The Name Jar Book Companion

Create a welcoming and inclusive classroom community that celebrates diversity!

The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi is a great back-to-school read-aloud but is applicable during any time of the year.

Unhei, a young girl from Korea, faces many challenges when she moves to a new culture – including what to do about her name. Unhei’s new American classmates have difficulty pronouncing and understanding her Korean name, making her think she should choose a new one. Ultimately, Unhei learns to embrace her own name and shares it, its meaning, and her Korean culture with her new friends.

The Name Jar Book Companion

Our Book Companion includes

• discussion guides for before, during, and after reading
• an interactive Feelings Finder tool for students to identify and observe the main character’s feelings and how they change throughout the story.
• comparing our own feelings on the first day of school to the feelings of the main character
• exploring a variety of different feelings using emojis
• a comprehension crossword puzzle (with and without a word bank)
• reviewing alphabetical order and counting syllables using the names from the name jar
• an introduction to Hangul, the official writing system of Korea
• a home connection assignment for students to learn about their own names and add to a class display
• a Read Your World Map and Key to track global reading adventures all year

Browse additional teaching resources for The Name Jar – including an author read-aloud and art activity!

Related Post: Back-to-School Multicultural Read-Alouds