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Facing History and Ourselves - Discussion Protocol

This protocol can be used to spark discussions and as the basis for lessons using the personal narratives written by students as part of the We Are America Project.

Before using this discussion protocol, we recommend using Facing History’s paired Borders & Belonging introductory lessons to build conceptual understanding of belonging, borders, and the interplay between them:

Part 1: Discuss the Text

Choose from the following questions for a culminating discussion after you read and/or listen to a personal narrative. You can also bring your own questions to the discussion.

  1. What is your “golden line” from this story? Share one or two sentences that resonate with you and explain why.
  2. What tangible and intangible borders does the author navigate in this narrative?
    1. What is the impact of those borders on the author’s understanding of who they are and where they belong?
    2. Who has the power to create or maintain those borders? Why?
    3. Who has the freedom to cross those borders? Why?
    4. What factors keep those borders in place? What forces could break them down?
  3. What matters most to the author? In other words, what are their values? How do you know?
  4. How do you think the author’s values influence their sense of who they are, where they belong, and the decisions they make?
  5. How do the author’s different identities intersect to shape who they are, their sense of belonging in some groups, and their exclusion from others?
  6. What do you think could be changed in the environment of this story to create a more inclusive and accepting space for the author and others?
  7. How does this story connect, extend, or challenge your ideas about what it means to be American?

Part 2: Make Personal Connections

Choose one or more questions to reflect on in a journal entry.

  1. How do you navigate the tension between your desire to fit in and your need to express your own individual identity?
  2. How do your different identities intersect to shape who you are and your sense of belonging in some groups and your exclusion from others?
  3. What steps can you and the people around you take to create a more inclusive and accepting class and school community?
  4. What does it mean to you to be American?