Role in Society
In Search of Self - Identity and Sense of Self
Student Page
teacher version of this page OR back to the Identity and Sense of Self home page

Key Concept:

Everyone has a role in society, a certain job they are responsible for or a purpose they must fulfill.  As a society, there are times when all members have to work together in order to accomplish a specific goal.  In this particular lesson, you will work together as a class to accomplish a specific goal.

Objectives:

You will be able to
- recognize listening as an active process that requires listeners to anticipate a message and set a purpose for listening
- listen to analyze and evaluate
- recognize viewing as an active process that requires viewers to anticipate a message and set a purpose for viewing
- recognize viewing as an active process that requires viewers to analyze and evaluate
- respond personally, critically, and creatively to visuals, films/videos, and multimedia presentations
- identify the purposes, intended audiences, messages, and points of view of visuals, films/videos, and multimedia presentations
- speak to inform and persuade
- speak to build relationships and a sense of community
- function effectively as both a group member and a group leader

Resources:

- Movie:
       Remember the Titans
       Simon Birch
       The Greatest Game Ever Played
       or....any other movie dealing with the theme of Identity and Sense of Self
- viewing guide

Teaching-Learning Strategies:

Task One: What is My Role?

1. As a class, brainstorm a list of roles that you have in your home, school, and community.

2. Now, choose one of these roles and write down five statements describing what you must do in order to successfully fulfill that role. 

It is always important to know in advance what the responsibilities are in fulfilling a specific role. In the following activity, you and your classmates will depend on each other to accomplish the listening task provided.  

Task Two: Let's Work Together!

Your class is going to work together to review the concepts of identity.  You will be watching a movie, chosen by your teacher, and using a viewing guide.

Your teacher will separate you into groups of six or seven. Within your group, you must each choose a question that you will be responsible for answering while you are viewing the movie. Each question is based on the guiding questions from the current unit, Identity and Sense of Self, and your next unit, Human Qualities and Ideals.

Before you begin watching the movie, your teacher will give you the character names that you must fill into your viewing guide.

Below the unit questions are listed. You are responsible for recording the information from the movie that provides examples to answer your specific section of the viewing guide.    

1. Do we see ourselves the way others see us?
2. How do our values of self affect our lives?
3. How does being a member of a particular group affect our identity and sense of self?
4. How ought human beings behave?
5. What is right? What is admirable?
6. What is the darker side to human nature?

Make sure to be watching for as much information as you can for your section of the viewing guide.  You want to have a lot of information to share with your group after the movie is over.

Along with your specific question on the viewing guide, you are also responsible for filling in the "What do we know" section of the viewing guide. This requires you to summarize the basic information from the film.

Task Three: Let's Put it all Together!

When the movie is over, you will get 15-20 minutes to meet with the other people in your class who were responsible for answering the same question on the viewing guide as you were. This group should be an expert group on one of the questions on the viewing guide.

If you struggled with a specific concept within your section, make sure to ask your teacher.  Work together as a group to come up with the best answer you can, to share with the members of your original group.  You want to make it easy for the other members of the class to understand the concept you are teaching.

Once your expert group is satisfied with the answers you have discussed, you will then be responsible for getting back into your original group, your jigsaw group, and teaching the other members about the examples you found.  In turn, the other members of the group will teach you the information they found while watching the movie.

Your information should fit together like a puzzle that you have worked together to complete as a group.

When your group has finished sharing all of the information from the movie, and your entire viewing guide is filled out, the class may get together as a group and discuss the major concepts that are found in the movie.