. Furthermore, this work will support the mission of Central Junior High School by prompting students to discover, analyze, and discuss personal identity within the context of one’s history and future. Throughout the unit, students will grapple with two core questions: Where do I come from? and Where am I going?
When grappling with these two core questions, one must factor in the concept of location. The concept of location is multi-faceted. On one hand, the term location can refer to the state of being in a certain place or condition. On the other hand, the term location can refer to the result of being strategically positioned in a certain place. The two definitions support the premise that location can be the result of one’s own decisions, the decisions of others, or a combination of both factors. This reality--- that we are not the sole proprietors of our own lives---illuminates human impressionability and the importance of embracing one’s unique identity, passions, and purpose as the gauge for creating a life and legacy--- rather than pushing back one’s unique identity, passions, and ultimately capsizing purpose for the acceptance of another.
This unit strives to encourage students to grapple with the idea that the distinction between where they are from and where they are going can be a matter of direction. In fact, these two states of being may have very different projections. Indeed, the projections can be in opposite directions. I want my students to realize that where they are from does not define where they are going. If they can change their perception of self, they can change the trajectory of their life.
By beginning the unit with a focus on family, relationships, and the self, I will be able to relate the subject matter to something students are familiar with and are interested in. I teach a very diverse group of students, and I believe that the social and political issues addressed in the writings are topics my students will invest themselves in. As students grapple with various literary components, they will be able to articulate the purpose of the text and its effect on themselves as an audience. In totality, my hope is that by using culturally-relevant texts, students will be able to engage in critical dialogue about the self, youth culture, and American social expectations and constructs.
The first text that I have chosen for this unit is The Piano Lesson, written by August Wilson. This play highlights the importance of legacy and the dilemma of trying to preserve the past and stride toward the future simultaneously. This work will then turn to informative articles about the Greenwood District and the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921. This second portion of the unit will be supplemented with a complementary audio-visual clip that discusses how Tulsa’s Greenwood District redefined success for African-Americans and how Greenwood continued to develop business capital despite opposition.
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