Juan Soriano

10/7/15
Dr. Torres
271

Eng
Identity Unit Lesson Plan

High school is a time of exploration for adolescents, particularly freshmen.

Being surrounded by so many new influences can be overwhelming during a time
when many of them are trying to develop a sense of self-worth and conscious
identity. This is why discussing the idea of identity in an English classroom is a good
idea. Through a unit on identity, particularly Latino/a identity, many of my students
can see the struggle of developing an identity and be out at ease over the fact that
theyre still struggling to find their own. The struggle to find identity is also a great
point to study character development and dynamic characters, so this unit is great
for developing the students sense of identity and their understanding of compelling
character work in literature. The focus on Latino identity can help students who
identify as Latino better understand their sense of identity and give those who do
not a peek into the lives of the Latino community. Hopefully, this will instill empathy
for those students of other racial and ethnic backgrounds. The identity unit will last
five days. Assumed period length is fifty minutes.
Objectives
Students will hopefully gain an understanding of what dynamic and static
characters; heroes/antiheroes; and character development are in literature; analyze
themes of identity in literature; explore their own identities and the many factors
that contribute to it; and critically question the adaptation of canonical literary
work.
Resources

Bodega Dreams by Ernesto Quiones

Gloria Gaynors I Will Survive with lyrics
Celia Cruzs Yo Vivire with translated lyrics
Photographs of El Barrio during the time of Bodega Dreams and now
Photographs of the local community then and now
Tato Lavieras my graduation speech
Miguel Pieros A Lower East Side Poem
The Contest of Coffee and Corn Gruel

Day one: For the first day, I want to open with a class discussion about what the
word identity means to the students. After a couple (3-5) minutes of brainstorming, I
would pull up a piece of chart paper and would make a word web with the word
identity being the center. I would ask students to spread out the web themselves

by adding terms. In doing so, the students would have some key terms in the room
regarding identity that they came up with. Ill guide them if the need be with some
key themes, but I want the students to make their own meanings as much as
possible. These terms would help with our exploration of some of the themes of
identity in the book. (5 minutes)
After this, I would assign the students a brief journal write up about what they feel
identity means to them. The journal would not have to be detailed as much as it
needs to be personal. After ten minutes of journal time, I would ask the students to
read as much of Bodega Dreams as they can in twenty minutes. After these twenty
minutes are over, I would ask the students for first impressions of the book, jotting
down any recurring ideas. For homework Ill assign the next 35 pages of Bodega
Dreams and The Contest of Coffee and Corn Gruel. Students should take notes on
anything that sticks out regarding identity.
Day two: I would start day two with a five minute discussion about the readings
reviewing student notes for any identity related notes. I would also add more words
to the identity web during this time. At this point, I would hand out the lyrics for and
play both Gloria Gaynors I Will Survive and Celia Cruzs Yo Vivire. I would then
facilitate a class discussion focusing on cross-textual analysis comparing themes of
identity in the original and the cover. (15 minutes)
After analyzing the different identities between English and Spanish versions of the
song, I would follow up with Tato Lavieras my graduation speech, showcasing
how the switch between languages and identities is a part of Latin-American
identity. A brief (10 minute) analysis as to how this ties into the text follows, with
usage of words on the identity web. Then, I would facilitate a discussion about how
Chinos identity could be compared to that of the Laviera poem and possibly the
songs. The rest of the class could be spent discussing the split identities in all the
works used thus far. If discussion wanes out early, it could easily be split into some
quiet reading time to wind down. For homework, the next 40 pages of the book with
notes on anything that sticks out.
Day three: I would start with Miguel Pieros A Lower East Side Poem then analyze
the poem and use it to springboard into a discussion about how students feel about
their city/hometown. How do the students feel that where theyre from influences
who they are? (15 minutes. Record some of the big ideas from student discussion on
the board). Then, guide discussion on how El Barrio is a character with its own
identity in the book. What relationships do the characters have to the city? (10
minutes)
After this discussion, show pictures of Spanish Harlem during the period the book
was written vs now. After analyzing the evolution of El Barrio, do the same for the
local community. Students should take notes on both transformations. (5
minutes)Then, we should discuss how seeing these areas change impact the idea

that these communities have their own identity. Students should be able to draw
heavily from the identity web, their ideas on the board, and the text. (10 minutes)
Debrief and field some questions. (5 minutes) Give advice on tomorrows project (5
minutes). For homework, the next 40 pages of the book with notes on anything that
sticks out.
Day four: I would start with 5 minutes of note review and a brief overview of todays
project then split students into groups to prepare for character identity analysis
presentations. Five characters will be assigned to the groups: Chino, Bodega, Vera,
Nazario, and Blanca, with each group handling one character. Prep time for
presentations is 20 minutes. Presentations will be three minutes long and should be
about the evolution (or lack thereof)of that characters identity. There will be two
minutes of questions for each group. Presentations might spill over into the next
day, which is why I built a buffer time just in case. In the presentations and Q&A
sessions, students should demonstrate an understanding of the text by using and
analyzing quotes. For homework, the next 40 pages of the book with notes on
anything that sticks out.
Day five: The last day would start with a discussion of the ending of the book,
analyzing students impressions and opinions on the ending. (10 minutes) then, I
will give a mini lecture on dynamic characters using Chino as a prime example. (10
minutes) If presentations dont spill over, mention The Great Gatsby and discuss the
modernization of literature. (5 minutes) then, well glance back to the word web for
one last time to see what themes of identity were used from the web and how have
the students views on identity changed? (10 minutes) While this discussion is still
fresh, well have a quick write journal about what identity means now compared to
before the book was read. (5 minutes) To wrap the unit up, discuss what identity
means to the students (10 minutes.)