The Story Behind Your Name

Students will answer the question "Who am I?" They will investigate and write about the origin and the reason why their parents chose their name, leading to an exploration of their family culture.

The culminating project is a written piece called "The Important Thing."

At home assignment. Instruct students to bring home the interview worksheet to find out about their name.

What do you know about your family name? Are there stories about its history or origins? Has it undergone any changes? Are there any stories about those changes? Are there any traditional first names or nicknames in your family? What are they? How did they come about? Are there any naming traditions? What are they?

Activity:
After reading Tikki Tikki Tembo, The Name Jar and The Important Book, you will research:

• Why your parents chose your name
• What your name means and where it comes from
• What your name means to you

Using the Grandview Library's project, The Important Thing, as a model, you will write about:
What you like to do
Your hopes and dreams
What you would like to be when you grow up.
What makes you happy
What you are good at
Anything else that makes you -- you! AND END WITH:

But the Important thing
about your name is --------------------------------------------