Social Studies

Making a Family Tree

The idea of this lesson is to have students understand that they all have a personal or family history.

This lesson begins the Social Studies class before we want to start the family tree with students being given a handout to have a parent or guardian help them fill in.  Information about their parents, grandparents and great grandparents is recorded on a letter sized piece of paper.

It is always emphasized that this is a project to increase awareness of personal history rather than an exercise in historical accuracy.

It is also a great opportunity to discuss families and how families differ.  Some children live in two parent families, some in single parent families and in step-families.  Great sensitivity needs to be used in this area.

When drawing the family tree, it is not important that students have all of the information.  They often put in the relationship e.g. Great Grandmother, instead of a name when the name is mot available.  With step families I always let the students choose to use names from birth parent or step parent's family, whichever they are most comfortable with.

The good copy of the family tree is done on half a sheet of bristol or ticket board.  It is expected that information will be recorded neatly, and coloured attractively.