Approximately 15 – 20 minutes.
About this strategy:
This strategy invites students to think-pair-share a story about an aspect of their names. Through this strategy, students are thinking about how their names are connected to a part of their identity, history, and culture. In the play “Kimmy”, Kemi is navigating the process of fitting into this new school all while staying true to her cultural identity, even with her name pronunciation, K-EM-I. This strategy serves as an entry point for students to think about their names, pronunciations, and how their identities through naming are important for interpersonal relationships.
Grade Level: 4-6th Grade Theatre
Essential Question: How do the stories of our names relate to our culture/identity/background?
Objectives:
- Identity a story that might be associated with their name
- Actively listen to a partners story
- Summarize a partner’s story including major details and share that story with the class
TEKS:
- A.I.S.D. SEL TEK: Goal IV Elementary: Demonstrate interpersonal (relationship) skills needed to establish and maintain positive relationships;
- Uses responsive listening skills
- Demonstrates collaborative skills (e.g. listen, encourage, acknowledge opinions, compromise, reach consensus)
- 5th Grade Theatre TEK: (b) Knowledge and skills. (1) Foundations: inquiry and understanding. The student develops concepts about self, human relationships, and the environment using elements of drama and conventions of theatre. The student is expected to:
- (D) express emotions and relate ideas using interpretive and planned movement and dialogue.
Space: Limited (also possible through zoom)
Participants: Pairs of students
Directions: Invite students to sit in a circle or in desks/tables. Introduce the activity: Today we will share a brief story with a partner about some aspect of our name. Explain that students can choose to tell the story of their first, middle, last name, or a nickname. Depending on the context or class, students can also invent a story about their name if they prefer. (This takes the pressure off people who do not have a story to tell.) Model the process by sharing the story of your name as an example. Next, give the students a moment to think about the story they wish to share with the larger group. Then, divide the group in pairs and ask each pair to choose one person to shares their story first. All students share their stories at the same time. After two minutes ask the pairs to switch and the second person shares their story. After each person in the pair has shared, the full group comes back together to reflect on the activity. Depending on the level of comfort and time, once back in the full group each pair member can introduce their partner and share a brief description of the story they heard, or the group can move directly to reflection on the larger activity without additional sharing.
Side-Coaching:
- You can share the story of any piece of your name.
- Try to be succinct in your story.
- Pay attention to the storyteller’s body language. How do we look when we tell a personal story? What changes about our voice, body, and eye gaze?
Reflection:
Describe What did you notice about yourself as you participated in this activity? Where do our names come from? Did we see any common themes?
Analyze If you’ve had the chance to name (or help someone to name) a new sibling, a pet, a doll, etc. What informed the choice you made?
Relate What do names tell us? Are they important? Why or why not?
Zoom Facilitation Considerations:
- Pair class into breakout groups and have participants share the story of their name for one minute.
- Send a broadcast message to the class to switch storytellers after 1 minute is up.
- Close breakout rooms after the second student have shared.
Adapted from the DBI Network: https://dbp.theatredance.utexas.edu/content/story-my-name