How we get our name
Alma and how she got her name by Juana Martinez-Neal is a book about a girl who is embarrassed by her long name. Her father explains to her how she got her name and how special her name is. He also tells Alma about her family members' names and the significance their names hold. Alma learns to be proud of her name and where she comes from. This book could be used as an opener for many lessons about identity and where people come from. One lesson I thought would be perfect to follow up with after reading the book was writing a Where I'm From poem. Students can write about their families and how they got their name. Another lesson can have students research their backgrounds and learn about what their names might mean. While their name might not have a deep family meaning, they can talk about other names in their family that might.
Creating a safe space for students to talk about these topics is so important. Allowing students to open up about their heritage and be proud to share can create a positive learning environment. This is a great way to start the school year and learn more about your students' identities. Knowing students' religion, ethnicity, culture, etc. can help when planning lessons and figuring out teaching techniques that may work best in the classroom. Providing an environment for students to show their true identities can lead to a positive increase in grades and work ethic.
This book is just one of the many out there that can spark positive conversations about identity. Reading these books in the classroom is just one way to start these types of conversations. Creating a space where all identities are spoken about positively and frequently is essential in all classrooms, especially early childhood. Teachers need to make sure they are emphasizing these topics and
creating a space in the classroom for students to speak on them.
Hi Taylor! I have never read this book before, but you summarized it so well and I was able to get a good understanding of what the book was about and how it relates to identity. I agree that writing a Where I'm from poem would be perfect for this lesson/book. Additionally, I think that having the students research their names and share their findings with the class is a really fun activity. I think students would be really invested in this. I also agree that creating a safe space for students to open up and talk about their identities freely is so important, and as you said, allows you to plan meaningful lessons that incorporate students' identities. There are classrooms all over where students don't feel comfortable sharing different aspects of their identities, how can we change that experience for them? I think this can be very hard, especially when we cant see whats going on in other classrooms all the time.
ReplyDeleteHi Taylor! I love this book, I think it’s very culturally relevant and the illustrations are just so adorable. The Where I’m From poetry activity is definitely one that I want to incorporate in my own classroom—there are lots of different books that can support this lesson, but I think Alma and How She Got Her Name is an excellent choice. I’ve never heard of doing a name activity like the one you suggested, but I really think that is so fun and there are so many different ways to go about it. It could be kind of like a show-and-tell thing, or the students could maybe create name plates that unfold with the history or meaning of their names on the inside. I really think it’s important to create a classroom community and to incorporate our students’ family into their learning, and I think this activity would be a great way to do both.
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