Finding Belonging in the World

About This Lesson

Being seen as you want to be seen is an invaluable gift. In this lesson, students will consider how feelings of belonging and connection that come from supportive relationships can have a powerful impact on one’s self-esteem and self-development. They will engage with one or more short animated films to understand the power of positive and supportive relationships and consider the “pearls of wisdom” they have received that are helping to shape their sense of identity and belonging in the world.

Essential Question

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

Guiding Questions

• How can words of wisdom from role models and mentors help us cultivate our own sense of identity and belonging in the world? 
• Why is it important to develop relationships that help us feel seen, valued, and secure in our sense of belonging?

Learning Objectives

• Process Texts Through a Critical and Ethical Lens
• Develop a Sense of Civic Agency

Facing History Learning Outcomes

• Practice perspective-taking in order to develop empathy and recognize the limits of any one person’s point of view.
• Develop the tools, efficacy, and voice to envision and enact positive changes in their personal lives, communities, and world.

Lesson Plan

Activity 1: Reflect on Supportive Relationships

• Remind students about the discussion they had in the previous class about what it means to “feel seen.” Let them know that in today’s class, they are going to think about how supportive relationships can help them feel seen and valued. While they are the authors of their own identities and have the power to express who they are and how they want to be seen, they can also gain strength and affirmation from the role models and mentors in their lives. So they will spend time reflecting on these individuals and the ways in which their words of wisdom have helped students understand aspects of themselves and the world around them. 
• Prepare to watch the short animated film you chose for this lesson (see Teaching Note 1) by having students reflect in their journals on what it feels like when someone sees you for the unique individual that you are and encourages you to be your true self. Let them know that they will not be required to share what they write. 
• Use the following questions to prompt students’ thinking. Invite them to think about friends, family members, teammates, members of their church, mosque, or synagogue, teachers and coaches, or other mentors and role models in their life:

  • Who are the people in your life, past and present, that have made you feel like you belong and that you can be your true self? 
  • What are some of the things those people have said or done to help you feel this way?

• If students feel comfortable, have them share ideas from their journal responses with the class. You can model risk-taking by sharing your own story of someone in your life who made you feel seen and valued. 

Activity 2: Watch a Short Animated Film about “Pearls of Wisdom”

See Teaching Note 1: Preview the films and select one (or more if you have a longer class period) before teaching this activity. 

• Let students know that they will be watching a short animated film. In the film, an adult will be reflecting on a time when they were young and received “pearls of wisdom” in the form of important life lessons from a family member, mentor, or role model. Explain to students how pearls are created (see Teaching Note 3) and let them know that this is why the phrase “pearls of wisdom” is often used to describe a positive lesson learned over time from an experience that was once painful or challenging.
• Show the StoryCorps short animated film that you selected for this lesson. 

  • The Door She Opened (02:40)
  • Lessons Learned (03:09)
  • Lola’s Work (02:58)
  • Silvia’s Legacy (02:29)

• Project the following questions one at a time and ask students to respond in a Think-Pair-Share discussion: 

  • What was the most impactful, important, or memorable moment in the film for you? What makes you say that?
  • What “pearls of wisdom” or important life lessons did the speaker(s) learn that they shared in the film? Who did they learn these lessons from? 
  • How do you think these “pearls of wisdom” impacted their sense of identity and/or belonging in the world when they were growing up?

• Debrief students’ discussions as a class by asking a few pairs to share their ideas. Then discuss the following question together: Why is it important for us to develop relationships that help us feel seen, valued, and secure in our sense of belonging?

Activity 3: Create and Share “Pearls of Wisdom”

• Let students know that they are going to have the opportunity to think about the “pearls of wisdom” they have received from people who have made them feel like they are seen, they are valued, and they belong, and they will consider how these life lessons have helped or are helping them be their best selves. For this activity, students will write and design “pearls of wisdom” graphics to be posted in the classroom or somewhere in your school. 
• Start by having students respond to the following prompt in their journals about the pearls of wisdom they have received:

  Write about a wise saying, piece of advice, important lesson, or idea that has been passed on to you from someone who has supported you and made you feel seen and like you belong. 

• Then distribute the ”Pearls of Wisdom” Graphic Organizer and tell students that they are going to write, draw, or make a collage depicting a piece of wisdom that is meaningful to them. Gather art supplies—colored pencils, pens, crayons, magazines—and then let students get to work creating their own pearls of wisdom.
• There are many ways that students can share their “pearls” with the class. They can post them around the room for a gallery walk, present them in a circle discussion, or share them in pairs or triads.