Finding Belonging in Our Passions and Interests

• Explain to students that today they will revisit and refine their working definitions of “home,” while also integrating new insights from recent texts and discussions.
   
• Instruct everyone to take out their Exploring Texts through Notable Quotes  handout from the first lesson—or hand them back, if they were kept in class—as well as the “two-pager” journal entry where they’ve been capturing their thinking and developing their definitions of “home.”
   
• Remind students of previous lessons’ focus on the role of the natural environment and love and acceptance within the concept of home. Then provide time for them to work on their definitions on the left side of their two-pager while also adding quotes, thoughts, questions, symbols, images, and/or ideas to the right side.
   
  • Student Prompt: Use the left side of your two-pager to revisit and evolve your working definition of “home.” On the right side, jot down new thoughts and understanding. These additions could include:
    • Insights from “A Kingdom Bright and Burning” regarding love and acceptance.
    • Perspectives from “eco-hood” and “An Offering” about the relationship between “home” and our environment.
    • Ideas and quotations from the Exploring Texts through Notable Quotes handout and other materials explored throughout the unit.
    • Symbols, images, or color to visually represent your ideas and evolving definition.
       
• While the journal activity is intended to be completed independently, some students may want to discuss their thoughts and ideas with peers. If this is the case, allow time for students to engage collaboratively before and/or after their independent reflections.
   
• Allocate 10 minutes for students to work on their two-pagers. Adjust the time as needed based on student’ engagement and the depth of discussion desired.

• Explain to students that today they will be exploring how personal interests, activities, and passions contribute to one’s sense of “home” and belonging, transcending physical and cultural boundaries.
   
• Before diving into the texts, ask students to reflect on the following guiding questions in their journals:
  • Student Prompts: 
    • List your passions and hobbies. Which of these activities connect you more deeply with yourself or others?
    • How can your involvement in these passions or hobbies extend your thinking about “home” and belonging beyond physical places and social or cultural differences?
       
• After journaling, have students share their reflections in small groups using the student prompts to guide their conversation. This can help them recognize the commonalities in their experiences and the broader concept of “home” as a space created by shared passions and activities. 
  • Student Prompts:
    • Share your “home-building” passion/activity or explain how participation in an activity you enjoy creates a sense of belonging. 
    • How can shared interests build bridges between different people and cultures? 
    • Were there any similarities in the activities or passions that your group shared? What stood out as unique? 

• In this part of the lesson, students will be introduced to diverse personal narratives that illustrate how individual passions can serve as a foundation for a sense of home and stability, even through challenges.
   
• Briefly introduce the concept of a “personal narrative tasting,” ¹ drawing parallels to food tasting to help students understand that they’ll be sampling different narratives to find the one that resonates with them most.
   
• Provide directions for how students will move around the room, either in predetermined groups or independently, to read each narrative sample. Emphasize that students should quietly read each narrative and independently choose the one they find most relatable, interesting, or resonant. Clarify that there’s no right or wrong choice, encouraging them to follow their interests and curiosities. It is important that all students receive the narrative they prefer; as a result, texts may be distributed unevenly.
   
• After explaining the directions and objectives, invite students to walk around the room to sample and engage with each narrative.

• 1Adapted from Emma Tackett, “ Giving Students a Little Taste of a Book,” Edutopia, December 13, 2017, https://www.edutopia.org/article/giving-students-little-taste-book/.

• Have students write their selected narrative titles on a half-sheet of paper. Then collect these so that you can copy and distribute the texts accurately for the next class.
   
• After students have chosen their preferred narrative, pass out the Personal Narrative Investigation handout. Let students know that they will be reflecting on the theme of finding “home” in personal passions or activities and connecting that idea to their own experiences.
   
• Guide students through the “reflect and respond” questions at the top of the handout:
  • Why did you choose this particular narrative over the others? What about it spoke to you or piqued your interest?
  • Reflect on your own life: Do you have a passion, interest, or activity that feels like “home” to you? Describe how this passion or activity provides a sense of belonging, stability, or connection.
     
• Give students time to complete their reflections independently.

• Briefly introduce or remind students of the haiku format—a three-line poem with a syllable pattern of 5-7-5. Explain that the challenge of haiku is to express a complex idea (in this case, the connection between passion and a sense of home) in a simple yet poignant way.
   
• Encourage students to think about a personal passion or hobby and how it creates a sense of belonging or “home” for them.
   
• Instruct them to write an informal haiku in their journals that captures their reflections in a creative way. Remind them to focus on imagery and emotion, using the haiku to convey their feelings succinctly. Explain that this is meant to be a fun, creative break to freely play with words and ideas, and there is no need to aim for perfection.
   
  • Student Prompt: 
    • The “haiku” is a three-line poem with a syllable pattern of 5-7-5.
    • Write a haiku that captures how a passion or a hobby provides you with a sense of home or belonging. Consider the emotions, images, or moments that symbolize this connection for you. 
       
  • (Optional) You may want to include a few haiku samples as models.

Haiku Models:

My home is like this:
Basketball. Dribble, dribble, shoot, swish—
All day, into night.
 

We play music here
One note raising thousands more
Connecting me home

• Invite a few student volunteers to share their haiku with the class.

• Remind students that today they will read and engage with the personal narrative they selected in the previous class, using annotations to explore themes of home and belonging.
   
• Organize students into small groups based on the narrative titles they chose. Ensure that groups do not exceed three to four students in size to facilitate focused discussion and reading.
   
• Provide each group with the narrative texts and the Personal Narrative Investigation handout designed for this activity.
  • Text 1: “Be Like Wilt” by Neema Avashia 
  • Text 2: “The Worlds I See” by Dr. Fei-Fei Li 
  • Text 3: “Coming into Language” by Jimmy Santiago Baca
     
• Offer students different methods for reading the text as a group:
  • Option 1: Read silently within the group.
  • Option 2: Take turns reading aloud, dividing the text among group members.
  • Option 3: Nominate one or two volunteers to read the text aloud to the group.
     
• Finally, instruct students to interact with the text using the annotations provided:
  • Underline passages that provoke a thought or personal connection.
  • Mark confusing sections with a question mark (?) to discuss later.
  • Mark revelations or significant insights with an exclamation point (!), especially those relating to personal experience or the concept of home.

• After reading the text, students will reflect on and discuss the personal narrative in their small groups, focusing on themes of belonging and the influence of personal passions.
   
• Students can begin by sharing and discussing their annotations. Model prompts have been provided on the Personal Narrative Investigation handout. Encourage students to consider:
  • Reactions and thoughts about the narrative
  • Points of confusion or curiosity
  • Personal insights or “ah-ha” moments related to belonging
  • The author’s struggle to belong and how their passions or interests allow them to feel a sense of connection
     
• Guide groups to complete the investigation chart section of the handout, focusing on direct text references that tie to the unit’s guiding questions about home and belonging.
   
• Before students begin the next section of the handout—the connection questions—they should assign specific roles within each group (facilitator, note-taker, summarizer) to ensure a structured discussion. These directions and explanations are also provided on the student handout. Circulate around the room during this process to check for understanding and agreement on assigned roles. 
  • Connection Questions:

1. Briefly summarize the narrative in a few sentences. Who and what is the reading about, and what is the author’s message?
2. What specific challenges or obstacles does the author/narrator encounter in their story? Describe these in detail and consider their impact on the author.
3. How does the author demonstrate resilience in the face of adversity? How does a passion, hobby, or interest help them overcome or cope with their challenges? Provide examples to support your explanation.
4. Reflect on the Exploring Texts through Notable Quotes handout from our first lesson. Can you find a quote that resonates with or reflects the author’s message in the narrative you read? Share the quote and discuss why it connects with the theme, message, or author’s experience.

• Explain that in this activity, students will synthesize and share their group’s insights from the discussions, drawing connections between the narratives and the theme of finding a sense of home in our passions and interests.
   
• Begin by inviting the summarizers to present their group’s discussion highlights, focusing on the connection questions.
   
• Then facilitate a whole-class discussion, with volunteers reflecting on how the narratives have deepened their understanding of home, belonging, and the influence of personal passions. Prompt students to specifically respond to the following:
   
  • Student Prompts:
    • What feels helpful or liberating about understanding our interests as a way to find belonging? 
    • Based on the story you read and/or your own experiences, in what ways can our passions and hobbies influence our sense of home and belonging?
    • What are some of the common themes or threads across the narratives that stood out?