1. IDENTITY AND NAMES Wuhan University, 2005 Jenise Rowekamp

2. Warm-Up What are three words that are most important in identifying YOU? Choose one from each category. Innate characteristic (e.g. female, tall, etc.) Associated with a place or institution (e.g. American, university student, etc.) Associated with a talent, experience or relationship (e.g. teacher, daughter, soccer player, etc.)

3. What’s in a Name? Do you know what your name means? What is the history of your family name? How do you feel about your given name(s)? How did your parents choose your name?

4. My Name by Sandra Cisneros 1.The name of the person narrating the story is _______________. 2.She is named after _______________. 3.In English her name means_________. 4.In Spanish her name means ________. 5.Both she and her great-grandmother are called “horse woman” because ______. 6.She would like to baptize herself under a new name, such as ______________.

5. My Name by Sandra Cisneros 1.Why doesn’t the narrator like her name? 2.What does she know about her great- grandmother’s life and what does she wonder about it? 3.How does the narrator use comparison and contrast to talk about her name? Who is she comparing/contrasting to?

6. My Name by Sandra Cisneros 1.The narrator say her name in English sound different that in Spanish? What does your name sound like in Chinese? English? 2.Do you have a nickname? English name? How did you get it? Choose it? 3.If you could change your name, what would you change it to and why?

7. Identity and Poetry Listen to each poem and in groups of three describe each character or characters. How do they compare? WE REAL COOL by Gwendolyn Brooks I, Too, Sing America by Langston Hughes

8. Speech Topics Who are you? What makes you different from your parents, your friend, or the person who cooks your food? My name makes me special, it makes me ME. I wouldn’t like to know someone who has the same name as me or change my name. I would change my name to help my career. If I decided to become and actor or a musician or to move to another country I’d definitely change my name.

9. Speech Topics continued… A name is just what people call you. It is not really important. People don’t like you or NOT like you because of your name. But _________ IS a really important important part of your identity. Changing your name means changing who you are. I would never change my name, even if I got married or moved to another country. My name is part of me,. Changing my name means changing who I am.