“By highlighting the importance of names and their many meanings and accents across cultures, languages, and places, we can create a space for acknowledging the identities children embody and move one step closer toward genuinely valuing diversity in classrooms” - Mariana Souto-Manning
Teacher’s Note: When addressing family history and personal stories of children, teachers should be compassionate and mindful that some children come from complex families or histories. “There may be sensitivities in families with non-traditional configurations, adopted children, those in which children are living in foster care or those with ancestors who were forcibly brought to this country, in which case students might not know historical information about their families. Consider checking in advance with parents or guardians to discuss the activity and to find out if it might raise sensitive issues with their children.” Source Teachers can assess how to alter the invitations for their learners.
INVITATION TO LEARNING
CONNECT
When you were born, you were given a name. You most likely have a few names, including a family name. You may also have names in different languages, nicknames, or were given a name at a ceremony. Each of your names is a special part of who you are!
Look around your home, where can you see your name? How many times did you find your name? Perhaps you could create a drawing, or make a list, or take photos of places around your home where you found your name?
EXPLORE
One way to learn more about ourselves and our world is by listening and speaking with others. Asking questions, sharing our ideas and carefully listening to the ideas and stories of others extends our understanding.
Looking at the person who is speaking, taking turns to talk without interrupting, asking good questions and contributing your ideas to a discussion are skills that can be learned through practice. What can you learn through discussions with others?
"Talk Time” - Surrey Schools One Parent Resource (LINK)
Listen to a read aloud of the book “Alma and How She Got Her Name”
Author Juana Martinez-Neal asks: “What is the story of your name?” Names help us understand who we are; they hold a story. In the story, Alma’s name was rooted in her family’s history. When she understood the story behind her name, she began to see the ways that its meaning lived within her.
Through discussion, learn more about yourself and your name:
You could discover more about the history of your name by asking your caregivers, grandparents and other important people in your life what your name means to them. How was your name chosen? Do any of your names honour someone special? If so, what is the story of that person?
Do you have another name, a nickname, that your family calls you? What is the story of your nickname?
Just like words, names have a meaning. With the help of an adult, you can also use the internet to research your name. What does your name mean? Do you think it represents who you are? After your research, how could you represent what you’ve discovered about the meaning of your name in a creative way? You might use things found in nature, art supplies, Lego, or items found around your home. Take a picture and/or write a description or film a video of you telling your story.
Family names are important in First Nations culture. When you say your name, your traditional territory and who your parents, and grandparents are, it tells the listeners a story about who you are. First Nations people introduce themselves in this way because it shares so much information about who they are.
- In Alma and How She Got Her Name, Alma recognized similarities between herself and her ancestors. Knowing the strengths and gifts of family members and/or ancestors is important as some of those qualities might have been passed down to you. Is there a family member who has a gift that you can relate to?
- Who is someone who inspires you or you look up to? Engage in a discussion with the person in person, over the phone, or video call. Ask about their name, their home, stories you are curious about, happiest/proudest memories, times when they faced something hard/challenging, what they did to help them keep going/persevere? This site provides questions children may ask to spark family history discussions (LINK)
SOCIAL STUDIES CONNECTION
Explore the book “The Name Jar” (link to read aloud)
How is Unhei’s story similar to Alma’s story? What was different about these two stories? You can use words, draw pictures, or talk with a family member about these questions. If you have access to a printer you might use this graphic organizer to keep track of your thinking. Alma Name Jar Similarities and Differences.pdf
Face-to-Face Instruction
Children learn about their world through listening and speaking with others, therefore, the classroom should be filled with talk. Many of the skills needed for deep discussions need to be explicitly taught and practiced often. Guidelines for rich discussions might be co-created through having discussions and reflecting together. Some guidelines may include:
Using eye contact to focus on the speaker
Asking questions to understand their ideas better. “What do you mean by...” or “Can you explain _______ again?”
How to agree with someone’s opinion: “I think that also because...”, “I agree with you because...”
How to disagree respectfully: Disagree with ideas, not people. “I understand your idea, but what about …" or “I disagree because...”
Build on someone’s idea “I agree, I was also thinking...” or “Linking to your idea, what about...”
The Listening Ladder” from School 21/Voice 21 may be helpful in supporting discussions. (Listening Ladder.pdf)
Talk Moves Sentence Prompts Talk_Moves_2_UP.pdf
School 21 in Stratford, UK “Strategies for Effective Talk” (LINK)
In Alma and How She Got Her Name, Alma recognized similarities between herself and her ancestors. You might wish to explore ways that the learners in your class are the same. Perhaps initiate by finding similarities in the children’s names through this learning invitation or sorting names into a Venn Diagram by various categories (grade 2-3).
You might invite the children to represent what is important to them through this activity, then engage in a partner or small group discussion to explore the question “How are we similar?” “How are we unique?”
What story would you like to tell? After reading (if the book is available to you) or viewing the story by Juana Martinez-Neal, learners may be invited to use loose parts or drawing to tell a story or a memory. Children can engage is small group or partner discussions to share their thinking, memory or story. Perhaps as a large group, you might want to model listening and speaking or set a goal for the discussion based on what your students are able to do and learn next.
Discuss what questions might help someone learn more about another person’s story. Perhaps co-create an anchor chart of questions, then try discussions in partnerships or small groups. Reflect on what helped further your understanding of that person and the story they have to tell. Add to the anchor chart if new discoveries were made. Use those reflections to inform more discussions and explore how asking good questions helps you learn from someone else.
You may further explore names through talking points inspired by Adrienne Gear’s book “Powerful Understanding”
My name is from...
My name is _______ because...
Something interesting about my name...
I like my name/My name is a good fit because...
If I could have named myself, I might have chosen______ because...
RESPOND
Reflect on what you learned about your name, yourself, and your family from your discussions. How could you capture the stories you have learned? Share your new learning through speaking, writing, dancing, singing, drama and/or using materials you can find at home. Take a picture or video of your story to share with others.
EVIDENCE OF LEARNING (TRIANGULATION)
OBSERVATIONS
Through comments, photos or videos posted to Teams, FreshGrade or other platforms, is there evidence the child has extended their understanding of their name, identify or family?
CONVERSATIONS
Through conversations on Teams chats, telephone calls, posts on FreshGrade or an interaction on another platform, is there evidence the learner has engaged in discussions and extended their understanding?
PRODUCTS
Through photos or videos of stories told in writing, drawing, loose parts, physical movement or art materials, is there evidence that the learner has extended their understanding through discussions?
POSSIBLE EXPLORATIONS
What’s In A Name (exploring letters in your name)
I Remember (exploring family memories)
Story Time with Photos (discussions prompted by photos)
What is special to your family? Extend an invitation to students and/or families to share a special tradition, celebration, place, food, etc. - in person or via video that can be shared for all members of the classroom community to experience, connect to, ask questions.
Poems for Shared Reading
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- Juana Martinez-Neal Wants to Know How You Got YOUR Name! (LINK)
- Interview with Juana Martinez-Neal, creator of Alma and How She Got Her Name (LINK)
- Games for young children that support the development of listening skills Social Listening.pdf
PICTURE BOOK CONNECTIONS (LINK)
TEACHER RESOURCES:
