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The Name Jar
The Name Jar
A new student from Korea is not ready to share her name because it does not sound like the typical American name. The students in her class decide to come up with ideas for new American names she can have. Empower students to think deeply about building authentic relationships before imposing solutions on to other people. Sometimes when we develop plans and try to work for justice, we create solutions we think are best without building relationships with the people who will be impacted.
From the Publisher: Being the new kid in school is hard enough, but what happens when nobody can pronounce your name? Having just moved from Korea, Unhei is anxious about fitting in. So instead of introducing herself on the first day of school, she decides to choose an American name from a glass jar. But while Unhei thinks of being a Suzy, Laura, or Amanda, nothing feels right. With the help of a new friend, Unhei will learn that the best name is her own.
From acclaimed creator Yangsook Choi comes the bestselling classic about finding the courage to be yourself and being proud of your background.
Questions for families to discuss:
Questions for families to discuss:
Talk about the meaning of your child's name. Is your name important to your identity? Why or why not?
Unhei speaks two languages. Do we know anyone who speaks more than one language?
If we moved to a new country where they don't speak English, how would you feel? Would it be easy to make friends? What kinds of challenges would we have?
What do you think Yangsook Choi wants us to learn from this story?
Learning Goals:
Learning Goals:
For the Month of May, we are focusing on thinking about building relationships with people so we can understand our unique challenges.
Students will respectfully express curiosity about the history and lived experiences of others and will exchange ideas and beliefs in an open-minded way. (Diversity 8)
Students will recognize unfairness on the individual level (e.g., biased speech) and injustice at the institutional or systemic level (e.g., discrimination). (Justice 12)
Students will make principled decisions about when and how to take a stand against bias and injustice in their everyday lives and will do so despite negative peer or group pressure (Action 19)
Go here to learn more about the Learning Goals, The Social Justice Standards
Listen to the story
Listen to the story
Listen to the Author talk about her childhood and how it affected her writing process
Listen to the Author talk about her childhood and how it affected her writing process
More resources for families:
More resources for families:
The book is available to purchase here.
Resource for Adult learning: https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/humanizing-asian-americans-in-the-classroom-through-childrens-literature
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