First+Person+Inquiry+Application-HK

A) The first person I decided to talk to about my name was my mother. She told me a little story. When the first member of the Klauka family escaped from Germany to Ellis Island, the spelling of his name was changed from Klauke to Klauka. Deciding not to change the name, the rest of the family still pronounced their name the same way, but spelled it differently. The later generations (starting around the time of my own father) began pronouncing it with the "a." It's roots definitely come from Germany. When I asked my mother about my given name, she said that she liked the name Hailee because of Haley's comet. She also said that she liked last names as first names. For example, the author of //Roots,// Alex Haley, was another influence of my name. I unfortunately found no sources online for my Surname. Everything led to dead ends that had very little information about my name. Spending an hour online began to be very frustrating because it seems to be extremely lacking in actual information. I had to talk to family members to find any information at all. However, apparently a distant member of the family has done research on our family genealogy, so I will hopefully know more soon!

B) Class Activity Students could begin with a freewrite where they can share anything they know about their name: the origin, possible meanings/associations, why their given name is what it is,etc. After this, they could go into the library and computer lab to research any information they could find on their name. Following this activity, they could create a graphic representation of their name. They could use pictures, printouts, and any other resources to share what they have learned about their name. These posters could be put up around the room to share how all our names have evolved!