Juan Soriano 10/7/15

Dr. Torres Eng 271

Identity Unit Lesson Plan

High school is a time of exploration for adolescents, particularly freshmen. Being surrounded by so many new influences can be overwhelming during a time when many of them are trying to develop a sense of self-worth and conscious identity. This is why discussing the idea of identity in an English classroom is a good idea. Through a unit on identity, particularly Latino/a identity, many of my students can see the struggle of developing an identity and be out at ease over the fact that they’re still struggling to find their own. The struggle to find identity is also a great point to study character development and dynamic characters, so this unit is great for developing the student’s sense of identity and their understanding of compelling character work in literature. The focus on Latino identity can help students who identify as Latino better understand their sense of identity and give those who do not a peek into the lives of the Latino community. Hopefully, this will instill empathy for those students of other racial and ethnic backgrounds. The identity unit will last five days. Assumed period length is fifty minutes.

Objectives

Students will hopefully gain an understanding of what dynamic and static characters; heroes/antiheroes; and character development are in literature; analyze themes of identity in literature; explore their own identities and the many factors that contribute to it; and critically question the adaptation of canonical literary work.

Resources

Bodega Dreams by Ernesto Quiñones Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” with lyrics Celia Cruz’s “Yo Vivire” with translated lyrics Photographs of El Barrio during the time of Bodega Dreams and now Photographs of the local community then and now Tato Laviera’s “my graduation speech” Miguel Piñero’s “A Lower East Side Poem” “The Contest of Coffee and Corn Gruel”

Day one: For the first day, I want to open with a class discussion about what the word identity means to the students. After a couple (3-5) minutes of brainstorming, I would pull up a piece of chart paper and would make a word web with the word “identity” being the center. I would ask students to spread out the web themselves by adding terms. In doing so, the students would have some key terms in the room regarding identity that they came up with. I’ll guide them if the need be with some key themes, but I want the students to make their own meanings as much as possible. These terms would help with our exploration of some of the themes of identity in the book. (5 minutes)

After this, I would assign the students a brief journal write up about what they feel identity means to them. The journal would not have to be detailed as much as it needs to be personal. After ten minutes of journal time, I would ask the students to read as much of Bodega Dreams as they can in twenty minutes. After these twenty minutes are over, I would ask the students for first impressions of the book, jotting down any recurring ideas. For homework I’ll assign the next 35 pages of Bodega Dreams and “The Contest of Coffee and Corn Gruel.” Students should take notes on anything that sticks out regarding identity.

Day two: I would start day two with a five minute discussion about the readings reviewing student notes for any identity related notes. I would also add more words to the identity web during this time. At this point, I would hand out the lyrics for and play both Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and Celia Cruz’s “Yo Vivire.” I would then facilitate a class discussion focusing on cross-textual analysis comparing themes of identity in the original and the cover. (15 minutes)

After analyzing the different identities between English and Spanish versions of the song, I would follow up with Tato Laviera’s “my graduation speech,” showcasing how the switch between languages and identities is a part of Latin-American identity. A brief (10 minute) analysis as to how this ties into the text follows, with usage of words on the identity web. Then, I would facilitate a discussion about how Chino’s identity could be compared to that of the Laviera poem and possibly the songs. The rest of the class could be spent discussing the split identities in all the works used thus far. If discussion wanes out early, it could easily be split into some quiet reading time to wind down. For homework, the next 40 pages of the book with notes on anything that sticks out.

Day three: I would start with Miguel Piñero’s “A Lower East Side Poem” then analyze the poem and use it to springboard into a discussion about how students feel about their city/hometown. How do the students feel that where they’re from influences who they are? (15 minutes. Record some of the big ideas from student discussion on the board). Then, guide discussion on how “El Barrio” is a character with its own identity in the book. What relationships do the characters have to the city? (10 minutes)

After this discussion, show pictures of Spanish Harlem during the period the book was written vs now. After analyzing the evolution of El Barrio, do the same for the local community. Students should take notes on both transformations. (5 minutes)Then, we should discuss how seeing these areas change impact the idea that these communities have their own identity. Students should be able to draw heavily from the identity web, their ideas on the board, and the text. (10 minutes) Debrief and field some questions. (5 minutes) Give advice on tomorrow’s project (5 minutes). For homework, the next 40 pages of the book with notes on anything that sticks out.

Day four: I would start with 5 minutes of note review and a brief overview of today’s project then split students into groups to prepare for character identity analysis presentations. Five characters will be assigned to the groups: Chino, Bodega, Vera, Nazario, and Blanca, with each group handling one character. Prep time for presentations is 20 minutes. Presentations will be three minutes long and should be about the evolution (or lack thereof)of that character’s identity. There will be two minutes of questions for each group. Presentations might spill over into the next day, which is why I built a buffer

time just in case. In the presentations and Q&A sessions, students should demonstrate an understanding of the text by using and analyzing quotes. For homework, the next 40 pages of the book with notes on anything that sticks out.

Day five: The last day would start with a discussion of the ending of the book, analyzing students’ impressions and opinions on the ending. (10 minutes) then, I will give a mini lecture on dynamic characters using Chino as a prime example. (10 minutes) If presentations don’t spill over, mention The Great Gatsby and discuss the modernization of literature. (5 minutes) then, we’ll glance back to the word web for one last time to see what themes of identity were used from the web and how have the students’ views on identity changed? (10 minutes) While this discussion is still fresh, we’ll have a quick write journal about what identity means now compared to before the book was read. (5 minutes) To wrap the unit up, discuss what identity means to the students (10 minutes.)