Stories of Identity and Belonging
Students read and discuss personal narrative essays and consider what factors can make it challenging for young people to be who they really want to be in the world.
Cultivating Identity Literacy
Students learn about a project, created by two young adults, that engaged people across the country in conversations about race, identity, and culture. Then they start to envision what sharing their own stories can look, sound, and feel like.
18 Teacher Resources on Native American History and Culture
Below are 18 resources that middle and high school teachers can turn to when developing lesson plans related to the roles of Native American peoples in American history and contemporary life. These resources include online exhibitions at the Smithsonian; the Smithsonian’s Native Knowledge 360° Educational Initiative; the work of the Mitchell and Hood Museums; and the growing work of Facing History in these thematic areas.
![Three members of the Sioux tribe pose in Indian Village, 1898.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/Black%20Foot-Standing-Bear_Big_Eagle_Sioux_ca_1898.jpg?h=26ac82e5&itok=5rYHkhl2)
Transcending Single Stories
Students reflect on how stereotypes and "single stories" influence our identities, how we view others, and the choices we make.
![Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie poses for a portrait in a red shirt.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/2017_ChimamandaNgoziAdichie_FH2173820.jpg?h=48bd8eff&itok=5aHBnh0R)
Analyzing Nazi Propaganda
Students define propaganda and practice an image-analysis activity on a piece of propaganda from Nazi Germany.
![A crowd salutes Nazi Leader Adolf Hitler outside the Reich Chancellery in Berlin after a plebiscite, which gave Hitler absolute power as German Fuhrer. August 19, 1934.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Holocaust_1934_SalutingHitler_FH229692.jpg?h=33252b2e&itok=wqtpArcL)
Understanding Identity
Students consider the question "Who am I?" and identify social and cultural factors that shape identity by reading a short story and creating personal identity charts.
![An illustration from Fred Tashlin's The Bear That Wasn't.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/Bear_04_Medium_res.jpg?h=e234a08a&itok=1oJczY0C)
When Differences Matter
Students consider what happens when one aspect of our identity is privileged above others by society.
![A Black student looks up while speaking into a microphone wearing a shirt that reads, "Black History: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future."](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/2020_studentevent_FH2123247.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=hOJqWk6N)
Step 2: We and They
Students work collaboratively to create illustrated children’s stories that explore issues of conformity and belonging.
![Uniformed high school students write at their desks.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/DSC08537.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=iu11BSxz)
Analyzing “Aha” Moments
Students identify pivotal moments when a central character learns something important about themselves, others, and their real or fictional world.
![Two students sitting at a table.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/SL_190523_0632.jpg?h=c11c9c1d&itok=qOwAMWt3)
Asking Compelling Questions
Students engage in meaningful discussions with their peers about a text while using text-based evidence to support their thinking and making real-life connections to what they're reading.
![Two students sitting in a classroom with one student talking and gesturing](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Chicago_Classroom_2018_%20FH151349.jpg?h=c3635fa2&itok=DKqBQANg)