Unit 1: Identity and Community Building
Unit 1: Identity and Community Building
What is race? What is a social construction?
What is my place in the world?
How do I identify myself? How do others identify me?
What is a community and what is its purpose? What makes it function or fall apart?
What causes certain groups in our society to have advantages while others do not?
This unit establishes a foundation for understanding identity, self-perception, and self-discovery. Students will begin by defining key terms essential to the course (e.g., race, ethnicity, hegemony, master narrative, etc.), using these concepts to explore how language shapes our understanding of ourselves and others. By examining race as a social construct, students will analyze how societal definitions of identity influence personal and collective self-perception. The unit will also challenge students to consider how English—the dominant language in American discourse—functions as both a tool of empowerment and a mechanism of control in shaping narratives about identity, belonging, and exclusion.
Approximately 3-5 Weeks
Utopia
Dystopia
Setting
Influence (of Setting)
Argument
Claim
Elaboration
Identity
Race & Ethnicity
Hegemony
Master Narrative
Social Construction
Belonging & Exclusion
Self-Perception
Community
Cultural Representation
Code-Switching
Afrofuturism
(3) Furthering self-understanding – Encouraging students to explore and articulate their identities.
(4) Developing a better understanding of others – Examining how language and society shape perceptions of identity.
(6) Promoting self-empowerment for civic engagement – Encouraging students to claim their voice through writing and discussion.
RL.9-10.1 – Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly and implicitly.
RI.9-10.1 – Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of informational texts.
W.9-10.3 – Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences, using effective technique, details, and structure.
SL.9-10.1 – Initiate and participate in collaborative discussions, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly (entry-level focus).
L.9-10.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings.
"Quilt of a Country" (Anna Quindlen)
Langston Hughes’ "Theme for English B" (Text)
"America" (Claude McKay)
"Only Daughter" (Sandra Cisneros)
"Names/Nombres" (Julia Alvarez)
"By the Waters of Babylon" by Stephen Vincent Benét (Text)
"The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury (Text)
"Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegt (Text)
"There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury (Text)
"The Future Looks Good" by Lesley Nneka Arimah (Text)
“The Ones Who Stay and Fight” by N.K. Jemisin (Link)
"Spider the Artist" by Nnedi Okorafor (Link)
"The Rememberer" by Aimee Bender (Link)
Long Way Down (Jason Reynolds)
"The Danger of a Single Story" (Chimamanda Adichie – TED Talk) (Link)
TED Talk: Rosie King – How Autism Freed Me to Be Myself (Link)
How to recognize a dystopia - Alex Gendler (Link)
Excerpt from Films about the Future (Link)
N.K. Jemisin’s “The Ones Who Stay and Fight” (Text)
Personal Narrative Letter: A Letter for a New Year (Link to Prompt)
Where I'm From Poem (Link to Prompt)
Identity Slide Deck – A collection of writing, images, and reflections exploring personal and cultural identity.
Prompt and Template Deck (Link)
Universal Slide Deck Template (Link)
Create a You-Topia - Leaning into optimism or pessimism, create your own vision of the future. (Link)
Film Scene Analysis: Representation of the Future in film. Students analyze how various films explore different utopias, dystopias, and what groups are included, excluded, and to what extend.
Future in Film Student Handout (Link)
Future in Film Clips and Links (Link)
Annotations - Read and annotate the transcript of "Danger of a Single Story," selecting key evidence, points, etc.
Critical Reading Guide (Link)
Ideal Annotation Sample (Link)