Analytical Writing: The GCSE Character Essay
Students write an essay on character having generated claims, selected and annotated evidence, and read a model essay.
![Calligraph pen and paper.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-09/calligraphy_pen.jpg?h=e59c519e&itok=E0_gx0ch)
Brave Girl Rising: A Refugee Story
Created in partnership with Girl Rising, this lesson invites students to engage with the story of a young refugee and to consider the power of storytelling to spark empathy.
![Young woman in red in front of trees](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/shorthand_image140of143.jpeg?h=4dc35482&itok=7UScoCil)
Understanding Mrs Birling
Students consider what factors impacted Mrs Birling’s treatment of Eva Smith, and create a universe of obligation graphic representation for her character.
![Students sitting in groups in a classroom](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/London_Classroom_2019_%20FH2117946.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=UGM9knhg)
Reflecting on the Danger of Silence
Students use Clint Smith’s talk “The Danger of Silence” to create “blackout poems” that express their ideas for how they can use their voices to empower themselves and others.
![Students engage in discussion in a San Francisco classroom.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-07/San_Francisco_Classroom_2017_FH152714.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=dM3u491J)
Summative Assessment: Agency and Action in the World Today
Create a culminating experience for your students where they identify and explain an example of individual or collective agency in the world today that inspires them.
![Two Black students write at their desks.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-07/Memphis_Classroom_2018_FH288851.jpeg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=B45APPri)
What Lessons Can We Learn?
Students address the essential question of the unit in a people's assembly, reflecting on the lessons that we can learn from An Inspector Calls.
![Students listening in class.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/DSC08259.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=N2ZrG_Bv)
What Is “Normal”?
Through quote and poetry analysis, students will consider the ways in which our desire to fit in can impact our identities and the choices we make.
![A student writes on a piece of paper in a classroom.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/Chicago_PhotoShoot_2019_FH2101686.jpg?h=c11c9c1d&itok=Uq9yiZlO)
How Do Others See Me?
Students will define key concepts and discuss the impact that labels, assumptions, and stereotypes have on their identity development.
![3 students at table](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-10/FHAO_2019_Summit_060.jpg?h=06ac0d8c&itok=iSw_ewUp)
Feeling Seen: A Matter of Perspective
Students will engage in perspective-taking activities to consider what it means to belong and how experiences and interactions with others can shape our identities.
![Two students working together and looking at classwork](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Chicago_Classroom_2019_FH2101643.jpg?h=c11c9c1d&itok=jYPbg96b)
Finding Belonging in the World
“Students create “pearls of wisdom” and consider the value of forming relationships that help us feel seen and secure in our sense of belonging.
![Two female students, one with a hijab, sit in classroom.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-10/Los_Angeles_Classroom_2019_FH2109022.jpg?h=06ac0d8c&itok=jx8afuzO)
Making Myself Proud
Students will read and analyze a poem that focuses on what it means to practice celebrating identity, both by loving who you are and by imagining who you can be.
![Engaged uniformed male student engages in classroom discussion.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-11/United_Kingdom_Classroom_2015_FH137564.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=nDB-eMLS)