Title – Family Tree

By – Dawn Pawlowski

Primary Subject – Social Studies

Grade Level – 5-12

Objectives:

Students will…

(1) Identify different types of connections that exist within his/her family,

(2) Chart his/her family tree,

(3) Explain his/her family tree, and

(4) Create a personal key/legend for family tree

Materials Needed: poster board, glue, makers/colored pencils/crayons, scissors, rulers, pencils, and book(s) of world flags

Before the Lesson…

(1) Send home a note to parents explaining the lesson to parents. Ask parents to help students with collecting names, birth dates, wedding anniversaries, etc. of family members. Students should also bring in pictures of family members to glue to the family tree. Note: make sure to tell parents and students that the pictures will be cut and glued to the family tree and therefore will not be returned.

(2) Create your own family tree to show as an example. Make sure to include full names, birthdates, death dates, anniversary dates, and your ancestral flag(s). Laminate the family tree to keep it in good condition.

(3) Create a rubric to grade family tree.

Step-by-Step Tasks:

(1) Introduce students to family trees by showing them your personal family tree. Explain family connections and how everyone is related. Show students your legend and how you identified connections: marriages, multiple marriages, divorces, adoptions, step-family members, etc.

(2) Some students may be apprehensive towards creating a family tree because their families are “broken”. Have a discussion with students about how families are different because of these connections. Allow students to create their own ways to visually identify connections.

(3) Discuss the difference between nationality and ethnicity. Share your ethnic background; what country(ies) did your family come from? Show students the world flags book(s) and demonstrate how to find a flag for a particular country.

(4) Hand out the necessary materials to draw family tree: poster board, glue, makers/colored pencils/crayons, scissors, rulers, pencils, and book(s) of world flags. Have students work individually on creating their family trees. In order to include flags on the family trees, have students freehand by copying from book. Other options for including flags would be (1) printing a small picture of the flag(s) off the Internet or (2) using overhead transparencies and an overhead projector to trace the flag(s).

(5) Allow students more than one day in class to finish their family tree or assign for homework.

Additional Activities:

(1) Using a large world map and sticker dots, have students plot what county(ies) their family came from.

(2) Have students tell one of their family stories in front of the class.

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Dawn Pawlowski

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