Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

5 minutes

Tune In: Are we the same or different?

25 minutes

Find Out: Digging into differences and similarities

25 minutes

Take Action: Who I am

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

recognise that humans share similarities and differences
understand that we know very little about other people just from looking at them.

Success criteria

Students can:

explain similarities and differences between people
describe features of their own identities
listen to and reflect on First Nations peoples talking about their identities.

Tune In: Are we the same or different?

Step 1

Invite students to complete a Think Pair Share around the following questions:

I wonder if we are all the same. How are we the same?
I wonder if we are different in any way. How are we different?

Invite students to share their responses through a class discussion. Lead students to the idea that although we are different in many ways, we also share many similarities, even if they’re not immediately obvious.

Encourage an open conversation with students around the differences and similarities between students and model a culture of respectful curiosity in your classroom. Lead by example with an inquiry-based approach and show your students how to ask meaningful questions and engage respectfully with other students. You don't need to know everything or have all the answers to students' questions. Instead, demonstrate how you are learning alongside your students by creating time and space for listening, connecting, and reflecting on diverse perspectives.

Find Out: Digging into differences and similarities

Step 1

Explain to students that they’re now going to explore some of the ways that we are different and some of how we are the same.

Place the How Are We Similar And Different Images at stations around the classroom, with one image per station. Break the class into pairs or small groups and ask groups to visit each station and study the images closely.

For each image they look at, invite students to consider the following points (consider writing these on the board):

Do you know someone who shares the same skin tone as the person in this image?
Do you know someone with the same hair colour as the person in this image?
Do you know someone with the same eye colour as the person in this image?

As students walk between the stations, pose the following questions:

Can you tell what people like or dislike by looking at them? Do you know if the people in these images like ice cream or thunderstorms?
Can you tell what they are like just by looking at them? Do you know if they are kind, creative or funny from these pictures?
In what other ways might the people in the images be similar or different to the people we know?

Through this process, try to reinforce the idea that we all have things that make us different and things that make us the same (especially when compared to other living things like cats and flowers and starfish and trees). Some of these things we can see, and some of these things are inside us, in our thoughts and feelings, and we need to get to know each other to find out these things about each other.

Step 2

Explain to students that it’s pretty hard to tell what a person is like just by looking at them. Hearing people share information about themselves, who they are, and their experiences is a great way to get to know someone.

Students will now watch a video in which young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people share things about themselves and their culture.

Share the following video from the start to 4:56:

What It's Like Being Aboriginal (Full Episode) (youtube.com/watch?v=PUZsivbXM1U) (start to 4:56)

Once complete, invite students to reflect on the video using the following question (adjust to suit your cohort):

I wonder what this video is about.
Suggested answer: This video shows young First Nations people talking about who they are, their culture, and what it’s like to be a First Nations person living in Australia.
What did this video teach you about First Nations peoples and culture?
What did you notice about how the people in this video talked about their Country and culture?
I wonder how the people in this video are similar to me.

Step 3

Invite students to respond to the following, either in writing or through class discussion (consider adjusting the number of questions to suit your cohort):

I wonder what it feels like to be me
When I think of ‘home’, what do I think of?
What traditions do I have that I love?
A place that is important to me is… because…
What other things are important to me?
How do I like to spend my time?
Something I am working at getting better at is….

Ask students to work in pairs to share their responses. Ask students to form new pairs and repeat the activity if time permits.

Step 4

Bring the class together and explain that the things that they have been sharing about themselves with their classmates are all things help to build a picture of their identity.

Explain:

We all have our own identities made up of the things we like and don’t like, the people we hang out with, our families, where we live and how we spend our time. Essentially, our identities are ‘who we are’.
For some people, describing the parts of their identities is easy, but for others, it’s harder. Sometimes, you can feel confused about your identity, which can make you feel lonely or like you don’t fit in. It’s important to be patient with ourselves and give ourselves time to work out who we are.

Our identities can also change over time; these can be big changes or little changes. An example of a big change could be having a new sibling and suddenly you’re not the youngest child in your family. An example of a small change could be “I used to be a dog person but then I lived with a cat and I loved that cat. Now I am a dog and cat person.”
Experiencing changes in our identity is normal, especially when we’re growing up.

Take Action: Who I am

Step 1

Students will now create an artwork that represents who they are (their identity or part of it) and how they are similar and different to other people. The artwork could be a painting, drawing or 3D model made from playdough. Alternatively, students could use the Identity Template to decorate and annotate as a representation of themselves.

Whatever medium you choose for students to use, ensure that you can provide a range of playdough, pencil or paint colours that include a wide range of skin tones as well as colours that might match hair or eye colour.

Student artworks can include (adjust according to your cohort):

the student as they see themselves (their identity or part of it)
details and/or written information about how they are different to someone else
details and/or written information about how they are the same as someone else
something that is important to them
something they like
something they are good at
something they are working on getting better at.

Allow students time to create and annotate (where appropriate) their artworks.

Step 2

Once students are finished, you could display your artworks where visitors to your room (including families and other students) can view these creations. Place these under the heading ‘Who We Are’.

Reflection

Engage students in a class discussion around the following:

What did you learn about being different?
What did you learn about being the same?
What did you learn about identity?
I wonder if it is important to know the ways that we are all different?

Exploring Who We Are

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Summary

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