Identity: Influences and PerceptionFor Eleventh GradeMolly BonavitaDecember 9, 2009

Note: The following unit plan has been adapted in large chunks from Lara Sniffin’s “Identity: How We See Ourselves and Others” located at http://www.coe.uga.edu/~smago/VirtualLibrary/Sniffin/pdf with consent given at that website.

RationaleHigh school is a crucial time for young people. They are in the process of forming their

identities amidst a barrage of influences. These influences range from familial to societal. Combined with a wide exposure to different mediums of information, students deal with multiple factors that influence the development of their identity. I believe that when one recognizes his/her own identity, he/she is able to acknowledge and learn about others. I have constructed a unit that deals with the formation of identity. My unit will tackle these important questions: What is identity? What defines me? How do I define others? How do others define me? At this critical stage of adolescence, I also believe that students must be aware of who they are, what they value and how they see others. Early childhood identity focuses on the obvious appearances that make us unique from one another.

However, as students get older and continue through high school, the differences are much more complicated. Two African American students may look similar, but they may be from two completely different backgrounds. Their differences are not clear cut. At this stage of education, students are learning more about themselves and how that makes them different from others. Penelope Eckert says, “The function of adolescent society in moving the individual’s identity into the societal sphere is enhanced by the extent to which the individual can perceive himself or herself in relation to those values.” (74) The concept of self constantly changes depending on the situation. It “evolves through constant self-evaluation in different situations.” (Woolfolk, 75) A Language Arts classroom provides a great opportunity for students to define themselves by examining literature and evaluating themselves in response.

An important aspect of identity development is perspective taking. In high school, students are extremely concerned with what others think about them. At times, they are “morbidly preoccupied with what they appear to be in the eyes of others as compared with what they feel they are.” (Erickson, 128) This unit on identity provides the opportunity to deal with this issue by allowing the student to understand his/her own perspective and as well as those around them. As children mature, “they develop the ability to analyze the perspectives of several people involved in a situation from the viewpoint of an objective bystander, and they can even imagine how different cultural or social values would influence the perceptions of the bystander.” (Woolfolk, 80) This is my main focus of the unit—for the student to not only recognize his/her own uniqueness, but also see the factors that influence it. I want the students to take the perspective of the characters they encounter in the literature as a means of understanding themselves. My goal is not to persuade the students to one particular conclusion, but acknowledge differences among cultures, genders, religions, etc. My desire is for them to see that there is no correct way to view a situation. However, I want them to see that our identity and what we hold true influences how we read, how we think and how we interpret a situation. Some might say that helping a student find his/her identity is a form of values clarification. I am

not advocating teaching a student a set of values to live by. I would not presume to tell another person what they should or should not believe in. Rather, I seek to encourage students to think about their own values and how it influences their developing identity. My goal is to help students “clarify their own values, learn higher levels of moral reasoning, and learn the skills of value analysis.” (Woolfolk, 87) I will employ an inquiry-based approach to instruction as a means for students to critically think about the literature and how it relates to their own lives. Marsha Pincus says that high school students “often explain their lack on interest or engagement in school by saying what is happening in their classrooms has little relevance to their lives.” (Hull, 162) Richard Beach and Jamie Myers further this claim when they say that, “Students are more engaged with English when they connect it to their own lives.” (4) These statements drive the concept of my unit plan. I believe that literature can function as a mirror for self- reflection and a window into the world of others. The students can take away so much more from the unit if they connect it to their own lives.

For this unit, students will be reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon. The book focuses on the character Christopher who, although has Autism, goes through changes in his identity. Students will also look at two poems Sylvia Chidi’s P “Identity of a Person” and Langston Hughes’ “I, too, Sing America.” These two poems are two different interpretations of identity. From the texts we read in class, students will be able to construct a character’s identity from a reading and begin to piece together their own sense of identity. They will also gain insight into what influences and impacts identity the most.

Lara Sniffin’s Reference ListBeach, Richard and Jamie Myers. Inquiry Based English Instruction: Engaging Students

in Life and Literature. New York: Teachers College Press, 2001. Eckert, Penelope. Jocks and Burnouts: Social Categories and Identity in the High School.

New York: Teachers College Press, 1989. Erikson, Erik. Identity: Youth and Crisis. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1968. Hull, Glenda and Katherine Schultz, eds. School’s Out!: Bridging Out-of-School Literacies with Classroom Practices. New York: Teachers College Press, 2002. Woolfolk, Anita. Education Psychology. 7th ed. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1998.

Goals and Accompanying Rubrics

Goal #1: Reading: 40 points of the final 200. Students are expected to be responsible for their homework and the completion of it. Reading quizzes throughout the unit will act as proof of their responsibility and their comprehension of the homework. The guidelines for reading quizzes and the rubric are as follows:

Reading Quiz (Title of reading goes here) For the reading I assigned you as homework, I want you to write a brief summary of the story that proves to me that you read it. The following tips may help you generate a summary that provides ample evidence of your reading: • Who were the characters / people in the reading? • What did they do?

• What was/were the setting(s)? Describe some key characteristics of the setting. • What else happened in the reading that may not have involved the characters? • What are some key details in the beginning, middle, and end of the reading?

Rubric for Reading Quizzes You will receive a grade of pass for your reading quiz if it proves to me that you did the reading by providing evidence of relevant details (characters, setting, plot) throughout the entire reading (beginning, middle, end). Some details may be sketchy or confused, but there is evidence that they were discovered through reading. You will receive a grade of fail for your reading quiz if it is returned to me blank, it has material that is clearly made up (i.e. inventing a character that doesn’t exist), or it provides insufficient evidence that you did the entire reading.

Goal #2: In-Class writing. 50 points of the final 200. Students will be asked to complete freewrite responses to the text throughout the unit. Each freewrite is to be in the journal with at least a complete developed paragraph that will be graded. Notes from small group and class discussion may be included in the journal and added to the freewrites. I will collect the journals at the end of the unit and grade them on the following rubric.

Rubric for In-class writingPlease pay careful attention to the following requirements as you write in your journal! A journal earning a grade of “A” will:

•Consistently respond in a manner that is highly productive and that uses class time effectively. Represent a thoughtful response to both texts and the topics we cover in class by showing ample evidence of engagement with the material (this evidence can include opinions, related issues or experiences, criticisms, or reflections from discussions, and it responds to most of the readings of the week). A journal earning a grade of “B” will: • Show that you were almost always consistently productive. Represent a thoughtful response to both the texts and the topics we cover in class by showing some evidence of engagement with the material, though it only responds with less than the excellence that might have been possible with one’s best effort. A journal earning a grade of “C” will: • Be less than fully legible.• Represent a response to both the texts and the topics we cover in class, but it struggles to demonstrate engagement with the material. A journal earning a grade of “D” will: • Is illegible, sloppy, and/or is difficult or impossible to understand.

• Demonstrate no engagement with the material, or will only demonstrate scant engagement with either the texts or topics (but will fail to engage with both). A journal earning a grade of “F” will be one that isn’t turned in, or one in which there are gaps because of class cuts representing more than two days worth of in-class writing assignments.

Goal #3: Small Group Work: 30 points of the final 200. Throughout the unit, students will have to break up into pairs, into fours, and into a writing workshop, peer-editing format. Sometimes the goal will be writing, and sometimes feedback on writing, and other times the groups will be for discussion purposes.

Small Group Work: Roles and Responsibilities whenever we get into small groups of any kind.1. Everyone must be involved and actively listening. 2. Everyone must be allowed to participate and no one should dominate and squelch others’

participation3. You must be proactive and not need prompting to begin or to stay on task. 4. You must stay on topic 5. No interfering with other groups. 6. You must be considerate of others and their feelings and needs7. Be productive. Use the time well.

Rubric for small groups: For all your group work in this unit, I have observed that overall your group work fits the following descriptor:

A= Consistently follows the above expectations.B= Very occasionally falls short on one or more of the criteria.C= One of the criteria characterizes your involvement in group activity. D= Most of your involvement is violating an expectationF= You were an antisocial presence or entirely unproductive

Goal #4: Final Project: 80 points of the final 200. By the end of this unit, students should have a deeper understanding for Identity in themselves and others. Giving the students an opportunity to relate the novel to them, students will write a poem about their own identity and write a short essay. Students will choose to write a poem like Chidi or Hughes in which they will embed their own identity. This creative portion will give them an opportunity to express themselves openly. They must, however, relate their poem/identity to one of the characters from the novel. They can choose to show how similar or dissimilar they are to any of the characters. They must show evidence of the chosen character’s identity with support from the text, but they are free to relate the characters to them however they wish.

Final Project—Identity Poem and Essay

For your final project, you get to be creative and express your own identity through a poem. You may write a poem of your own style or choose to imitate the style of one of the poets we read in class. You will then write an essay relating your poem and identity to one of the characters from

the novel. This can either be a comparing or contrasting essay. Here are some guidelines for the poem: Poem must be 14 lines long Must be original poem (cannot reuse a poem from another class)Paper guidelines: Must discuss a character from the novel Need to relate your poem to the character either by showing similarities or differences Must use examples from the book to support your statements (please use page numbers)

If you want to start working on your poem, go ahead! If you want to make your poem longer than 14 lines, please do not make them longer than 20. Remember the more lines you have the more parts of your identity you need to discuss in your paper. It may also be helpful if you want to start writing down notes on each character (along with page numbers) so that it will be easier when you start writing the paper. We will have some time to work on the paper and the poem in class.

Rubric For Poem and Essay

A final project earning a grade of “A” will: Have a poem between 14-20 lines in length that focuses on the student’s identity A well developed and focused paper accompanying the poem Contain in the essay ample support for the character’s identity through textual evidence Compare or contrast the character’s identity to the student’s Have few to no grammatical errors

A final project earning a grade of “B” will: Have a poem that focuses on the student’s identity but it may exceed or come up short of the

line requirement A developed paper accompanies the poem The essay may have some support for the chosen character’s identity through textual

evidence Compares or contrast the character’s identity to the student’s Have some grammatical errors

A final project earning a grade of “C” will: Have a poem that appears to focus on the student’s identity, but has little regard for the line

requirement An underdeveloped paper accompanies the poem The essay has little support for the character’s identity from textual evidence Essay neither compares or contrasts the character’s identity to the student’s identity Many grammatical error are present making the paper difficult to understand

A final project earning a grade of “D” will: The poem does not have a clear topic and/or does not focus on identity. Either very short or

too long The paper is severely underdeveloped

There is little to no textual support for the character in the paper The paper has to clear purpose with no comparison or contrasting Significant grammatical errors, some of which make the author’s communication of ideas

impossible to understand.

A final project earning a grade of “F” will:A poor attendance record or lack of engagement of all the days of the writing process. No real attempt shown for the integrity of the project. Or has cheating or plagiarism.

Daily Lesson Plans

Homework: Reading assignments will be short (17-18 pages) to long (24 pages):For day 2: 1-18For day 3: 19-34For day 4: 34-51For day 5: 52-74For day 6: 74-90For day 7: 90-102For day 8: 102-124For day 9: 125-140For day 10: 140-155For day 11: 155-165For day 12: 166-179For day 13: 179-198For day 14: 198-END

I have planed this unit according to scheduling where I will see my class every day for 40 minutes. Students are encouraged to read ahead. Each class counts as one day and there will be fifteen days of class. This conceptual plan is organized to last for about three weeks. This means that I have fifteen 40-minute periods for which to plan. All handouts that I have made for the unit may be found on the next page from whichever daily plan requires them (except for the unit goal assignments, which are contained in the Goals section above). Class discussion is intended to be student led, yet I have developed several open-ended questions for many of the readings, to be used when student discussion falters or begins to get off task.

Day One: (Detailed lesson plan #1)Title: Identity: Influences and PerceptionClass: English 11

Objective: To introduce the unit, to introduce the texts we’ll be reading; to clearly state expectations; to inform students of how they will be assessed and where they can find rubrics that guide that assessment; to introduce the concept of freewriting; to access prior knowledge; to offer a chance to think about what influences identity; to learn to “publish” one’s writing by reading it aloud to a partner; to practice listening skills, to analyze a work of literature, to think

critically about one’s own writing.

Rationale: This lesson is part of a larger unit on the theme of identity that is designed to get students to think critically about who they are, what their identity is, and what/who forms their identity. Also this unit is to help students gain empathy and understanding of others through exploring others identities. This lesson will give them practice in learning skills such as writing responses to topics, listening to others, collaborating with partners, analyzing texts, and writing original works.

PA State Standards:1.3.11 A. Read and understand essential content of informational texts and documents in all academic areas.1.3.11 C. Produce work in at least one literary genre that follows the conventions of the genre. 1.3.11 A. Read and understand works of literature1.4.11 A. Write poems, short stories and plays1.4.11 D. Maintain a written record of activities, course work, experience, honors and interests.1.5.11 B. Write using well-developed content appropriate for the topic.1.5.11 G. Present and/or defend written work for publication when appropriate.1.6.11 A. Listen to others1.6.11 B. Listen to selections of literature (fiction or nonfiction)1.6.12 E. Participate in small and large group discussions and presentations. 1.8.11 B. Locate information using appropriate sources and strategies.1.8.11 C. Organize, summarize and present the main ideas from research.

Materials-Books-Unit Plan Handout-Journal

Activities/Procedures1. Briefly introduce the unit as a whole. Talk about texts we will be covering over the course of

the unit and the goals I expect the students to accomplish by the end. Briefly discuss the final project topic.

2. Explain the expectation of freewriting and responding to topics in their journals. Talk about the importance of both the freewriting and the journals, as they will be how I will assess their understanding and participation in the unit. Explain the must write continuously the entire time they are asked to write.

3. Intro Activitya. To jump right into the unity, I want you to think about all of the things that define

you. What do you think makes you who you are? Is it your family? How you dress? What music/ food/ animals/ activities you like? What kind of names do you go by?

4. In your journal, write continuously for the next seven minutes, write down as much you can that forms your identity. You will have to read what you have written down to your classmates so don’t write anything down you do not feel like sharing. This activity needs to go in your journals.

5. Everyone in your group reads their freewrites6. Everyone listens to all of the groups freewrites7. Then write for five minutes on one or more of the topics on the handout:

Handout: Does everyone in the group define themselves in the same way as you? What are the

similarities? What are the differences? What do you think accounts for similarities/ differences between you and your group

members? What do you think influences identity (in general)? Beliefs? Families? Hometown? Friends? Do you think that you would have a similar identity if you lived in the same house as your

classmate? Why or Why not? Did you learn anything new about your group members?8. Share your answers with your partner9. Whole group sharing10. Assign homework for Curious Incident

Assessment: Their writing can be assessed from their journals, from their participation in their small groups (pairs), from the texts they publish by reading aloud. Observing their listening skills and their use of time in this capacity, I can assess their small group work.

Day 2: (Detailed Lesson Plan #2)Title: Identity: Influences and Perception, Lesson 2 of 15Class: English 11

Objective: To introduce the unit, to introduce the texts we’ll be reading; to clearly state expectations; to inform students of how they will be assessed and where they can find rubrics that guide that assessment; to introduce the concept of freewriting; to access prior knowledge; to offer a chance to think about what influences identity; to learn to “publish” one’s writing by reading it aloud to a partner; to practice listening skills, to analyze a work of literature, to think critically about one’s own writing.

Rationale: This lesson is part of a larger unit on the theme of identity that is designed to get students to think critically about who they are, what their identity is, and what/who forms their identity. Also this unit is to help students gain empathy and understanding of others through exploring others identities. This lesson will give them practice in learning skills such as writing responses to topics, listening to others, collaborating with partners, analyzing texts, and writing original works.

PA State Standards:1.3.11 C. Produce work in at least one literary genre that follows the conventions of the genre1.1.11 D. Identify, Describe, Evaluate, and synthesize the essential ideas in text.1.1.11 H. Demonstrate fluency and comprehension in reading.1.3.11 A. Read and understand essential content of informational texts and documents in all academic areas. 1.3.11 A. Read and understand works of literature

1.4.11 D. Maintain a written record of activities, course work, experience, honors and interests.1.5.11 B. Write using well-developed content appropriate for the topic.1.5.11 G. Present and/or defend written work for publication when appropriate.1.6.11 A. Listen to others1.6.11 B. Listen to selections of literature (fiction or nonfiction)1.6.12 E. Participate in small and large group discussions and presentations.

Materials-Journals

Activities/ Procedures1. Intro Activity

a. From the list we made the previous class, pick five of the most important influences that make up your identity.

b. From those five factors, pick a personal incident or experience that has happened to you related to one of those factors. For example if you picked family; you may have a favorite family memory or story that you strongly identify with.

c. Take five minutes to outline the details of that experience in your journals. Not the entire story.

2. Autism Discussion: What is it? Can anyone define it? (Autism is a developmental disorder that appears in the first 3 years of life, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills. 1 in every 150 children is diagnosed) Do you know anyone with Autism? How do you know them? What are they like? Discuss temperaments related to Autism.

3. Take five minutes to jot down in your journals the things that would be different if YOU had Autism? How would you behave? Would you still like the same activities? Would you still like the same classes in school? How would your family behave towards you?

4. Take 10 minutes to rewrite the story you chose earlier. This time in the story you have Autism. Put in as much detail as you can about how you would feel in that situation, how would others react or feel toward you? Would the experience have ended differently? Would it still be an important experience to you?

5. Discuss your changes with your partner. 6. Class discussion: How did it feel to think about having Autism? What aspects of your

personal experience changed? Have you ever put yourself in the shoes of someone with Autism? Was this difficult? How?

7. Assign Reading for Curious Incident

Assessment: Their writing can be assessed through their journals. Their participation can be assessed through group participation, whole group discussion, and watching their listening to others in their groups or whole class.

Day 3: (Detailed Lesson plan #3)Title: Identity: Influences and PerceptionClass: English 11

Objective: To introduce the unit, to introduce the texts we’ll be reading; to clearly state expectations; to inform students of how they will be assessed and where they can find rubrics that guide that assessment; to introduce the concept of freewriting; to access prior knowledge; to offer a chance to think about what influences identity; to learn to “publish” one’s writing by reading it aloud to a partner; to practice listening skills, to analyze a work of literature, to think critically about one’s own writing.

Rationale: This lesson is part of a larger unit on the theme of identity that is designed to get students to think critically about who they are, what their identity is, and what/who forms their identity. Also this unit is to help students gain empathy and understanding of others through exploring others identities. This lesson will give them practice in learning skills such as writing responses to topics, listening to others, collaborating with partners, analyzing texts, and writing original works.

PA State Standards:1.3.11 A. Read and understand works of literature1.4.11 D. Maintain a written record of activities, course work, experience, honors and interests.1.5.11 B. Write using well-developed content appropriate for the topic.1.5.11 G. Present and/or defend written work for publication when appropriate.1.6.11 A. Listen to others1.6.12 E. Participate in small and large group discussions and presentations.

Materials:-Paper-Journals

Activities/ Procedures1. Reading Quiz: Students will briefly describe characters, plot, and specific detail from the

book of the reading due for the day to show me that they have done the reading. Students will have ten minutes to complete the quiz.

2. Character Sketch of Christopher and Dad to page 34 of the readinga. In your journals, I want you to build the Identities of Dad and Christopher until where

we stopped in the reading. Write down all of their traits (for Christopher there will be lots) and write down page numbers where you found them. You may write it out as a list rather than continuous writing. You will have fifteen minutes.

3. With your partner. I want you to compare and contrast Dad and Christopher. Do they believe the same things? How do they handle tough situations? How do they handle every day situations?

4. If time permits, whole group discussion on Dad vs. Christopher. Does Dad handle things better than Christopher? How does Christopher handle daily situations and tasks? What things are important to Dad and Christopher?

5. Assign reading for Curious Incident

Assessment: Students will be assessed on their reading and completion of assignments through the reading quiz. Their writing and reading comprehension will be assessed through the journal

entry. Group participation and listening skills will be assessed through observing their group discussions.

Day 4: (from this point forward, I sketch the main point of lessons 4-15, just enough to act as a useful and practical guideline to proceed.)

Journal activity: Based on what we know about Christopher, do you think that he will continue his detective work or will he follow his fathers wishes and quit the search? Explain your answer in a detailed paragraph.

Class Discussion: At this point in the novel, do you like Christopher as a narrator? Why or Why not? In what ways does he work well as a narrator? In what ways does he fall short of being a “good” narrator? What if Dad were the narrator? Siobhan? Mrs. Shears? How would the story change if they were the narrators?

Day 5:Reading Quiz Day (same as previous quiz day)Adversity Graph: Explain a brief definition of what adversity is. In your journals, draw a line graph of your life journey. The events should go in chronological order and there should be at least ten points on your graph. At least four of your points should be adverse events. High point will represent moments of prosperity and happiness. Low points will represent times of adversity and sadness. You can decide how high or low each point is. Draw pictures or some visual doodle next to each event.

There will be a discussion of the graph in small groups and then a large group discussion.

Day 6:Christopher reasons with himself to make sense out of the world around him. “No more things should be presumed to exist than are absolutely necessary.” This quote encompasses his belief system and helps him through his daily life. Do you agree with Christopher? Discuss in your group your position on the quote. Present your position to the class as a group. End class with a debate on the issue (class will be split to debate equally if whole class is on one side of the argument, we need to hear Christopher’s side too!)

Day 7:Poetry: Sylvia Chidi’s Poem “Identity of a Person.” Read and discuss the parts of the poem in small groups. How does the speaker break apart Identity? Are these “correct” fractions of Identity? Do you identify with some of what the speaker is saying? How? Bring to large group discussion.

Handout:

“Identity of a Person”

Identity of a personIdentity signifies complexity

Identity identifies with realityIdentity is the bearer of all vanityHow does a person identify with identity?

You define yourself based on what? They say, they sayYou’re kind or moral based on what? OrYou’re a genius and shrewd based on what? Or You make the perfect lover, look for no other

They say, they sayYou’re strong without a thought it may not last longOrYou’ve skills since with a record you run up high billsOrYou are shy but no one ever talks to you or says hiOrYou never give up because right now you are on top

They say, they sayYou are generous or gregarious when all you are is consciousOrYou’re innovative yet not the originator of the idea conceived

What are the facts? That makes your identity intactWhen change on identity has the last impact?

Copyright 2006 - Sylvia ChidiPoemHunter.comAccessed December 7, 2009

Day 8:Poetry: Langston Hughes “I, too, Sing America”

I, too, sing America.I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong.

Tomorrow, I'll be at the table When company comes. Nobody'll dare Say to me, "Eat in the kitchen," Then. Besides, They'll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed-- I, too, am America.

Read and discuss the poem with a partner. What is the speaker saying? What perception do you have of the speaker? What is the speaker’s identity?

Day 9:Freeze frames: In a group of four people, choose a scene from a part of the novel we’ve read so far (pg. 140), and arrange yourself so that you are “acting” out a part of that scene, but you freeze and stay silent and still, then the audience will try to figure out what scene you are doing. You are not to give out any clues or gestures to show the audience that they are on the right track.

Day 10:Mom, Dad, Buddy, Sis:As a class, come up with identities and back-stories for each of the four characters. Students may come up with the ideas, but the majority of the class must agree on the characteristic. After the characters are set, the class will pick a setting and a problem that the family must overcome. Try and pick a place that will force the family to be stuck together. In groups of four, each group will come up with their own script for how the scene will play out. Each group will then act out their scenes for the class.

Day 11: Writing Day: We will begin our final project today. Half of the class time will be used for students to begin working on their poems. The other half is indented for students to pick out a character they would like to focus their paper on and begin creating a list of identity traits (along with text evidence) for that character. If students already have their poem worked out, then they can spend the time working mainly on the essay.

Day 12:Reading Quiz DayJournal: On page 155, Christopher shows us a timetable for his daily life (when he thought his mother was dead). Compared to Christopher, How organized are you? What is your daily routine like? Do you organize yourself to the minute like Christopher, or do you go with the flow every day? Write out your own daily timetable to compare it to Christopher.

Large group Discussion. How dependent on time are you? Do you still follow a strict routine even though you do not write it completely out? How many of you use a planner? What kinds of things do you write in your planner?

Day 13:Writing Day 2 (computer lab or laptop cart): Students may continue to work on their essays and editing their poems. It is expected that students should work on their rough drafts during this time and work on finishing their rough drafts. If some students finish with their drafts, in a small group they can begin peer editing looking for grammar and tense. Students are not expected to edit personal content; they may help other students edit content on a character from the novel.

Day 14:Reading Quiz DayWriting Day 3 (computer lab or laptop cart): Workshop peer editing looking for grammar, spelling, and good textual support. Students are expected to give two things that the writer did well and two things they could work on for the final draft. They will have the opportunity to make corrections on the computers.

Day 15:Final Projects are due today. Final Discussion:

What do you think of Christopher as the narrator? Do you find him a better narrator at the end or the beginning of the novel? What do you think of the decisions the parents made? Who handled the situation the “best”, Mom or Dad? What are the steps Christopher progresses through to reach his new form of identity? What do you think his identity is now? What surprised you in this novel? Would you suggest this novel to a friend who has not read it? Did you gain a better understanding for your own identity? Why or Why not? Do you feel that you have a better understanding/empathy for the identity of others?