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Love and Acceptance as Belonging
Duration
One 50-min class periodSubject
- English & Language Arts
Grade
11–12Language
English — USPublished
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Overview
About This Lesson
Since psychologist Carl Rogers first theorized about the concept of unconditional positive regard 1 in the 1950s, the field of psychology has underscored that an authentic sense of belonging is often established through the experience of being loved and accepted as we are. While prior lessons have focused on the concept of home and belonging as based in physical locations, such as a geographic region, the places we are from, and the natural environment, this lesson explores a more psychological and emotional concept of home.
Through personal reflection and discussion of a short story, students define and explore the concepts of love and acceptance and their effect on belonging. Afterward, students will utilize their assigned reading—“A Kingdom Bright and Burning” by Dave Connis—and their annotations to participate in a whole-class TQE discussion.
Lesson Materials
- Reading: “A Kingdom Bright and Burning” by Dave Connis from Welcome Home
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Handout: “A Kingdom Bright and Burning” TQE Small-Group Discussion
Essential Questions
- How can reimagining “home” empower us to define how and where we belong in the world?
Guiding Questions
- How can feeling loved and accepted affect a person’s sense of belonging in the world?
- In what ways can love, acceptance, and belonging create a sense of “home” beyond the places we live?
Facing History Learning Outcomes
- Critically and ethically analyze thematic development and literary craft in order to draw connections between the text and their lives.
- Analyze the internal and external conflicts that characters face and the impact these conflicts can have on an individual’s choices and actions, both in the text and in the real world.
- 1C. R. Rogers, C. R. (1957). “The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change,.” Journal of Consulting Psychology, 21, no. (2 (1957), 95–103.
Lesson Plans
Activities
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