Lesson
That Golden Moment: Jesse Owens and Identity
How can Jesse Owens' identity inspire students to advance freedom in their own lives?
Founding Principles
Virtues
Guiding questions
Walk-In-The-Shoes Questions
As you read, imagine you are the protagonist.
- What challenges are you facing?
- What fears or concerns might you have?
- What may prevent you from acting in the way you ought?
Observation Questions
- Who was Jesse Owens?
- What did Jesse Owens accomplish during the 1936 Olympics?
- How did Jesse Owens’ experience in the 1936 Olympics help shape his identity?
Discussion Questions
Discuss the following questions with your students.
- What is the historical context of the narrative?
- What historical circumstances presented a challenge to the protagonist?
- How and why did the individual exhibit a moral and/or civic virtue in facing and overcoming the challenge?
- How did the exercise of the virtue benefit civil society?
- How might exercise of the virtue benefit the protagonist?
- What might the exercise of the virtue cost the protagonist?
- Would you react the same under similar circumstances? Why or why not?
- How can you act similarly in your own life? What obstacles must you overcome in order to do so?
Learning objectives
- Students will analyze Jesse Owens’ life and actions, and how his identity shaped them.
- Students will understand how they can develop their own identity.
- Students will apply this knowledge to focus and refine their personal identity.
