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My Name Story

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My Name Story

Explore how a name can carry memory, culture, sound and change. You may write about your own name, a name you use, or invent a character and write their story. Share only what you feel comfortable sharing. Use the model text to notice how details and reflection can give a name story meaning.

Read the model

When Finn was born, her koro suggested her name. He said it carried the idea of love, but the word mattered for more than its meaning. He had chosen it because it sounded like the first warm rain after a dry summer: gentle, then suddenly everywhere. Finn used to wish her name were shorter. At school, people sometimes stumbled over it, and she learned to answer before they had finished asking. One day, a new student paused, listened carefully and said it correctly. The moment was small, but it changed how Finn heard her own name. It was not a test she had to pass. It was a sound someone had taken time to learn. Years later, she still liked the rain comparison best. It reminded her that a name could begin as somebody else's choice and become part of her own story.

1.In the model, who suggested Finn’s name, and what meaning did he connect to it?

2.What comparison did Finn’s koro use to describe the sound of her name? Explain what this comparison helps the reader imagine.

3.Which event changes how Finn hears her own name?

Her koro explains the meaning again.
A new student takes time to say it correctly.
She decides to choose a shorter name.
She hears the rain after a dry summer.

4.The model suggests that a name can begin as someone else’s choice and become part of a person’s own story. In your own words, explain what this idea means.

5.Finn’s feelings about her name are mixed at first. Find one detail that shows difficulty and one that shows a shift in her feelings.

Plan your own name story

Choose a real name you are comfortable exploring or invent a character and name. You do not need to know a name’s official meaning: you can write about its sound, associations or an imagined meaning. Build a small story around a moment of discovery or change.

6.Make a quick story plan. Note the name, one person or source connected to it, one detail about its sound or meaning, and a moment when the character’s view of it changes. Invent details if you prefer.

7.Write the opening of your name story (about 80–120 words). Begin with a specific moment, image or line of dialogue rather than a list of facts. Include at least one sensory detail.

8.Add a reflective ending (about 40–60 words). Show how the character’s understanding of the name has changed, or what they still wonder about it.

9.Revise one sentence from your draft. Write the original sentence, then improve it using a precise verb, image or sound detail. If you have not drafted yet, create and revise a sentence now.

Sketch a small symbol, object or setting detail that could appear in your story. Label it with a few words explaining its connection to the name.