La caja de identidad | Identity Box, Grade 6

This lesson supports Alberta Education's Program of Studies and can be adapted to different grade level outcomes. Teachers are encouraged to be intentional when targeting vocabulary, grammar, and transcultural competencies so that students can leverage their full language repertoire to deepen understanding and improve communication.

Guiding Question

Diferentes artefactos representan nuestra identidad. ¿Cómo puedo reflejar mis valores e ideas sobre la democracia a través de objetos e imágenes?              

Hook/Task Launch

¿Cómo puedo reflejar mis valores e ideas sobre la democracia a través de objetos e imágenes?

Engage & Model

• Gather students together and hold up objects and images you have brought from your own personal collection that represent cultural, political and national identity. These can be objects such as flags, tapestry, photographs, an object with a symbolic color.  
• Model & rehearse structures with target vocabulary until students can identify and discuss the other items, their purpose, where or how they may have been used, and their importance to you. 
• Ask students to guess why these objects symbolize democracy for you.  

Question examples listeners/viewers could ask the presenter:

1. ¿Qué valores personales sobre la democracia están representados por los objetos? (What personal values about democracy do the objects represent?)
2. ¿Qué pensaste inicialmente cuando viste los objetos? (What did you think when you first saw these objects?)
3. ¿Cómo estos objetos indican algo sobre la justicia y equidad? (How do these objects tell something about fairness and equality?)
4. ¿Qué importancia tienen los objetos y las imágenes para comunicar un significado? (What importance do objects and pictures have in communicating meaning?)
5. Qué objetos culturales o políticos has guardado con el tiempo? ¿Por qué los guardaste? What cultural or political objects have you kept overtime and why have you kept them? 

• Begin a general discussion about symbols with students. Ask students to come to the board and draw common, everyday symbols like the peace sign, balance of justice, dove for freedom, etc. Ask students, “¿Qué significan? ¿Por qué usamos simbolos? 

Build & Rehearse

• Discuss cultural and political symbols. Explain that symbols and images can have meaning but may not be familiar or known to someone who sees them. Therefore, a viewer can politely ask questions to learn about and appreciate the cultural and political values some objects and images have for people.  
• Present various objects related to values and democracy and discuss the different meanings these objects could have. Ask students to brainstorm the physical characteristics of each object.  For example, an object like a balance could symbolize justice; a newspaper could represent freedom of expression or an informed citizen.  
• Have each group look at objects and images placed on the tables in small groups. Tell each group to choose three objects and list as many meanings as they can think of on a chart. 

Next, students will complete an Identity Survey. 

Encuesta sobre mi identidad | Identity Survey 

1. Lo más importante en una democracia es... | The most important thing in a democracy is...: 
2. Me siento orgulloso/a de mi cultura y nacionalidad porque… | I am proud of my culture and my nationality because: 
3. ¿Qué problema social, ambiental, o político me molesta más? | Which social, environmental or political issue bothers me the most? 
4. Mi libro/película/canción favorito sobre la justicia es... | My favorite book/movie about justice is: 
5. Para mejorar nuestro mundo, mi sueño es... | To improve our world, my dream is...: 

Ask students to take their surveys home and place it in a shoebox with at least three objects that represent their cultural and political selves. They will bring the box to the next class. In class, ask students to design the outside of their box using different materials to compliment the symbolism of the three objects inside. 

Model linguistic structures/vocabulary and give students time to practice what they will say to explain the meaning behind each object. Also, teach students how to ask questions about the meaning of their peers’ objects to create an interactive conversation.  

Apply, Speak & Interact:

Meet with 2-3 students at a time. Students will open each other’s boxes and look at them. Encourage them to share and ask questions about what they see and ask questions about the meaning behind the contents in each box.  

Assess students’ knowledge of the connection between identity and democracy as well as their speaking competency by listening to their interaction and by giving them the following oral prompts:  

• ¿Qué objetos tienes en tu caja y qué simbolizan? What objects do you have in your box and what do they symbolize?  
• ¿Por qué escogiste esos objetos? Why did you select the objects?  
• ¿Cómo has reflejado tus valores e ideas sobre la democracia a través de objetos e imágenes en tu caja?  How did you reflect your values about democracy through the objects and images in your box?