Who I am is More Than Just My Name: Examining Identity and Individuality in a World that
is all too Ready to Conform
Unit:2
Duration: 7 weeks
Textual Materials:
Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage, 1991. Print.
A & P by John Updike
Spinelli, Jerry. Stargirl. New York: Knopf, 2000. Print.
Eveline by James Joyce
The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara
A Sorrowful Woman by Gail Godwin
Girl by Jamaica Kincaid
Rationale:
Identity: Figuring out who you are can be one of the lessons that will follow someone for
the duration of their lives. Knowing who you are and embracing your individuality is the first
step in becoming the “master of your own fate” which is the overarching concept for my
yearlong plan, thus, I have planed this unit to be the first of the semester. My hope with this is
that it will position students to be in an ideal situation to continue questioning this theme
throughout the entire year.
Students entering the ninth grade are experiencing all that high school has to offer with a
fresh and new perspective. Unfortunately, high school comes with a lot of pressures that appeal
to students to not be true to who they are, their cultures, family values, goals, and aspirations for
the future. My goal with this unit is to introduce texts that enforce a different message: That
being who you are, is the best you ever could be. As Smagorinsky writes in his book Teaching
English by Design, “Literature often deals with problems such as pressures, changes dilemmas,
aspirations, and conflicts and so on make growing up (and being grown up) such a challenge.”
This unit is justifiable because it falls into the relevant category of dealing with human
development.
One of the main texts I will be using in this unit is The House on Mango Street by Sandra
Cisneros. The reason that I have selected this text is because the main character faces many of
the same issues I will be working through with my students that fall into the realm of identity and
discovering the value in one’s individuality. The protagonist Esperanza at the start of the novel
detests her home and her identity that comes along with it but by the end of the novel, she is able
to see how important her home has been in shaping who she is and who she is supposed to be. I
see Esperanza’s story as one my students will be able to connect to and hopefully learn from
when it comes to accepting one’s own self.
The second major text I have selected for this unit is Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. This is a
story of a young girl, self named stargirl, who beats to the sound of her own drum so to speak.
The novel has a strong message of nonconformity, which I believe will be an asset to this unit
and my class as a whole.
Goals:
By the end of the unit, my students will be able to...
-Write an expository essay.
-Be able to review their own essays and give constructive feedback to peers.
-Have a well rounded understanding of identity and personal individuality.
By the end of the unit, I as an instructor will be able to...
-Write my own expository essay (Declaration of self).
-Have a deeper understanding of my students and who they are as individuals.
Standards:
Content Area: Reading, Writing, and Communicating
Standard: 1. Oral Expression and Listening
Prepared Graduates:
Demonstrate skill in inferential and evaluative listening
Grade Level Expectation: Ninth Grade
Concepts and skills students master:
2. Listening critically to comprehend a speaker’s message
requires mental and physical
strategies to direct and maintain attention
Evidence Outcomes
21st Century Skills and Readiness Competencies
Students can:
a. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in
groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues,
building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. (CCSS: SL.910.1)
b.
Follow the speaker’s arguments as they develop; take notes when appropriate
c. Give verbal and nonverbal feedback to the speaker
d. Ask clarifying questions
e. Evaluate arguments and evidence
f. Explain how variables such as background knowledge, experiences, values, and beliefs
can affect communication
Content Area: Reading, Writing, and Communicating
Standard: 2. Reading for All Purposes
Prepared Graduates:
Read a wide range of literature (American and world literature) to
understand important universal themes and
the human experience
Grade Level Expectation: Ninth Grade
Concepts and skills students master:
1. Increasingly complex literary elements in traditional and
contemporary works of literature
require scrutiny and comparison
Evidence Outcomes
21st Century Skills and Readiness Competencies
Students can:
a.
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over
the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific
details; provide an objective summary of the text. (CCSS: RL.9-10.2)
b.
Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations)
develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or
develop the theme. (CCSS: RL.9-10.3)
c.
Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events
within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such
effects as mystery, tension, or surprise. (CCSS: RL.9-10.5)
d. Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature
from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature. (CCSS: RL.910.6)
e. Identify the characteristics that distinguish literary forms and genres
Content Area: Reading, Writing, and Communicating
Standard: 2. Reading for All Purposes
Prepared Graduates:
Demonstrate comprehension of a variety of informational, literary, and
persuasive texts
Grade Level Expectation: Ninth Grade
Concepts and skills students master:
2. Increasingly complex informational texts require mature
interpretation and study
Evidence Outcomes
21st Century Skills and Readiness Competencies
Students can:
a. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the
text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an
objective summary of the text. (CCSS. RI.9-10.2)
f.
Critique author’s choice of expository, narrative, persuasive, or descriptive modes to
convey a message
Content Area: Reading, Writing, and Communicating
Standard: 3. Writing and Composition
Prepared Graduates:
Master the techniques of effective informational, literary, and persuasive
writing
Grade Level Expectation: Ninth Grade
Concepts and skills students master:
1. Literary and narrative texts develop a controlling idea or theme
with descriptive and
expressive language
Evidence Outcomes
21st Century Skills and Readiness Competencies
Students can:
a. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective
technique, well-chosen details, and well- structured event sequences. (CCSS: W.9-10.3)
i.
Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation,
establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters;
create a smooth progression of experiences or events. (CCSS: W.9- 10.3a)
ii. Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to
create a coherent whole. (CCSS: W.9- 10.3c)
d.
Review and revise ideas and development in substantive ways to improve the depth of
ideas and vividness of supporting details
e. Explain strengths and weaknesses of own writing and the writing of others using criteria
(e.g., checklists, scoring guides)
Activities:
1. The activity I would like to begin this unit with is called a “mind map.” This mind map would
be on identity and looks something a bit like this:
Each student will start the unit by making their own personal identity mind maps. It will
help introduce different components of self that we as individuals value and consider to be the
makeup of who we truly are as individuals. With each category though, I would like students to
include 2-3 sentences or a list (depending on what’s relevant) explaining that particular facet of
who they are. Image source: http://brainstorm-services.com/wcu-2004/identity.html
2. A regular activity I want to integrate into this unit is having my students meet in discussion
groups for the two main novels we’re reading as a class. Every couple of days the group will
meet together and discuss a couple of questions. Each group will have a recorder and they will
share out with the whole class when we join back together for a full class discussion on the
answers student groups came up with. Example questions for the text Stargirl are included in
the miscellaneous section of this unit plan.
3. Journaling will be a very important aspect of reaching this unit’s end goal of students
recognizing the importance of celebrating their individuality. Every day there will be a new
prompt on the board asking students to (for example) write about your home, family, one long
term goal you have, a few short term goals you have for yourself, reflect on a time when you
felt put down by others, a time when you wanted to be someone else, have had someone tell
you they’re proud of you, etc. This will be helping students prepare for the final expository
essay they will be writing for this essay.
4. During this unit, I would like my students to hone their interviewing skills. Students will be
asked to interview three people (one family member, one friend, and one faculty member) and
ask them about a time when they had to choose to either conform to what others wanted or
stand up for who they were and what they believed. Students will turn in a couple of short
paragraphs on each interview that includes their own personal reflections. This will be
collected as a participation grade and students will have time in class to work on these.
5. Another activity I would like my students to do during a discussion on A House on Mango
Street, is a discussion web. I’ll have proposed a theme to discuss in the book the day prior to
our conversation so that each student has time to generate a question that they want to pose
that connects to it. The next day, the whole class get’s in a circle and the initiator of the
conversation proposes a question and tosses a ball of string to a volunteer who will answer it.
Then they throw the string to the next person who would like to ask a question (etc.). By the
end all students will at least have one pice of sting in their hands and we’ll have developed our
thinking as a class on one particular theme in the book.
Culminating Texts:
1. The culminating text that my students will be producing in this unit is an expository essay.
The definition of this type of essay is as follows: “The expository essay is a genre of essay that
requires the student to investigate an idea, evaluate evidence, expound on the idea, and set
forth an argument concerning that idea in a clear and concise manner. This can be
accomplished through comparison and contrast, definition, example, the analysis of cause and
effect, etc.” The Essay that my students will be writing if a “declaration of self essay.” The goal
is for students to investigate the themes and components we’ve discussed in this unit that come
together to construct one’s identity. Students will need to add evidence of what makes them who
they are, Expound on the idea, and construct an argument for the sake of their identity (in the
form of a thesis statement). A checklist for the assignment can be found below in the assessment
section of this unit outline. Definition of expository essay based off of
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/685/02/
Assessments:
Expository Essay Check list:
The structure of the expository essay is held together by the following.
•
A clear, concise, and defined thesis statement that occurs in the first paragraph of
the essay.
It is essential that this thesis statement be appropriately narrowed to follow the guidelines
set forth in the assignment. Five points
•
Clear and logical transitions between the introduction, body, and conclusion.
Transitions are the mortar that holds the foundation of the essay together. Without logical
progression of thought, the reader is unable to follow the essay’s argument, and the structure will
collapse. Five points
•
Body paragraphs that include evidential support.
Each paragraph should be limited to the exposition of one general idea. This will allow for
clarity and direction throughout the essay. What is more, such conciseness creates an ease of
readability for one’s audience. It is important to note that each paragraph in the body of the essay
must have some logical connection to the thesis statement in the opening paragraph. five points
•
Evidential support (whether factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal). five points
•
A bit of creativity!
Though creativity and artfulness are not always associated with essay writing, it is an art
form nonetheless. Try not to get stuck on the formulaic nature of expository writing at the
expense of writing something interesting. Remember, though you may not be crafting the next
great novel, you are attempting to leave a lasting impression on the people evaluating your essay.
five points
•
A conclusion that does not simply restate the thesis, but readdresses it in light of the
evidence provided.
This is the portion of the essay that will leave the most immediate impression on the mind
of the reader. Therefore, it must be effective and logical. Do not introduce any new information
into the conclusion; rather, synthesize and come to a conclusion concerning the information
presented in the body of the essay. 5points
Total points possible: 30
Points earned: _____ Final Grade:______
Source: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/685/02/
Miscellaneous:
Everyone Has a Culture--Everyone is Different
Directions: Please respond to each question.
1. What languages to do you speak?
2. What do you wear on special occasions?
3. How important is your extended family (e.g., grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins)?
4. What music do you listen to? What dances do you know?
5. What foods do you eat at home?
In your family, what is considered polite and what is considered rude?
What manners have you been taught?
6. What holidays and ceremonies are important in your family?
7. What things are most important to you?
8. Based on what you've written, how would you describe the characteristics of the culture you're
a part of?
http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/guides/insights/culture/module1/lesson2/wksheet2.html
Peer Editing checklist for Expository Essay:
Expository Essay Topic:
Author:
Reader 1: (name)
Label the author’s Thesis Statement:
What does the author want the reader to learn?
Has the author intrigued/made you want to learn more? YES / NO
Why or Why not? What could the author add to or change in this essay to better intrigue
you? (Complete sentences)
Reader 2: (name)
Label the author’s Thesis Statement:
What does the author want the reader to learn?
Has the author intrigued/made you want to learn more? YES / NO
Why or Why not? What could the author add to or change in this essay to better intrigue
you? (Complete sentences)
Reader 3: (name)
Label the author’s Thesis Statement:
What does the author want the reader to learn?
Has the author intrigued/made you want to learn more? YES / NO
Why or Why not? What could the author add to or change in this essay to better intrigue
you? (Complete sentences)
Reader 4: (name)
Label the author’s Thesis Statement:
What does the author want the reader to learn?
Has the author intrigued/made you want to learn more? YES / NO
Why or Why not? What could the author add to or change in this essay to better intrigue
you? (Complete sentences)
Literature group discussion questions for Stargirl: (bolded words are answers with
evidence)
1. When Stargirl arrives at Mica High School, people notice her. Name three ways in which her
appearance or behavior differs from that of other students. Leo provides his first detailed
description of Stargirl on page 4, including her full length white dress, the ukulele
hanging over her shoulder, and the large canvas bag with the sunflower, all of which
distinguish her from the crowd. Other distinctive features include her pet rat, her habit
of cheering even when the opposing team scores a basket, and her practice of singing
“Happy Birthday” to students in the cafeteria.
2. By December 1 of the year, Stargirl has become the most popular person in school. Describe
what other students do to show admiration for her. On page 38, Leo says, “We honored her
by imitation. A chorus of ukuleles strummed in the lunchroom. Flowers appeared on
classroom desks. One day it rained and a dozen girls ran outside to dance. The pet shop
at the Mica Mall ran out of rats.” The other students also show admiration by
applauding and cheering Stargirl when her cheerleading antics are still welcomed and
appreciated.
3. 3. Think about the setting of the story, which takes place in an Arizona desert community.
Identify passages that help you “see” the plants, animals, terrain, and climate in Leo’s town.
References to cacti, the sun, and the desert abound throughout the story. There are
several particularly rich passages which evoke the natural surroundings. First,
beginning on page 16, Leo relates what he sees as he follows Stargirl out of town and into
the desert. On page 40, Leo discusses the frogs that sleep in the mud, waiting for the rain
to come. Then, on page 87, Leo describes the saguaro cacti, a recurring theme in the
book.
4. Archie is a mentor and friend to Leo and other kids in the neighborhoods. Cite examples from
the book that show how Archie helps one of the main characters. Throughout the story,
Archie helps Leo understand Stargirl and his feelings about her. One specific example is
on page 104. When Leo seeks Archie’s counsel about Stargirl and conformity, etc.,
Archie responds by posing the books central question: “whose affection do you value
more, hers or theirs?” This helps Leo see his dilemma clearly and, ultimately, to make
his choice.
5. Identify a character in the story who shows courage. Explain how the character is brave.
Courage is a subjective term and answers will vary depending on each reader’s sense of
the word. Some readers may think Stargirl is courageous for cheering when opposing
players score in a basketball game or for going to The Hot Seat with Kevin and Leo.
Others may think Leo demonstrates courage for dating Stargirl even though he knows it
is causing him to be shunned by the other students or that Dori Dilson demonstrates
courage by sitting with Stargirl in the cafeteria.
6. What does Archie mean when he says, “When Stargirl cries, she does not shed tears, but
light”? This is not the first use of light to describe Stargirl. On page 107, for example, Leo
says, “She was bendable light: she shone around every corner of my day.” Readers may
therefore want to approach the question as though Stargirl is made of light. In that
sense, Archie might be implying that when Stargirl cries, she is giving something of
herself. Alternatively, light can be taken more literally to mean something that helps
people see. In that sense, Stargirl’s emotions could be said to have the quality of helping
people to understand themselves or the world around them.
7. What questions would you ask Leo if you interviewed him as an adult?
Readers may want to ask Leo about his high school experience, his memories of Stargirl, or
his career as a set designer. The author leaves other questions unanswered such as why Leo
does not have family fifteen years after high school or why he doesn’t talk about his family
during the course of the story. Readers who notice that Leo becomes a keen observer of the
natural world around him may want to ask if he misses the desert.
8. Stargirl notices and cares about bad things that happen to other people but often seems to be
unaware of bad things that happen to herself. If she were to visit your school today, what
would she notice? What would she ignore? Give reasons for your answers. Leo’s account
offers several hints about what Stargirl might notice. On page 49 he says, “...but she gave
most of her attention to the little things.” He lists examples: a student picking up a candy
wrapper, a new pair of earrings, a broken arm, or a bug by the bike rack. On page 52,
Leo adds, “If we were hurt, if we were unhappy, or otherwise victimized by life, she
seemed to know about it, and to care, as soon as we did. But bad things falling on her –
unkind words, nasty stares, foot blisters – she seemed unaware of.” This is also a hint to
readers about what Stargirl would NOT notice. Finally, on page 108, Leo describes the
things Stargirl notices around town, including the man sitting outside the shopping
village, a row of ants on the sidewalk, or a blue door that was once green.
9. Over the course of the book, Leo changes. Compare and contrast Leo’s appreciation of “little
things” in life at the beginning of the novel and at the end. After Stargirl teaches Leo to see
“the little things” (see #8), he begins to notice these things himself. At the end of the
novel, long after he has last seen Stargirl, Leo says, “I throw myself into my work and
keep an eye peeled for silver lunch trucks, and I remember. I sometimes walk in the rain
without an umbrella. When I see change on the sidewalk, I leave it there. If no one’s
looking, I drop a quarter. I feel guilty when I buy a card from Hallmark. I listen for
mockingbirds.” In contrast, there are no such passages early in the novel, when Leo’s
focus is on the behavior and appearances of his immediate peers. On page 2, he says, “It
did not occur to me that I was being watched. We were all being watched.”
10. When Archie and Leo drive out to the desert, Archie write a single word on a scrap of paper
and stuffs it in a hole. What do you think is written on the paper? The text offers no hints
beyond what readers should know about Archie: that he is a fairly eccentric retired
paleontologist who lives in a house decorated with fossils and bones and has a distinctly
spiritual connection to the natural world. He describes himself as “a man of bones. You
can’t be up to your eyeballs in bones and not believe in enchanted places.” Also, in the
hole is the skull of Barney, the Paleocene Rodent. Archie tells Leo on page 182, that he
does not “have the energy to return Barney to his original stratum in South Dakota. In
that sense, the note could be seen as a farewell message. While the question is openended, answers must be consistent with Archie’s unique character and his views of the
world.
11. Create a new scene for the book in which the two discuss Archie’s message.
12. When Leo returns to Arizona after living in the East, someone else is living in Archie’s
house. Where, in your opinion, is Archie? How does that fit with Archie’s view of the universe?
See #10. Important passages illustrating Archie’s view of the universe are found on pages
75, 103, and 177. Archie believes man has a physical connection to the
primordial elements supplied by the stars. Of Stargirl he says, on page 177, “I think every
once in a while someone comes along who is a little more primitive than the rest of us, a
little closer to our beginnings, a little more in touch with the stuff we’re made of.” In that
sense, readers may want to speculate that Archie has once again become a part of the
cosmos. At the end of the novel, Archie does allude that he is tired. (See #10.)
13. Toward the end of the book, Leo chooses membership in his peer group over his affection for
Stargirl. What is your opinion of Leo’s choice? Why? Although the question is subjective,
one approach might be to evaluate whether Leo remains true to himself when he
chooses his peer group over Stargirl. While Leo is clear about his affection for Stargirl,
he also asserts the importance of general social acceptance. On page 126: “I had never
realized how much I needed the attention of others to confirm my own presence.” On
page 128: “I pretended she would become more like them and they would become more
like her, and in the end I would have it all.” On page 130: “I felt a sudden, strange
kinship with Hillari Kimble: I understood why she had commanded Stargirl not to sing
for her. I felt spotlighted on a bare stage.” On page 135, he says to Stargirl, “I’m in
touch with everybody. I’m one of them.” Thus, Leo is honest with himself about the
importance of being connected and is true to himself in choosing the crowd over
Stargirl. On the other hand, Leo is moved and changed by Stargirl. As such, readers
could make an equally strong case that he betrayed her and his feelings for her by
choosing the crowd.
14. Do you think Leo’s life is improved for having been involved with Stargirl? What makes you
say that? Though the question is entirely subjective, one possible approach might be to
examine Leo’s concluding passage on page 186 in which he says, “Though I have no family
of my own, I do no not feel alone.” This could be seen as an improvement from Leo’s prior
dependence on others for companionship and affirmation.
Note: The following questions are keyed to Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge: 1-3;
Comprehension: 4-6; Application 7-8; Analysis 9; Synthesis; 10-11; Evaluation 12-14.
Source: http://teacher.scholastic.com/clubs/pdfs/stargirl_t.pdf
Other sources:
Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English Through Principled Practice. Ohio: Prentice Hall, 2002.