Unit 1 — Identities

Learning objectives Link to heading

• I can read a short identity-text and identify the writer’s main claim.
• I can use both / either / neither to talk about belonging.
• I can write a 120-word self-portrait that goes beyond surface labels.

Bildungsplan alignment Link to heading

• 3.2.1 Soziokulturelles Orientierungswissen / Themen
• 3.2.2 Interkulturelle kommunikative Kompetenz
• 3.2.3.2 Leseverstehen
• 3.2.3.5 Schreiben
• 3.2.4 Text- und Medienkompetenz

(Source: https://www.bildungsplaene-bw.de/,Lde/LS/BP2016BW/ALLG/SEK1/E1)

Lead-in story Link to heading

Hawa’s class made a wall called Who Am I, Today? Each student pinned three small cards to the wall: a country, a language, a thing they like. Hawa pinned Nigeria, Yoruba, my grandmother’s stew. Jonas pinned Germany, Polish, my brother’s old skateboard. The wall, by Friday, looked like an unusually honest atlas.

1. Activate Link to heading

Three cards. On three sticky notes, write: a place you feel from, a language you grew up hearing, a thing you do that says something about who you are. Stick them up. No labels — just things.

2. Input Link to heading

Reading — Hawa’s wall Link to heading

The wall changed every week. People added new cards, moved old ones, sometimes took one down and never explained why. Mr. Ade said the wall was “a working draft of the class”. I think identity is also a working draft. We are who we are right now, plus the things we are still trying out, plus the things we haven’t told anyone yet.

Vocabulary — identity Link to heading

roots, heritage, language, belonging, hometown, background, identity, multilingual, bilingual, first language, mother tongue, second language, tradition, custom, community.

Grammar — both / either / neither Link to heading

• Both + plural: Both languages are part of who I am.
• Either + singular (in negatives/questions): I don’t speak either language perfectly.
• Neither + singular: Neither parent grew up here.
• Both … and …: I speak both Polish and German at home.
• Neither … nor …: Neither my mum nor my dad celebrates that holiday.

3. Practise Link to heading

Niveau E — controlled Link to heading

1. Choose: both / either / neither — Hawa speaks __________ Yoruba and English. I don’t speak __________ language perfectly. __________ of my parents was born here.
2. Build: (both / Polish / German) → ___ ; (neither / mum / dad / celebrates) → ___ .

Niveau E — productive Link to heading

3. Build 4 sentences about your own languages, places, or traditions using both / either / neither / both … and …

4. Produce Link to heading

Self-portrait, 120 words. Three paragraphs: Where I come from (1–2 sentences), Languages and people in my life (4–5 sentences), What I am still figuring out (2–3 sentences). Use at least two of: both / either / neither / both … and …

Sample Link to heading

I come from Stuttgart, but my parents come from Krakow. I grew up hearing Polish at home and German at school. I speak both languages, although neither of them perfectly. My grandmother sends me long voice messages in a mix of both, and I love it. What I am still figuring out is whether I want to study in Germany or in Poland. Either way, I think I will end up with a strange accent.

5. Reflect Link to heading

• I can read an identity text and find the main claim.
• I can use both / either / neither / both … and ….
• I can write a 120-word self-portrait beyond labels.

One thing in your notebook: Write one sentence using something you learned in this Unit.

Exam example Link to heading

Task 1 — Listening (10 BE) Link to heading

Listen twice.

“Both my parents grew up in different countries. Neither of them speaks the other’s first language well. They communicate in English. I grew up with three languages, but only one of them — German — is the one I dream in.”

1. Parents: ___ . 2. Common language: ___ . 3. Speaker’s languages: ___ . 4. Dream language: ___ .

Task 2 — Reading (12 BE) Link to heading

Read.

“My identity is not a single label. It is a list that changes every year. When I was eleven, I was mainly the football kid. Now I am the kid who reads instead. I haven’t told my old team yet.”

1. Single label? ___ . 2. List changes: ___ . 3. At 11, the writer was: ___ . 4. Now: ___ .

Task 3 — Use of English (10 BE) Link to heading

Fill in both / either / neither.

1. ___ my parents grew up here. (both)
2. ___ of them speaks Yoruba. (neither)
3. I don’t celebrate ___ holiday strictly. (either)
4. We speak ___ Polish ___ German at home. (both / and)

Task 4 — Writing (13 BE) Link to heading

Write 120 words: a self-portrait beyond surface labels.

Downloads Link to heading

Common pitfalls Link to heading

• Both of my parents are not → ✗ / Neither of my parents is → ✓.
• Neither … or … → ✗ / Neither … nor … → ✓.
• Don’t reduce identity to a flag — push for one concrete object or moment.

Further reading / listening Link to heading

• BBC Bitesize — Identity topic at KS3 level.
• British Council Voices — short student-identity essays.

Downloads

Presentation

Download .pptx

Worksheet

Download .pdf