Document Study

  1. Hand out the Document Study you chose for your class.
  2. As a class, discuss the first set of questions that precede the chosen article or portrait. (Discuss these questions before reading any of the text. The discussion will be based on the title of the article or on visual analysis of the photograph.) You may want to list your students' assumptions about this individual on a chalk board, white board, or chart paper at the front of the class so that they can be referred to later in this activity.
  3. Have a couple of students read aloud the text (article or transcript) featured in the Document Study.
  4. As a class, discuss the second set of questions (which follow the article or transcript). Try to draw out from the discussion the following main themes: how the person feels about their identity, are any parts of their identity in conflict and why, to what degree they have a choice about their identity, and do other people see them the way they sees themselves. Give your students as many opportunities as possible to also reflect on their own experiences related to identity.

Donate

Help us elevate the voices of Jewish women.

donate now

Get JWA in your inbox

Read the latest from JWA from your inbox.

sign up now

How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Document Study." (Viewed on September 12, 2025) <https://qa.jwa.org/document-study>.