– Cyberschoolbus' Peace Poem submission by Middle School, "Zdravstveno uciliste", Zagreb, Croatia. The Peace Poem is a project of the United Nations' Cyberschoolbus. You can find out more about it by clicking here.

In Article 8 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, identity is protected. It states:

What is the meaning of "identity" in this context? How is it defined and by whom? This Unit examines the notion of identity in different contexts. It presents an opportunity for students to think about what identity means to them. While these themes can be integrated effectively into all levels of learning, the activities below are aimed at students aged eleven to sixteen years old.

(Skills)
• Practice empathy and compassionate treatment of others
• Writing in a reflective journal
• Increase their ability to communicate aspects of their own identities

(Attitudes)
• Display self-respect
• Demonstrate tolerance for differences
• Express appreciation for the identity of others
• Empathy and care

Step 1: Introduce the story of Anne Frank in the context of other learning in the class. For instance, her story fits into lessons on literature, ethics, world history, journalism, etc. Because peace education aims to connect learning rather than segment or separate subjects, each activity should be related to previous and forthcoming lessons.

Step 2: Assign The Diary of Anne Frank to students for reading outside of class, or if time permits, read it together in class. If the book is assigned, ask students to come to class each day prepared to discuss one or two paragraphs they found particularly interesting. Read these selections together in class.

Step 3: Ask students to keep a reflective journal while they are reading The Diary. Students should use the journal to record their thoughts and feelings about the book as well as to reflect upon how it relates to dignity and identity. Ask students to note any ways they identify with Anne Frank and the ways they feel different.

Step 4: Communicate with students through their journals, collecting them weekly to give written feedback. Invite students to share journal entries with each other or to submit entries as a group. Provide opportunities for students to talk together about their thoughts and feelings relating to the themes of dignity and identity in The Diary of Anne Frank. Ask students to discuss the following: How do others define Anne? How does she define herself? Does she possess dignity? How can you tell? What does dignity look like? What does it feel like? Why is it important?

Step 5: Assess these activities with the students.

Step 1: The project begins with each student constructing an individual "Identity Card". These cards should be poster-sized and should include a symbol or logo that each student designs to represent him/herself. In creating the design, students can include anything they feel conveys aspects of their personality, background, experience, beliefs, likes, dislikes, etc. These cards will serve as a representation of each student as a member of the classroom community. The Identity Cards should be posted on the walls of the classroom when completed. (If desired, teachers can discuss the idea of "Identity Cards" in other contexts such as those issued to refugees, to Black South Africans under the apartheid regime, to those imprisoned during World War II, or passports, etc.)

Step 2: In addition to the poster-sized Identity Card, each student should prepare several smaller cards with the same design. They will need to produce at least as many as the total number of people in the class, including the teacher.

Step 3: Ask students to prepare a story to share about a person or event that had (or has) a significant impact on their lives. It could be a member of their family or community, a teacher, a leader, a friend or an event that changed their life. At the very least, the story should be one they feel comfortable sharing about something that moved them. Teachers should also plan to share a story.

Step 4: Once the Identity Cards are designed and posted, and the stories are prepared, schedule the storytelling in a random sequence, perhaps a few each day for one week.

Step 5: When each storyteller’s turn arrives, ask students to gather in a circle to listen. The storyteller should place a pile of his or her smaller Identity Cards in the centre of the circle. As the story is told, if a listener identifies with an aspect of the story or relates to the storyteller in any way, he or she quietly takes one of the smaller cards from the pile in the centre. Students may also wait until the end of the story to choose a card.

Step 6: When the story is finished, ask students who have chosen a card to respond and describe the connection they felt to the storyteller.

Step 7: At the end of the session, students who have chosen the small cards of the storyteller then stick them (with tape or adhesive) onto their own larger Identity Card.

Step 8: When all the stories have been told and all the cards shared and posted, students can see how they are both similar and different from others in the class. The practice of incorporating the symbols of others into students’ personal representations of identity is aimed at building empathy and compassion among members of the learning community. Discuss the idea that while we are all unique, there is still much that we share.

Step 9: Assess the activity with the students. See below.

Source
Learning activity #2 is adapted from a project designed by four Canadian teachers and outlined in Smith, David C. and Terrance R. Carson, Educating for a Peaceful Future, Toronto: Kagan and Woo Limited, 1998, page 239.

Journal Entry
Ask students in a final journal entry to re-read the journal and comment on their own work. Below are some suggested questions to pose to students for their final journal entry:

• What aspect of your work in this unit pleases you most?
• What surprised you about your work for this unit?
• If you were grading yourself on participation, what grade would you give and why?
• Have the ideas of human dignity and identity become more clear to you? Why or why not?
• Please describe something you learned in this unit.
• Have your feelings about others in the class changed at all? If so, in what way?
• Have your perceptions of others in the class changed? If so, in what way?
• How would you teach a friend or relative about human dignity?
• How would you teach a friend or relative about identity?
• Do you think dignity and identity matter in your life? Why or why not?
• Please add any other questions, comments or suggestions you have in relation to this unit.

Thank you.

Dialogue Sheet
Another way to get feedback about an activity or to assess whether learning objectives have been met is to use a "Dialogue Sheet". A Dialogue Sheet should distributed after each activity or in particular cases. The following is a sample Dialogue Sheet:

2.

3.

THANK YOU.