Curated OER
Family Portraits
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...
J. Paul Getty Trust
Narrating a Family Tradition
After examining a piece of art, scholars discuss what they see, paying close attention to details and space. A read-aloud introduces the topic of family traditions. Pupils interview their family members about a tradition in preparation...
Curated OER
Passing Down Family History Through Oral Tradition: Corridos
Students create and perform Corridos which are oral tradition ballads. In this Passing Down Family History Through Oral Tradition instructional activity, students interview family members using a predetermined list of questions. In...
Education World
Family Travels- Making Memory Book
For this family travel learning exercise, learners collect mementos of a family trip which they arrange in a notebook. They include photos, drawings, and family interviews in the book. They write about their favorite part of the trip on...
Curated OER
Family Fables, Facts, and Other True Stories
Learners conduct an interview about their family with their parents and/or grandparents. They write a story based on interview facts and create a presentation for the class.
Curated OER
Long Ago & Maybe Far Away
Students organize and make plans to interview their relatives about their family history and view any heirlooms, diaries or photographs their relatives may have kept over the years. They write and illustrate the story of their family's...
San Francisco Symphony
Heritage Song
Learning how to compare and contrast is a core skill. Learners compare two music selections that showcase a specific heritage. They draw and discuss how each song and the composers of each song used their personal heritage as...
Curated OER
Autobiography and Interviews
Students prepare for a visit to a retirement home using a personal time-line. For this personal time-line lesson, students ask their family members for help in making the time-line. They write an autobiography that will be used in a...
Curated OER
Cultural Comparisons Interview
Students interview a family member and give an oral report. In this oral history lesson, students create interview questions relevant to an American historical period. Students interview a family member and present an oral report to the...
Curated OER
Creating Identity Posters
Students discover the identities of their classmates. In this tolerance lesson, students create individual posters showcasing their identity, history, and family background. Students examine the posters to get a better...
Teaching Tolerance
Community Spotlight Cards
Not all heroes wear capes—or cleats. Class members identify unsung heroes in their schools or towns for interviews, then create trading cards. A celebration including presentations or trading of cards completes their investigation of...
Teaching Tolerance
Identity Self-Portraits
What symbols represent you best? Individuals consider how they would draw peers using symbols about their identities with an interview and art activity. After conducting interviews and portraits, the art makes a great centerpiece for...
Curated OER
Naming Traditions
Students get to know each other better and research their family and community history. After students research their own and their parents' names, they notice names in literature, history, and other studies and know more about these names.
Curated OER
"Flip-it" - Where Do I Go From Here?
Twelfth graders interview themselves reflecting on various topics. In this self-reflection lesson, 12th graders video tape four different interviews throughout the year of themselves discussing various topics, with the last prompt...
Curated OER
How About a Hand?
Learners experience a shared reading regarding the importance of feeling like a valued member of the community within a family. In this family member feelings lesson, students discuss the feelings and the motives of the characters....
Denver Art Museum
From Generation to Generation
Kids find out through art analysis and discussion that a plate isn't always just a plate, but the product of pottery skills passed down from generation to generation. After considering the skill and art of pottery, they interview a...
Curated OER
Pros and Cons: A Childcare Debate
Young scholars research prevailing attitudes and Rousseau's position on child rearing in the 18th century. They consider attitudes toward motherhood and childcare in our own culture through interviews with peers and family members.
Classics for Kids
Instrumental Sounds
What sound does a piccolo make? What's the difference between a violin and viola? What family does a timpani belong to? Take a tour through the different sections of an orchestra with an interactive reference tool.
J. Paul Getty Trust
Picturing a Story: Photo Essay about a Community, Event or Issue
Picture this. Class members follow in the footsteps of W. Eugene Smith, Dorothea Lange, James Nachtwey, and Lewis Hine by creating their own photo essay about a local event or issue.
Shakespeare Globe Trust
The Taming of the Shrew
What does it take to build a stage production from the ground up? Scholars read a weekly blog detailing the behind-the-scenes action of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. They also listen to interviews with the cast, meet the...
Curated OER
Great American Families
Fifth graders wrote essays, interviewed family members, took photos of their activities, and tape recorded narration to accompany the photos.
Curated OER
Quilting the Past and Present
Students construct a quilt using symbols of the past and present. In this communities instructional activity, students interview an older adult and discuss the history of their community. Students create a quilt.
Curated OER
Harvesting the River Lesson Plan: Taking an Oral History
Students practice researching history through oral traditions. In this U.S. History lesson, students examine an online exhibit titled Harvesting the River, in which students interview someone from the story. Students utilize...
Curated OER
Real-Life History: Looking at Our Community
Spend several days with your class exploring local history. Learners brainstorm and categorize sources of historical information as primary or secondary; collect and present artifacts from family/community; construct a definition of...