8G English Explores Popular Culture and How it Shapes Identity- Mrs. Samara Wasserman

Over the past few weeks, the 8th grade girls have been exploring how popular culture impacts the way children shape their identities.  As they read The House on Mango Street, a story of a girl who begins to understand her identity in relation to the community and culture around her, the girls spent a great deal of time thinking about what their identities mean and how they mold and continue to mold their sense of self.  As an extension of this, we began exploring how the environment around us also effects us tremendously.  The girls read articles, analyzed commercials, and critiqued popular movies and television shows to gain a greater understanding of how these media contribute to the formation of our identity, as well .  Their exploration and findings culminated this week in a presentation to the 6th grade girls about how popular culture can limit choices and opportunities for children as their sense of identity is forming.