The Story of My Name: Microsoft Flip Activity
Objectives
• Use Microsoft Flip to share about the meaning and importance of their names
• Practice empathy and respectful communication by listening to and appreciating their classmates' stories
Supporting Research
Culturally-responsive teaching practices, such as respecting students’ names and the connection to their histories, identities, and cultures, help create a more inclusive, welcoming classroom environment in which all students feel validated and welcomed. Furthermore, creating this sense of belonging has a powerful impact on students’ academic and social development. Educators should encourage students to practice self-awareness as they share about their names, and perspective taking and inclusivity as they seek to learn more about their peers’ identities from their stories.
To learn more about these skills, and how they promote students’ healthy growth and the development of empathy, please check out our Empathy Framework.
Materials
Activity Partners
Educator Note
This activity is hosted on Microsoft Flip. If you are new to this platform, begin by creating a group with your students, then post this pre-made topic in your group. Make sure to turn on the setting that allows students to view and respond to each other's videos!
If you are planning to use this topic with your own students, click on the “+Add Topic” button to post it to your group, and prompt students to record a video responding to the topic. Then, they can view and comment on their peers’ videos.
If you are planning to use this topic to connect your classroom with another classroom, invite your partner educator to join your group as a co-lead and add students from both classes to the group so they can see what others are posting, add comments, and respond to each other.
Instructions
1. Introduce the activity to students. You might say: “Everyone has a name with a special story and meaning. Today, we’ll be sharing our stories with each other. When we listen to our classmates' stories, let's be kind and respectful, and celebrate what makes us each unique.”
2. Follow the instructions in the educator note above to create a group on Microsoft Flip, and add your students to the group.
Then, post the activity topic in your group, which invites students to record a video sharing about their name and what it means to them. Then, students will respond to their peers’ videos by recording a video or typing a comment.
3. Afterwards, guide students to reflect on their experience by asking the following questions:
- How did you feel when you shared about your name?
- What did you discover about your classmates from the videos that they shared?
- Were there any similarities between your stories, or any interesting differences that you noticed?
- What can we learn about someone from their name?
- How do our names make us feel connected to our families, cultures, or backgrounds?