Intersecting Identities: Global Stories on Marriage and Family

Students gather to hear the teacher present Activity 1, Project Launch, which explains how social identities like race, class, gender, and age shape beliefs about marriage and family across cultures.

Students learn the week-long timeline and collaboration structure, including how they will exchange perspectives with international peers using the Class2Class platform and Project Board.

Teacher clarifies expectations for respectful intercultural dialogue and introduces the platform features, including how to post work on the Board, use group functionality for teamwork, and access the group chat for direct communication with all students.

Students participate in Activity 2, Cultural Identity Speed Introductions, by recording or writing a 30-45 second introduction that includes their name, one key aspect of their cultural identity, and one family tradition they value.

Each student posts their introduction on the Project Board, creating a collaborative digital record that both classes can view and explore.

Students watch introductions from their international partner class and note similarities and differences in the family traditions and cultural identities shared.

Teacher facilitates a brief discussion where students reflect on the diversity they observed in the introductions and express curiosity about their peers' backgrounds.

Classes collaboratively create a digital mural or shared document on the Project Board that combines all introductions from both classes, establishing initial personal connections and cultural awareness.

Students brainstorm locally what they want to understand about how social identities shape family and marriage expectations, sharing ideas in a whole-class discussion or on a shared document.

Teacher facilitates Activity 3, Defining the Driving Question Together, by guiding students to review their brainstormed ideas and refine them into clear, compelling questions.

Students collaborate with international partners via the Class2Class forum or collaborative document to share their locally-generated questions and learn what peers want to explore.

The whole class votes on the most compelling version of the driving question, ensuring student voice shapes the inquiry.

The final driving question is posted prominently on the Project Board, anchoring the entire exchange and reminding students of their shared purpose throughout the week.

Students complete Activity 4, Personal Identity Mapping and Reflection, by creating an individual identity map or concept map that identifies their own social identities including race/ethnicity, class, gender, and age.

For each identity, students write or visually diagram how that identity shapes their beliefs about marriage timing, family roles, and responsibilities.

Students reflect in writing on how two or more of their identities intersect to influence their expectations about marriage and family (for example, how gender and class, or race and age, work together).

Students use their identity map as the foundation for composing Activity 5, Initial Post, which is a 250-300 word response addressing how their social identities shape views on marriage and family, what expectations exist in their community, and providing at least one intersectional example.

Students post their initial response on the Project Board or discussion forum, making their story visible to international peers and practicing articulate, reflective writing that honors their lived experience.

Students read the initial posts shared by at least two peers from different backgrounds, institutions, or regions on the Project Board, taking notes on their observations.

For each peer post, students compose Activity 6, Peer Exchange responses (150-200 words each) that identify one similarity and one difference between their own experiences and their peer's experiences.

Students craft a thoughtful follow-up question for each peer that demonstrates genuine curiosity and invites deeper reflection on how their intersectional identities shape their family expectations.

Students reflect in their responses on what they learned about another perspective and practice culturally respectful language and tone throughout their writing.

Students post their responses asynchronously on the Project Board or forum, creating an ongoing dialogue that builds intercultural understanding and demonstrates emotional intelligence.

Teacher monitors the group chat and Project Board to ensure respectful engagement and provide guidance when needed, using Class2Class platform features to facilitate communication.

Working in international small groups or as a whole class, students collaborate on Activity 7, Comparative Synthesis, to create a comparative chart or digital mural that visually maps similarities and differences in how intersectional identities shape family expectations across the partner classes.

Students identify patterns in the data (for example, common themes about gender roles or the timing of marriage) and highlight unique perspectives that stood out from their international peers.

Students document key insights from the comparative analysis on the Project Board, creating visual evidence of intercultural learning that both classes can reference.

Students prepare Activity 8, Celebrating Diversity, by creating a brief presentation (video, slides, or written summary) that highlights what they learned about diverse family structures and intersectional identities from their international peers.

Classes organize a local or virtual celebration where students present key takeaways and express appreciation for the cultural exchange, with documentation (photos, videos, or written reflections) shared on the Project Board as a record of the learning community.

Students complete Activity 9, Reflective Synthesis, by writing a structured reflection (200-250 words) that addresses what they learned about how intersectional identities shape cultural family expectations.

Students reflect on whether any perspectives from their international peers challenged their assumptions or changed their thinking about marriage and family norms.

Students articulate how participating in this activity increased their cultural awareness and appreciation for diverse family structures and lived experiences.

Students consider and explain why it is important to understand diverse family structures in sociology and in their own lives, demonstrating metacognitive thinking about their intercultural learning.

Students submit their reflections via form or journal entry on the Project Board, creating a final artifact that demonstrates their emotional growth and intercultural competency development throughout the week-long exchange.