Expressing Identity

Overview

This 60-minute introductory lesson invites Year 8 students to explore their personal identities through reflective activities and group discussion. The session establishes the foundation for the unit "Expressing Identity Through Art," encouraging students to recognise and articulate the diverse elements—beliefs, culture, values—that shape who they are. Through this, they start thinking about how they might represent these aspects visually in their artwork.

Alignment with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh

This lesson specifically supports:

Learning Area: The Arts – Visual Arts
Level: Level 4 (Years 7 & 8)
Achievement Objective:
Understanding the arts in context:
Explore how identities and ideas can be communicated through visual arts.
Developing ideas:
Investigate personal and cultural concepts and express emerging ideas through visual media.
Key Competencies:
Managing self — Reflecting on personal identity, beliefs, and values.
Participating and contributing — Sharing ideas and listening to others in group discussions.
Thinking — Engaging in critical self-reflection and articulation of abstract concepts like identity.
Curriculum Values:
Diversity and Inclusiveness — Valuing cultural backgrounds and individual differences.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

Identify and describe key aspects of their own identity, including cultural background, beliefs, interests, and values.
Engage in respectful group discussion, sharing their reflections and listening to peers’ perspectives.
Begin to make connections between their personal identity and visual artistic expression.

Materials Needed

Large sheets of paper or personal notebooks/journals
Colourful markers or pencils
Sticky notes or small cards
Whiteboard/chart paper for summarising ideas
Optional: Images or art examples exploring diverse identities (NZ context preferred)
Timer or clock for time management

Lesson Structure

1. Warm-up Reflection (10 minutes)

Activity: Students sit quietly and respond to a series of short written prompts in their notebooks as a personal reflection:

"What are three words that describe who you are?"
"What makes you unique?"
"What cultural or family traditions do you feel connected to?"
"What are your beliefs or values that are important to you?"

Teacher Tip: Model by sharing your own brief reflection. Encourage honesty and reassure students that these reflections are private unless they want to share.

2. Introducing Identity through Visual Examples (10 minutes)

Activity: Teacher presents a selection of artworks by New Zealand artists or youth exploring identity and culture. Use art that shows diverse cultural stories or personal identities (e.g., Maori, Pasifika, or urban youth perspectives).

Discuss: What do you notice about how identity is shown in these artworks?
How might artists communicate things like family, culture, or beliefs without using words?

Outcomes: Students begin to see how identity can be expressed visually.

3. Group Discussion and Sharing (15 minutes)

Activity: Students form small groups (4-5). Each shares one or two key points from their reflections.

Use sentence starters like: "One thing that is important to me is...", "A special tradition in my family is...", "I believe in..."

Teacher circulates, guiding discussion, emphasising respect and active listening.

4. Personal Identity Mapping (20 minutes)

Activity: Using large paper or their notebooks, students create an "Identity Map" — a visual representation of important aspects of themselves. This can include:

Words, symbols, or images representing beliefs, culture, interests, family, values
Colours or patterns that feel meaningful
Drawings or sketches that express personality or background

Encourage creative expression — no right or wrong way.

Teacher Role: Support students individually, prompting deeper thinking with questions like: "Why did you choose this symbol?" or "How does this colour represent you?"

5. Wrap-Up and Reflection (5 minutes)

Activity: Bring the class back together. Invite a few volunteers to briefly share their identity maps if they feel comfortable.

Summarise: Today you started exploring who you are and how your identity might be shown through art. Next lessons will build on this to create personal artworks.

Assessment and Reflection

Formative assessment through observation of participation in group discussions and engagement with the identity mapping activity.
Teacher notes on how well students articulate aspects of their identity.
Student self-assessment: “What did I learn about myself today?” (brief written or oral exit prompt).

Extension Ideas

For deeper cultural connections, invite students to bring or reference a family object or photo that relates to their identity in the next lesson.
Consider digital identity maps using tablets or apps for visual storytelling as a tech integration option.

This lesson plan is designed to create a supportive environment for Year 8 students in New Zealand to begin exploring identity in a meaningful way grounded in the refreshed national curriculum’s focus on personal and cultural context, thinking, and key competencies. The activities enable creativity while establishing the personal foundation required to express identity visually in subsequent lessons.

Teaching Instructions