Upper Middles Guided Inquiry on Identity

Australians: looking at ourselves and facing the past 

The Year 4/ 5 students have been introduced to the concept of identity; how it is shaped, and what might positively or negatively impact a group or an individual's identity. 

As we continue our inquiry, students will investigate our history from First Contact 1788 and the dramatic impact this has had on the identity and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians.  We will examine how people who don’t know their stories and history may be unsure of their identity. 

In class students have created an identity spider chart. This is a visual way for students to show how they define themselves, and the labels that others use to describe them. They were then required to analyse their charts and select which things they chose for themselves, and which things were chosen for them. This has led to rich classroom discussions about what parts of our identity are determined by us, others, by society, or by chance. 

We will continue to explore the need for people to have the power to define their own identity and to know their history as being fundamental to their existence.