Cultural Connections: Exploring Identity Through Storytelling
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Cultural Connections: Exploring Identity Through Storytelling

Grade 6English3 days
In "Cultural Connections: Exploring Identity Through Storytelling," 6th-grade students delve into the exploration of identity and cultural narratives. Utilizing an inquiry-based approach, students engage in activities such as creating personal collages, participating in story circles, and developing culture scrapbooks to express and reflect on their diverse cultural backgrounds. The project emphasizes narrative writing, collaborative discussions, and multimedia expression to enhance students' storytelling skills and cultural understanding, aligned with WIDA ELD and Common Core standards.
StorytellingCultural IdentityNarrative WritingCollaborationMultimedia ExpressionCultural Reflection
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Inquiry Framework

Question Framework

Driving Question

The overarching question that guides the entire project.How can we use storytelling to explore and express our unique identities shaped by diverse cultures?

Essential Questions

Supporting questions that break down major concepts.
  • What is identity and how is it shaped by culture?
  • How can storytelling be used to share experiences and connect with others?
  • In what ways do our cultural backgrounds influence our perspectives and interactions?

Standards & Learning Goals

Learning Goals

By the end of this project, students will be able to:
  • Students will be able to narrate stories about their own identities and cultural backgrounds.
  • Students will develop skills in storytelling to effectively share experiences and cultural perspectives.
  • Students will engage in collaborative discussions to explore and express connections between diverse cultural identities.
  • Students will understand the role of culture in shaping individual identity through reflective narrative writing and sharing.

WIDA ELD Standards

WIDA ELD-SI.4-12. Narrate
Primary
Multilingual learners will share ideas about one's lived experiences and previous learning and make connections with each other.Reason: This standard directly aligns with the project's focus on sharing ideas about identity and culture through storytelling, thereby facilitating connections between students based on personal and cultural experiences.

Common Core Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3
Primary
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.Reason: This standard is relevant as students will be developing narratives about their identities and cultural experiences, which requires effective narrative techniques and details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1
Secondary
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.Reason: This standard supports the project as it involves collaborative discussions and sharing of ideas about identity and culture among multicultural students.

Entry Events

Events that will be used to introduce the project to students

Identity Collage Workshop

Engage students in creating personal collages using images, words, and symbols that represent their cultural backgrounds and identities. This creative activity promotes personal reflection and sharing, fostering a deeper understanding of each other's experiences and leading to meaningful project content.
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Portfolio Activities

Portfolio Activities

These activities progressively build towards your learning goals, with each submission contributing to the student's final portfolio.
Activity 1

Story Circle: The Tapestry of Our Stories

Engage students in a story circle to verbally share the stories behind their collages. This activity helps them articulate their lived experiences, builds a community of sharing, and establishes storytelling as a bridge between diverse identities.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Gather in a circle where each student will have the opportunity to share their collage story.
2. Encourage each participant to narrate the meaning and story behind the elements in their collage.
3. Ask listeners to think of questions or reflections to deepen understanding and connection.
4. After each sharing, facilitate a brief discussion connecting common themes or unique perspectives among group members.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA verbal narrative shared with peers, highlighting the cultural stories behind the collages.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsWIDA ELD-SI.4-12. Narrate and CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1, emphasizing sharing ideas and engaging in discussions.
Activity 2

Culture Scrapbook Project

Students compile a scrapbook that documents their identity and cultural stories, incorporating personal narratives, reflections, and images. This activity builds upon previous discussions to develop written narrative sequences that illustrate cultural experiences.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Review the elements and themes from the identity collage and story circle. Identify key stories that resonate most with you.
2. Draft written narratives for each selected story, emphasizing descriptive details and personal reflections.
3. Select relevant images, quotes, and artifacts to accompany each narrative within your scrapbook.
4. Organize the stories and multimedia elements in a scrapbook format that visually and textually represents your cultural journey.
5. Share excerpts from your scrapbook in small group discussions, highlighting how the stories and images connect with your identity and cultural background.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA detailed scrapbook showcasing personal identity narratives and cultural expressions.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3 for narrative writing skills, and WIDA ELD-SI.4-12. Narrate for storytelling about personal and cultural experiences.
Activity 3

Identity Collage Creation

Students will craft a personal collage that visually represents their cultural backgrounds and identities using images, words, and symbols. This creative task encourages personal reflection and expression, forming a foundation for deeper narrative exploration.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Select a range of images, words, and symbols that personally resonate with aspects of your cultural background and identity.
2. Organize your selected visuals in a manner that you feel uniquely represents your identity.
3. Glue or digitally arrange the elements on a board or digital canvas to form a cohesive collage.
4. Prepare to share your collage with peers, explaining how the selected elements reflect your cultural background and experiences.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA personalized, visual collage that represents the student's cultural identity and background.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsWIDA ELD-SI.4-12. Narrate, as it facilitates the initial step of sharing ideas about one's lived experiences and making connections with others.
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Rubric & Reflection

Portfolio Rubric

Grading criteria for assessing the overall project portfolio

Identity & Culture Storytelling Rubric

Category 1

Narrative Development

Assessment of the ability to craft well-structured narratives that reflect personal and cultural identities, utilizing effective storytelling techniques and descriptive details.
Criterion 1

Narrative Structure and Coherence

Evaluates how well students organize and sequence their narratives, ensuring they contain a clear beginning, middle, and end, and maintain clarity and coherence throughout.

Exemplary
4 Points

The narrative follows a sophisticated structure with a clearly defined beginning, middle, and end, offering a cohesive and clear storyline throughout.

Proficient
3 Points

The narrative is logically structured with a clear beginning, middle, and end, maintaining coherence and clarity.

Developing
2 Points

The narrative has a basic structure but may lack coherence or a clear sequence of events.

Beginning
1 Points

The narrative lacks a clear structure, making it difficult to follow the storyline.

Criterion 2

Descriptive Detail and Reflection

Assesses the use of descriptive details and reflective elements in narratives to enhance storytelling and cultural expression.

Exemplary
4 Points

Employs rich, vivid descriptive details and deep reflections that significantly enhance storytelling and cultural expression.

Proficient
3 Points

Incorporates effective descriptive details and reflections that enhance the narrative.

Developing
2 Points

Uses basic descriptive details with limited reflection, requiring further development to enhance storytelling.

Beginning
1 Points

Includes minimal descriptive details and reflections, resulting in a flat narrative.

Category 2

Cultural Insight and Connection

Evaluation of students' ability to articulate their cultural background and connections through narratives and multimedia elements.
Criterion 1

Cultural Representation

Measures how effectively the students' work represents diverse cultural perspectives and personal identity through narratives and collages.

Exemplary
4 Points

Provides a rich and evocative representation of cultural identity through creative use of language and multimedia elements.

Proficient
3 Points

Clearly represents cultural identity with effectively chosen language and multimedia elements.

Developing
2 Points

Displays emerging representation of cultural identity, lacking vivid examples and connections.

Beginning
1 Points

Offers limited cultural representation, struggling to connect through narrative or multimedia.

Criterion 2

Connection and Engagement

Assesses how well students connect with peers and engage in discussions about cultural identities.

Exemplary
4 Points

Engages peers with insightful questions and responses that deepen group discussion and cultural understanding.

Proficient
3 Points

Participates actively in discussions with relevant questions and responses that contribute to understanding.

Developing
2 Points

Participates in discussions but provides limited contributions or tends to require prompting.

Beginning
1 Points

Engages minimally in discussions, offering few insights or connections.

Category 3

Multimedia Expression

Analysis of student proficiency in using visual and multimedia elements to complement and enhance narrative storytelling.
Criterion 1

Creativity and Use of Multimedia

Evaluates creativity and effectiveness in using multimedia elements such as images and symbols to complement the written narratives.

Exemplary
4 Points

Innovatively integrates multimedia elements that enhances and richly complement narratives, demonstrating originality.

Proficient
3 Points

Effectively uses multimedia elements to complement and enhance narrative content.

Developing
2 Points

Uses multimedia elements, but with limited impact on the narrative's depth or creativity.

Beginning
1 Points

Uses few multimedia elements, with minimal impact on narrative quality.

Reflection Prompts

End-of-project reflection questions to get students to think about their learning
Question 1

Reflect on how creating the Identity Collage helped you understand your own cultural background and identity. What elements of the collage resonated most with you and why?

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Question 2

On a scale from 1 to 5, how much did participating in the Story Circle enhance your understanding of your classmates' cultural backgrounds?

Scale
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Question 3

What was the most surprising thing you learned about cultural identity from engaging in the Culture Scrapbook Project, and how has it affected your view of your own identity?

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Question 4

Which of the portfolio activities (Identity Collage, Story Circle, Culture Scrapbook) did you find most challenging and why? How did you overcome those challenges?

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Question 5

Reflecting on the entire project, how have your storytelling skills improved and how do you feel more prepared to share your cultural experiences with others?

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