Identity and Voice — Narratives, Poetry & Expression
MYP Unit Framework
Key Concept: IDENTITY Related Concepts: Voice. Perspective. Self-Expression. Global Context: Identities and Relationships (Who am I? Who are we?) Statement of Inquiry: Our IDENTITY is shaped by our experiences, and through our VOICE we express who we are to the world.
Inquiry Questions
| Type | Question |
|---|---|
| Factual | What is a personal narrative? What are the elements of poetry? |
| Conceptual | How do writers use language to express IDENTITY? How does our background shape our VOICE? |
| Debatable | Is identity something we are BORN with — or something we CREATE? Can a fictional story reveal more truth than a factual account? |
1. Personal Narratives — Telling Your Story
What Is a Personal Narrative?
A TRUE STORY about something that happened to YOU. It's not just 'what happened.' It's: what you FELT. What you LEARNED. How you CHANGED.
Key Elements
| Element | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Hook | The opening sentence that GRABS the reader. 'I never thought a Tuesday could change my life.' |
| Sensory Details | What did you SEE, HEAR, SMELL, TASTE, FEEL? 'Details make the reader feel like they were THERE.' |
| Dialogue | What people SAID. Real or remembered. Brings the story alive. |
| Reflection | What did you LEARN from this experience? Why does it MATTER? |
Mentor Text — 'I Am Malala' (Malala Yousafzai, excerpt)
Malala tells her story: a girl who wanted an education. A girl who was SHOT for going to school. A girl who SURVIVED and became the youngest NOBEL PEACE PRIZE winner.
Discussion Questions:
- How does Malala's IDENTITY as a 'girl from Swat Valley' shape her story?
- What gives her the COURAGE to use her voice?
- 'One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.' What does Malala MEAN by this?
2. Poetry — The Music of Identity
Why Poetry?
Poetry says MORE with FEWER words. It uses RHYTHM. SOUND. IMAGERY. Poetry is the CLOSEST language comes to MUSIC. It is how people across ALL cultures have expressed their deepest feelings about who they ARE.
Mentor Text — 'Still I Rise' (Maya Angelou)
"You may write me down in history / With your bitter, twisted lies, / You may trod me in the very dirt / But still, like dust, I'll rise."
Angelou's poem is a DECLARATION of identity. 'No matter what you say about me — I RISE. My identity is not defined by YOUR prejudice. It is defined by MY resilience.'
Poetic Devices
| Device | Definition | Example from the Poem |
|---|---|---|
| Simile | Comparison using 'like' or 'as' | 'like dust, I'll rise' |
| Metaphor | Direct comparison | 'I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide' |
| Repetition | Repeating words for emphasis | 'I rise. I rise. I rise.' |
| Rhetorical Question | A question not meant to be answered | 'Does my sassiness upset you?' |
3. Spoken Word — Poetry Aloud
Spoken word poetry is meant to be PERFORMED — not just read silently. It is poetry that LIVES in the VOICE. It emerged from the African-American oral tradition and is now a GLOBAL art form.
Key Features
- Rhythm and RHYME. Repetition ('I have a dream'). Wordplay and PUNS. Direct ADDRESS to the audience.
Watch and Analyse — Sarah Kay's 'If I Should Have a Daughter'
Sarah Kay's TED Talk performance of this poem has been viewed MILLIONS of times. 'She speaks about what she would teach her daughter — about life, love, pain, and wonder. Notice how her VOICE — her tone, pace, pauses — adds meaning to the WORDS.'
Your Turn — Write a Spoken Word Poem
'What do YOU want to say to the world? About who you are. About what you believe. About what makes you ANGRY, SAD, or HOPEFUL.'
4. Comparative Analysis — Prose and Poetry
| Aspect | Personal Narrative (Prose) | Poetry / Spoken Word |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | TELLS a story with a clear sequence | EVOKES a feeling. Captures a MOMENT. |
| How it's structured | Paragraphs. Dialogue. Chronological order. | Lines and stanzas. Free verse or structured. |
| Language | Direct. Conversational. | Figurative. Musical. Compressed. |
| Power | Immersive — makes the reader EXPERIENCE your story | Emotional — makes the reader FEEL your truth |
'BOTH forms express identity. In this unit, you will WRITE in BOTH forms — because different truths need different voices.'
5. Your Summative Assessment
Task: Create a 'Portrait of Identity' — a collection that demonstrates YOUR voice.
Your portfolio must include:
- A Personal Narrative (500-700 words) about a MOMENT that shaped who you are. Include: hook. Sensory details. Dialogue. Reflection.
- An Original Poem (minimum 16 lines) that expresses an aspect of your identity. Use at least THREE poetic devices.
- A Reflection (250 words) answering: 'How has writing these pieces helped me understand my own identity? How has reading others' voices expanded my understanding of what identity means?'
ATL (Approaches to Learning) Skills
| Skill | How You Will Develop It |
|---|---|
| Communication | Expressing identity through prose, poetry, and spoken word |
| Critical Thinking | Analysing how authors use language to construct voice and perspective |
| Creative Thinking | Generating original metaphors, similes, and imagery to express personal truth |
