Grade 8
Unit: Identity
Big Idea: Our sense of self, and that of others, is continually developing through our different interactions and impacts how we exist in the world.
On Tuesday, October 29, the 8th graders gathered for the entry point for their current IMYC Identity unit. The purpose of the entry point was to break apart the meaning of the big idea: ‘Our sense of self, and that of others, is continually developing through our different interactions and impacts how we exist in the world.’
First, the discussion asked the students to construct a common human identity. Next, the conversation shifted to the students considering how an individual’s identity is established, as well as how one’s sense of their identity changes over time. The conclusion to the entry point was a viewing of the case-study documentary ‘7-Up,’ which follows the lives of several South Africans at the age intervals of 7, 14, and 21, beginning in 1992 as Apartheid began to unwravel. As is their custom, the 8th graders handled the discussion and film with high levels of thought and perspective. Moreover, the students enjoyed the awareness that many of the points they raised in discussion were evident in the film.
Student Highlights:
In response to the entry point activity, Mattia Worster reflected, “people value their different identities instead of our common identities because most people in the world value their uniqueness. Also, thorugh a film we watched on the end of apartheid, we discovered that while people are young, they often repeat their parents’ ideas, but as they get older, they start to change their ideas and forge their own identity.”