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| Overview |
 The first few days of school are crucial for setting the tone and climate in your classroom. In this activity the students will listen to Chrysanthemum and discuss the importance of a name. This get-to-know-you activity gives every student has a chance to be in the spotlight as they participate in the Name Bingo Game. In this twist of the traditional bingo game, after each name is chosen, the student responds by answering one of several given questions designed to help students learn more about one another. The excitement builds as each student awaits the call of his or her name.
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| From Theory to Practice |
Playing name bingo accomplishes two goals: it focuses on the importance of a child's name, and it builds community in the classroom. In Becoming Literate: The Construction of Inner Control, Marie Clay states, "Children will use their knowledge of letters in family names or classmates' names at later stages as part of their analysis of new words." This classroom activity focuses on the beginning of that process of analysis. Clay explains the reason that such activities engage learners: "A child's name has singular importance as he embarks on learning about literacy, both for the child's management of his own learning about print and for the observant teacher trying to understand his pattern of progress... It enhances his security and his self-image, giving him a feeling of importance...The use of the children's names in a class activity is a useful way of developing letter knowledge. "
Accomplishing the second goal, building community in the classroom, is crucial during first days of school in order to provide a class atmosphere where children feel welcome. They will be meeting new people and discovering new things. Laying a foundation early for a community to grow in the classroom is vital for success throughout the school year. As Bobbi Fisher notes, "Community is the entire orchestra playing in harmony, with each musician contributing his or her best to the piece. Just as the conductor is responsible for the quality of the music, we as teachers are responsible for the quality of community that develops in our classrooms. What we expect, model, and create becomes the reality. Children will rise to our expectations of the kinds of caring and learning that should go on."
Read More
Fisher, Bobbi. 1995. Thinking and Learning Together: Curriculum and Community in a Primary Classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Marie Clay 1997.Becoming Literate: The Construction of Inner Control Heinemann.
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| Student Objectives |
Students will
- listen to the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes.
- discuss the story concentrating on the importance of a name.
- fill in and decorate bingo cards.
- answer questions about themselves.
- have the opportunity to participate in question-making decisions to be answered
by their classmates (see their ideas in print).
- recognize one another's names.
- listen to the answers of other students and learn more about one another.
- (optional) work cooperatively to play a game in the learning center.
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| Instructional Plan |
Resources
- Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
or a similar book that focuses on children's names and going to school. Other
books that will work for this lesson include Ashok by Any Other Name by
Sandra S. Yamate, The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi , and My Name Is
Yoon by Helen Recorvits.
- Blank bingo cards
- Chrysanthemum markers, or any classroom object (such as beans) to serve as markers during the game
- General art supplies (markers, pencils, crayons, stickers)
- Chart paper
- Class list
Preparation
- Copy blank bingo cards.
- Copy and cut out Chrysanthemum markers.
- Hang chart paper where everyone can see it.
Instruction and Activities
Session One
- Introduce Chrysanthemum to the class and read it aloud.
- Pass out blank bingo cards.
- Using your class list as a guide, call out every student's name on the list. Write every name on
the chart paper so that your students can copy the names. You may also wish to have name sticks so that you may draw names from a cup.
- Students write each name in a box of their choice on their bingo cards. Please note the names
must be written in the boxes randomly to prevent multiple bingos.
- Allow the students to individualize their cards by decorating them with markers, crayons, or other classroom materials.
- Collect bingo cards so that you can play the game during the next session.
Session Two
- Hand out bingo cards randomly to students. Explain the general rules for bingo so that students understand the game.
- Hand out plenty of Chrysanthemum markers for each student.
- Invite students to brainstorm 3 or 4 personal questions designed to get to know one another on the chart paper (for instance, What is your favorite color? What is your favorite book? Do you have any pets?)
- Begin the game by randomly calling out a student's name, or drawing a name stick from a cup.
- Students respond by placing their Chrysanthemum markers on the called name.
- The student whose name was called responds by answering one of the three questions on the chart paper.
- Continue to play until someone yells, "Bingo."
- The Name Bingo Game's twist is to reward the student who call bingo by giving them the opportunity
to think of another question to be written on the chart paper.
Web Resources
- DLTK's BINGO Instructions
http://www.dltk-cards.com/bingo/instructions.htm
- This page focuses on a game of animal bingo, demonstrating some alternate patterns for the game (such as creating a T, rather than a simple straight line).
- Babynamer
http://babynamer.com/
- Invite families to learn more about the popularity of their names. The site includes names rising in popularity, those being used less, most frequent boys’ and girls’ names by year and state, etc.
- Behind The Name
http://www.behindthename.com/
- Resource for first name derivations and name variations by country.
- U.S. Surname Distribution
http://www.hamrick.com/names/index.html
- Search for surname distribution in the United States based on census data of the 50,000 most common surnames.
- Social Security Administration
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/index.html
- Social Security Administration maintained website of the ten most popular baby names for every year since 1880.
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| Student Assessment/Reflections |
Use the following checklist to assess students' work:
- Did the student actively listen to the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes?
- Did
the student actively participate in the discussion of the story?
- Did the student
listen to and follow directions when filling in and decorating the
bingo cards?
- Did the student correctly copy the names of their classmates from the
chart onto the cards?
- Can the student identify the names of other students in the class?
- Did the student actively
participate in answering the questions during the game and/or creating
new questions to add to the list?
- Did the student actively listen to the responses
of others during the game?
- Can the student work cooperatively in small
groups to play the Name Game in a learning center?
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3 - Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
4 - Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
6 - Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
12 - Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
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