Skills Building: Always Anjali (PK-5)

Written by Sheetal Sheth and Illustrated by Jessica Blank

Pre Reading Questions

  1. Has anyone ever mispronounced your name?
  2. How does it feel when someone pronounces your name incorrectly?
  3. When you meet someone for the first time, how do you show respect?
  4. How does showing respect help you get to know others?
  5. Do you act the same way around someone you just met and a friend?


Post Reading Questions
 

  1. When Anjali visited the nameplate booth with her friends, her name was nowhere to be found. How do you think she felt? 
  2. What did Anjali do to get a nameplate for her bike?
  3. Have you ever felt like Anjali?
  4. Why are our names important?

Creative Enrichment Activity: Stain Glass Window Name Plates (Pre-K-5)

Overview: In the book Always Anjali, Anjali learned to celebrate the beauty of her name by creating her own nameplate for her bike. In this activity, students will create their own multi color nameplate. This will help us get to know each other better!

Materials

● Photocopies of the template. Download templates.
● Black Sharpies
● Black felt tip pens
● Pencils
● Color pencils

Duration: 45 minutes

● 2 minutes – Introduce the activity
● 3 minutes – Students choose their templates
● 5 minutes – Students write their names in pencil on the template and then trace it
● 25 minutes – Students color in their name plates
● 5 minutes – Clean up
● 5 minutes – Reflect

Instructions

  1. Before the activity, create photocopies of all of the blank templates. Allow older students to choose their template design based on their name.
  2. Create copies of the black and white example to leave on each table for student reference.
  3. Allow students to choose their templates. Use the one line template for younger students. 
  4. Instruct students to write their names in pencil on the template.
  5. Students trace their names with a Sharpie or thick black felt tip pen. Staff should help younger students with this task.
  6. Students can choose to create a more detailed pattern by drawing lines between each letter of their name. This activity works best when students use Sharpies to trace their names and dividing lines, and use a black felt tip pen to create the lines between each letter (see example).
  7. Students color in their name plates. (Note: if some students would prefer more time to finish their pieces, this is a good activity for later free time.)
  8. Students clean up.
  9. Reflect as a group or in small groups.

Reflection Questions

  • What do you like most about your name?
  • How does your name make you unique?
  • How are our nameplates similar and different?
  • Introduce yourself to three people and share your nameplate with them (even if it is not finished).