3 steps for planning identity studies to start the school year

The start of the school year typically entails a slew of getting-to-know-you activities, from interest inventories to family interviews and name games. These are all good and well, but getting to know students should go beyond the start of the school year and deeper than student interests. This is in part because our students are so much more than their interests, but it’s also because learners’ identities will continue to evolve over the course of the school year, meaning that we will have to keep “getting to know” our students all the way from August through June.

In addition to your typical getting-to-know-you activities, I recommend also doing a study of identity. These studies allow students to hone the language they use to talk about themselves, meanwhile helping them develop a rich vocabulary for discussing identity. Kids must learn to talk about identity: doing so helps them better understand similarities and differences between their peers, meanwhile creating a foundation upon which they can discuss social justice issues. Additionally, studying identity will create pathways for culturally sustaining teaching, a term coined by Django Paris, where we honor the assets of learners and create entry points for them to share those gifts with the class.

Not sure how to make an identity study? Or where to start? Try these steps.

First, identify what you want learners to know and be able to do

Backward design tells us to design units in three phases: (1) desired results; (2) evidence of student learning; (3) learning plan. In the first stage, desired results, we identify what learners should know and be able to do, so we’re sure our instruction is going beyond surface-level getting-to-know-you activities. Learning for Justice has a set of standards related to identity, articulating what students should know and be able to do within various grade bands.

Here’s an example from Humanizing Distance Learning.

Next, identify how learners will demonstrate their understanding

There are myriad possibilities for demonstrating an understanding of identity. You may consider identifying one way to demonstrate this understanding, but if you’re looking to personalize the experience, you might offer a few different means of expression. Some learners might want to write poems, while others may write a personal story or create a mural with symbols that represent them. Regardless, be sure to have clear success criteria that align with the desired results.

For instance, Identity Standard 2 for Grades 3-5 states I know about my family history and culture and about current and past contributions of people in my main identity groups. If this standard is included in your identity study, then each student, regardless of means of expression should include something related to current and past contributions of people in their identity group. Students might include a line about this in their poems or a symbol in their mural that demonstrates knowledge in relation to this standard.

Finally, create a learning plan

In Make Teaching Sustainable: Six Shifts that Teachers Want and Students Need, I suggest structuring your learning plan in three arcs: (1) Building Understanding; (2) Self-Exploration; and (3) Celebrating Identity.

In the first arc, learners build understanding of identity through read alouds that focus on each identity. In order to gauge understanding of key identity vocabulary, have students journal after each read aloud, using prompts that align to each of the texts. For instance, if you read A Family is a Family is a Family by Sara O’Leary and Qin Leng, you might pose the question: What makes your family unique? Give some examples.

In the second arc, students engage in self-exploration after having built the vocabulary necessary to do so. For instance, you might have learners create identity webs that incorporate the group identities they learned about from the first arc. The second arc is also where students can begin working towards their performance tasks like the identity murals or poems. You might consider breaking these performance tasks down into chunks for learners so they can complete them gradually.

In the final arc, take some time to celebrate learning and reflect on what students have learned. To celebrate, they can journal about how their thinking has changed about identity. They could also compare their identities to other students' identities using a Venn Diagram, identifying similarities and differences. This will help them both identify and appreciate the ways they diverge from their classmates.

What’s most important is that the learning plan aligns to both your desired results and the final work product. If it doesn’t, you run the risk of creating a learning plan of filler activities, as opposed to mindful learning experiences that help students better understand identity. You can find the full unit plan in Humanizing Distance Learning.

Identity is Always Evolving

Identity studies don’t have to be a one-time experience. Similar studies can be conducted at multiple points throughout the year, prompting learners to reflect on how they’ve changed as the year has progressed. Certain identity characteristics like race or ethnicity may stay fixed, but other identity characteristics like interests, family structure, or even gender may change, prompting reflection and further celebration.

As a result, be sure that identity becomes embedded into everything you do, and that it’s something you revisit far beyond the start of the school year.