Curated OER
Wheeling and The Big City Lesson 1
Eighth graders consider how immigration impacted the East. In this West Virginia history instructional activity, 8th graders research the effects of immigration on Wheeling, West Virginia. Students also gather information about...
Channel Islands Film
Dark Water: Lesson Plan 3 - Grades 6-12
After watching the documentary Dark Water about a traditional Chumash ceremony and reading a Chumash origin story, viewers are asked to create a coat of arms and to craft an essay that details a family tradition or their own origin story.
Museum of Tolerance
Artifact Research Activity
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,...
Curated OER
Human Genetics Lesson
Youngsters are assigned the task of interviewing a family member or a neighbor and asking them about any genetic disorders that are present in their family history. They pretend that they are about to have a baby that is carrying a...
K20 LEARN
Allotment in Indian Territory: Land Openings in Indian Territory
To understand how the allotment policy embedded in the Dawes Act, passed by the U.S. government in 1887, affected the tribal sovereignty of Native Americans, young historians examine various maps and documents and Supreme Court cases...
Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation
Exploring Oral Histories of Angel Island Immigrants
Empowered by the previous lesson where they interviewed a family or community member, young historians examine Angel Island immigrants' oral histories. They use a matrix to record their interpretation of the feelings of the immigrant....
Curated OER
Depicting Motherhood in Family Stories
Students explore triptychs. In this art history lesson, students define the terms "photograph" and "triptych". Students discuss changes that occur between mothers and daughters and create an original triptych using family photographs.
Curated OER
Our Diverse Heritage Family Tree
Students discuss family trees and create their own family trees. They research their cultural backgrounds and make oral presentations to the rest of the class during a multicultural lunch.
Curated OER
All in the Family
Students develop family genealogy charts in search of noticeable genetic relationships between relatives. They research their family and write a reflection on the genetic relationships between individuals on the chart.
Curated OER
Discovering Why I Am Who I Am
Young scholars analyze their family history and traditions. For this family history lesson, students identify family members to research and interview their family about the people. Young scholars write their family histories and...
Curated OER
Origins and Identity
Students examine how to research their family backgrounds. They conduct interviews with various family members, create a family tree, and present their family tree to the class.
Curated OER
What is History? Timelines and Oral Histories
Students determine that their lifetime shows just a small piece of history. They determine how two or more accounts of the same event can be different. They write an account of the same event from two perspectives.
Curated OER
Family Trees
Students trace their family history back to their great-grandparents and examine where their family is from and what types of jobs their ancestors had. They also define different terms used to describe family relations such as...
Curated OER
Grandparents' Day: Family History
Students explore Grandparents' Day. They interview their grandparents and select an activity to highlight their interview. They select a project including writing an essay, composing a song, creating a poem or scrapbook, or writing a...
Curated OER
My Family Tree
Students create a family tree. In this ancestry lesson plan, students research a country that one of their ancestors is from. Students interview a grandparent and map out a family tree.
Curated OER
Lesson: All in the Family
Who was the Radcliffe family? Young learners find out about the life and times of a family from long ago. They analyze the family portrait, write a story about the family, and then use their story to create thought or word bubbles which...
Curated OER
Lesson: From Time to Time
A portrait The Radcliffe Family circa 1742 is inspiration for creative writing and empathetic reasoning. Your class discusses the period in which the piece was painted, then imagines what life was like for one of the people seen in the...
Curated OER
Family Fables, Facts, and Other True Stories
Pupils 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
Settlers: Creating Family Trees & Historical Plays
Students discuss who the founding members of their community were. In this community family tree lesson, students learn how to read a family tree and discuss information about the founding families of their community.
Curated OER
The Family Tree
Middle schoolers make a family tree. In this family lesson, students brainstorm what the word family means, interview their family members and grandparents, create a family tree, list their family's favorite foods and write an essay...
Curated OER
Depicting Motherhood in Family Stories
Young scholars examine the roles of mothers and grandmothers by looking at black-and-white photographs of one American family and comparing that family's multi-generational story with their own. In this mothers and grandmothers lesson...
Curated OER
Crayon Box-Family Diversity
Students explore diversity in families. In this social studies instructional activity, students read the book The Crayon Box That Talked and brainstorm traditions they have with their family. Students create crayon templates with a...
Curated OER
Paint's Family Tree
Students sort and classify the genetic traits of horses. In this heredity and genetics lesson, students read dialogue in a skit in which specific physical traits of several horses are described and a horse family tree is created....
National Endowment for the Humanities
History in Quilts
Learners investigate the use of cloth-based art forms intended to pass down traditions and history. They research types of quilts, quilt characteristics and then identify how Freedom Quilts were historically used in the US.