Free 12th Grade Personal Identity Between Rationalism And Alienation Lesson Plan

Topic: Personal identity between rationalism and alienation

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to describe the elements of personal identity according to the rational tendency led by Ronnie Descartes, and the experimental tendency led by John Locke.
• Students will be able to analyze and compare the two tendencies, and evaluate which one provides a better definition of personal identity.

Materials

• Texts from Ronnie Descartes (e.g. "Meditations on First Philosophy") and John Locke (e.g. " An Essay Concerning Human Understanding")
• Notebooks for taking notes

Warm-up

• Review the concept of personal identity, and ask students to give their own definition of personal identity. Then, have a brief class discussion about the importance of personal identity and its elements in our everyday lives.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the two opposing views on personal identity - rationalism and alienation - and explain the key concepts and arguments of each view.
• Using examples and illustrations, explain how each view accounts for the three elements of personal identity - consciousness, individuality, and continuity.
• Ask students to analyze and evaluate the key arguments and counterarguments of each view, and to make their own judgment about which view better accounts for personal identity.

Guided Practice

• Divide the class into small groups and assign each group one of the views.
• Have each group discuss their assigned view and prepare a five-minute presentation to share with the rest of the class.
• During the presentations, have students raise questions and engage in a discussion with the rest of the class about the key arguments and counterarguments of the view.

Independent Practice

• Have students choose one of the views and write a five-page essay analyzing the key arguments and counterarguments of the view. Encourage students to use specific examples from the class discussion and the presentations to support their analysis.

Closure

• Ask students to share their essays with the class and discuss the key arguments and counterarguments of the view with their peers.
• Ask students to reflect on what they have learned about personal identity and how their views have changed over the course of the class.

Assessment

• Collect and grade all the essays written for the independent practice, giving students feedback on what they could have done to improve their essays.
• Use the class discussion and participation in the group work as a form of assessment.