Self Identity English Unit
Mark Avitabile, English Language Arts Teacher
and Lisa Libicki, Museum Educator
School: Academy of American Studies
Grade level: Secondary
Introductory Note to Lesson Plans
This self-identity unit combines a number of short works of fiction with varied writing exercises that encourage students to take creative risks in their writing. Ultimately, these in-class and home exercises will give them the opportunity to develop a publishable, written self-portrait. Through comprehension, analysis and emulation of exemplary writers' works, students will discover and select the appropriate writing genre and style to represent their identity. Students' participation in organic conversations that stem from shared, class readings will help them synthesize the differences between several writing techniques. Peer revisions and teacher feedback will also aid them in their development of a personal voice in their writing. It is important to note that there is a plethora of writing samples that one may choose for this unit. This flexibility allows teachers to tailor the curriculum to meet the needs of their students and their sequence.
Connections to the Visual
Make it visual. Make it vibrant. Make it vivid. Teachers can transform their English Language Arts classroom into a workspace that embraces the visual arts as valuable tools for personal reflection and self-discovery. As students explore literary works that focus on identity issues, encourage students to use their prior studies in the art classroom. For example, we invited a Museum Educator into the classroom to facilitate more discussions centered on the art exhibits the classes viewed at the Museum of Modern Art the previous week. By supporting students “visual awareness,” we were able to create a consistent classroom dialogue that integrated the Art curriculum and the English curriculum. By accessing their prior knowledge, students can use their visual art studies to inform their own writing practices and analysis techniques. Terms such as imagery, metaphor and personification will emerge with new life as students expand their understanding of symbolic representations.
The Process
Again, this curriculum is flexible, and it is up to the teacher's discretion to determine how much time is needed to explore and spend on certain topics and tasks. However, there are a few steps that are crucial to the process: analysis, discussion, emulation, sharing, revision, experimentation, editing and critique. In order to assist students in their quest to find and express their self-identity, they need a forum to challenge and rework their ideas. The steps mentioned can be arranged in a number of ways, but each step builds a student's confidence and knowledge as well as construct a shared dialogue centered on identity.
Standards
This unit meets each of the four English Language Arts Standards outlined by New York State (1) Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding; (2) Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression; (3) Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation; (4) Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction.
Role of Museum Educator
Our museum educator conducted three lessons with students: one museum visits and two post-visits. Her lessons were based upon the theme of self-identity and she also focused on helping students express their personal voice in the visual arts and literary arts. The lessons' goals included: To explore how artists in MoMA's collection have expressed a sense of identity and personal voice for themselves or of a sitter through various visual art media. To draw parallels between literary pieces that explore personal voice and their visual representations. To integrate the studio art and English curriculums by having the students create written persona voice pieces that will be companion pieces for their self-portraits created in the first cycle. |
