This project immerses students in crafting personal narratives to explore how places, events, and relationships shape their identities. Through engaging writing workshops and collaborative art creation, students develop empathy and understanding by examining diverse perspectives. The project culminates in a public reading and an audio-visual mural exhibition, fostering a shared sense of belonging and reflection on their unique journeys.
Learning goals
Students will develop narrative writing skills by crafting personal stories that reflect significant transitions in their lives, using first-person and multiple narrative perspectives to deepen readers' empathy and understanding. They will engage in collaborative critique sessions to enhance their narratives, fostering self-direction and reflective learning practices. Through the creation and public sharing of audio-visual murals, students will explore relationships between personal identity and cultural experiences, practicing effective communication skills. The project supports critical thinking by encouraging students to question and analyze the complexities of identity influenced by various places and events.
Standards
[Common Core] CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3 - Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
[Common Core] CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.7 - Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person's life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.
[Common Core] CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.6 - 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.
Competencies
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving - Students consider a variety of innovative approaches to address and understand complex questions that are authentic and important to their communities.
Content Expertise - Students develop key competencies, skills, and dispositions with ample opportunities to apply knowledge and engage in work that matters to them.
Academic Mindset - Students establish a sense of place, identity, and belonging to increase self-efficacy while engaging in critical reflection and action.
Effective Communication - Students practice listening to understand, communicating with empathy, and share their learning through exhibiting, presenting and reflecting on their work.
Self Directed Learning - Students use teacher and peer feedback and self-reflection to monitor and direct their own learning while building self knowledge both in and out of the classroom.
Collaboration - Students co-design projects with peers, exercise shared-decision making, strengthen relational agency, resolve conflict, and assume leadership roles.
Products
Throughout this learning experience, students will collaboratively produce an audio-visual mural showcasing key transitional moments from their personal narratives, which will be featured during a "coffee house" style public reading event. Each student will create a polished first-person narrative that includes different perspectives to cultivate empathy and understanding. Additionally, students will participate in weekly reflective journaling sessions to document and critique their revision process. In small group workshops, students will refine their narratives based on peer and instructor feedback, ensuring each product is ready for exhibition.
Launch
Begin the unit with a community storytelling event where students listen to guest speakers share personal narratives about pivotal moments in their lives. This experience will set the stage for students to connect with diverse perspectives and recognize the impact of individual stories on identity. Following the event, students will engage in small group discussions to reflect on the narratives heard and brainstorm how they can incorporate similar storytelling techniques in their own work. This activity ignites curiosity and prepares students to craft their first-person narratives with greater insight.
Exhibition
In the vibrant "coffee house" setting, students will present their personal narratives, showcased alongside their collaboratively created audio-visual murals. This atmosphere invites an authentic audience, including peers, family, and community members, to engage interactively with the stories and the dynamic visual depictions of significant transitions. By reading excerpts and sharing murals, students open a dialogue that deepens understanding of identity and experience, reinforcing the project’s essential question.
