What does identity mean?
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what identity means and why people have different identities.
Key learning points
- Identity is made up of who a person is, or the qualities of a person or group that make them different from others.
- We all have characteristics which help to identify us.
- We get our personal identities from both nature and nurture.
- People can have multiple identities because they can belong to different groups at the same time.
Keywords
Identity - who a person is, or the qualities of a person or group that make them different from others
Characteristic - a feature or quality belonging typically to a person in order to identify them
Nature - the things you are born with, your biological background, traits and abilities which come from your genes
Nurture - the environment and experiences that shape you after you are born
Common misconception
Some people believe that you can only have one identity.
People can have multiple identities because they can belong to different groups at the same time.
Teacher tip
Make this lesson more relatable by exploring what makes up pupils' own identities or those of famous celebrities more relevant to your pupils.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.A community involves more than person.
Q2.If a person is an active citizen they want to see happen.
Q3.Who do we inherit our eye colour from?
Q4.Match the word to the definition.
a group of people sharing a place or common interests
feeling accepted and part of a group or place
being one of a kind, with special qualities different from others
Q5.What can we expect to learn about in citizenship?
Q6.What can we not change?
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Which question summarises identity?
Q2.Which of the following is true about identity?
Q3.Which of the two ways in which we form our identity change over time? Choose between nature and nurture.
Q4.Match the word to the correct definition.
who a person is, or the qualities of a person that make them unique
a feature or quality belonging to a person that identifies them
your biological background
the way we are brought up
Q5.What is it called when we have more than one identity?
To help you plan your 7 citizenship lesson on: What does identity mean?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 citizenship lesson on: What does identity mean?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 citizenship lessons from the What are our identities and our communities? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.