This lesson is designed for a 90-minute period at the high school level for a dual language Heritage or Spanish Language Arts class. However, it could easily be divided into sections or modified for middle school students or advanced Spanish world language students. In this lesson, students explore how identity is formed through various life influences and analyze the cause/effect relationship between their personal identity and significant influences in their lives. Students will explore the topic through the RadioAmbulante podcast “Sisters” and the painting “Las dos Fridas” by Frida Khalo. Students will practice metalinguistic awareness and develop their translanguaging skills through explicit instruction on the use of transitional phrases related to cause and effect in English and Spanish. Then students will use these phrases to engage in conversations with their peers to discuss how the different influences in their lives have shaped their identities. Finally, students will produce a written summary of the relationship between the primary influences in their lives and the primary characteristics of their identities. 

This lesson is designed for a 90-minute period at the high school level for a dual language Heritage or Spanish Language Arts class. However, it could easily be divided into sections or modified for middle school students or advanced Spanish world language students. In this lesson, students build on their analysis from lesson 1 to consider how the influences in their lives have formed their identity and how they can ensure that the influences in their future lead them toward their goals. First students explore how people’s identities are impacted by context through an analysis of the influences and dominant aspects of their identity in three familiar contexts. They then analyze the poem “A Julia de Burgos”, the values represented in the poem, and their own values. Next, they analyze the painting “La creación de las aves” by Remedios Varo to see how it is possible for a person's identity to fully align with their values. Finally, students analyze how past and current influences in their lives have made them who they are and consider what future influences will help them to achieve a future self that aligns with their personal values, and present this analysis verbally to their classmates. 

The Ways is a series of stories from Native communities around the central Great Lakes. This online educational resource for 6-12 grade students features videos and an interactive map exploring contemporary Native culture and language. The Ways supports educators in meeting the requirements of Wisconsin Act 31, seeking to expand and challenge current understanding of Native identity and communities.