About the curriculum...
This curriculum is divided into three sections: past self, present self, and future self. A key component is creating a mind map, adding on to it during each of the three sections, to encourage students to reflect on each of the three tenses.
Past self addresses the questions “Where did I come from?” and “What are my memories?” This section is comprised of two projects, asking students to think about their ancestry and their memories. The first project is about memory. More specifically, a memory that ties in to who they are now. The second is about where the student came from and his or her family migration.
Present self probes the questions of “Who am I?” and “What are my values?” This section requires the student to analyze who they are at the moment, and how his/her perception of himself/herself may be different from how others see them. It will culminate in an identity box, in which the exterior of the box represents how others see them, and the interior of the box symbolizes the student's inner self. A second project for present self involves the students looking beyond their immediate environment into the needs and injustices of the world. After choosing an issue that concerns them, they will research it briefly and make a dramatic black and white poster to represent their position.
Future self asks questions such as “What type of person do you want to be?” and “How do you want to be remembered?” The goal of this section of the curriculum is for students to know that they have a choice about what they make with their life. The decisions they make have a direct correlation to how others see them and the type of person they will become. The first project is to create an inspirational quote, giving it visual interest. The second is a printmaking project which begins with the student examining their qualities and coming up with a list of three qualities they wish they possessed. After thinking of an animal that portrays the desired qualities, the student makes a silkscreen image of that animal to act as a reminder of qualities to work towards.
The culminating project will be to complete the mind map that will be used to assess self-reflection. Throughout the unit, the three sections of past self, present self, and future self will be explored and represented as a mind map.
The curriculum is written using the Backward Design model by Wiggins and McTighe. It also uses work by contemporary artists as a source of inspiration. The name of the artist and title of the work is included, however the image is not. Please visit the Pinterest page that correlates with this curriculum, found at https://www.pinterest.com/imagine1949/identity/