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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Were Your Ancestors in 1871?

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Here is a nicely designed lesson on ancestry and family history. In it, learners read an article entitled, "Where Were Your Ancestors in 1871?" Then, they make up a series of questions to profile their family and their community 100...
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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

How to Make Homework Meaningful

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Enrich classroom experiences and engage young learners by assigning purposeful, student-centered homework activities.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Family Portraits

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Here is a lengthy series of lessons that utilize the artwork of Robert Harris in order to have learners look at family portraits and examine their own relationship to their family. Many excellent learning experiences are built into these...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Family Tree

For Teachers K - 4th
A unique twist on a family tree project is a fun alternative to the traditional family tree drawing. This 3D family tree would make a great display for back to school night or open house. Presenting all the important people in their...
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Lesson Plan
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Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation

Interview a Family or Community Member: Taking Oral Histories

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Young scholars gain insight into how historians record events by engaging in an oral history project. In preparation, class members brainstorm open-ended interview questions and take part in and debrief a mock interview simulation....
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Evaluating a Needlework Sampler as Historical Evidence

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Needlework isn't just for home decor; it can also help record family history. Academics analyze a needlework sampler to understand how they were used to record marriages and births. The activity includes a series of written questions,...
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Lesson Plan
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PBS

Family History: On Your Honor

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
What is your history? Scholars work with their own families to create a unique story of the courage and bravery of their ancestors. The third and final part of the series culminates in a creation of not just a family history, but a...
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Lesson Plan
1
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PBS

Family History: Those with Lofty Ideals

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Would you stand up for your beliefs, no matter the cost? Scholars investigate their own families to uncover examples of how and when someone stood up for their ideals. Using video clips, interviews, and eulogies, they come to understand...
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Lesson Plan
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Museum of Tolerance

Quilt Activity

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
After completing the first five lessons from the series, scholars assemble their quilt pieces to create a family history quilt. They then rate their experience of learning about their families by conducting interviews, creating family...
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Lesson Plan
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Museum of Tolerance

Artifact Research Activity

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Artifacts give us the privilege of learning about the past, may it be family, culture, or traditions. Here, class members learn about their family's past with the help of an artifact, or family heirloom. Once an artifact is discovered,...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Museum of Tolerance

Oral History Activity

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Oral history has brought a multitude of lessons, stories, and factoids to our current knowledge of the past. Let us continue to use oral history traditions through a lesson that encourages pupils to discover and appreciate where they...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Museum of Tolerance

Cultural Research Activity

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Class members explore cultural diversity through a variety of texts that showcase the importance of traditions. Then, they interview their family members to research their own cultural background and write their findings on quilt pieces....
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Museum of Tolerance

Family Tree Activity

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Discover the family histories that make the classroom with a family tree activity. Scholars locate information about their family, construct a family tree, and work together to tally where family members are born.  
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Organizer
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Curriculum Corner

Family Coat of Arms

For Students K - 6th
Make doing homework a family affair with a get-to-know-you activity that brings families together to create a coat of arms. With the assistance of their parents or guardians, pupils complete the coat of arms with drawings of their...
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Printables
Student Handouts

Coat of Arms

For Students K - 8th
What would be on your family's coat of arms? Complete a template with the images that represent your family. Decorate the coat of arms and display in your classroom after your class has finished.
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Lesson Plan
National Gallery of Canada

The Roots of My Family

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Represent family history visually by requiring your young artists to create family trees that express balance and symmetry. Pupils examine works of art, research their family histories, and put together large family tree posters.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pedro Menéndez de Avilés

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Partners examine the family tree of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, a Spanish admiral and explorer who founded St. Augustine, Florida, and answer several questions about the text using a worksheet. After they've explored the family tree,...
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Activity
Curated OER

Family Tree Project

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Practice family-related vocabulary and adjectives with an enjoyable poster project. Class members use the provided vocabulary and original adjectives to describe each family member and their own relationship to each person. Require...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Family Traditions, Customs and Beliefs

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students discuss African childhood, explore family traditions, customs, and beliefs, examine African recipes, discuss differences or similarities in food preparation between the U.S. and Africa, and prepare a dish with adult supervision.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Keepers

For Teachers 1st - 4th
What are some things you think are special enough to keep? Discussing special things launches young learners into reading Keepers. They investigate related vocabulary and practice before, during, and after reading comprehension...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Drama: The New Friends

For Teachers 2nd
Reader's Theater is a great way to build fluency, intonation, and dramatic flare. The class reads the theater piece, "The New Friends" paying attention to how they express emotion and feeling as they read. They discuss the use of plot,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Role Models

For Teachers 1st
First graders identify heroes by researching their family history. In this personal heritage lesson, 1st graders define the term "hero" and the characteristics that represent it. Students research family resources and family trees in...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Reading Questions: Alex Haley's "My Furthest Back Person: The African"

For Students 8th - 12th
Based on Alex Haley's moving essay "My Furthest Back Person: The African," these 11 questions support comprehension and prepare readers for discussion of the text. Use this tool, and the essay, as a nonfiction addition to units on...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Tracing Our Own Family Pilgrimages

For Teachers K - 4th
The Pilgrims may have arrived in North America by way of the Mayflower, but chances are, your class members' ancestors came to the United States in another way. Guide them through an exploration of their own heritage, countries of...