Lesson 2: Humans of Your Class
30-40 minutes
Introduce the lesson
Begin by telling students, “Today we are going to continue with our Humans of ___ project! I am excited to see what you all have to share, so let’s get to it!”
Creating self-portraits (15 minutes)
Depending on the picture option you chose, you may need to give students time at the beginning of class to draw or take photos. If students were asked to bring a picture of themselves to class, skip this step and begin the narrative writing activity. For students who were expected to bring in a picture but forgot, decide if they should be given time to create a quick sketch or present what they have.
Once students complete their portrait, instruct them to begin writing their caption. Encourage students to use the text portion of the portrait to include information about them that captures who they are, shares something they want others to know, or is something they identify with and care about. Frame this activity as an opportunity for students to share about themselves while listening to and learning about their peers.
If students are stuck on their caption, prompt them with the following:
What makes you, you?
What do you want people to understand about you?
What do you care about?
MCC Tip: Remind students that if they are feeling stuck, they can look to the Humans of New York examples from Lesson 2 for inspiration. You might also consider displaying a few exemplary Humans of New York portraits in the classroom for students’ reference and inspiration.
Student presentations (10-20 minutes)
Once students have finished writing their narrative captions, it is time to present. There are a few ways you could do this (e.g., through a gallery walk or small groups), but to build a sense of community, have students present to the whole class, if possible.
MCC Tip: You may want to set class presentation norms. What does presenting look like? What does listening and asking questions look like? If any students struggle to adhere to these norms, be sure to address the behavior in the moment, so students know that this is a safe and sacred time to share.
Whole-group discussion (5 minutes)
Ask students what they learned from listening to their peers. Questions include the following:
In general – not speaking about one person specifically – what struck you during this activity?
What did you learn about your classmates from this exercise?
What can we learn from listening to other people’s stories?
How do you think this activity relates to empathy?
Is there anyone in your life or in our school community that you wish you could do this activity with?
Preview the next lesson (1 minute)
Tell students that their next project will be to create a Humans of New York-style portrait of someone in the school community.
The subject of their portrait should be someone they don’t know well, or interact with much, like a student from a different class or grade, a custodian, security guard, or a faculty member.
Students will plan their interview questions during the next lesson, so they should think about who they would like to interview and what they would like to know about them.
Wrap up by telling students when you think the next lesson might occur.
MCC Tip: Consider posting student portraits around the classroom, on a designated board, or in a digital space. That way, peers can spend more time observing and thinking about others. Be sure to get each student’s consent to share, and keep their portraits to respect student privacy. Also make sure to prepare in advance for Lesson 4! Notify other adults in the school – especially teachers – that this project is happening so they will be prepared if students approach them or their students for interviews. If others are doing the same strategy, work together to keep track of interviews.
Content developed by Making Caring Common, a project of the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
