Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal. 2018

They Called Me...

Inspiration Book:

Alma and how she got her name by Martinez-Neal, Juana — Candlewick Press, 2018 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.0. When Alma Sofia Esperanza Jose Pura Candela asks her father why she has so many names, she hears the story of her name and learns about her grandparents. NSSTB, CBS

Rationale: At the beginning of the year, when I am learning the new students’ names, especially when it’s a whole class like a kindergarten or preschool class, I often read books about names, play some name games, and do a computer activity. For many years I used Kevin Henkes Chrysanthemum, but, as you know I am always open to new books about a tried and true topic. Alma and How She Got Her Name was that new book. I could still use some of my old tried and true activities, but with a new title.  The primary lesson for Alma is a slightly revised version of what I used for many years, but I’ve also included storytimes and a little research in  ADJUNCT LESSONS for other name books, especially for My Name is Sangoel by Karen Williams. Some years I save this book and lessons for Grandparents’ Day, and Alma allowed me to expand the topic into name meanings, ethnicity, history, etc.

K-3--My Name is…

Background: What child isn’t fascinated with and usually proud of his/her name? Here you will find a story hour and two different computer activities about names.

Preparation: 

Access to computer lab for the class and a draw program; one having stamps or stickers would be useful. 

Prepare the computers for the class--if the group is inexperienced with the lab and computers, especially at the beginning of the year, you may need to log in and also locate the draw program.

Introduction: I have a young grand-daughter. My grand-daughter loves her name. It’s Elizabeth. Our first book is about the name Elizabeth. 

Read aloud:

My name is Elizabeth! by Dunklee, Annika, 1965- — Kids Can Press, 2011--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.5 Elizabeth is tired of everyone shortening her first name and calling her Lizzie, Liz, or Beth, but suffers in silence, until one autumn day when her impatience gets the best of her and she learns an important lesson about tact and grace.

People call my Elizabeth different names, too, like Lizzie, EC (short for her full name Elizabeth Caroline. When she was very little, she recognizes her name, could form all the letters in her name, but not in the correct order except for the first  four letters.

OR

The little girl in  this book, a little girl is from Korea (show on map/globe), doesn’t like the way her name looks when written in English. Let’s find out what she does about that problem.

Read aloud:

My name is Yoon by Recorvits, Helen — Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.1 Disliking her name as written in English, Korean-born Yoon, or "shining wisdom," refers to herself as "cat," "bird," and "cupcake," as a way to feel more comfortable in her new school and new country. 

Your name is an important part of who you are. 

Many people are named after their mom or dad or grandma or grandpa. Alma, the main character in our next book was named after many people. She has a great long name and doesn’t like that great long name, until…

Read aloud:

Alma and how she got her name by Martinez-Neal, Juana — Candlewick Press, 2018 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.0. When Alma Sofia Esperanza Jose Pura Candela asks her father why she has so many names, she hears the story of her name and learns about her grandparents. NSSTB, CBS,

Are you named for someone special? What are some of the other things that make you who you are? 

FOLLOW-UP OPTIONS:

1. Beginning of year choices--
1. Using a computer drawing program have students draw a line down the middle of the page and draw a picture of themselves on one side and one side only. Then have students print their name under their picture. At the end of the year students draw themselves on the other half of the page and again print their name.
2. Again using a computer, students either write or stamp letters to their name across the top of a drawing page. Using the stamps available, students stamp pictures of items that begin with each letter of their name under the correct letter.
2. For Grandparents’ Day--
1. Students draw a picture of themselves and their grandparent(s). Grandparent types sentence about what the student and grandparent like to do together.
2. Using a video/audio program, have students interview their grandparent about how the grandchild was named. Do a little advance planning, and the grandparents can bring a photograph of relatives or famous person that they can show for whom the grandchild was named.

Related Titles for Substitution, Display, and/or Check-out:

Penny and her doll by Henkes, Kevin  — Greenwillow Books, 2012--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.9 Penny instantly loves the doll her grandmother sends her, but finding the perfect name for her is a challenge. 

Chrysanthemum by Henkes, Kevin — Greenwillow Books, 1991--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.8 Chrysanthemum loves her name until she starts going to school and the other children begin to make fun of it. 

The name game! by Moss, Marissa — Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2011--Fic-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.0 In her diary, Daphne Davis doodles, draws, and documents a series of disasters on her first two days of fourth grade, most of which result from her new teacher accidentally calling her Daffy. 

The day of Ahmed's secret by Heide, Florence Parry  — Mulberry Books, c1990 p1995--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.9 Ahmed rides his donkey cart throughout the city of Cairo, hurrying to finish his work, so he can return home and share his secret with his family.

ADJUNCT LESSON--Grades 3-6: And, My Name Means...

Background: We dig a little deeper into the naming game with this middle grade group. First we use the Inspiration  Book, then expand into personal applications. I’ve been doing some genealogy work on my family tree. Most of my relatives came from Germany, and, to the contemporary eye and ear, are difficult to pronounce or even try to pronounce, but the name is important to a specific person.

Preparation: Provide links for the following websites

www.babynames.com

www.behindthenames.com

National Gallery of Art: Examining Portraits

Note cards and pencils

Computer lab access for mini research.

Introduction: Your name is an important part of who you are. 

Many people are named after their mom or dad or grandma or grandpa. Alma, the main character in our next book was named after many people. She has a great long name and doesn’t like that great long name, until…

Read aloud:

Alma and how she got her name by Martinez-Neal, Juana — Candlewick Press, 2018 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.0. When Alma Sofia Esperanza Jose Pura Candela asks her father why she has so many names, she hears the story of her name and learns about her grandparents. NSSTB, CBS,

Are you named for someone special? 

Alma gets to know the relatives that her Daddy describes through his words and through photographs. Let’s look at some portraits and see if we can learn a little about them from their posture, expressions, clothing, setting, objects, etc.  (Do this either as a group using a projection computer or have students log-in to the National Portrait Gallery and explore individually. Students can examine posture, facial expression, clothing, and accompanying setting and artifacts, describing what they observe and what they think they can infer about the subject of the portrait. )

What are some of the other things that make you who you are? 

Now let’s find out a little about your own names. Each of you has a note card and pencil. Write your full name on the card. I’ve made links to websites about the meanings of names. Let me show you what I found out about my name. (Demonstrate and indicate what you’d like students to write on their card: meaning, ethnicity, maybe how popular).

Have students share if they would like.

OTHER NSST BOOKS ABOUT NAMES : 

My name is Aviva by Newman, Leslea — Kar-Ben Publishing, 2015 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.6. Aviva isn't happy with her unusual name until she hears the wonderful things her great-grandmother, who she was named  in honor of, did.

Alma and how she got her name by Martinez-Neal, Juana  — Candlewick Press, 2018 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.0. When Alma Sofia Esperanza Jose Pura Candela asks her father why she has so many names, she hears the story of her name and learns about her grandparents. FREE Teaching Resources available for download at www.titlewave.com

Thunder Boy Jr. by Alexie, Sherman — Little, Brown and Company, 2016 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.6. Thunder Boy Jr. wants a normal name...one that's all his own. Dad is known as Big Thunder, but Little Thunder doesn't want to share a name.

The boy on the wooden box : how the impossible became possible... on Schindler's list : a memoir by Leyson, Leon  — Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2013. 940.53; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 7.0. Leon Leyson describes growing up in Poland, being forced from home to ghetto to concentration camps by the Nazis, and being saved by Oskar Schindler. FREE Teaching Resources available for download at www.titlewave.com

ADJUNCT LESSON--Grades 5-8--Learning Our Names

Background: This lesson based on My Name is Sangoel can be used as a stand alone lesson at the beginning of the year when being introduced or as part of a geography lesson about Africa, specifically Sudan.

Preparation: Globe or map.

Access to computer for quick research.

Print and online dictionaries and encyclopedias

Introduction: Sometimes names are difficult to pronounce because we don’t hear that name very often or because it’s a name from another language. The boy in our Inspiration Book is from a country in Africa. To understand the story, we also need to learn what a few words mean and learn a little about the beginning setting for the story.

QUICK RESEARCH: (Divide the class into smaller groups, and assign one topic to each group. Then allow about ten minutes of quick research and have the groups quickly orally report what they found out.)

With a partner, look up the following terms in a reference book or online dictionary: refugee, Dinka, ancestors, persecution. Knowing what those words mean will help you understand the story more quickly.

Use a print or online encyclopedia to help you.

Find Sudan and Kenya on a map. What is the geography like in these countries? Describe the climate. 

Read about the culture of Sudan. What foods do people eat, how do they dress, and what are their homes and schools and places of worship like?

How has war changed these things in Sudan?

(Allow research time and then time to share the answers.)

(Repeat) Sometimes names are difficult to pronounce because we don’t hear that name very often or because it’s a name from another language. The boy in our Inspiration Book is from a country far away in Africa (show on map). When he came to America, nobody pronounced his name correctly. Finally, he figured out a way to help his teachers and friends say it correctly.

Read aloud:

My Name Is Sangoel by Williams, Karen Lynn - Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, p2009, c2009 --E--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 2.3 A refugee from Sudan, eight-year-old Sangoel, who is proud of his rich African heritage, is frustrated that no one in America can pronounce his name and fears he will lose his identity, but he finds a clever way to solve the problem. Detailed watercolor and collage illustrations capture the different settings. 

How did the main character help people learn to pronounce his name correctly? (Allow time for discussion). Is this a good solution?

Why is his name so important to him?

Your name is an important part of who you are. Are you named for someone special? What are some of the other things that make you who you are? 

Are there any refugees in your school or community? Where do they come from? How can you help to make them feel more comfortable in their new home?

RELATED TITLES:

Brothers in hope : the story of the lost boys of Sudan by Williams, Mary  — Lee & Low, 2005--Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.3 Eight-year-old Garang, orphaned by a civil war in Sudan, finds the inner strength to help lead other boys as they trek hundreds of miles seeking safety in Ethiopia, and then Kenya, before being offered sanctuary in the United States many years later. 

Making it home : real-life stories from children forced to flee — Puffin Books, c2004 p2005--305.23; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 4.8 Presents a collection of first-hand accounts of children who have been forced to flee their war-torn homeland to become refugees, including stories from kids from Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Congo, and more.

A long walk to water : a novel : based on a true story by Park, Linda Sue  — Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010--Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 5.0 When the Sudanese civil war reaches his village in 1985, eleven-year-old Salva becomes separated from his family and must walk with other Dinka tribe members through southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya in search of safe haven. Based on the life of Salva Dut, who, after emigrating to America in 1996, began a project to dig water wells in Sudan. 

The return by Levitin, Sonia  — Fawcett Juniper, 1987---Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 6.0 Desta and the other members of her Falasha family, Jews suffering from discrimination in Ethiopia, finally flee the country and attempt the dangerous journey to Israel. 

The royal kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay : life in medieval Africa by McKissack, Pat — Holt, c1994 p1995--966.2; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 6.9 Examines the civilizations of the Western Sudan which flourished from 700 to 1700 A.D., acquiring such vast wealth that they became centers of trade and culture for a continent. 

When elephants fight : the lives of children in conflict in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Uganda by Walters, Eric  — Orca Book Publishers, c2008 p2012--305.23; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 7.9 Provides true accounts of the lives of five children growing up in the midst of war in Sri Lanka, Uganda, Sarajevo, Afghanistan, and the Sudan, and examines the history of each conflict.