Name+Tag+Project+Notes+from+Steven

Name Tags

 * Day 1:** something about names, about the power of names, about how everything that is important has a name. Can you think of anything that does not have a name? Is there a good story about names? About somebody’s name? How they got it? Why it is important to them? Maybe homework that night is to find out the story of how they got their name. Read the Name Jar.


 * Day 2:** Share name stories (whoever could find out). Play name game. Maybe one with curtain, like Red Rover. Talk about our learning target of knowing everyone's name in the class. Then, not only do we all have names that we can say, we can also write them. We want every letter to honor the value of the person, so we can’t just make any letters -- we need to make really beautiful letters, so our names are as beautiful and perfect as we are.

Draw pieces of your name on the board (ie. draw the lines and curves that make up your name, but without connecting them to each other). Ask if anyone can guess what these are. Tell them that these are the pieces of your name. In fact, all the letters are made up of straight lines and curved lines. If we can learn to make really straight lines and beautiful curves, we can make any letter perfectly! So lets practice making straight lines and curved lines.

Let them come to board to practice. Big. Have class observe and critique. First, what do you like about the line? Is there part of it that looks really good? What makes it look good? Let them determine the criteria for straightness – no curves, no bumps, no slants, etc. If (line drawer) wanted to make it even straighter, what advice would you give him? Get first ideas from lower students.

Then you could hand out simple sheet to practice straight lines and curves. You will be establishing the idea of revision and multiple drafts, and the critique process.


 * Day 3:** Put up several work samples of lines from Day 2. Look at just the lines (not the curves). Pick examples that will get at how evenly they are spaced, how straight they are, lines that don't touch the top or bottom line, and all the lines are the same size. Ask students to talk about what they like about these lines. What makes the work neat and beautiful?

Make a list of what expert lines look like:


 * all lines are straight with no bends
 * no lines touch the top or bottom line
 * the lines are evenly spaced (same distance apart)
 * the lines are all the same size

Ask if anyone has suggestions of how to get your lines to look more like this. Try to get the suggestion of doing lines very lightly first, then making them darker and darker. If no one suggests it, teach it explicitly.

Connect to class promises of trying again and again until something gets better.

Have students work again on the line practice sheet (Draft 2).

At the end, have them share with a partner and tell each other one thing they notice that their partner did well.


 * Day 4:**

Put up a model of a beautiful first letter of your name, decorated with pictures and colors. Talk about what they like about it.

Model how you made it by using straight lines and curves. Use paper with some lines to help them place the letter well on the lines. (?) Show them using light little lines, darkening them until you "feel the straightness" or "feel the curve."

Tell them that when their letter is beautiful, they may start to decorate it. First they need to get feedback from a partner of one thing they did well and one thing to try. (Do this on the rug with everyone? Bring their drafts and model feedback, then have them try it? Or model it in front of the class, at their seats, then have them try it?) Sit them next to their partner so they can encourage each other while they work today.

Make a list of criteria for excellent letters.

Eventually, you will want them to put the straight lines and curves together to make the letters of their name. They could count the number of straight lines and curved lines in their name. It would be interesting to graph the number on a scatter plot – straight lines on the x axis and curves on the y. That is probably too complex, but you could graph the number of straight lines and curved lines separately. They could predict first which they think there will be more of. They will have to come to some agreement about what constitutes a line. Like, is an “S” 1 curve or 2? How about an “m?” will they make all capitals?

At some point they will write a first draft of their name. This would be another time to do a critique. Always first is what we like about the name. Maybe there is just 1 good letter, or even 1 good line. Whatever, we want to always look for examples of quality, even tiny ones. I would model with a few students (who I asked before hand, or who I knew wouldn’t be threatened) with the whole class, and determine the criteria for good name writing. Like, every letter honors the person - which means the straight lines are straight and the curves are curvy (you will have to see how much you can do with curves. Concepts of symmetry, of proportion, of size would all come into play. They will also come into play if you try to describe what makes a good letter. What are the criteria? Size, symmetry, shape, proportion, placement (on the line).

Once they have made their name beautiful, I would make some copies or let them tract a few copies so they can practice some different coloring patterns without starting over each time. (The letters should be thick so they can be read easily by guests who might come to visit.) Then, do you want to get into the idea of symbols? Of the use of color, and what different colors represent? Do you want them to think about their personality, chart words that describe themselves? Let others contribute word ideas? Then, what symbols might be good to portray that quality? What would be a symbol for courage? Strength? Patience? Joy? You could do a whole week on symbols, looking at many examples, etc. Then each student could pick a symbol to go on their name tag. Or maybe the border of their name tag will contain pictures of things they like to do? Or things that are important to them? You could take this as far as you wanted. You could connect it to the Habits of Mind. Look at the questions on the Social Justice Scope…Who am I? Where am I from? How am I shaped by my community? How do I shape my community? These could all be authentically addressed in the process of making my name tag. Maybe there is even a portfolio of work around exploring these questions, and the name tag is the culmination. Maybe there is a ceremony at the end, where they receive some token from you that represents their unique identity. Little plastic animals, seeds, rocks, etc. Or everyone gets the same thing – maybe a small wooden circle on a necklace to wear, or hang on a branch in the room. They put it on before they come to morning meeting each day. And hang it back up after. (Good way to take attendance.) Type in the content of your page here.

First, do only their name, no color. Once it is good enough, make multiple copies, or tracings, so they have lots of opportunities to practice color.

Name length: how to divide your card to fit your name well -- space

Materials:
 * pencils
 * colored pencils
 * felt tip pens
 * laminate, then put them on desks with contact paper
 * drafts: plain white paper
 * final products: nice paper from Steven

Criteria: (have posters for each of these)
 * backgrounds / colors: what makes good coloring?
 * no white space on your card?
 * you can't see the pencil lines you drew
 * letters
 * when everyone has the first draft, look at some and see what we like about them -- name criteria for what makes a good letter (get permission to put a kids' work up and get feedback - what do you like about it?) -- this begins to teach how to give helpful feedback that is specific and descriptive
 * size (big enough, relative size to each other)
 * symmetry (for symmetrical letters)
 * proportion (the cross on your T is the right proportion to the stem of your T)
 * shape

Mini-lessons:
 * coloring in
 * blending (challenge: you can't tell where one color ends and the next begins)
 * shading: darker to lighter (darker around the edges of name tag, lighter inside looks really good)
 * borders? decide later -- should connect to identity if we decide to do it
 * how to give specific feedback

=Revised Plans for Name Tag=
 * Step 1: Students do beautiful first letter (see above)
 * Step 2: Copy first letter onto second Fundations blown-up paper
 * no color
 * copy with black felt tip pin when it's beautiful so it can be traced
 * be excited about copying it on to the new paper - it's so beautiful we have to write the rest of your name to complete it
 * once it is on the big paper, decorate it with something that is special to you: something you love or is important to you (only pencil)
 * Step 3: Copy rest of name in pencil beautifully
 * one letter at a time
 * feedback
 * where lines begin and end
 * provide Fundations paper for guideline
 * adult standards must be the same (all adults in the room)
 * copy with black felt tip pen
 * Step 4: Do a final traced copy on plain white paper in paper
 * Step 5: Do a lesson on beautiful background in colored pencil
 * Step 5: Do a final traced copy in black pen on the background