Skip to main content

The Name Jar

As if being the new kid in class isn't already hard enough, Unhei was afraid that no one would be able to pronounce her name.  After careful consideration, she began a search for her own American name but soon enough her classmates realized that helping her see the special meaning in her own personal name was much more important.


The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi shows the difficulties non-American people face when they come to live in the United States of America.  The pictures in the book really give the story life as they carefully express the story through them.  Her classmates helping her to figure out why her own name is unique helps build character and helps to get to know a classmate better as well as helping them with a personal matter.  Many Asian families migrate to the United States where they end up changing their children's names so that they will fit in with American culture.  Li becomes Michael, Chien-Shiung becomes Katie and so on.  This particular book is a great way to show Asian families that they can teach their children to love their own names and that they don't have to fit a "norm" in order to fit in.  Other books by this author are Peach Heaven, The Sun Girl and the Moon Boy, and This Next New Year.

Classroom Activities:

1.) Have each child write down 5 things they love about themselves.  After this, have them write down one thing they would like to change about themselves.  Read the story aloud together and then have the children present their lists.  Have the class help each student to get rid of the one thing they dislike about themselves by showing the child they are great the way they are.

2.) Have each child choose a name out of a name jar (like in the book).  Ask the child if they would like to be called by that name for the remainder of the classroom meeting.  If the child decides to keep the name, have them sit on one side of the room.  If the child chooses their own name, have them sit at the other side of the room.  Continue to do so until all children have chosen.  After reading the book aloud together, have the children who chose their own name, explain why they chose their own name.  After the children explain, ask the children who chose different names if they would still like to be called by their "jar name" for the rest of the class.  If some children still choose to be called another name, have them explain why and then have the other children convince them that their name is unique to them and that they should reconsider.


Goals (pertains to both classroom activities):
  • Helps to build peer relationships between classmates that can last a lifetime.
  • Allows students to get to know each other as well as helping their peers to find comfort in themselves.
  • Gives students the opportunity to encourage, uplift, and embrace one another in a positive light.

Bibliography

Choi, Y. (2013). The Name Jar. Columbus, O.H.: Zaner-Bloser.

Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 25, 2018 at 7:50 AM

    This book can allow students to explore different cultures. Have students research a little on a culture that is different from theirs. Then have them research what their name means in that culture and present it to the class.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Stick is An Excellent Thing

A Stick is An Excellent Thing by Marilyn Singer is a compilation of 18 poems that capture the enjoyment of outdoor games played all around the world.  This book shows that although we grow older, games are timeless and can be enjoyed from generation to generation.  I enjoyed reading these poems because as a little girl, I grew up playing most of these games but to know that the same games are played around the world but in different ways shows how we are all the same in many, many ways.  The book expresses poetry in every way such as personification, verse, rhyme scheme, and even being content that speaks to readers.  Another book by this author is Tallulah's Tutu. Classroom activities: 1.) Since there are 18 poems that express the participation of outside activities, each day, for 18 days, choose a poem to read and then allow the children in your classroom to split into groups (or have one giant group) and play the game of the poem that was chosen.  Hav...
Post a Comment
Read more

Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly is the  biographical text that follows the lives of  Human Computers such as  Katherine Johnson ,  Dorothy Vaughan , and  Mary Jackson , three mathematicians (known as "human computers" ) who overcame discrimination, as women and as African Americans, while working at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ) during the  Space Race , as well as  Christine Darden , who was the first African-American woman to be promoted into the  Senior Executive Service  for her work in researching  supersonic flight  and  sonic booms .    It was the basis of a  film by the same name  which was nominated for three Oscars. The set up of this book is to allow the reader to understand one of the most important parts of history that were seldom discussed due to the fact that the main roles were about African American women being the ones to do the unthinkable at a time pe...
1 comment
Read more

Holes

Holes by Louis Sachar is about a 14-year-old boy named Stanley Yelnats struck with misfortune due to a family curse and had later been wrongly convicted of theft.  Yelnats ended up being sent to Camp Green Lake where he was to dig holes to "build character" but later Stanley begins to suspect they are digging for other purposes.  This book was late adapted into a feature film starring Shia LaBeouf.  As mystery genres go, this book keeps you on the edge of your seat because who wouldn't want to know about a secret hidden treasure chest and all the glories it may possess.  I would recommend this book to teachers to read to their students simply because it comes with a great lesson: "ALWAYS stick to your gut feeling.  It never steers you wrong".  There are also sequels to this book titled Holes: Stanley Yelnats' Survival Guide to Camp Green Lake and Small Steps by the same author. Classroom Activities: 1.)  A fun and creative way to have chil...
Post a Comment
Read more