As students arrive, have them join a large circle. (If your class is meeting online, simply have students take turns sharing by unmuting their audio.) Ask volunteers to stand and give their first name and last name and remain standing as students guess what their middle name might be. Be sure to take volunteers only as some may not care for their middle name or might not take it well if someone suggests something silly. Caution students to be kind and use only legitimate, appropriate suggestions. The volunteer may then reveal their true middle name. After several volunteers have taken a turn, ask: By a show of hands: who knows my first name? What about my last name or middle name? Call on students who raised their hands to answer the following questions:
- How did you know what my name is? (Probable answer: You have told us before.)
- Other than hearing me say my name, what other ways might someone figure it out? (Possible answers: You could hear someone else talking to me, you could ask my friends, or you could look at identification like a driver’s license or birth certificate.)
Asking “Who are you” is a simple question, but it’s an important one! We base all our interactions with other people on who we believe them to be. Sometimes, we act differently because of how others describe themselves. Knowing who another person is—well, that’s really, really important.
- How would you prove who you were to someone who had never met you before? (Possible answers: Introductions from mutual friends/parents or offering some kind of identification or paperwork.)
It isn’t always easy to tell for sure who someone is. In fact, it can be impossible sometimes! In the video you’re about to see, a man pretended to be someone he wasn’t. He got in a lot more trouble than he bargained for!
Play this video for your preteens [1:11]: Man charged for impersonating police officer
- What motivations do you think the man had for impersonating a police officer? (Possible answers: He thought he was helping out, he wanted to become a police officer, he wanted to make money off charging people with traffic tickets, etc.)
Knowing someone’s identity is vital in how we see them. The man in the video got away with impersonating a police officer as long as people thought they knew who he was—but it wasn’t true. Having the right car and gear didn’t actually change who this man was. In today’s lesson, we’re going to talk about the true identity of one very, very important Person. How you choose to see this Person could be the most important decision of your life!
