Personal and Cultural Identity

Introduction

Discovering and developing our personal and cultural identity means we need to recognize...

1. Relationships and cultural contexts
2. Personal values and choice
3. Personal strengths and abilities

Consider all of these elements as you work through the assignments in this section.

Summary Explanation of Assignments

Here is a quick overview of the assignments for this unit.  However, be sure you read over the specific assignment instructions that follow for each one.  Review the marking rubrics for the assignments before you start.

ASSIGNMENT 1:  Film Critique

Write a film critique as it pertains to cultural identity.  Imagine you are a film critic for a major news agency.  Write a 200-300 word critique of the film and its portrayal of culture.  How is a culture being portrayed in the movie?  Are there stereotypes?  Is it positive or negative?    This isn't an overall critique of the film, but rather its portrayal of cultural identity.  You could choose a play or a movie.  Make sure you identify the title of the film in your topic sentence. If you have other suggestions, please discuss with your teacher.

ASSIGNMENT 2:  Personal Identity

Create a project that sums up your response to "What does it mean to be me?"  There are 3 different project choices.

ASSIGNMENT 3:  Making Inferences

Write a narrative paragraph telling the story of what is happening in the picture based on what you INFER from the picture.  Form your own conclusion.  Make sure you review narrative writing.  Your paragraph should follow a standard plot outline that includes an introduction, rising action, climax, falling action and conclusions (denouement).

ASSIGNMENT 4:  Oral Language

Write a 200-300 word personal response that explains and supports your personal response to a poem/song by making comparisons to other ideas and concepts; relates reactions and emotions to understanding of the poem; develops opinions using reasons and evidence; suggests contextual influences and relationships. There is no wrong response here. Try to identify literary devices such as allusion, metaphor and explain their purpose in the song. What does the title of song mean?

ASSIGNMENT 5:  Editing FORUM

Go through the 3 Grammar Resources listed under Course Resources.  These sites are from an online Grammar textbook called The Bare Essentials.  There are examples, practice exercises, and practice tests.

Do the practice tests in Unit 2 (SENTENCES) and Unit 3 (GRAMMAR).  If you are not achieving 100% on these tests, review the lesson in the EXAMPLES and the do some practice EXERCISES to review.

In this forum, comment on which of the tests you found easiest.  Which one was most difficult?  Was there a concept in these practice tests that was unfamiliar to you?  How might you begin to apply these learning lessons into your own writing?  Can you see where you might use some of these conventions of language?  Provide a discussion of your results and their applications into your creative writing.

ASSIGNMENT 6:  PROJECT - Writing a Personal Narrative

Your project for this unit is to write a personal narrative that is based on common themes found in your chosen literary study.  Write a multi-paragraph composition on one of the writing prompts in the assignment.  Connect not only to your own experiences but also to ideas/themes commonly found in your selected area of study.  You may agree or disagree with the prompt.

ASSIGNMENT 1: Film Critique

Task:

Discovering and developing our personal and cultural identity means we need to recognize...

1.  Relationships and cultural contexts

2.  Personal values and choice

3.  Personal strengths and abilities

Choose a film that reflects the identity of a culture.  Write a film critique as it pertains to cultural identity.  Imagine you are a film critic for a major news agency.  Write a 200-300 word critique of the film and its portrayal of culture.  How is a culture being portrayed in the movie?  Are there stereotypes?  Is it positive or negative?    This isn't an overall critique of the film, but rather its portrayal of cultural identity.  You could choose a play or a movie.  Make sure you identify the title of the film in your topic sentence. If you have other suggestions, please discuss with your teacher.

Click here for a sample movie critique.

Click here for an explanation on how to write movie critiques.

ASSIGNMENT 2: Personal Identity

Task:

Personal identity is the concept you develop about yourself that evolves over the course of your life. This may include aspects of your life that you have no control over, such as where you grew up or the color of your skin, as well as choices you make in life, such as how you spend your time and what you believe. You demonstrate portions of your personal identity outwardly through what you wear and how you interact with other people. You may also keep some elements of your personal identity to yourself, even when these parts of yourself are very important.

Have you ever struggled with the question, 'Who am I?' or thought about who you might become in the future? These questions have been thought about and discussed throughout history, in particular by philosophers who have immersed themselves in the search for knowledge about the nature of being human. Such questions as, 'What does it mean to be a person?' and 'Do I matter?' have engaged key thinkers and created conversations that we still grapple with in our society. Most people feel they want to endure in some way, both in their lives and beyond death. The philosophy of personal identity aims to address these matters of existence and how we even know we exist through time.

Source:  https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-personal-identity-definition-philosophy-development.html

Assignment:

Create a project that sums up your response to "What does it mean to be me?"  Choose one of the following options.

1.  Develop a poetry journal that includes your response to how you feel about yourself.  You should include at least 5 poems.  Make the presentation reflect your personality.  There are many different platforms you can use to present your journal.

OR

2.  Write a commercial that advertises "What does it mean to be me?"  Include at least 5 visuals and accompanying text that explains why you chose these images.  You can use Microsoft Movie Maker or iMovie or any video editing software you like.

OR

3.  Develop a presentation of at least 5 songs that best represent your response to "What does it mean to be me?"  Include the lyrics and accompanying text that explains why you chose these songs.  You can use any presentation software you like.  Powerpoint is probably easiest.

ASSIGNMENT 3: Making Inferences

Task:

Writers use inference in their text to make their writing more interesting.  It's not necessary to tell the reader every detail.  Good readers make inferences, or conclusions, as they read.  It's an important skill for understanding text, as authors often imply themes and ideas, without stating them outright.  Instead, writers let readers draw their own conclusions about what is happening.

For example, look at the picture below remembering that a picture captures a moment in time.  Who are these people?  What is happening in this scene?  Before this scene?  After this moment?  What can you infer?

Write a narrative paragraph telling the story of what is happening in the picture.  You need to infer what is happening in the picture and form your own conclusion.  Make sure you read the next page that summarizes narrative writing.  Your paragraph should follow a standard plot outline that includes an introduction, rising action, climax, falling action and conclusions (denouement).

Narrative Writing

ASSIGNMENT 4: Oral Language

Task:

It is important to make connections to First Peoples' worldviews. Therefore, make inferences and predictions and draw conclusions. Read the text aloud or listen to it read aloud. Try to summarize or paraphrase and then determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases to better clarify meaning. Then reflect on your predictions, and connections you made during the reading.

Features and structures to derive meaning from oral language include:

• Context
• Text structures
• Syntax
• Diction
• Usage conventions
• Rhetorical devices
• Vocal techniques
• Nonverbal techniques
• Idiomatic expressions

Further explanation of these terms can be found at Literary Definitions.

Use this strategy as you read and listen to Buffy Sainte-Marie's song "Now That The Buffalo's Gone".

Buffy Sainte-Marie is a Canadian, Cree songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. Throughout her career in all of these areas, her work has focused on issues of indigenous peoples of the Americas. Her singing and writing repertoire also includes subjects of love, war, religion, and mysticism. Her lyrics accompany this audio recording. Some words have been changed.

Assignment:

Follow along with her song and write a 200-300 word personal response that explains and supports your personal response to the poem by making comparisons to other ideas and concepts; relates reactions and emotions to understanding of the poem; develops opinions using reasons and evidence; suggests contextual influences and relationships. There is no wrong response here. Try to identify literary devices such as allusion, metaphor and explain their purpose in the song. What does the title of song mean?

ASSIGNMENT 5: Editing FORUM

Task:

Go through the 3 Grammar Resources listed under Course Resources (on the side of the course). These sites are from an online Grammar textbook called The Bare Essentials. There are examples, practice exercises, and practice tests.

Do the practice tests in UNIT 2 (SENTENCES) and UNIT 3 (GRAMMAR). If you are not achieving 100% on these tests, review the lesson in the EXAMPLES and the do some practice EXERCISES to review.

In this forum, comment on which of the tests/concepts you found easiest. Which one was most difficult? Was there a concept in these practice tests that was unfamiliar to you? How might you begin to apply these learning lessons into your own writing? Can you see where you might use some of these conventions of language? Provide a discussion of your results and their applications into your speaking and writing. Comment on another's post. Did you get other ideas for applying these grammar lessons into your own writing?

ASSIGNMENT 6: PROJECT - Writing a Personal Narrative

Task:

 A personal narrative is an essay about personal experience that tells a story, so it is usually written in the first person. A personal narrative is a true story about something that happened in your life. You might share an exciting, surprising, or scary experience, like the time you went camping and saw a bear. Or you might share a moment when you learned an important lesson.

Your project for this unit is to write a personal narrative that is based on common themes found in your chosen literary study.  Write a multi-paragraph composition on one of the writing prompts below.  Connect not only to your own experiences but also to ideas/themes commonly found in your selected area of study.  You may agree or disagree with the prompt.

• The best gifts are the simplest ones.
• "Do or do not; there is no try." - quoted from Yoda
• Certain events change our impressions of life.
• Our journey to the future begins in the past.

Step 1: Generate Ideas

Before you begin planning your personal narrative, spend some time thinking about events (big or small) in your life that were meaningful or formative to you. It might be something you decided not to do and regret. It might be something you almost didn't do but are so glad you did. Maybe you learned something about yourself?

Step 2: Connect one of your experiences to a prompt to SHOW how the prompt is true or not true. 

Step 4: Proofread and Edit. See the checklist on Editing and Proofreading in Class Handouts

Step 5: Write the final draft.