Becoming and Belonging Assessment Ideas

How do we become who we want to be in the world?

Each assessment is designed for 1–2 class periods.

In Lesson 2 of the Becoming and Belonging text set, students listen to a We Got You podcast episode during which Haerin (the narrator) begins a reflection segment by saying, “If I could tell my younger self something, it would be . . .” She then proceeds to give advice to her younger self. 

For this assessment, invite students to review their journal entries, identity charts, and handouts in order to reflect on their new understanding and questions about how they can become who they want to be in the world. Then have them write letters to their younger selves that include sage advice about what they wish they had known about becoming and belonging that they now understand. Students might include one or more stories about how they learned these lessons along with their words of advice to their younger selves. 

This assessment invites students to revisit the texts they explored throughout this unit with the goal of activating close reading, exploration, and creative expression. Explain to students that they will be creating a found poem using words and phrases from some of the texts they read in this text set to explore the essential question. Their poems might answer, challenge, or complicate that question. For students who need more structure, have them review the texts from the unit and then choose two or three to use for their found poem, rather than trying to incorporate words and phrases from more of the texts.