Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Why is naming a significant event in a child’s life?

Teaching Suggestion: It may be helpful to take a class survey based on the following questions: How many are named after a parent? How many are named after a family member? How many have biblical or religious names? How many use nicknames? How many are aware of the source of their name? How many know the meaning of their name? How many have names that reflect gender or culture in some way? It may be beneficial to lead students to discuss the class survey results before responding to the short answer question.

You might also lead students to consider the burden of negative naming. Provide students with the following list of baby names: Adolf, Benito, Cain, Delilah, Jezebel, Judas, Khan, Lenin, Manson, Mao, and Pilate. Lead them to discuss what they know about famous people with these names. Then, ask them to consider the possible effects of naming a baby after one of these figures.

• This article from NBC News explains the complicated history of African American naming.