What’s In a Name?
6th grade
etymology
Rotations 4&5
Winter/Spring 2014
et-y-mol-o-gy [et-uh-mol-uh-jee]
Library Class
–noun, plural -gies.
1.
the derivation of a word.
2.
an account of the history of a particular word or element of a word.
3.
the study of historical linguistic change, esp. as manifested in individual words.
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Big6 Skill 1 - Task Definition
Information requirements:
ONE: The meaning and etymology of one of your given names and one of your surnames (last name)
TWO: Information about a well known person with your given name or surname
THREE: Nicknames associated with any of your names and/or other nicknames by which you are known
FOUR: Something about how you came to have your given name
FIVE: Something special about one of your given names or surnames
SIX: Your feelings about your any of your names or about something you learned in the interview
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Big6 Skill 2 – Information Seeking Strategies
Recommended resources:

Parent interview (required)
 Given Name - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Given_name#Origin_of_given_names
 Family Name
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_name
 Spanish Surnames - Meanings & Origins
http://genealogy.about.com/cs/surname/a/spanish_names.htm
 Behind the Name: a history and etymology of first names
http://www.behindthename.com/
 The Internet Surname Database
http://www.surnamedb.com/
 Behind the Name: a history and etymology of surnames
http://surnames.behindthename.com/

Hispanic Apodos (Nicknames): Profession, Affection, and Physical Characteristics
http://www.mexicofile.com/hispanicapodosnicknamesprofessionaffectionandphysicalcharacteristics.htm
 Appendix:Spanish diminutives of given names
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Spanish_diminutives_of_given_names
 GenealogyToday.com Nicknames
http://www.genealogytoday.com/genealogy/enoch/nicknames.html
Big6 Skill 3 – Location and Access
Using desktop computers, students locate selected information resources and access information within
those sources to meet the information requirements of this project.
Students arrange an interview with one or more parents and ask questions.
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Big6 Skill 4 – Use of Information
Students utilize provided interview forms to take notes of parent responses to interview questions.
Students read, re-read, and analyze items found in recommended information resources. Students take
notes using provided graphic organizers or a Google Drive document to meet information
requirements.
Students search for relevant images for use in their slides presentations. Relevant images are saved in
Google Drive documents. Students copy and paste image URL’s into their Google Drive documents.
Students generate citations using Son of Citation Machine. Citations are copied and pasted into their
Google Drive documents.
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Big6 Skill 5 – Synthesis
Using iPads, students create logically organized Keynote presentations in which they integrate research
findings, parent interview responses, relevant images, and all other information required in this project.
Students may also choose to create their slideshows in Google Drive. Presentation slides feature
minimal text in a large font size and relevant images.
Students create bibliography slides and photo credits slides, copying and pasting citations and photo
URL’s from their Google Drive documents.
Students capture photos of their completed slides and import them into Voicethread (using usernames
and passwords provided by the teacher). Students may also use the iPad application Doodle Buddy to
generate images or text to support their presentation.
Students write a brief “script” for each slide and read these “scripts” aloud. Using Voicethread, students
make audio recordings of these scripts. Links to completed student voicethreads are posted on the
project page for easy sharing.
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Big6 Skill 6 – Evaluation
Throughout the project students utilize the assessment rubric to be sure to meet all the requirements of
the project (evaluation of product).
In all interactions with the teacher throughout the project, students will identify which Big6 skill or
skills they are engaged in at the moment (evaluation of process).