Overview
In this class, students will begin to investigate how they define themselves as individuals and as members of different communities. These explorations will lead them into a group activity where students begin to identify characteristics that can be used to define their generation. They will also analyze the significance of a “generation.” They will read about past generations’ titles and begin to take a closer look at their own generation.
Essential Questions
● Does your age shape your outlook on the world? Does being associated with a certain generation inform that outlook?
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
● Investigate their personal identities and identify the communities they are a part of in their daily lives
● Review generations of the past and discuss the titles given to them and the evidence as to why those titles are considered appropriate or not
Common Core State Standards
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.B
Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.C
Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.D
Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented.
Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally), evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.
Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
LRA Ed Glossary Board
● Identity: The defining characteristics that make someone who they are including but not limited to: personality, age, looks, gender, social class, skills, interests, language, and experiences; in other words, characteristics that make a person or group of people identifiable.
● Community: A group of people with interests in common, due to either living near each other or having common social, economic, or political interests.
● Generation: A group of people born within the same time period or growing up within the same society at the same time, exposed to similar cultural events and/or experiences.
● Moniker: A name, nickname, or informal name of a person or thing.
Materials for Instructor
Materials for Students
● LRA Ed Journals
ROOM SET-UP
● Be prepared to move into group seating for three to four students.
I. Introduction & Identity Worksheet (5 min.)
Remind students of what they have learned in the past two modules. Examples include:
● Exploration of the Lost Rolls America archive
● The creation of their Family Archives
Let students know that in this section of the project they will create archives with their peers: Generation Archives.
II. Identity (12-15 min.)
This section of the project begins by guiding students to explore their personal identities. From that point on, they are able to identify the different roles they take on in the communities they are a part of in their lives. This sets up the foundation needed when activities shift to the exploration of their generation.
Step One
Go to the LRA Ed Glossary Board and ask students to define “identity.” Write the agreed-upon class definition on the LRA Ed Glossary Board and, if needed, mention the definition that has been provided. Then ask students to define “community,” write the agreed-upon class definition on the LRA Ed Glossary Board, and use the provided definition, if needed.
Step Two
Explain to students that the next step is to begin to identify how we as individuals with our own identities fit into and assume roles in different communities. Project the blank Identity Worksheet on the board. Share with students that although we are individuals, we are simultaneously part of many communities in our daily lives. Lead the class in filling out a sample Identity Worksheet, or use the provided filled-in worksheet. Students should popcorn answers.
III. LRA Ed Identity Worksheet & Journal Writing (10-12 min.)
Students will now have the chance to fill in their own Identity Worksheet and take time to connect with their thoughts during a reflective writing exercise.
Step One
Hand out the Identity Worksheet to students and ask them to fill it in.
Step Two
Ask students to take out their LRA Ed Journals. Ask them to take a few minutes to reflect on their identity exploration by writing a journal entry. Questions they can reflect on include:
● After filling out your Identity Worksheet, do you have new thoughts about how you would describe yourself to someone else?
● Which aspect or aspects of your identity do you feel most strongly about or most attached to? Why is this the case?
● Did filling in your concentric circles with communities you identify as being a part of in your daily life surprise you in any way? If so, how or why?
Step Three
Ask for student volunteers to share their reflections.
IV. Introduction to “Generation” (15 min.)
Have students sit in groups of three to four. Keep in mind that these will be their groups for the remainder of the project. Now that students have investigated their identities as individuals and in relation to the communities they are a part of, it is time to guide them to define “generation.”
Begin a conversation about the naming of generations. There are many different entry-points, for example:
● Ask students if they know that generations are given monikers, otherwise known as nicknames, and if they know the moniker of their generation (Generation Z).
Step One
Go over to the LRA Ed Glossary Board and work with students to create a class definition of “generation.” Also, share the dictionary definition with them to include in your discussion: Generation - A group of people born within the same time period and who are exposed to similar cultural events and experiences while growing up.
Step Two
Ask students if they have heard of “monikers” - sometimes referred to as “nicknames” - given to generations. Let them know that these ways of classifying generations have been recorded since at least the late 1800s. These nicknames often convey characteristics or stereotypes attributed to the generation as a whole. Share one example with students, such as “Generation X has been called The Slacker Generation.”
Emphasize that titles applied to generations may be created by outsider viewers, not necessarily by members of the generation itself. For example, titles emerge from cultural and media forces as well as research centers, and these can be formed by individuals from an older generation. Take a moment to ask students what they think of that.
Entry point questions can include:
● Do you think those outside of the generation can really understand the people they are labeling?
● Do you think GenXers may have an issue with being labeled “slackers”?
● Do you think Millennials may take issue with being labeled “the Selfie Generation”?
Step Three
In this step, take a moment to remind the class that the Lost Rolls America archive removed the power from "the forces that be" and returned the power to the people in the archive. The people who took the photos got to decide just how they are represented in words and images. Those representations are not determined by professional curators or historians or editors, as might typically be the case.
Step Four
Hand out the Past Generation Names Worksheet. Each group should choose one scribe to write down the group’s reflections. Ask students to read and discuss the information on the worksheet. Ask them to consider the following questions:
● Do you think the generation titles accurately represent the generation?
● Do you think it is possible to fully characterize an entire generation with one title and tagline?
● Do you think it is “fair” that people outside of the generation may influence what the generation title should be?
Step Five
Have students popcorn their reflections.
Homework
Begin to think about what makes your generation unique. Write a list of at least three items.