Identity Pack Session: You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover Please note that this PowerPoint is one of six sessions/ideas and resources in the SL Identity Pack. You will need to look through it carefully and edit it for your class/group. This work is only recommended where a teacher is working with a group they know well. It is particularly important to be aware of any students in the group who are looked after.

Session: You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover Learning Objectives To identify and share the aspects of our identity that have had the biggest impact on each of us. To consider the phrase “you can’t judge a book by its cover” and think about the ways we find out about people and share information about ourselves. Learning Outcomes I can recognise and start to explain that belonging to communities has an impact on who I am. I understand the impact that prejudice can have on people and how they feel about themselves.

Starter Please sit next to someone you don’t normally sit with and ask about the research they did on their name. Then share your ideas with another pair. You could talk about: Does your partner know the meaning of their name? Did they have a naming ceremony? Do they or anyone they know have a nickname? Is their name ever shortened or lengthened? Do they like their name?

Main Activity “You can find all about me – coming close and letting go of who you might think I am….” Skin Again by Bell Hooks Discuss with the students what they think this means.

Identity Cards In pairs, look at the identity cards on your desk and choose three that will help you answer the following question: Who/what do you feel has had the biggest impact on your identity and why? Now put the cards in order of importance. Be prepared to explain your decisions. While they carry out this task, they will be finding out about each other. They may find that as they talk, they will let go of a few ideas about the other person. Whether you do this task in pairs or groups, and if you have any whole-class feedback, will depend on your class.

Show these two pupil examples of an identity map and explain that this is a map that helps us find out about this person and some details of theirs such as groups they belong to. Discuss the phrase ‘you can’t judge a book by its cover’ and that the mind map is like the inside of the book that tells so much more than the outside.

Using the identity cards to give you ideas, create a mind map-style picture that uses small drawings and words to share some things about your identity. You could include, for example, a picture of a place you like to visit, a group you are part of, music you like, sports you play, a favourite meal cooked by a grandparent, etc. Challenge able students to add more detailed comments to their map, explaining why each item is important to them, their identity and the identity of the groups they belong to.

Plenary Share your mind map with a partner Reflect on what we have learnt about prejudging someone, or a group of people, before we know them Does it feel different telling people about something that only you do? Is it easier to share things you know many people take part in? Refer back to the quote from Skin Again and focus on “You can find out about me – coming close and letting go of who you might I think I am…” As you are moving round the classroom, try to get a sense of whether students have learnt anything new about each other and/or whether they have let go of any old ideas. If it seems appropriate, you could introduce the idea that prejudice-related thinking can happen when people don’t take time to consider the real person but just think of someone as a name or label, and that this can have an impact on someone’s identity.

For the Next Session… Please bring to the next session an object or photograph that tells a story about yourself that you would like to share.