Ms. Levy English II Room 120

Warm up Directions: Write at least one paragraph about one of the prompts below. Panorama 360 Describe the view (in all directions) from directly above your house. Doctor Tales Give me ten on a memorable visit to a doctor or dentist office.

Objective & Homework Objective: Given an outline, students will be able to write a rough draft of their essay with 80% completion. Homework: Finish rough draft/missing work

Agenda Intro & Warm up (15 minutes) Rough draft (50 minutes) Missing work (20-25 minutes)

Essay Prompt & Rubric Page 45-46 Write a reflective essay explaining your cultural identity. Reflective Essay Requirements: Needs to be 3-5 paragraphs (15-25 sentences) Talks about both internal and external parts of your culture. Ideas organized in a logical way; include transitions. Have no more than 3 grammatical/spelling errors.

Brainstorming Map/List Culture Ideas List: Religion Experiences Bat Mitzvah Holidays Personality Camping Girl scouts Boardgaming Religion Batmitzvah Race Holidays My Cultural Identity Gender Family Camping Personality Girl Scouts Game Night Boardgaming

Outline Beginning- Define culture Middle- Religion Hebrew school Prayer Learning Batmitzvah Experiences Friends Conventions Changes of beliefs Personality Camping Girl scouts Venture Crew Boardgaming Game night Outline Beginning- Define culture Introduction of important parts of my culture End- Family brings it all together Conclude with opinion

Rough Draft Model When most people think of culture, they think of only their race, gender, and ethnic background. While those things are definitely important, there are so many other elements that shape people into who they are culturally. For me, those things are my religion, my personality, and my family. My religion has played a major part of shaping my culture and who I am today. I have been raised as Jewish, which is already different from most people in the world. Luckily, I have had limited bad experiences despite this. I grew up going to Hebrew school in addition to public school and I went to temple on Saturdays to pray with my family. This helped me learn a lot about my religion and beliefs. When I was thirteen, I had a bat mitzvah, which showed that I was an adult in the Jewish community. I got even more devout as I got older by trying to eat Kosher (Jewish diet), which I managed to do for four years. In college, I even went to multiple Jewish conventions to spend time with others that shared my beliefs. Even though I am not as religious now, I would not have the same beliefs and morals that I have today without my Jewish heritage.

Rough Draft Model Continued There are a few parts of my personality that are not only extremely important to my culture, but are also unexpected. As a girl most people expect me to like to go shopping and love make up, but that is not the case. I love to go camping in the woods and I love to play board games. When I was little, my mom signed me up for a Girl Scout troop to help me be more social. We did do girly things like sewing, tea drinking, and ice skating; however, we also went camping, which is what I loved the most. This love for camping led me into joining the Venture Crew (co-ed boy scouts) when I got into high school. Being a part of those groups not only helped me gain new friends, but also taught me to be a more brave and adventurous person. The reason I love to play board games is all because of my dad. My dad always loved to spend his time with me playing the usual child board games as I grew up. I did not really appreciate playing the games until I got into middle school and he had introduced me to the more unique, intricate, and complex board games. This love of board gaming helped me make friends, become a more logical thinker, and even started my love for teaching others, which turned out to be crucial to my future career choice.

Rough Draft Model Continued While my religion and my personality quirks are important to my culture, I would not have any of it if it was not for my family. My family made me who I am today; they not only taught me the ways of the Jewish people, but also general morals and beliefs to help guide me through life. The family holidays and gatherings taught me to appreciate certain foods and topics of conversation. My mom supported and helped me to try those new things like girl scouts, and to not be afraid of trying something new. My dad taught me the love of board games, not be afraid to be judged by others, and the importance of just having fun. Even my brother had an impact on my culture. He led me even deeper into nerd culture by sharing his love for video games with me. So, above anything, I have to thank my family for giving me my culture and helping me appreciate it.