UNPACKING THE BIG IDEA WITH VERBAL LANGUAGE
a. Type a complete dictionary definition of the idea you selected.
identity |īˈdentitē|
noun ( pl. -ties)
1 the fact of being who or what a person or thing is : he knows the identity of the bombers | she believes she is the victim of mistaken identity.
• the characteristics determining this : attempts to define a distinct Canadian identity.
• [as adj. ] chiefly Brit. (of an object) serving to establish who the holder, owner, or wearer is by bearing their name and often other details such as a signature or photograph : an identity card.
2 a close similarity or affinity : the initiative created an identity between the city and the suburbs.
3 Mathematics (also identity operation) a transformation that leaves an object unchanged.
• (also identity element) an element of a set that, if combined with another element by a specified binary operation, leaves that element unchanged.
4 Mathematics the equality of two expressions for all values of the quantities expressed by letters, or an equation expressing this, e.g., ( x + 1) 2 = x 2 + 2 x + 1.
ORIGIN late 16th cent. (in the sense [quality of being identical] ): from late Latin identitas, from Latin idem ‘same.’
b. Type a list of synonyms of the idea you selected.
· Oneness
· Particularity
· Self
· Singleness
· Singularity
· Personality
· Status
· Circumstances
· Coherence
· Distinctiveness
· Character
· Existence
· Identification
· Integrity
· Name
· Uniqueness
· Selfdom
· Selfhood
· Selfness
c. Type a list of antonyms of the idea you selected.
· Alteration
· Change
· Modification
· Variation
· Distinction
· Distinctiveness
· Distinctness
· Exoticness
· Individuality
· Separateness
· Separation
· Uniqueness
· Deviance
· Divergence
· Variance
· Incompatibility
· Incongruence
· Unusualness
· Discrepancy
· Disparity
· Conformity
· Conventionality
d. Type a list of examples of local, national or global social issues inherent or related to the idea.
· Concepts of Identity are obviously going to differ depending on local, national, and global associations
· Identity associations can bring together people on a larger scale
· Perceptions of Identity change, and so how a certain culture used to identify- may not link with concepts on today from that same culture
· Technology presents ways for us to connect with individuals who identify with the same associations… possibility for global connecting
e. Type a list of examples of how the idea you selected is used in common phrases or quotes, past or present.
· “I was born by myself but carry the spirit and blood of my father, mother and my ancestors. So I am really never alone. My identity is through that line.” – Ziggy Marley
· “It’s very important for a brand to have an identity through the years, but it’s very important as well to evolve because times change so fast.” – Donatella Versace
· “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown our your own inner voice.” – Steve Jobs
· “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” – Oscar Wilde
· “We boil at different degrees.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
· “Who has deceived thee as oft as thyself.” – Ben Franklin
f. Type a list of examples where the idea you have selected is conveyed in the world around you through songs, G-rated movies, children’s books, stories, poems, and nursery rhymes, plays, fables, jokes, video-games, advertisements, the news.
Children’s books:
· “I Like Myself” by Karen Beaumont
· “Is He a Girl?” by Louis Sachar
· “The Colors of Us” by Karen Katz
· “It’s Not Easy Being a Bunny” by Marilyn Sadler
· “My Name is Yoon” by Helen Recorvits
· “An Extraordinary Egg” by Leo Lionni
Plays, and Movies About Identity:
· Henrik Ibsen’s play “In A Doll’s House”
· The Tigger Movie
· Frozen Movie
· Spirited Away Movie
http://www.poetrysoup.com/poems/identity for tons of poems about Identity
Fables: “Fables Of Identity: Studies In Poetic Mythology by Northrop Frye
g. Select 5 of the most important examples from list e and f and type a paragraph for each telling why they are so expressive of the big idea you selected.
1 + 2. Emerson’s quote is great. He simply states how we are all different in our own way, and that’s okay- a concept that will be taught throughout the unit I will be teaching. His specific quote in conjunction to providing some poems from the website url given for all types of Identity poetry. Having a variety of quotes and poems would be useful to the students. The students will be required to demonstrate their knowledge of Identity concepts after working on their first project in the unit. Reading quotes and poems to the students about Identity will hopefully help to get them thinking about how they will articulate their thoughts onto paper.
3. Karen Beaumont’s book, “I Like Myself,” would be something great that I could use towards the beginning of my unit over Identity. Self-reflection will be something taught in the unit, and it is important to teach our young people to like themselves and the people that they are surrounded by. Class cooperation and collaboration will take place in the Art Classroom, and so this particular book could help bring out some Identity concepts relating to those notions.
4 + 5. Louis Sachar’s “Is He a Girl?” paired with sharing Karen Katz’s “The Colors of Us,” could definitely be utilized within the Art Classroom. Themes about gender, and race are sometimes touchy subjects, but through these children’s books we can begin to have comfortable discussion over these ideas. Children are already less biased in general, it is a time that we would take advantage of by teaching in a way that does not perpetuate stereotypes etc.