Lesson video

Hello, it's good to see you today.

Welcome to your lesson on exploring the link between place and identity.

I'm Ms. Sutherland and I'll be teaching you today.

Our learning outcome for today is to use an essay about place and identity to formulate my own effective discussions on the topic.

Here are our four important keywords for today's lesson.

We have heritage.

Heritage means the history, traditions, and practises of a particular country or society.

So your heritage might be, so things that reflect your heritage could be the food you eat, the festivals you celebrate, or even the language you speak.

Unique, unique means being the only existing one of its type.

We could say that every human being is unique.

Architecture, architecture is the designed structure of a building.

Famous pieces of architecture in London include Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.

And Preserve, preserve means to maintain something in its existing state.

So if we preserve a statue, we are keeping it as it was originally created and in its original form.

Pause the video and reflect upon those four keywords to make sure you're confident with their meanings.

Great.

Here are our two learning cycles today.

We're first going to be discussing how place shapes our identity.

Next, we're going to be reading an essay about place and identity.

So let's begin with discussing and formulating our own ideas about the link between place and identity.

Before we begin discussing anything, we need to think about what makes an effective and productive discussion? So pause the video and discuss, what do you think makes an effective and productive discussion? Aisha says, "In an effective and productive discussion, it's important to take turns.

This means we shouldn't interrupt the other speaker." Alex says, "Developing your points or arguments by using evidence or examples makes an effective and productive discussion." And Sophia's idea was that we need to respond to the other speaker.

We need to listen to what they're saying, as well as thinking about our own points.

Well done if you touched upon any of those ideas when you discussed what makes effective and productive discussion.

Those are all really important points.

Sometimes, though, it can be difficult to know how exactly to respond to another speaker in a polite, productive way, and we may not know how to develop the points that they have made.

We may just want to launch in with whatever we think, but that's not going to make for the most engaging, effective, and productive discussion.

So we need to be thinking about how we can respond to the other speaker.

Using an ABC method can help you to respond to the other speaker effectively.

Let's look at the ABC method.

A stands for agree.

B stands for build, and C stands for challenge.

Those are three things we can do when we respond to the other speaker.

And these phrases can help you agree, build or challenge.

So if you want to agree with the other speaker, you can say, "I agree because," or, "I share the same viewpoint because.

." If you want to build on the other speaker's comment, you could say, "Expanding on this, I would add that." Or, "Another aspect to consider would be.

." Building is essentially adding on to the other person's idea, but still showing that you've listened to them.

And challenge.

If you want to challenge the other person's idea, that means you don't necessarily agree with them, but you need to phrase your own idea in a polite way.

So you might say, "I see it differently because," or, "It's worth questioning whether.

." I hope that the agree, build, challenge method and those sentence starters are going to help you with discussing in an effective and productive way.

So let's go back to our topic of the lesson.

We're discussing the link between place and identity.

Izzy has said, "I think home determines our identity.

For example, growing up in the countryside made me someone who appreciates nature." Below Izzy's comment, you have three responses.

I want you to label those responses.

Do they agree, build or challenge? Your first is, "Expanding on this, the place we grow up can determine our food tolerances and language ability." The second response is, "I share the same viewpoint because if I grew up in England, I would be a different person." And the third, "It is worth questioning whether our personality is inherent and not hugely affected by our environment." So which comment agrees, which comment builds and which comment challenges? Pause the video and label each response now.

Let's go through what you may have said.

So the first response builds upon Izzy's answer.

We can see that through the sentence starter expanding on this.

So Izzy talks about how the countryside made her love nature.

This person says, "I'd like to add that the place we can we grow up also affects how we like food and how we can speak different languages." The second response agrees.

We can see that because it starts with, "I share the same viewpoint." This person's agreeing that the place we grow up affects who we are.

And finally, the last response challenges.

And we can see that through the sentence starter, "It is worth questioning." So this person's questioning Izzy and saying, "Perhaps we need to consider that our personality sometimes is in our DNA and sometimes is not affected by where we live as much as we think." Well done on matching those responses to agree, build and challenge.

Now, let's begin our discussions.

Discuss the following questions to explore the relationship between place and identity.

The first discussion question is, what type of thing distinguishes one city from another? Pause the video and discuss.

You may have said that architecture can sometimes distinguish one city from another.

You may have said that maybe the food scene could distinguish one city from another.

Maybe also the environment in terms of it either being rural or urban.

The next discussion question is, what makes the place you live special to you? Pause the video and discuss.

A lot of you talked about how the people make the place you live special to you and the familiarity of walking down certain routes and seeing certain things make the place you live special to you.

Next, how important is the place you live in shaping who you are? Pause the video and discuss.

Some of you may be feeling very connected to the place in which you live and you take a lot of, and you feel like you've been shaped quite heavily by the place you live.

Others may have not had that connection to a place and may not see the place they live in shaping who they are.

And lastly, do the people shape a place or does the place shape its people? Pause the video and discuss that question.

Now, that is such an interesting question that most people that I've asked can't actually answer it properly, can't actually come to a decision because it's so difficult to determine whether we are who we are because we live somewhere or the place we live is that place because we're in it.

It's really hard and I think it works both ways.

I think initially the people that first settled in an area have begun to shape that area, but I think as time's gone on and the place has got more of a stable character, potentially that place begins to shape its people and its future residents.

Now, I want you to create a mind-map about what makes your city unique.

I then want you to write a short paragraph about how it has contributed to who you are.

Pause the video and complete that task.

Off you go.

Thank you for sharing a little bit about what your city means to you and your identity.

Let's go through Sam's ideas.

So Sam has written about his city, Leeds.

What makes Leeds unique to Sam? The first thing is that it's rural.

The countryside is 10 minutes from the city centre.

The next, the tiny city centre makes Leeds feel homely for Sam.

Sam thinks Leeds is unique because of how multicultural it is, both in the city centre and in the rural parts of it.

Here's what Sam's written about how Leeds has shaped him.

Sam says, "I'm a nature lover and a friendly, confident person who enjoys meeting new people.

And I think some of that is to do with growing up in Leeds." Thank you so much, Sam, for sharing your story and for sharing how the place you live has shaped a little bit about who you are.

Now, notice how Sam wrote about environment and people as making Leeds unique.

What different categories did you identify as shaping your city? Pause the video and reflect upon your mind-map now.

So some of you, too, may have commented on the environment of your city, of the people in your city.

Maybe some of you have mentioned the food in your city, how maybe there's quite a vibrant selection or restaurants in your city.

Maybe how your city is the best at vegan food.

Some of you may also have mentioned that the architecture is making your city unique.

Maybe your city is unique to specific bird species.

Maybe specific animals are more common in your city than others.

Thank you for sharing what makes your city unique and how it's shaped you.

Now let's move on to reading an essay about place and identity.

I want you to read the essay, "How does a city shape the identity of an individual?" You will find a copy of the essay in the Additional Materials.

Here is a useful method to help with your comprehension of this essay.

Circle any words relating to identity, home, place and belonging.

Underline important phrases, and put a star next to any sentences that you need clarifying.

So any sentences you don't quite understand, put a star next to.

Pause the video and read the essay.

I hope it sparks a new idea in you.

I hope it sparks some new and exciting ideas for you.

Well done on reading quite a complex article there, and well done for trying your best to understand it.

I now want you to complete the sentences to show your understanding of the article.

So you need to fill in the blanks in each of those sentences.

The first sentence, shared war and peace narratives, architecture, iconic landscapes and structures can shape our to a place.

Number two, although people's relationship to place is pragmatic in many respects, it can also take the form of a something connection.

And thirdly, the something works contributes to the unique identity we attach to our cities.

Pause the video and complete those three sentences by filling in the blanks.

Off you go.

Let's go through the answers now.

Shared war and peace narratives, architecture, iconic landscapes and structures can shape our ties to a place.

So what that means is that the stories we have about war and peace in our city, the buildings in our city, the iconic landscapes and landmarks of our city, all of those things can help us feel connected to that place.

Number two, although people's relationship to a place is pragmatic in many respects, it can also take the form of an emotional connection.

So what that sentence is saying is that many people live in a place due to practical reasons or potentially feel connected to the place for a practical reason.

Maybe it's close to their work.

But for a lot of people, they have an emotional connection to the place they live.

So they don't just live there for practical reasons, but they also live there for emotional reasons, potentially because they have family and friends that live there too, or potentially just because that place evokes certain feelings in them, potentially because they have a lot of special memories in that place too.

And finally, the architectural works contributes to the unique identity we attach to cities.

So that's basically saying the structure and design of the buildings in certain cities give them unique identities.

So let's go back to the example of London.

We could say that London is unique due to it having Big Ben, everyone sees Big Ben and immediately knows that building is in London.

Let's check your understanding of what we discussed.

What does Kvirikashvili in her essay suggest is happening as time goes on? Does she suggest that cities are becoming more unique, that cities are becoming more socially connected, or that cities are losing their individuality? Pause the video and answer that question.

More than a few have said, "In her essay, Kvirikashvili suggests that cities are losing their identity as time goes on." And she mentions that this could be because of how cities are becoming more and more modern.

They're becoming more and more alike and they're losing the parts of themselves that made them stand out from each other.

Now, the article you read raises some interesting ideas about the relationship between identity and place.

I want you now to discuss whether you agree or disagree with the following statements.

Number one, architecture defines a city.

Number two, my city wouldn't be the same without the social connections that I have.

Number three, the city in which you live is a core part of who you are.

And finally, it is important to preserve the heritage of my city.

Remember, to preserve means to keep something in its original form, and heritage refers to the background or history of a person or a place.

So pause the video and get discussing.

Do you agree or disagree with those statements there? Well done on being so polite in your discussions on listening to the other person really carefully, and of course, for using the agree, build, challenge to make for effective and productive discussions.

Let's now look at Aisha and Izzy's discussion.

Aisha says, "My city is more than just a place on a map.

It is a core part of who I am as my family and friends live here." And Izzy replies, "I agree because whilst my mom and dad may have moved to Manchester for a practical reason, I believe we still live here 15 years later because of social reasons." Izzy is given a what went well and even better if for her discussion.

Izzy made sure to sign post that she agreed with Aisha's idea, and that really helped to develop the discussion.

But Izzy could expand on her ideas and give examples.

For example, what are the practical and social reasons that make her feel connected to Manchester? Now, think about your own discussions.

Can you give yourself a what went well and even better if for how you approached the discussion task today? Pause the video and reflect.

Great job, I hope you are really proud of the way in which you have developed your discussions today.

Here's what we've learned in today's lesson.

Effective discussions will take turns, develop ideas, use evidence, and respond to the other speaker.

You can agree, build or challenge to develop better communication between you and peers.

Many different things can help to define a city, such as architecture, social factors and heritage.

And finally, cities often help to shape our identity.

Thank you so much for joining me in today's lesson.

I really hope I'll see you in another lesson soon.