Description: Introductions; name tags written in bubble letters and decorated with animal and food items corresponding to the first letter of the student’s name.
Objective: Students and teacher have an opportunity to learn one another’s names and to equate written language with visual symbols. This understanding will help encourage students to write.
Author: Kristin, edit by Blair
Grade level or Target Age Range: Elementary
Historical Art Examples or References: Egyptian hieroglyphics
Vocabulary: Symbolism
Materials: Pencil, color pencils, and paper
Anticipatory Set: Acknowledge the difficulty in remembering new friends’ names. Student introductions through a memory/name game, in which students one-by-one state their names as well as an animal and a food that both begin with the same first letter. Students then recall and recite the names, animals, and foods of each student before them in order.
Demo/Directions:
- Show students an example of a name tag, symbolism and hieroglyphs. Review definitions.
(5 minutes) - Have students play memory/name game described in anticipatory set.
(15 minutes) - Students then work individually to create their names in bubble letters. Offer students the option of either filling each bubble letter with symbols that start with the same letter or drawing the food and animal symbols on either side of their name.
-Remind students to share materials.
-While students are working, review historical significance of project.
-Offer variations on letter shading. For example, students may shade the letters from dark (top of letter) to light (bottom) and vice versa, alternating by letter. (20 minutes) - Practice learning students’ names by singing a name song with the class or dismissing students by name.
(10 minutes)