Who am I Investigation 1

WHO AM I? CURRICULUM WEB Introduction Investigation 1 Investigation 2 Investigation 3 Culminating Activity Teaching Guide


		Investigation 1 THis page is being reconstructed; we appreciate your patience! How do teenagers define themselves today? In this investigation, you will work with a partner or small group to explore some of the ways that teenagers define themselves today. Topics include: My Age/My Generation Values and Teenage Consumerism Just for Boys/Girls Only Family/Teen Issues Sports/Hobbies/Recreation Web Pages by Teens for Teens Your teacher will supply you with paper copies of the Journal Sheets necessary for this Investigation, or you will use the online version. Teenagers define themselves in terms of age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, recreational activities, clothing, neighborhood/city/country, and personal choices. For each of these topics, a set of web sites has been identified for you. Visit these web sites and fill in the journal sheet. Be sure to give the URL (web address) for any quotes or examples that you indicate on the journal sheet. Some things to keep in mind: Sometimes, teenagers define themselves AGAINST something, and other times they define themselves FOR something. For example, some teenagers think that "soft rock" is the kind of music that only adults listen to, and so they define themselves as "hating soft rock." Other teenagers define themselves as FOR rap or house music. You can be both AGAINST something and FOR something at the same time. Some web sites are commercial, that is, they are designed to make a profit. Think about whether the sites you are looking at are trying to manipulate their visitors into buying certain things. One way to tell if a web site is commercial is if the domain name (the part after the "http://" and before the first single slash "/") ends in ".com". So-called "dot-coms" are commerical sites, generallty. Some web sites are created by kids. These sites may be good ways to begin to understand how teenagers define themselves. Okay, now, begin by exploring the following topics. MY AGE/MY GENERATION Use Journal Sheet 1 to investigate your "generation." Everyone is part of what is called a "generation." Stated simply, a generation is a particular group of people around the same age (usually within a 10-year span). Your generation differs greately from your parent's generation, the generation of your teachers, and the generation of those to come. Do you define your generation or does it define you? To find out more about this subject, check out the web sites under this topic. Visit the website called America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2005. Read the statistics on teenagers today. Write a one-page essay answering these questions: Does this sound like you? Why or why not? Make sure that you support your answers with details. What information was not included in this profile that you would like to have seen? Visit Generation Type (in The Silent Generation website). What generation are you? What "type" is your generation. Fill out the "Generation" section of the journal sheet. VALUES AND TEENAGE CONSUMERISM Teenagers make up a large part of the consumer market. Your money counts! These sites will help you understand the value of your dollar and give you some suggestions on how to make it stretch. Click on The Young Investor Work your way through the web site. Does money define "Who you are?" If so, how? My Future.com Read through the section on Living On Your Own. JUST FOR GIRLS/BOYS ONLY Use Journal Sheet 3 to investigate how gender affects how teenagers see themselves. What is gender? Go to _____________ and find out. Sometimes people define themselves by their gender. Even if you're male, you will want to understand how female teenagers see themselves. And even if you're female, you'll want to understand how male teenagers see themselves. This web site is especially created for young women and deals with real life issues and solutions. Girl Power This web site is especially created for young men. find a website FAMILY/TEEN ISSUES Use Journal Sheet 4 to investigate issues having to do with your family. Does your relationship with your family have an impact on how you define yourself? Are there times when you feel as if you and your parents speak a different language? These sites address such "communication breakdowns." P.S. You can view thse with your family, too! About Teens Now SPORTS/HOBBIES/RECREATION Use Journal Sheet 5 to explore how teens like to spend their time. Teens and Sports; click on "Sports" link. Yahoo Hobbies About.com Hobbies Kids' Collecting WEB PAGES BY TEENS FOR TEENS Use Journal Sheet 6 to investigate several web pages that are created by teens for teens. Can't exactly find what you want? Confused about "Who You Are?" Look to these web sites that were created by teenagers just like you. Click on The Teen Page. You are free to browse this web site. Trace your search by keeping track of the links you visited. Write down those links here: What new information did you find on this site? How does this new information help you answer the question "Who am I?" How important is a driver's license to you? Why? Click on Teen New Drivers. Browse this web site. What is the most useful advice given to new drivers? Why http://www.socialindicators.org/index.html\ Next you will use what you've learned about how teenagers define themselves to work on your own self-definition, in Investigation 2.