What’s in a name? Celebrating Cultural Diversity

Title of Project: What’s in a name? Celebrating Cultural Diversity

Schools and Teachers

Francis X. Hegarty Elementary School Teachers: Stacy Berkowitz & Meghan Gallagher

ENL Proficiency Level | ENL Program | Standards | Technology

Entering, Expanding, Commanding, Appropriate for all levels | Stand-Alone, Integrated ENL/ELA | 1W4 1RF4 1SL6 | Nearpod, Flocabulary, Flipgrid

Assessments

Formative & Summative: There are multiple measures of assessment during this lesson. The students answered comprehension questions and wrote a response about the book The Name Jar. The students also completed a circle map to illustrate their own families. Then the students began to use their writing and the circle map to begin writing their own book that will be used as a form of assessment. After the publication of the book the students will be able to share their book orally with their peers and teachers. Nearpod provided formative assessments through draw-it and quiz activities.

Description

Students listened to the book The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi, detailing a Korean girl’s journey and experience in moving to a new country and feeling different because her name was different from her peers. Students answered comprehension questions and wrote a response to the book. Then, as an extension, they illustrated their own families in a circle map and were in the process of writing and publishing their own book about their family.

Content

I can analyze how people come from different cultures and celebrate differences. I can assess and synthesize the theme of cultural diversity. I can connect the theme to write my own narrative about my family.

Language

I can discuss the main idea in the book The Name Jar. I can think, pair, and share with my peers using accountable talk. I can use transitional words to add details to my narrative.

Technology

I can demonstrate comprehension of the book through a quiz on Nearpod. I can demonstrate understanding through a draw-it activity on Nearpod. I can learn about text features, like a table of contents through a Flocabulary video. I can use Flipgrid to record myself talking about my partner's family.

Student Work

The Name Jar.pdf

Procedure

Teacher reads The Name Jar and stops for meaningful higher order thinking questions. Students respond to text through classroom discussions, highlighting cultural diversity and celebrating differences among cultures.

Students illustrate and label their own family on a circle map, as a pre-writing activity.

Students watch Flocabulary video on text features, highlighting the importance of Table of Contents.

Teacher models and scaffolds how to publish a book about family; focusing on what makes each individual unique and different. Students use family members from their circle maps to write and publish a book. Students at the entering level will receive sentence frames and a picture dictionary to help them.

Students will edit and self-assess together, conferencing with peers and the teacher.

Students will participate in a Nearpod culminating The Name Jar and the theme of cultural responsiveness.

Students will interview a partner, finding out information about his or her partner’s family. Using Flipgrid, Student A will record information about Student B. Using BookCreator, Student B will record information about Student A. The class will showcase the hard work and evolution of this project!

Resources and Other Materials

iPads
Flocabulary
Nearpod
Flipgrid
Book Creator
Other Supporting Materials: The Name Jar By Yangsook Choi, comprehension questions, and writing response Circle Map

Reflection

Overall, this was set up to be a successful unit; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were unable to execute each step of the unit. The students did listen to the book and think critically about cultural diversity. They were embracing that in our own class, students came from different countries and really related to the main character, Unhei. Students completed circle maps about their own family and were in the process of writing and publishing their own book about their family. It was important to differentiate this writing with sentence frames and sentence starters for the Entering level student. It is evident that technology leverages this lesson, as students have multiple points of entry through Nearpod and Flocabulary to meet the standards and delve into the abstract theme of cultural diversity and celebrating all cultures.

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