The Issues of Identity and Belonging
Part 1. Contextual Understanding
1. Building a Context
A context is a broad theme or umbrella idea that provides a focus and a source for your writing.
In this area of study, your context is – The issues of identity and belonging.
This is your starting point. You can draw on ideas and arguments from your texts but they must be
relevant to your context.
From here you will organise these ideas into written pieces.
Developing a Context:
(There are 6 parts to this but firstly we will look at 3 of them (p90 insight text – part 1, 2, 6))
Overview
 Unpack ideas
 Build a context file
 Clarify ideas
Initial ideas are based on the context not the text
Discuss in relation to ‘The issues of Identity and Belonging’
 What does the context mean?
 What questions does it encourage you to think about?
 Do any of your own experiences and knowledge of the world and people around you
seem relevant?
 What can you add to the understanding of the context?
 What do other people know and think about these ideas and the context?
2. What is an idea?
An idea is coherent and developed throughout your writing and based on an aspect of the context.
You ideas will be structured to cover three layers
1. Context
2. Text
3. Writing
The difference between ideas and examples is to understand that and idea is the overarching
‘theme’ or subject of one or more of your paragraphs; examples, on the other hand, are used to
illustrate or support ideas the ideas.
Ideas are:
 General, not specific
 Able to be expressed as a statement
 Able to be agreed or disagreed with
 May be prefaced with ‘I think’ or ‘I believe’
e.g. ‘An individual’s identity is strengthened by a strong sense of belonging’.
Ideas are not:
 Expressed as a single word
 Statements that include names of specific people/places/organisations
 Applicable to only one source of information such as a text
Often such statements can be generalised to express an idea, an important process to learn.
3. Set up a Context File
You will need to keep a file of interesting things, class notes, and resources. Adding to this file will
be beneficial for compiling ideas on this context, preparation for SAC’s and your exam.
We can do this in many ways
 On the WIKI, a page can be created to develop these ideas (all to contribute)
 You can have your own resource page on the WIKI, the class will have access to it
and you will have access to theirs
 Purchase an envelop, display folder or scrapbook to keep ideas in
 Or we can compile a class folder of ideas but when you add you must address the
class – tell them what it is, why you think it’s relevant, how it relates to the context.
All these ideas are valid even if others disagree with your choices, it goes in the file
 Other ideas
4. Converting statements or information into ideas
To find ideas behind a statement, look for the generalities embedded in the key words of the
statement. This can be broken down into three key steps:
STEP 1: Interrogate or analyse the key words
 Identify key words
 What do they stand for?
 Generalise its meaning and what it represents
 What could the alternatives mean?
STEP 2: Find connections between key terms or concepts
 Think of the original source
 Does it relate to the text?
 Does it come directly from the text?
 How does it demonstrate the context?
 What do I have in my context file that relates to key ideas?
 How could I write about these terms or concepts?
 What style and form would best portray these terms or concepts in relation to the
context?
STEP3: Formulate a key idea on your context
 What arguments, contentions, and or feelings will you focus on once you have
unpacked the above ideas that centralise on Identity and Belonging?
5. Identifying Ideas
Hand out student sheet page1
Using this model of conversion unpack the following two statements.
1. Family expectations have a significant influence on our identity.
2. The most important element in shaping our sense of place is memory.
Discuss in relation to ‘The issues of Identity and Belonging’
6. Brainstorm the Context
Hand out student sheet page 2
Use the concept map to brainstorm ideas which might relate to the context.
Discuss in relation to ‘The issues of Identity and Belonging’
Adding Layers to the Context File
(under construction)
 Look at the socio-grams constructed during orientation.
 How can the connections with other class members fit into your contextual
understanding of Identity and Belonging?
 What Issues could arise from our new understandings?
 How can these connections be included into our resources?
 What other things can you think of that comes from this?
7. Research Media and Popular Culture
Discuss in relation to ‘The issues of Identity and Belonging’
Think about what is happening now – in the news, current affairs programs, or in your own life at
home or at school – that may have relevance to the context you are studying.
For example, perhaps there is conflict with your identity as a generation. Perhaps you are being
stereotyped to fit some mould that is not who you are. Like the ‘Y’ gen vs. the ‘X’ gen vs. the ‘Z’
gen. What are the expectations you have vs. the expectations of your parents, friends, grandparents,
teachers, employers…
Have these concepts altered your perception of who you are, how you regard these different people?
Think about TV, song lyrics, celebrity magazines and the internet.
 Whose identity are they really showing?
 What part of an identity is portrayed and is it accurate or sensationalised for their
audiences?
 What part of these media releases do you imitate, refuse, agree/disagree with and
why?
 Internet advertising, promotions, ‘I’ everything not just PODS and PHONES . How
much of this impacts on our decisions?
 Chat sites? Who are we without them? Who are we really with them?
 What programs influence the way we act, speak, dress?
 How much do we rely on these things when developing who we are and where we
belong?
 What are the underlying issues of own sense of worth, belonging and or identifying
with popular culture and the media.
Hand out student sheet page 3
8. Finding Famous Quotes
Other peoples view points can stimulate ideas and expand your thinking.
Look at some of these quotes and go through the three steps in student sheet 1
Hand out student sheet page 4/5
9. Creating Questions on the Context
The preceding steps have given you a lot of ideas about your context. If you think of the analogy of
building a house, you have sourced materials that make up the foundations of the house, and now
you need to organise them so you have a solid base. Asking questions of the material you have
gathered so far is one way to identify significant aspects of your Context.
i.e. Do you need to belong to a group to have a sense of identity?
10. Exploring viewpoints
This can be done through surveys about the Context, how you think the author might answer the
question, how characters may respond to questions. Quotes offer view points on identity, life,
belonging