Race and Ethnicity
The Name Jar
Summary: As if being the new kid at school isn’t hard enough, imagine the difficulty in fitting in when no one at your school can pronounce your name! Unhei (pronounced Yoon-Hey) and her family have just moved to the United States from Korea. On her very first interaction with students, Unhei is teased about her name. So in order to avoid further embarrassment, Unhei evades introducing herself to her classmates and announces to her class that she will choose a name sometime in the following week. Unhei’s classmates were captivated at the thought of a girl with no name, therefore, they decided to help her out by filling a class jar with names for her to choose from. Unhei pulled out several names from that the jar that she thought were interesting such as Miranda, Stella and Avery, but no name seemed to be a perfect fit for Unhei. Unhei’s secret is exposed when one of her classmates discovers her real name and the special meaning behind it. On the day that Unhei was going to choose her new name from the name jar, the jar had mysteriously disappeared from her desk at school. Unhei and her classmates searched for the jar, but it couldn’t be found. Instead of choosing a name from the name jar, Unhei was encouraged by her classmates to choose her own unique Korean name. Unhei agrees and helps her new friends pronounce her name.
Critical Review
Strengths: The author and illustrator, Yangsook Choi, grew up in Korea, therefore the Korean culture revealed throughout the story is accurate and personal. This text explores the concept of multiculturism and appreciating culture and identity. The depiction of a Korean character in children’s literature is considerably infrequent, and Choi does an excellent job at portraying an accurate description of a young Korean girl coming to the United States and struggling with her identity. Young readers can relate to the protagonist in the struggle of fitting in and embracing your culture in a new and unfamiliar environment. By the end of the text, with support from her classmates, the main character, Unhei, learns to embrace her culture and identity. This confidence from Unhei paves the way for acceptance and celebration of Korean culture in her predominantly white classroom.
Awards:
A California Young Reader Medal nominee
A Best of the Best by the Chicago Public Library
An IRA Teachers' Choice
PBS Reading Rainbow Selection
An ABA Kids' Pick of the List
A California Young Reader Medal nominee
A Best of the Best by the Chicago Public Library
An IRA Teachers' Choice
PBS Reading Rainbow Selection
An ABA Kids' Pick of the List
Weaknesses: This text explores the concepts of identify and culture, however, the story lacks a depiction that could have been included in order to reach a larger audience. One major issue that can be addressed is the lack of ELL or bilingual notions that could have greatly benefitted the story. The main character, Unhei, just recently immigrated from Korea, yet not once in the story does she speak Korean. Also, Unhei never addresses the struggle of culture shock or the language barrier she may have experienced throughout the text.
Classroom Connections
Main Theme: There are a variety of themes that present themselves throughout “The Name Jar”. The predominant theme, however, is identity. The main character of the story, Unhei, struggles with her identify throughout most of the story. At the beginning of the text, she is confident that her classmates are going to be unaccepting of her Korean name. Therefore, to avoid embarrassment, Unhei keeps her name a secret to her classmates. By the end of the story, Unhei discovers that she shouldn’t be ashamed of her name or her culture. She discovers that your name is what makes you unique from everyone else.
Activities: Considering the main theme of the text is identity, an activity where students research the origin or their names seems appropriate. After reading “The Name Jar”, students are given a worksheet that contains questions about their name. On this "name sheet" students will write about their name, where they think their name came from and whether or not they would change their name. After completing the name sheet, students will complete an “at home” portion of the sheet. After discussion with their family members, students will complete a quick narrative about their feelings of their name now that they have background knowledge behind the meaning of their name. Students will then return the worksheet back to school, and present their writings to the class.
Additional Resources
Yangsook Choi Official Website
This is the official website of the author Yangsook Choi. The website includes all of her other books, illustrations, events and contact information.
https://www.yangsookchoi.com/about/
The Name Jar Book Activity by Stephanie Krahn
This lesson plan on Teachers Pay Teachers involves student research on the origin of their names.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Name-Jar-book-activity-291813
It's a Good Book! The Name Jar Review
This website includes a critical analysis and review of the text "The Name Jar."
http://itsagoodbook.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-name-jar-by-yangsook-choi.html
This is the official website of the author Yangsook Choi. The website includes all of her other books, illustrations, events and contact information.
https://www.yangsookchoi.com/about/
The Name Jar Book Activity by Stephanie Krahn
This lesson plan on Teachers Pay Teachers involves student research on the origin of their names.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Name-Jar-book-activity-291813
It's a Good Book! The Name Jar Review
This website includes a critical analysis and review of the text "The Name Jar."
http://itsagoodbook.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-name-jar-by-yangsook-choi.html
The Other Side
Summary: A young African-American girl named Clover lives in a segregated town with a giant fence that separates the white and black communities. Clover’s mother instructs her to never climb to the other side of the fence. On one summer day, Clover notices a little white girl on the other side of the fence. Clover discovers the girl's name is Annie. Neither girl is allowed to cross the fence, so they simply decide to sit on the fence together. Before they know it, a friendship begins to bloom and the fence that used to be a barrier between them no longer stands a chance.
Critical Review
Strengths: The author, Jacqueline Woodson has been well know to be one of the first children's literature authors to routinely portray an African American protagonist in her texts. As a young reader, Woodson began to notice that none of the characters in the stories she was reading looked like her. Therefore, she began creating children's stories that had diverse portrayals of characters. Woodson grew up as an African American girl in the 1960's, therefore her struggles with segregation and discrimination are an accurate perspective. Through the voice of a child, Woodson allows her readers to experience segregation first hand as two little girls question the giant fence that separates their communities. The text explores the innocent nature of children, and the powerful impact of friendship. Throughout the text, the fence is portrayed as a silent, yet powerful representation of segregation. Although segregation is a difficult topic for most young readers to comprehend, this text is a great introduction into the perspective of segregation in history. Woodson sends a powerful message of how anyone, including young children can have the power to knock down barriers that separate we as humans. What was originally a barrier made to separate two worlds, becomes a peaceful perch where new friendships can be made. Through Woodson's words, two little girls show us as readers that racism and segregation cannot overcome the power of friendship.
"Someday somebody's going to come along and knock this old fence down," Annie said. And I nodded. "Yeah", I said. "Someday."
Awards:
ALA Notable
Riverbank Review Children’s Book of Distinction
Texas Blue Bonnet List
School Library Journal Best Book
Booklist Editor’s Choice
New York Public Library’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
2001 Time of Wonder Award
IRA Teacher’s Choices 2002
2004 Louisiana Young Reader’s Choice Award (Honor)
2003-2004 Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Master List California Young Reader Medal Nominee
2003-2004 South Carolina Book Award Nominee
ALA Notable
Riverbank Review Children’s Book of Distinction
Texas Blue Bonnet List
School Library Journal Best Book
Booklist Editor’s Choice
New York Public Library’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
2001 Time of Wonder Award
IRA Teacher’s Choices 2002
2004 Louisiana Young Reader’s Choice Award (Honor)
2003-2004 Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Master List California Young Reader Medal Nominee
2003-2004 South Carolina Book Award Nominee
Weaknesses: The weaknesses, (if any), in this story would be that the message of the text is too advanced for young readers to comprehend. The concept of segregation if often a difficult realization to grasp for younger elementary students.
Classroom Connections
Main Theme: : The predominant theme of “The Other Side” is segregation. The central metaphor of the story is the giant fence that separates the white and black communities in a small rural town. The fence portrays a silent, yet powerful representation of segregation.
Activities: Together, the teacher and students will explore and explain the moral message that is portrayed in “The Other Side.” The teacher will encourage students to comprehend and implement the values shared throughout the story such as respect towards others, acceptance and the power of friendship. Students will create a journal and throughout the following week, students will write down all of the acts of kindness such as friendship and respect that they either committed or witnessed throughout the week. At the end of the week, students will share their journal entries with the class.
Additional Resources
Jacqueline Woodson Official Website
This is the official website of the author Jacqueline Woodson. The website includes Woodson's biography, all of her books, social media, events and contact information.
https://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/
This is the official website of the author Jacqueline Woodson. The website includes Woodson's biography, all of her books, social media, events and contact information.
https://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/
E.B. Lewis Official Website
This is the official website of the illustrator, E.B. Lewis. The website includes Lewis's illustrations, books he has written, events and contact information.
http://eblewis.com/
This is the official website of the illustrator, E.B. Lewis. The website includes Lewis's illustrations, books he has written, events and contact information.
http://eblewis.com/
A Symbolic View of Segregation by Mary Blow
Educator Mary Blow talks about the powerful messages sent through "The Other Side" and how the text can be used for a civil rights introduction and exploration of how youths throughout history used their voices to speak out against socially unjust worlds.
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/mary-blow/17-18/The-Other-Side-by-Jacqueline-Woodson-A-Symbolic-View-of-Segregation/
Educator Mary Blow talks about the powerful messages sent through "The Other Side" and how the text can be used for a civil rights introduction and exploration of how youths throughout history used their voices to speak out against socially unjust worlds.
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/mary-blow/17-18/The-Other-Side-by-Jacqueline-Woodson-A-Symbolic-View-of-Segregation/