Genealogy Lesson Plans

Students participate in introductory level genealogical activities in this series of lessons. They complete the timeline and quiz online.

Students create a family tree. In this genealogy lesson, students research their family history and create a pictorial representation of their family tree. Students use the computer to design the layout and scan pictures.  

Learners determine whether their ancestors fought in the American Civil War. In this genealogy lesson, students interview family members and conduct Internet research to learn about their family histories. Learners create scrapbooks that feature the histories.

Students research their family history. In this genealogy lesson, students research their own family. Students use storyboarding to organize their information. After gathering information students create a Powerpoint presentation to present on parent night.

Students create a genealogy book tracing their heritage many generations back. They examine their own ethnicity, attitudes, and self-awareness. They examine new American trends regarding family structure and ethnicity.

Students study genetic lineages and explore several different DNA tests (admixture, mitochondrial DNA, and y-chromosome) that are used to trace genetic heritage. They watch a video, then use genealogical charts to trace genetic data.

Students discover more about conducting genealogical research on the challenges that their ancestors and others experienced during their immigration to Canada and their migration within Canada. They engage in a variety of creative activities.

Students complete a family tree.  In this farming and ranching lesson, students define the term genealogy, learn how to create a family tree, and fill in a family tree with the help of their parents making sure to note if any of their relatives work in agriculture.

Young scholars inquire about biology by participating in an oral presentation. In this genealogy lesson, students conduct family surveys and research in order to identify their family ancestry and roots. Young scholars create pie charts regarding their ancestral background and share their new found history with the class in an oral presentation.

Students discuss how Ida McKinley's parents immigrated to the United States from Europe. Individually, they use the internet to research the history of their own family. To end the lesson, they share their family's history with the class.