Climbing Your Family Tree
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Name:____________________ |
| Date:_____________________ | |
| Subject: Genealogy | |
| Professor: Dr. Lesley Farmer |
| Introduction: | How big is your family tree? Are you related to a famous artist, an author, a movie star, a war veteran? Through careful research, interviewing, and a curious mind, you can climb to the top of your family tree! |
| Task: | Learning about your family history involves several steps before diving into your family's roots. You will have multiple tasks to complete. Once all tasks are completed, you will create a presentation on what you have discovered about your family tree. |
| Process: | First Task: Brainstorm why family history is important. Create a list of at least 5 reasons why genealogy may be important. Second Task: According to Ellis Island historians, it is estimated that 40 percent of Americans can trace at least one ancestor to Ellis Island. Search for an online video entitled "Arrival at Ellis Island" and answer the questions. -What did immigrants first see as they arrived to America? -We know her as, The Statue of Liberty. What is the statue's entire name? -What were immigrants aloud to bring with them to America? Third Task: Find a blank family tree chart using the Rollyo search engine. Other names for a chart include, Family Group Sheet, Pedigree Chart, Family Fan. Take time to understand the differences between the charts. Choose the chart you feel most comfortable with and print. Fourth Task: Complete the chart printed in the previous task. Completing this chart will be an ongoing task as you discover more about your family. Fifth Task: The first step in learning about your family is asking questions. Using the Rollyo search engine 'Genealogy Resources,' find interview questions to use for task #6. Sixth Task: Interview 2 members of your family using questions you have found in task #5. If possible, interview a family member other than your parents (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) You may not interview siblings. If you want to interview family members, but they live too far away, a great way to interview them is through a wiki. Check out video, Wikis in Plain English, for an explaination of wikis. It is link #1 in the resources listed below. See your teacher for further assistance in creating a genealogy wiki. Seventh Task: Using the Rollyo search engine, 'Genealogy Resources,' type in the search box "last name _______." Put your last name in the blank above. Eighth Task: Create a presenation to share with the class about what you have learned about your family. Include interesting facts that you learned throughout this journey. Here are questions to consider while creating your presenation: -Did you discover something new about your family? -What family history questions do you have that could not be answered? -Did anything surprise you about your family? Your presentation must be created using a form of technology. Examples include, but are not limited to, a Google Docs Presentation or a Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation. |
| Resources: |
http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english http://www.workman.com/familytree/download.html http://www.genealogytoolbox.com/ http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp http://www.history.com/content/ellis-island http://www.cyndislist.com/kids.htm http://www.familyhistory.com/ http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~usgwkidz/ http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ http://cslib.org/nickname.htm |
| Evaluation: | As you climb your family tree through the tasks above, the final outcome will not only be a new appreciation for your family's history, but a presentation displaying what you have discovered along your journey. Please see task #8 for details. |
| Conclusion: | Now that you have learned about the people, events, and perhaps a few secrets about your family, can you imagine what your life would be like if certain events had not occurred? How would your life be different today? Who else would be affected? Write one paragraph based on these questions. |