Grade 8 Unit Three Topics

Knowledge/Content

Skills/Processes

Values/Attitudes

· Know that self refers to a person's own distinct individuality and character. (COM)

· Respond to selections read aloud and silently. (CCT, COM)

· Recognize and accept that others may see us differently from how we see ourselves. (PSVS)

See page 343 in this curriculum guide for information about creating and assessing collages.

Assessment Suggestions

· Assess students' response and discussion skills.

· Assess students' ability to make comparisons in chart form.

· Assess students' collages according to known criteria.

The reading selections listed within this lesson are suggestions only. Teachers may choose other titles.

Self refers to a person's own distinct individuality and character.

"The Girl Who Couldn't See Herself" by Leena Dhingra:
The girl in this story tries to find her self-identity amid a barrage of people trying to tell her what she should be. It addresses the kinds of social pressures and expectations that people encounter when trying to establish a sense of self.

Displaying Collages:

Suggest that students display their collages only if they feel comfortable doing so. Some students may find this kind of display of "self" too personal and threatening.

Instruction Suggestions

• Read aloud to students the short monologue by Jean Little entitled "Who You Are" on page 23 of Identity - In Perspectives Series.
• Instruct students to write a brief personal response to the monologue, expressing their feelings about it and their understanding of it.
• Engage students in a discussion of the following questions regarding the monologue:
  • Do you think the narrator of the monologue is "typical" of people your age? Why?
  • What do you think the narrator means by "I'm putting myself together, ...like a jigsaw puzzle. I keep on finding new pieces."
  • What kind of "edges" do people allow to limit their choices of who they are?
• Explain to students that, as adolescents face their futures, they need to develop a sense of their own identity and individuality. Have students respond to the following questions:
  • How do you think other people see you?
  • What do you think runs through their minds when they see you for the first time? After they have met you?
  • Do you think that you have a good "sense of self," and that you are confident about who you are?
• Have students share their responses only if they are comfortable doing so.
• Give each student a copy of "The Girl Who Couldn't See Herself," pages 21-22 in Futures - Issues Series, and "Poem" on page 100 of Identity - In Perspectives Series
• Instruct students to respond individually to the two selections, expressing their feelings about them and their understanding of them. Tell them to state how the selections do, or do not, relate to them.
• Discuss questions such as:
  • Do you think that a person's face reveals anything about his or her personality? Why?
  • Do you think that people have a private self and a public self? Why?
  • Do you think that other people see you differently from the way you see yourself? If so, in what ways?
  • How do others influence who you are or think you are?
• Do you ever try to live up to others' expectations of who you should be? If so, whose expectations do you strive to meet? If not, why? Give students each a copy of "Student Handout #1: Images of Me." Review the instructions with them. Provide students with information about developing effective collages. Then allow them time to complete the project.
• Debrief by having students reflect on how effectively they were able to capture the essence of the "self," that is, their own distinct individuality. Why were they successful? What did they learn about themselves? Are there parts of their character that they did not reveal?
• Explain that a "sense of self" is often difficult to articulate, and that it is continually changing as we learn and interact with others. Our underlying beliefs and values (our private self) affect and guide what actions and appearances are on the outside (our public self). Our attitudes and actions reflect our beliefs and values.

Extended Learning: Examine self-portraits by visual artists (e.g., Vincent Van Gogh did many self-portraits). What do the portraits reveal about the artists? Why do artists sometimes create self-portraits?

Knowledge/Content

Skills/Processes

Values/Attitudes

· Know that names reflect an individual's personal and cultural identities. (COM, CCT)

· Explain what makes Canada a multicultural nation.

· Respond appropriately and thoughtfully to questions. (COM, PSVS)

· Organize information in chart form. (COM)

· Make generalizations.

· Listen actively and think critically. (COM, CCT)

· Demonstrate respect for others by addressing them by the name they wish to be called. (PSVS)

Procedure

Teacher Notes

See pages 329-332 for information about strategies for helping students read-to-learn.

Bring to class several books that list names and their meanings. Ask around the staff room for people to loan you baby name books, or get several from the public library.

What's in a Name ?

Names are very personal possessions. They reflect our personal and cultural identities.

Ethnocentric:

• The belief that one culture is superior to other cultures, and that other cultures should be compared with it.
• White supremacist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan are extreme examples of ethnocentric groups. However, ethnocentrism can be more subtle. Assuming that Sunday should be a "day of rest" for all people is a less extreme example.
• People can have ethnocentric beliefs without realizing it.

Assessment Suggestions

• Assess students' ability to listen actively and to respond critically to a reading selection.

• Write the following quotation from Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland on the chalkboard or an overhead transparency, and ask students to discuss it briefly with a partner:
"What's the use of their having names, " the Gnat said, "if they won't answer to them?"
"No use to them," said Alice, "but it's useful to the people that name them, I suppose. If not, why do things have names at all?"

• Discuss the following questions with students:
• What purpose do names serve according to Alice? Do you agree? Why or why not?
• How did you get your personal names (first and second)?
• Does your name suit your image of you; in other words does it reflect the "self" that you created in your collage? Why? If not, what name would you choose for yourself?
• Do other people's names usually suit them? Have you ever said, "She looks like a Jennifer"? Why do we associate certain names with how people look?
• Does your name reflect your cultural background? If so, in what ways?
• Do you have a nickname? Does it fit your image of you, or does it represent some part of your public image? Who gave you the nickname, and why?
• Ask students to consider questions such as: How many of you know the meaning and the history of your names? How many know the meaning of the names of your friends and classmates? How many countries or cultural backgrounds are represented in the names in the classroom? How do parents from various cultures name their children? What similarities and differences exist between cultures in how names are chosen for children? Is it different for girls and boys? In various cultures, what influences the parents' choice of names?
• Give students copies of books that define and explain names from many cultures. Have them use several books to learn the meaning, origin and history of their names, and make comparisons, if the explanations are different from one resource to another.
• Ask students, now that they know the meanings of their names, if and how they think that their names reflect their identity.
• Divide students into small groups and give them copies of "Student Handout #2: Global Names Chart." Have them complete it according to the instructions on the handout. Encourage each group to select a different culture. For examples see "Teacher Information Sheet #1: Sample Global Names Chart."
• If time permits, have each group present its findings to the class, or have groups post their findings on a bulletin board for others to read.
• Read aloud to students the brief non-fiction selection "Should I Change My Name," on page 50 of Multiculturalism - The Issues Collection. Tell the students the author's name and discuss why he wishes to change it and why he changed his mind later.
• Tell students that an exciting change is occurring in Canada-Canadians are becoming more accepting and respecting of cultural diversity. One small example of this is in the variety of names we see around us.
• Explain that in the past people who immigrated to Canada often had their names changed by officials who could not pronounce the foreign sounds, who were often impatient, or who had ethnocentric attitudes. For example, a male immigrant, Mikhail, and a female immigrant, Stephania, became Mike and Stella. With the stroke of a pen their Ukrainian cultural heritage was denied. As well, because of ethnocentric attitudes, immigrants, especially children, often tried to hide their cultures by accepting their anglicized names and not speaking their heritage language, thus rejecting their heritages. Family names were often changed for the same reasons.
• Define multiculturalism for students and ask them if they think that this definition applies to Canadian society. Why?

Knowledge/Content

Skills/Processes

Values/Attitudes

· Know that each individual plays many roles simultaneously in any society.

· Know that roles are either ascribed or achieved, and give examples of each. (COM)

· Gather and organize information in a web format. (CCT, COM)

· Appreciate that, while some roles are ascribed, others must be earned or achieved. (PSVS)

• Every culture has predetermined expectations about the positions its children will occupy in society.
• Each person may play many roles simultaneously.
• Roles can be ascribed or achieved.

• Assess students' webs to determine if they understand the concepts of achieved and ascribed roles.

Knowledge/Content

Skills/Processes

Values/Attitudes

· Know that mass media encourage the consumption of popular culture. (COM)

· Think reflectively by responding to suggestions. (CCT)

· View to gather information and ideas. (COM, CCT)

· Participate in small group discussion.

· Become aware of the ways that they have been influenced or shaped by popular culture and mass media. (PSVS, CCT)

· Recognize the value of thinking critically about the popular cultures presented by the media. (PSVS)

Procedure

Teacher Notes

See page332 for information about viewing-to-learn strategies.

Mass Media:

· When we consume mass media, we are consuming popular (pop) culture.

· Popular culture is "popular" because so many people share the experience and "culture" because these experiences help to shape our identity as a society and as individuals.

Popular Culture:

· Refers to the brand-name products, entertainment celebrities, live coverage events and advertisements that surround us on a daily basis (Nike, Vogue, Pepsi, The Simpsons, Friends, dance videos, etc.)

· Mass media brings us pop culture that helps shape who we are-our identity.

See page 398 for information about using Venn diagrams to make comparisons.

• Assess students' abilities to gather information and ideas through viewing.

· Explain to students that many things in our environment shape our personal identities-families, peers, schools, media, as well as the culture in which we live. This lesson explores some ways that the media shapes identity.

· Explain that all societies have popular culture-the culture shared by most of the people. What is unique about contemporary popular culture is its world-wide prevalence and its commercial influences-both the result of 20^th century developments in mass media (e.g., television).

· Distribute "Student Handout #3: The Media - Shaping our Identity." Instruct students to complete the questions.

· Debrief by discussing the impact of the media on students' lives, as revealed by their responses to the questions on the handout.

· Have students view the video All the Right Stuff, which explores how identity is shaped in young people by music and media. The video also explores the importance of clothing in the popular culture of teenagers.

· Debrief by having students form small groups to discuss ways that they can control the great influence of mass media on their identities. Do the students believe they can shape their own identities, free of mass media influences? Would this be a good thing or a bad thing?

Extended Learning: Have students compare the way that different media shape their identities. They could construct a Venn diagram, chart or paragraph.

Or

Have students examine the ways that visual artists have responded to popular culture. They might study the movement known as "Pop Art" that came about in response to the advent of transmittal of popular culture through mass media.

Knowledge/Content

Skills/Processes

Values/Attitudes

· Know that an individual's identity is shaped through interaction with his or her family. (COM, CCT)

· Categorize information on a given chart. (CCT)

· Participate effectively in discussions with a peer.

· Accept that, through heredity, each of us has some characteristics of our family members. (PSVS)

· Appreciate the characteristics and influences that family has on an individual's identity. (PSVS)

Procedure

Teacher Notes

See page 409 for a sample template for assessing classification skills.

Activities such as this one must be handled sensitively and take into account all students' living and family arrangements. Students might be given choices: e.g., studying themselves, interviewing another person about his or her family's influence on personal identity, or studying a famous family (such as the British royal family) to explore the role of family or personality.

• Assess students' abilities to classify information and ideas into relevant categories.

• Ask students if they have ever been told that they look or act like someone in their families (e.g., mother, sister, father, grandparents).
• Explain that many aspects of our identity come from our families-from our appearance to mannerisms and behaviours.
• Give each student a copy of "Student Handout #4: Family Influences." Have each complete it by:
• listing all the family members he or she is said to be like
• listing as many similarities to each person as possible
• stating at least one difference between himself or herself and each of the persons on the list
• identifying the similarities (refer to appearance or behaviour, or both).
• Conclude by having students share their information with a partner. Tell them to be sure to discuss the ways that they are similar to their family members, as well as ways in which they are individuals.




Extended Learning: Have students explore ways that their families' spiritual or religious beliefs have influenced their own identities.

Or

Have small groups of students find one research study or article on family and identity. Groups can briefly present their findings to the rest of the class, with a discussion following the presentations.

Learning Objectives

Knowledge/Content

Skills/Processes

Values/Attitudes

· Define the two components of the environment-physical and social.

· Give examples of their own physical and social environments. (COM, CCT )

· Know that an individual's identity, in part, is shaped by his or her environments. (COM, CCT)

· Engage in reflective thinking. (CCT)

· Write descriptive paragraphs. (COM, CCT)

· Participate effectively in small group discussion.

· Appreciate the ways that their environments have contributed to shaping their identities. (PSVS)

Procedure

Teacher Notes

Establish or develop assessment criteria with students prior to having them write their paragraphs.

Physical Environment:

· can include but is not limited to the "natural" environment

· includes buildings, streets, and availability of water, food and shelter.

Social Environment:

· describes the social aspects of the environment-those having to do with people and their interaction with one another

· includes attributes, values, role expectations and behaviour.

See the Middle Level English Language Arts curriculum guide for information about writing descriptive paragraphs.

Assessment Suggestions

• Assess students' paragraphs for content and structure.

• Explain to students that everything in their physical and social environments (or surroundings) contributes to shaping their identities.

• Define and give examples of both the physical and social environments.
• Instruct each student to write two descriptive paragraphs-one about the physical environments in his or her community and one about the social environment.
• Have the student conclude each paragraph by explaining ways in which each environment has affected or influenced his or her identity.
• Ask students to identify which of their environments has influenced or affected them most. Why do they think this is the case?
• Have students speculate about ways that their identities might change if they moved to a different environment. Why?
• Have students list various physical environments in Saskatchewan and suggest ways that each might contribute to identity. Ask students if they think mass communication tools such as television and the Internet have changed the way physical environments influence identity.




Extended Learning: Read the student essay, "Society Discriminates Against Teenagers," in Justice - The Issues Collection. Have students identify ways that the social discrimination described in the essay relates to the concept of identity.

Learning Objectives

Knowledge/Content

Skills/Processes

Values/Attitudes

· Know that identity is influenced, to varying degrees, by cultural surroundings. (COM)

· Identify themselves as members of many different groups.

· Participate effectively in group activities.

· Compare the class activity with multiculturalism by drawing an analogy. (CCT)

· Appreciate differences without making judgements. (PSVS)

· Appreciate that they are members of many groups, within the classroom and within Canada. (PSVS)

Procedure

Teacher Notes

The Multicultural Activity-design the three lists in such a way that students are not singled out or embarrassed. Stress that teasing and critical comments will not be tolerated.

Assessment Suggestions

• Assess students' abilities to participate effectively in groups and to make relevant comparisons.

Multicultural Activity:

• Develop three lists of characteristics that demonstrate that individuals are part of many groups:
• List 1-characteristics related to items worn or carried by the students (e.g., those wearing green and not wearing green, those with glasses and those without glasses).
• List 2-personal characteristics (e.g., hair or eye colour, birth month, food and activity preferences).
• List 3-more obvious cultural characteristics (e.g., gender, race, cultural heritage, languages spoken).
• Assemble the students into a large group in the centre of the room. Ask students to identify a few characteristics they have in common as a whole group (e.g., they live in the same community, attend the same school, are in the same grade.
• Use lists one and two to give instructions that will demonstrate that students are part of many different groups (e.g., those who have white on their shoes move to the left side of the room, all others to the right).
• Reorganize the group and give instruction that will divide the group in various ways. Do this several times, using different characteristics.
• Once the group is familiar with the activity, use list three, which includes cultural similarities and differences.

• Conclude the activity by asking students such questions as:
• How did you feel when you learned that you are a member of many different groups?
• Were you surprised by the number of ways the class could be grouped?
• How did you feel about being put into groups based on characteristics that you cannot change (e.g., hair and eye colour)?
• What happened when you were divided into groups according to colour of shoes or clothing? What kinds of comments did your peers make?
• What did you learn from doing this activity?
• Compare the experience of belonging to several groups, as demonstrated by the activity, to the experience of living in a multicultural society. In such a society one person might wear a turban, eat pizza, play hockey, speak French and work on a farm.
• Explain that Canada is a multicultural society in which people retain their cultural heritage if they choose to do so, but also live, work and socialize with people outside of their distinct cultural group. Although there are cultural differences among Canadians, there are many ways in which people from different cultural backgrounds are alike. In a multicultural society the influences of many groups are evident in the community (in ethnic restaurants, for example, which are frequented by everyone, regardless of their cultural background).

Learning Objectives

Knowledge/Content

Skills/Processes

Values/Attitudes

· Describe the concept of multiculturalism as it relates to Canada. (PSVS)

· View a video to gather specific ideas and information. (COM, CCT)

· Appreciate the feelings of alienation and insecurity that can arise when a person encounters an unfamiliar culture. (PSVS)

Procedure

Teacher Notes

See page 332 for information about viewing-to-learn strategies.

Video: Multicultural Canada (30 minutes):

This video looks at the issues that are inherent in the multicultural nature of Canadian society, past and present. It explores culture as more than food and dance-to include values, beliefs and how we view the world around us. It raises for discussion issues of racism, stereotyping and discrimination, as well as problems encountered by new immigrants.

See the Glossary in this unit for definitions of acculturation and assimilation.

Racism refers to antagonism against other races as a result of prejudice.

Stereotyping refers to forming oversimplified impressions based on preconceived, standardized notions.

See pages 346-350 in this curriculum guide for information and activities related to using current events.

• Assess students' abilities to gather relevant information and ideas through viewing.

• Review the previous lesson by reminding students that we all belong to many groups-in the classroom and in Canada. Tell them that we borrow characteristics, behaviours, beliefs and traditions from the many cultures that make up the multicultural nation of Canada.
• Read aloud to students the short essay, "A Multicultural Nation" by Winston Louis in Multiculturalism - Issues Collection (p.1). have students respond orally or in writing.
• To help students understand the concept of multiculturalism, use "Teacher Information Sheet #2: Multicultural Canada."
• Have students view the video Multicultural Canada, and further explore Canada as a nation of many cultures. Focus on:
• Cross-cultural interaction
• Canada as a nation of immigrants
• Canada's multicultural policy
• Concepts of assimilation and acculturation
• Appreciating and accepting all cultures.
• Remind students that immigrants, past and present, have included those who were sought out by the Canadian government (e.g., people to settle the Canadian west) and those who sought a new homeland, including refugees.
• Give students copies of "Student Handout #5: Canada's Cultural Diversity Survey."
• After students have completed the survey, debrief by compiling the results and graphing their responses. Discuss the class responses with regard to concepts such as acceptance, respect, assimilation, racism and stereotyping, and the implications for Canadian society.



Extended Learning: Have students locate current news articles about recent immigrants to Canada. What are the central issues of the articles? Are there differences in the ways various immigrant groups or individuals are treated?

And/Or

Show students the video Same Differences and have them make observations regarding the experiences of the characters when people of different cultures/religions interact. Discuss the stereotyping and discrimination that occurs. Ask students if they have had such experiences or know of people who have had similar experiences.

Learning Objectives

Knowledge/Content

Skills/Processes

Values/Attitudes

· Know that, except for the First nations, everyone in Canada is either an immigrant or a descendent of an immigrant. (COM)

· Read for information and ideas. (COM)

· Appreciate the many distinct cultures of Canada and their contributions to Canadian identity. (PSVS)

Procedure

Teacher Notes

See pages 329-332 in this curriculum guide for information about reading-to-learn skills and strategies.

Assessment Suggestions

· Assess students' abilities to read effectively to gather relevant information and ideas.

· Distribute "Student handout #6: The Chosen Ones - A History of Selective Immigration." Have students read silently, or aloud as a group.

· Following the reading, discuss such questions as:

· When did the Canadian Department of Immigration discard racial criteria?

· Describe three immigration schemes referred to in this article.

· What are some of the controversial issues surrounding immigration policy?

· What are some reasons that some immigrants were both welcomed and resented by people who came before them?

Changes - Multisource (kit)

· Transparency #9 - African American Family

· Transparency #12 - Vietnamese Refugees

· Read aloud the picture book When Jessie Came Across the Sea, and discuss the feelings about "leaving home" and "entering a new land" that the characters experience.

· Ask students if they believe it would take courage to go to an unknown place and start life over. In what ways?

Video: A Rough Crossing:

It would be valuable, if time permits, to deal with the issue of why Jewish children from Europe were not welcome as refugees in Canada during W.W.II. This could also be connected with how Japanese Canadians were treated at the time.

· Discuss how the adults in the video recall their adaptation to change and a new life, and how culture develops when the old is mixed with the new.

This unit provides authentic opportunities for interdisciplinary study. See page 336 for information about interdisciplinary instruction.

See the Middle Level English Language Arts curriculum guide for information about Reader Response.

"I liken Canada to a garden. A mosaic is a static thing with each element separate and divided from others. Canada is not that kind of country. Neither is it a 'melting pot' in which the individuality of each element is destroyed in order to produce a new and totally different element. It is rather a garden into which have been transplanted the brightest flowers from many lands, each retaining in its new environment the best of the qualities for which it was loved and prized in its native land."

(Former Prime Minister, John G. Diefenbaker)

· Conclude by relating these experiences to our present Canadian identity. (E.g., what characteristics, traditions, etc. from these immigrant groups are evident in Canadian culture?)

· "Immigrant" - poem by Aldo Bruno in Immigrant Experiences - Insights Collection · "Language and Culture" - essay by Michael Morad in Immigrant Experiences - Insights Collection · "Immigrants: The Second Generation" poem by Kevin Irie in Multiculturalism - Issues Collection · "A Child in a Prison Camp" by Shizuye Takashima in Discoveries in Non-Fiction · "Who Then is a Canadian?" - essay by Suwanando Sugunasir in Viewpoints

· "Institutionalized Racism and Canadian History: Notes of a Black Canadian" - essay by Adrienne Shadd in Discoveries in Non-Fiction

· "Out of the Fog" article by Alyse Framption in Viewpoints

· "Me, a Canadian?" - essay by Alootook Ipellie in Values - Issues Collection

· "Immigrant Mothers, Canadian Daughters" - essay by Myrna Kostash in Relationships and Responsibility - Insights Collection

· "I Lost my Talk" - poem by Rita Joe in Transitions

· Have students share their responses with the class, and discuss the ways that the experiences of these Canadians have contributed to the shaping of Canadian identity.

· Share with students the statement by former Prime Minister, John G. Diefenbaker regarding the plurality of cultures in Canada. Discuss the garden analogy and ask students to develop their own analogy about the nature of Canadian society.

· Use "Teacher Information Sheet #3: Canada - A Nation of Immigrants" to provide students with some background information on the history of immigrants to Canada. The information supports the saying that Canada is a "nation of immigrants." Discuss some possible experiences that various immigrants faced at different times in Canada's history. Do students think that the immigrants' experiences are better or worse today than in the past? Why?

· Tell students that they will conduct research to explore the experiences of immigrants to Canada, in the past and the present.