Calling someone by name connects you better with that person. It also increases trust, empathy, and positive communication. Like any word in the dictionary, a person’s name has meaning. Kindergarten students at House Creek Elementary School learned the meaning not only of their names but of their classmates as well, teaching them empathy and understanding of different cultures.
The students read several books, including “Chrysanthemum,” “A-My name is Alice,” and “Your name is a song” as they engaged in onomastics, which is the study of names.
“We had read several books on names and they were able to make connections,†said teacher Vanessa Mondy. “The students loved chanting their names.
The students were each given shrink-wrapped plastic paper on which to write their name either freehand or by tracing it using nameplates on their desks. The young scholars wrote their names in whatever pencil color they wanted, and the plastic papers were then heated and shrunk to create individual key chains.
“The difficult part was getting the students to find their names,†said teacher Courtney Dennis-Irvin. “We have a lot of independent preschoolers, but some students weren’t able to write their names on their own yet. Some students had difficulty determining the directionality of the print. It was difficult for some to understand that when you write your name, you write it from left to right.
The lesson covered essential Texas knowledge and skills requiring students to identify upper and lower case letters and up-to-down and left-to-right reading and writing movements.
“This mission has had many life lessons, including always treating others kindly and taking the time to get to know them,†said teacher Lauren Buckram. “They know how to write their names, which is a skill they will need to know how to do for the rest of their lives.”
Kindergarten child Joules Flores had his own idea of ​​the meaning of his first name.
“My mother loves jewelry. She really loves jewelry, â€said the 5-year-old.
Teacher Sheila Shumaker was inspired to see students excited about something they created.
“The students loved the outcome of the project,†said Shumaker. “They loved how their own work was transformed into a keychain and how they will be able to keep this memory for a long time.”
Teacher Kristin Utsey said the lesson also helped develop students’ fine motor skills.
“It was a great way to teach the uniqueness of names, especially at the start of a school year,†Utsey said. “This lesson showed students that each name is special and that we should cherish how important and unique each is. “
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