Understanding Identity Through Empathy: A Journey in Grade 5 Language Arts
Understanding Identity Through Empathy: A Journey in Grade 5 Language Arts
The Grade 5 Language Arts unit, Understanding Identity Through Empathy, has taken students on an incredible journey of self-discovery and connection. Through stories, they have explored profound themes of identity, perspective, and the importance of understanding their communities.
 
At ASH, we acknowledge Middle School as being a crucial time for self-development, where students begin to form their sense of self and their role in society. Focused on embracing respect, community, and empathy as a school, this unit is a beautiful example of an integrated curriculum with our values.
 
Growing as Readers and Thinkers
 
At the heart of the unit is Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson, a novel that follows six children as they navigate complex topics such as immigration, bullying, and racism. Through their shared stories, they build trust and create a safe space—a model that our students continuously learn to replicate across all grade levels throughout their time at ASH. Essential questions such as How does understanding identity shape the way we interact with the world? guided the unit encouraging students to look beyond their own perspectives and consider how identity is formed and how it evolves over time.
 
A powerful framework in the unit was the concept of books as windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors, an idea developed by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop. Students reflected on whether their book was a mirror (a reflection of their own experiences), a window (a glimpse into someone else’s life), or a sliding glass door (an opportunity to step into a different perspective and learn from it). By engaging with this framework, students recognized the power of stories to build connections across cultures and experiences. They explored how identity is shaped by personal experiences, societal influences, and relationships, which led them to thoughtful discussions about growth, change, and acceptance.
 
Literature as a Lens for Understanding Identity
 
A key component of the unit is the Book Clubs, where teachers carefully selected books that were both at the right reading level for each student and relevant to their growth as readers and individuals. These books, including American as Paneer Pie by Supriya Kelkar, Melissa by Alex Gino, and Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper, explore themes of identity, resilience, and self-acceptance. Through reading and discussion, students engaged with characters who faced challenges in relationships with their surroundings, social injustice, and identity.
 
The Book Clubs provided an opportunity to develop meaningful discussions through assigned roles: discussion leader, text investigator, and character analyst; empowering students to deepen their understanding of characters and their decisions, conflicts, and ethical questions within their stories. At every meeting, reflecting on the book and connecting the story to their own lives cultivated their sense of empathy further, and expanded their perspective on others’ possible experiences of life.
 
To celebrate the end of the unit, they invited 9th grade High School students to present their five-paragraph essays about the unit. It was here that students could show that they had not only grown as readers but also as aware and active participants in making their communities – within and outside school – a better and more inclusive place for everyone.