Museum of Tolerance
Family Tree Activity
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.
Curated OER
My Arkansas Family Tree
Here is a two-part lesson plan that introduces learners to genealogy by having them create family trees, and map the movements of their ancestors. While this resource is designed for kids who live in Arkansas, it certainly can be adapted...
Park City Historical Society & Museum
Oral History Interview Questions Worksheet
What is an oral history interview? What goes into the planning and what should be said? Why is it important that we know and learn from oral history? This is an excellent worksheet to support your young historians as they conduct...
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...
Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation
Interview a Family or Community Member: Taking Oral Histories
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....
PBS
Family History: Those with Lofty Ideals
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...
Curated OER
Family Traditions, Customs and Beliefs
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.
Curated OER
Family Interviews: The Grandparent/Elder Project
Students explore key concepts/facts in 20th Century history, develop interview questions, and produce master list of questions that can be used in project. Students then interview grandparent, great-grandparent, or other elder about...
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
Intergenerational Interviews
Young scholars develop questions to ask their famiy members to discover their family history. Individually, they conduct the interview and videotape if possible. To end the lesson, they draw a picture of the person they interviewed to...
All for KIDZ
Building Relationships: The Orphan of Ellis Island
Family and friendship are two very important themes of the historical fiction novel The Orphan of Ellis Island by Elvira Woodruff. From video clips and writing prompts to reader's theater and family interviews, this resource...
Curated OER
Family Tree Community Project
Fifth graders answer questions such as: Where does my family come from? What was it like for my ancestors to grow up as America developed? What differences in society were present then? What was similar to today? students conduct...
Curated OER
A Family Celebration
In this family history learning exercise, students interview a family member about places where they lived and then write 4 short answer questions based on the responses.
Curated OER
Unique Family Traditions
Second graders examine unique family traditions. In this family tradition lesson, 2nd graders listen to a book about immigration. They interview a family member to determine where their ancestors came from and choose an article to share...
Curated OER
Cell Phone Interview
Are there benefits to comparison shopping? Yes, even with cell phones. It's important to know which carrier is best and why. Learners interview a family member about his choice in cell phone carriers, and compare that person's choice to...
Curated OER
Historical Interview Project
Young scholars practice effectively interviewing a subject and then use that interview to create a movie.
Curated OER
Historical Interview Project
Students interview a subject about important historical events in his or her lifetime and create an iMovie of the experience. Era-related data is imported into the project from a variety of sources and presented to the rest of the class.
Curated OER
We Are History: Family Stories
Students examine their own family heritage and share family stories with the class. They differentiate between primary and secondary sources, and bring in and write about three artifacts from their family. They conduct an interview...
Museum of Tolerance
Oral History Activity
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...
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...
Smithsonian Institution
Dia de los Muertos: Honoring our Ancestors Through Community Celebration
Oral storytelling has been an important part of every culture. The time-honored practice uses stories as a conduit for a culture's values and customs from one generation to the next. Keep the tradition going with a family interview...
Curated OER
My Family Tree
Young scholars create a family tree. In this ancestry lesson, students research a country that one of their ancestors is from. Young scholars interview a grandparent and map out a family tree.
Curated OER
Family Food Favorites
Third graders conduct an interview and create a class cookbook. In this family heritage lesson plan, 3rd graders read Everybody Bakes Bread and discuss a dish or recipe that is a part of their family's heritage. Students interview family...
Curated OER
The Family Tree
Students 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 describing...