Beneath the Surface: Exploring Identity Through Books and Ourselves

GRADE LEVEL: Elementary School

Identity is layered and deeply personal, shaped by the Windows, Mirrors and Sliding Glass Doors students encounter in the books they read. Through this lesson, students will learn that identity includes both what is visible and what is felt, and that understanding themselves and understanding others are two sides of the same essential practice.

In this activity, students will:

• Apply the See, Think, Wonder protocol to make observations, draw conclusions, and generate questions about a piece of literature. 
• Identify and articulate their own internal and external identity traits using words or images.
• Explain why encountering characters both similar to and different from themselves in books is valuable for building empathy and self-understanding.