Storytime & Artmaking: Alma and How She Got Her Name

Take inspiration from Juana Martinez-Neal's book Alma and How She Got Her Name to create your own name drawing. (While this activity is inspired by a book, you do not need to read the book to do the activity.)

Los niños y sus cuidadores escuharán el libro Alma y comó obtuvo su nombre por Juana Martinez-Neal y crearán dibujo de tu nombre basado en el libro. Dirigido a niños de 3 a 6 años, ¡pero todos son bienvenidos!

About the Book

If you ask her, Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela has way too many names: six! How did such a small person wind up with such a large name? Alma turns to Daddy for an answer and learns of Sofia, the grandmother who loved books and flowers; Esperanza, the great-grandmother who longed to travel; José, the grandfather who was an artist; and other namesakes, too. As she hears the story of her name, Alma starts to think it might be a perfect fit after all—and realizes that she will one day have her own story to tell. Watch Read Aloud by DSEA Literacy Channel

Getting Started

  • Alma learns about her family’s interests, talents, and accomplishments. What are some of your interests, talents, and accomplishments?
  • What do you want to be known for?

Empezando

  • Alma aprende sobre los intereses, talentos y logros de su familia. ¿Cuáles son algunos de sus intereses, talentos y logros?
  • ¿Qué quieres ser conocido por?

Materials

  • Paper
  • Pen
  • Pencil
  • Eraser
  • Markers, colored pencils, or crayons

Materiales

  • Papel
  • Pluma
  • Lápiz
  • Goma de borrar
  • Marcadores, crayolas, o lápiz de color

Artmaking Activity

1. Write your name on a piece of paper. (Make sure to leave extra space between each letter so you have room to make them into block letters.)

Actividad

1. Escribe tu nombre en el papel. (Asegúrate de dejar más espacio entre cada letra para que tenga espacio para convertirlas en letras de bloque.)

2. Using the line letters as a guide, create block letter shapes around them.

2. Usando las letras de línea como guía, cree una forma de bloque alrededor.

3. Trace your block letter shapes with your pen.

3. Con tu pluma traza tus formas.

4. Now erase your line letters.

4. Ahora borre las letras de línea.

5. Fill in your block letter shapes with symbols that represent your interests, talents, and accomplishments.

5. Complete tus formas con símbolos que representen su interés, talentos, y logros.

6. Decorate your background. You can include symbols of what you would like to be known for!

6. Dibujar el fondo. ¡Puede incluir símbolos que representa lo que le gustaría ser conocido!

Vocabulary

Shape: a two-dimensional space contained within lines

Line: a mark made using a drawing tool (there are many types of lines, including thick, thin, horizontal, vertical, curved, and many more)

Symbols: a thing that represents or stands for something else

Vocabulario

Forma: un espacio bidimensional contenido dentro de líneas

Línea: una marca hecha con un instrumento de dibujo (hay muchos tipos de líneas: gruesas, delgadas, horizontales, verticales, curvas y muchas más)

Símbolos: una cosa que representa otra cosa