Sharing Who we Are

This is a unit from the Relationships Initiative Curriculum. See the full resource collection on the curriculum’s homepage.

The activities in this section are designed to engage participants in deep reflection and relationship building so that they can truly get to know one another. They provide space for students and teachers to share authentically about their lives outside of the classroom—What are you interested in? What is your home life like? What are you proud of? What do you value? What do you need from school to do well? How have your previous school experiences shaped your feelings about school? The activities in this section are intended to make up the bulk of The Relationships Initiative content and provide the most meaningful opportunities for relationship and community building. These activities require moderate to high vulnerability and should not be done before student shave practiced foundational skills, have created and practiced community norms, and had some fun together! Invite students to reflect, journal, and discuss responses to the following questions:

• What identities are important to me?
• How do I want to present myself in this classroom community?
• What identities and backgrounds am I excited to learn about this year?
• Why is it important to celebrate who we are?
• How do stereotypes impact our lives at school?
• What makes me feel like I can be myself? How can I bring that into our classroom?
• What makes me unique?
• What do I appreciate most about others?
• What is unique about my family?
• What makes a family? What makes a friend?

Lessons from this Unit

You can also download the full Relationships Initiative curriculum as a PDF.