In this lesson, students will recognize how their own identity has been defined by others and begin to examine the effects of labels. As a class, read The Bear That Wasn’t by Frank Tashlin
(1962).²⁵ I recommend having the teacher read aloud while students follow along and annotate based on the discussion questions below:
- What words does the bear use to describe himself?
- What words did others use to describe him?
- How does the identity of the bear shift over time?
- What point do you think Frank Tashlin, the author, is trying to make in this story?
- What do you think has more bearing on identity—the labels we give ourselves or the labels others give us?”
After giving students time to reflect in writing on the discussion questions, pair share 1-2 of the questions, and share out to the whole class, you may also choose to engage in a brief (paragraph long) connection reading, an excerpt reading from Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston (2013),²⁶ and have students make connections from one text to the other by asking students to compare Jeanne’s experience to that of the bear. You might ask, “What does Jeanne’s experience in this excerpt have in common with the Bear?”
To follow up further, consider having students take time to reflect and journal (either in class or at home) about their answers to the following questions as well-- they may choose to answer one or more, I would not require them to answer all:
- Identify a time when you have been labeled by others. How did it feel? How did you respond?
- Identify a time when you labeled someone else. Why did you do it?
- Why do you think we are quick to place labels on each other?
