Lesson 2 — The Considered Position, Carried Forward

Summary

Learners take the considered position from Lesson 1 and shape it into a story that continues — a past, a present, and a next chapter for Grade 11. They practice revising it, discovering that a considered position is a living document they hold loosely, not a fixed verdict. The lesson deepens D01.S2.10.02 and gestures toward the purpose work of Grade 11.

Objectives

• Shape a considered position on what defines me into a revisable story of who I am becoming, with reasons for the next chapter. (D01.S2.10.02)

Connection

A position written in pencil can be revised; a position carved in stone cannot. Think of a map you drew of your neighborhood years ago — it was true then, but the neighborhood has grown, and so have you. Your considered position is the same kind of thing: not a wall you are trapped inside, but a map you keep redrawing as you walk. The question this lesson asks is not “who have I permanently become?” but “who am I becoming, and why do I believe that?”

Materials

• Story-path graphic (SVG)
• Writing journal or portfolio

Preparation

• Retrieval cue: from Lesson 1, the whole-person map; from earlier this year, the considered position (Unit 1, Lesson 9). Today we add the dimension of time — a story that continues.
• Prepare the three-part frame: past (what shaped me), now (my considered position), next (one chapter I want to write in Grade 11, and why).

Facilitator note

This lesson is written to the learner (“you”). The idea to land: a considered position is not a verdict but a story — a narrative identity that links the past, the present, and an imagined future, and that I hold loosely and revise. Narrative identity (McAdams, S-404) and “possible selves” (Markus & Nurius, S-399) are the descriptive research here; identity is a story we tell, and it keeps being rewritten. A sense of purpose grows by trying, reflecting, and being supported — not by certainty at once; only a minority of young people report a clear purpose, and that is ordinary, not a failure (Damon, S-400). This is the honest, non-pressuring bridge to Grade 11’s purpose work.

Hold the ethics lens: revising your position is an act of honesty toward yourself. The egalitarian lens: everyone’s next chapter looks different, and no one’s is more “correct” — purpose may be quiet or loud, near or far. The global lens: in many traditions the self is told as a story that belongs to a people and a place, not only to an individual — invite learners to tell it their way, solo or communal. The technology lens can appear briefly: profiles freeze a story in one post; a living position keeps moving. Distinguish evidence from values: “identity is a revisable story” is descriptive; “you are allowed to revise, and ‘I don’t know yet’ is a complete answer” is a value we protect.

Model the three-part frame once (worked example, S-011), then let learners draft. Keep it warm — this is the heart of the capstone.

Procedure

1. Recall (7 min). From Lesson 1, what was the closing line of your whole-person map? Now add time: every position has a past (what shaped it), a now (where it stands), and a next (where it is going). Say which of the three feels easiest to name, and which hardest.
2. See the path (8 min). Look at the story-path graphic: past on the left, now in the middle, a dashed “next” on the right, and a sun rising beyond it. The dashed circle means the next chapter is open — you are allowed to step toward it without knowing every word.
3. Draft your story (20 min). Write three short paragraphs. Past: one thing — a person, a place, an experience — that shaped who you are. Now: your considered position, one or two sentences, in your own words. Next: one chapter you want to write in Grade 11, and one reason you believe it (your evidence).
4. Revise it (8 min). Read your story aloud once, quietly or to a partner. Find the line that felt least true, and change it. Notice that revising did not break the story — it made it more yours.
5. Close (7 min). Under your story write: “This position is mine and mine to revise.” Add it to your closing portfolio.

Differentiation

• Support: Provide three sentence starters — “I was shaped by…”, “I now stand for…”, “Next I want to…” — and ask for one line each.
• Access (blind / low vision): Describe the story-path aloud — past on the left, now in the middle, a dashed next on the right with a rising sun — and offer a tactile path made of three stones placed left, middle, and right that the learner can walk.
• Alternative expression (non-writing, non-oral): Tell the past–now–next story by placing three found objects in a row and pointing to each, or by drawing three scenes; a partner may scribe only if the learner chooses.
• Extension: Add a counter-consideration — one way the next chapter might surprise you, and how you would respond if it did.

Assessment

• Formative (self + peer): Can the learner link past, present, and a reasoned next chapter, and revise the story when a line does not feel true?
• Portfolio artifact (unit): The three-part story with the closing line, kept in the portfolio.

Home connection

Tell one adult your “next chapter” for Grade 11 and the reason you believe it. Ask them what they were becoming at your age — and whether their story, too, kept revising.

Resources

• On narrative identity as a revisable life story: McAdams (2001), Review of General Psychology 5(2), 100–122 (S-404).
• On “possible selves” as the bridge from present to future motivation: Markus & Nurius (1986) (S-399).
• On purpose as something that grows by trying and reflecting, not certainty: Damon (2008), The Path to Purpose (S-400).
• On worked examples and guided practice: Kirschner, Sweller & Clark (2006) (S-011).