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This I Believe

Affirming Identity andBuilding Community

Tabitha Pang

July 11, 2011

Los Angeles Writing Project

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Warm Up

How do you build a sense of community inyour classroom?

You can- Describe briefly how you build community

- List strategies youve used in your classroom

- Write a list of words that describe whatcommunity means to you as an educator

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Community

Self Knowledge

- Where Im From race, culture, history, family

- Annotated Map place, community, world

- This I Believe values, beliefs, identity,

Knowledge of Others

- Authors Chair

- Reading the word/Listening to the world

Group Identity

- Rituals

- Mutual Respect

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Writing, RocksLinda Christensen

Students learn to sing their lives through writing. They usewriting to take the power out of their pain.

our lives intersect and we deepen our connections andunderstandings across lines of race, class, gender, sexualorientation, and age.

Paolo Freire

Human existence cannot be silent, nor can it be nourished byfalse words, but only by true words, with which men and

women, transform the world

.To exist, humanly, is to name the world, to change it.

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AMusician of ManyCultures by Yo-Yo Ma

Yo-Yo Mas This I Believe Essay

Listening to National Public Radio one morning, I became inspired.

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Read,Annotate,Discuss

Annotate the Text

Use the following questions to help you

annotate the text.

What does the author believe?

How did he/she come to this belief?

What event or experience does the

author use to illustrate his/herbelief?

How does this belief guide the waythe author lives his/her life?

Whats your favorite sentence, word,

or phrase?

Does this remind you of a personalexperience?

1. Read the text

2. Annotate the text

- Underline significant lines

- Write comments on the margins

3. Discuss

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What do you think?

Agree Disagree

Have your What do you think? worksheet in your hand.

Listen to the belief statement read by the facilitator.

Go to the appropriate side of the room: Agree or Disagree.

Talkto one person about the reasons for your choice.

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Being Content with Myself

by KameelMajeed

Americas Beauty is in its

Diversity

by Alaa El-Saad

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Read,Annotate,Discuss

Annotate the Text

Use the following questions to help you

annotate the text.

What does the author believe?

How did he/she come to this belief?

What event or experience does the

author use to illustrate his/herbelief?

How does this belief guide the waythe author lives his/her life?

Whats your favorite sentence, word,

or phrase?

Does this remind you of a personalexperience?

1. Read the text

2. Annotate the text

- Underline significant lines

- Write comments on the margins

3. Discuss

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One Belief Memories

In Your Writers Notebook

Choose one belief that is very important to you.

What personal memories or events are connected to the

belief youve chosen? Describe them.

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This I Believe Mini-LessonsBeliefs

Agree/Disagree Activity: What do you think?

Writers notebook: What do you believe? Brainstorm and make alist.

Read, Annotate, Discuss

R.A.D.: This I Believe Essays

Introduce This I Believe Assignment

One Belief Memories

Writers Notebook: Choose one belief that is very important to you.

What personal memories or events are connected to the beliefyouve chosen? Describe them.

Seeing is Believing

Create a poster that helps people see your belief through YOUReyes.