Looking at life through different perspectives and cultures. Varying Perspectives Looking at life through different perspectives and cultures.

Varying Perspectives Our perception is often filtered through various perspectives. Our attitudes, experiences, values, and prejudices are established and founded on our own life. We construct our understandings on our own experiences, but we also can broaden our perspective, change our attitude, or rid ourselves of prejudices by seeing through the perspective of others. By exposing ourselves to different cultures, values, and ideas we are not undercutting our own values or our own cultures, but instead we are developing a broader understanding of the world. We are better able to communicate and relate to others and also have a more enlightened, objective view on other cultures and ways.

Varying Perspectives Being exposed to different, conflicting ideas, views, or experiences-positive or negative experiences-does not mean you will believe or follow those ideas and views or replicate the experiences, but rather you will better understand them and this new knowledge will reinforce your own beliefs and values and gain perspective on experiences if or when you do encounter them. In this unit we will read books about other cultures, other races, other beliefs, and these books contain experiences with language, people, sex, violence, and other life events that are scary or uncomfortable. However, just because something is different, or uncomfortable doesn’t mean we should avoid it-because it is real and understanding is not something will be easy.

Essential Questions What defines me? What role does our family, culture, and community play in shaping us? How can reading another’s story open our eyes to diversity and prejudice, and also brouden our perspectives. How can a writer use creative writing techniques to express point of view and voice?

Define Perception Perspective

Activity 1.2

Activity 1.3: Perception is Everything

Activity 1.4: Photo Analysis