Unit Plan Information
Unit designer: Kristin Carte
Unit title: Knowing My Family
Subject area: Social Studies
Grade level: 2nd Grade
Topic: Family Ancestry Connections
Time frame: 3 weeks
CA content standards addressed:
2.1 Students differentiate between things that happened long ago and things that
happened yesterday.
1. Trace history of family.
2. Compare and contrast their daily lives with their ancestors.
3. Place important events in their lives in order.
2.2.3 Locate on a map where their ancestors live(d), telling when the family moved to the
local community and how and why they made the trip.
Outline of the Curriculum
Day
Objective:
This is what I
want the students
to learn/take
away from the
lesson.
Assessment:
This is how I will
assess the learning
after each lesson.
Activity:
This is what the students
will do to reach the daily
objective.
Language Arts
Integration:
This is how books and
L.A. will be utilized each
day.
1.
“As time goes
by, important
things happen in
my life.”
Discussion of
timelines (how
they organize
time by
important
events).
I will document their
learning through
their ability to create
a timeline and
organize the order of
significant events in
their lives.
Students will create a
timeline of important events
in their lives. I will provide
them with a list of things to
include, and they can
include other events as well.
I will also provide a model
of a timeline for Yoon’s life
from My Name Is Yoon.
To open the lesson, I will
read, My Name Is Yoon
by Helen Recorvits. This
story recounts the life of a
little girl who moves to
the United States from
Korea and the changes
that occur in her life as a
result. By using Yoon as
an example for the
timeline projects, the
students will see what
constitutes significant
events and how to set up a
timeline.
Send home for later in the
unit: Paragraph about
family’s heritage. Need
parents to assist in writing
the paragraph.
2.
3.
“As time goes
by, important
things happen in
my life. My past
shapes my
present.”
Present their
timelines.
In their
presentations,
students will pick 35 important events to
share in
chronological order.
This shows that they
understand order of
time and what events
are important. Also,
students will say
how these events
have changed their
lives today.
They will present their
timelines to the class and
give a short description
about why some of them are
considered important events
to them.
Listening and Speaking
Strategies:
Introduce topic
of family
ancestry,
vocabulary, and
its significance.
KWL Chart with the
whole class. After
the story has been
read, the students
will write a journal
entry about what
they have learned.
Read, The Keeping Quilt,
by Patricia Polacco followed
by a teacher-led class
discussion.
Reading Comprehension:
• 2.1 Recount experiences or
present stories: a. Move through a logical
sequence of events. • 2.2 Report on a topic with
facts and details, drawing from
several sources of information.
2.2 State the purpose in
reading (i.e., tell what
information is sought).
2.3 Use knowledge of the
author’s purpose(s) to
comprehend informational
text.
2.4 Ask clarifying questions
about essential textual
elements of exposition (e.g.,
why, what if, how).
2.5 Restate facts and details in
the text to clarify and organize
ideas.
2.6 Recognize cause-andeffect relationships in a text.
4.
5.
“My family has a
past and it has
made me who
we am today.”
“We can pass on
stories of our
culture and
heritage to others
through stories
and art.”
They will bring in
their paragraphs (5-7
sentences) about the
heritage of their
family that they and
their parents’ wrote
at home earlier in the
week.
Discussion of family
heritage and how we all
have come from different
places.
After rereading The
Keeping Quilt,
students will discuss
with a partner their
home culture and
heritage. Students
will then create a
quilt square that
represents their
heritage and culture.
Quilt squares: “Ancestry
within the school.”
Traditions, knowledge,
ideas that they want to pass
on to the grade behind them.
Writing Strategies:
Penmanship
1.2 Create readable documents
with legible handwriting.
Writing Applications:
2.1 Write brief narratives
based on their experiences:
a. Move through a logical
sequence of events.
b. Describe the setting,
characters, objects, and events
in detail.
At home: Take home map to
locate country/countries of
origin with their families for
interactive bulletin board
activity the next day. Also,
they will bring in a picture
of themselves, or their
family, siblings, etc.
Listening and Speaking
Strategies:
Organization and
Delivery of Oral
Communication
1.5 Organize presentations to
maintain a clear focus.
1.6 Speak clearly and at an
appropriate pace for the type
of communication (e.g.,
informal discussion, report to
class).
1.7 Recount experiences in a
logical sequence.
1.8 Retell stories, including
characters, setting, and plot.
1.9 Report on a topic with
supportive facts and details.
6.
Identify the
places around the
world where
their ancestors
have come from.
Interactive map
bulletin board.
Children will search
for their countries of
ancestry and connect
a string to their
picture in order
display where they
come from.
The student will look at
their map from HW and
locate their country of origin
on the bulletin board. Next
they will connect a string
from those places to their
picture on the perimeter of
the board.
7.
By reading
Letters from
Felix, students
will gain a
deeper
understanding
and respect for
all different
cultures around
the world.
On day 8, the
students will submit
their rough draft of
their postcard in to
me, and I will edit it.
This will allow me to
see if they have
formatted their
postcard correctly,
were able to include
appropriate and
relevant information,
and combine them
into a successful
postcard.
First, I will read the first
half of Letters from Felix as
a class. Then, I will
administer the country
packets. Students will be
given ample time to look
through and begin
generating ideas about what
information to include in
their postcards. Also, we
will do a quick review of
letter writing formatting:
date, salutation, body,
closing, and signature.
Writing Applications:
Children Just
The students will
Students will continue to
See Day 9 Standards.
8.
2.1 Write brief narratives
based on their experiences:
a. Move through a logical
sequence of events.
2.2 Write a friendly letter
complete with the date,
salutation, body, closing, and
signature.
9.
Like Me.
submit a rough draft
of their postcard
letters today.
look through their country
packets to add to their
postcards. Once they turn in
their rough drafts to me for
editing, they will work on
their poster and complete
the drawing in class.
“Everyone has
come from
different places
to this
community for
different
reasons.”
On this day, the
students will quickly
write in their
corrected postcard
letters. Then they
will present their
postcards to the
class. By using the
included rubric, I
will assess their oral
presentation skills.
Students will be reviewing
their edited drafts, and
recording it neatly onto the
back of their posters. Each
group of students will
present its poster while
everyone else will
respectfully listen. There is
no restriction for their
presentations. Once the
presentations are completed,
I will hang their posters
around the classroom.
Writing Applications:
2.1 Write brief narratives
based on their experiences:
a. Move through a logical
sequence of events.
b. Describe the setting,
characters, objects, and events
in detail.
Written Language
Conventions:
Sentence Structure
1.1 Distinguish between
complete and incomplete
sentences.
1.2 Recognize and use the
correct word order in written
sentences.
Grammar
1.3 Identify and correctly use
various parts of speech,
including nouns and verbs, in
writing and speaking.
Punctuation
1.4 Use commas in the
greeting and closure of a letter
and with dates and items in a
series.
1.5 Use quotation marks
correctly.
Capitalization
1.6 Capitalize all proper
nouns, words at the beginning
of sentences and greetings,
months and days of the week,
and titles and initials of
people.
Spelling
1.7 Spell frequently used,
irregular words correctly (e.g.,
was, were, says, said, who,
what, why).
1.8 Spell basic short-vowel,
long-vowel, r-controlled, and
consonant-blend patterns
correctly.
Listening and Speaking
Strategies:
Organization and
Delivery of Oral
Communication
1.5 Organize presentations to
maintain a clear focus.
1.6 Speak clearly and at an
appropriate pace for the type
of communication (e.g.,
informal
discussion, report to class).
1.7 Recount experiences in a
logical sequence.
1.8 Retell stories, including
characters, setting, and plot.
1.9 Report on a topic with
supportive facts and details.
10.
11.
12.
Intro to
Interviewing!
I will be able to see
if they can pull
relevant information
from the interview
through their
answers on their
worksheets.
Students will interview
fellow classmates to practice
for their “Ancestor
Interviews.” They will have
worksheets with different
questions to guide their
interviews. There will be
extra lines at the end for
them to fill in their own
questions to ask relating to
the topic being discussed.
Listening and Speaking
Strategies:
Comprehension
Interview
Presentations!
Starts to
introduce the
idea of “Because
of my family, I
am who I am.”
I will document their
learning through
informal
observations of their
presentations.
Students will present the
information they gathered in
their interviews. They can
tell us what they thought
was interesting and evoked
strong emotions.
Listening and Speaking
Strategies:
Organization and
Delivery of Oral
Communication
Artifact Show
and Tell! “The
way my
ancestors live is
different from
the way I live
today.”
The “Artifact PairShare” handout will
be a way for me to
formally assess
whether or not the
students were able to
understand the big
idea for the day.
Students will bring in their
“Ancestor Artifacts” for a
partner activity. The
students will share with the
class what their artifact is
and what it signifies to their
family. At the end of the
lesson, students will
complete the “Artifact Pair
Share” handout and turn it
in.
Listening and Speaking
Strategies:
Organization and
Delivery of Oral
Communication
1.1 Determine the purpose or
purposes of listening (e.g., to
obtain information, to solve
problems, for enjoyment).
1.2 Ask for clarification and
explanation of stories and
ideas.
1.3 Paraphrase information
that has been shared orally by
others.
1.5 Organize presentations to
maintain a clear focus.
1.6 Speak clearly and at an
appropriate pace for the type
of communication (e.g.,
informal discussion, report to
class).
1.7 Recount experiences in a
logical sequence.
1.8 Retell stories, including
characters, setting, and plot.
1.9 Report on a topic with
supportive facts and details.
1.5 Organize presentations to
maintain a clear focus.
1.6 Speak clearly and at an
appropriate pace for the type
of communication (e.g.,
informal discussion, report to
class).
Writing Strategies:
Penmanship
1.2 Create readable documents
with legible handwriting.
13.
“My family
At each station, there
Students will get into small
Reading Comprehension:
makes me who I
am.” Book Club!
will be a different
activity, journal
entry, or list of
questions to lead a
guided discussion
about all the
different types of
families they read
about.
groups of 3-4 and read a
different book on families at
each station.
The Family Book by Todd
Parr.
What Can You Do With
Two Mommies? By Tara
Theresa Hill
I’m Your Peanut Butter Big
Brother by Selina Alko
Tell Me Again About the
Night I Was Born by Jamie
Lee Curtis
Comprehension and
Analysis of Grade-LevelAppropriate Text
2.2 State the purpose in
reading (i.e., tell what
information is sought).
2.3 Use knowledge of the
author’s purpose(s) to
comprehend informational
text.
2.4 Ask clarifying questions
about essential textual
elements of exposition (e.g.,
why, what if, how).
2.5 Restate facts and details in
the text to clarify and organize
ideas.
2.6 Recognize cause-andeffect relationships in a text.
Weird Parents by Audrey
Wood
14.
15.
“My family has a
past, and it has
made me who I
am today.”
Students will
compare and contrast
how their families
are different from
each other’s, and
how they are alike
and different from
their ancestors.
Class discussion about what
they learned about the
different types of families in
yesterday’s book club and
the previous work they did
on their ancestry.
Comprehension and
Analysis of Grade-LevelAppropriate Text
Ancestry Day!
Contains all big
ideas and
concepts!
We will be
evaluating their
presentations and
posters, and also, the
students will fill out
a rubric that assesses
their learning
throughout the entire
unit.
Students and ancestors will
create and present a poster
that displays their family’s
heritage and
compares/contrasts how
they are alike and different.
Listening and Speaking
Strategies:
Comprehension
2.2 State the purpose in
reading (i.e., tell what
information is sought).
2.3 Use knowledge of the
author’s purpose(s) to
comprehend informational
text.
2.4 Ask clarifying questions
about essential textual
elements of exposition (e.g.,
why, what if, how).
2.5 Restate facts and details in
the text to clarify and organize
ideas.
2.6 Recognize cause-andeffect relationships in a text.
1.1 Determine the purpose or
purposes of listening (e.g., to
obtain information, to solve
problems, for enjoyment).
1.2 Ask for clarification and
explanation of stories and
ideas.
1.3 Paraphrase information
that has been shared orally by
others.
1.4 Give and follow three- and
four-step oral directions.
Organization and
Delivery of Oral
Communication
1.5 Organize presentations to
maintain a clear focus.
1.6 Speak clearly and at an
appropriate pace for the type
of communication (e.g.,
informal discussion, report to
class).
1.7 Recount experiences in a
logical sequence.
1.8 Retell stories, including
characters, setting, and plot.
1.9 Report on a topic with
supportive facts and details.
Speaking Applications:
2.1 Recount experiences or
present stories:
a. Move through a logical
sequence of events.
b. Describe story elements
(e.g., characters, plot, setting).
2.2 Report on a topic with
facts and details, drawing from
several sources of information.
Throughout the entire unit, we will be beginning every day with START (Students and Teachers Are
Reading Together). This ensures that every student gets at least 20 minutes of silent reading in every day.
Studies have shown that by reading more, students will improve vocabulary, spelling, and overall
performance in school.
Day 1: Timelines
Today, students will learn about how to document important events in their lives by using a timeline. This
will not only teach them how to organize important events through time, but will teach them how to read
and understand exactly what a timeline is displaying.
1.
2.
3.
Class discussion of important events:
a. First, what classifies as an important event?
i. An important event is something that happens in someone’s life that changes the
outcome of the rest of that life.
ii. For example, important events for second graders might include their date of
birth, birth of siblings, day they met their best friend, day they started school,
day they got a pet, etc.
iii. I will write the “important events” that the class comes up with on the board for
everyone to see and to use as a reference later on in the lesson.
How can we organize these events in an easy to read visual?
a. Talk about timelines:
i. A quick visual to show how important events occur over time. They can span as
long as hundreds of years, or as short as one hour. We see them a lot in history
to show critical events to contribute to the overall outcome. We can use them to
show people why we are the way we are today.
ii. We can make shorter timelines of our own lives, but later on, we will make
timelines of our ancestry.
b. Create a timeline for Yoon as a class.
i. Discuss why each event we put on there was crucial to Yoon’s life and
development in a new country.
Distribute paper and list of important events that we want them to include on their timelines. This
will ensure they are taking away the knowledge we want them to acquire from this lesson. I will
also explain to them that we want them to both write about their events, and to include a picture
for three of their events.
Students who have special needs will be given the choice to either limit the amount of events they
include, use only pictures, or have altered timeline papers handed to them depending on their
needs.
Gifted students will be challenged by asking them to include two extra events that represent
changing points in their lives. By asking them to creatively invent their own events, I am allowing
them to think critically about their own lives, evaluate what constitutes an important event, and the
freedom to include that event on their timeline.
Homework: Distribute assignment for an ancestry paragraph that will be due later on in the unit.
Timeline Activity Sheet!
Name: _________________________
Important Events to Include in Your Timeline:
1. Day I was born
2. Day(s) my sibling(s) was/were born.
3. Day I got my pet, ___________.
4. First day of Kindergarten.
5. Day I met my best friend(s).
6. Day I lost my first tooth.
*Remember to draw a picture for three of your
events!
Optional:
1. First time I moved.
2. Your best day ever.
3. Favorite trip you have ever taken.
4. Day you learned to tie your shoes.
Day 2: Timeline Presentations!
Today, the students will be presenting their timelines to the class. Before the presentations begin, I will tell
the students to choose 1-2 important events that they would like to elaborate on in front of the class.
“Today you will be presenting our timelines to the class! I will choose you at random to go to the front of
the room, and tell us about the important events in your life so far. You can choose 1 or 2 events that you
would like to tell us a quick story about. We are doing this today to work on our public speaking skills and
to show everyone that we all know how timelines work and how they can help us organize time into a
visual representation. Do we have any volunteers who would like to go first?”
I understand that some students will be nervous to speak in front of the class, however, the younger they
start speaking in front of groups, the more comfortable they will be as they grow older. Public speaking is
an important skill to have, and by allowing them to practice this skill in a respective and safe environment,
they will be able to foster and develop this skill without feeling too insecure and scared. At this point in the
year, students will have had many opportunities to develop their public speaking skills. They will already
be aware of the important things to remember when speaking to a group: speak loudly and clearly, make
eye contact, keep points clear and concise.
In order to assess their presentations, I will take notes on each student’s presentation on individual rubrics,
and then they will fill out an individual rubric after all of the presentations have been given to assess
themselves.
Timeline Presentation Rubric
Student Name: ______________________________
1
2
3
4
5
Visual Clarity
of Timeline
The timeline is not
organized
chronologically
and is illegible. No
pictures are
included.
Timeline is
sometimes
organized
chronologically,
and is difficult to
read. No pictures.
Timeline is
organized
chronologically most
of the time, and is
somewhat easy to
read. There is at
least 1 picture.
Timeline is
organized
chronologically, and
is somewhat easy to
read. There are at
least 2-3 pictures
included.
Time line is
organized
chronologically, and
is written very
clearly. The student
included 3 pictures.
Important
Events
Student included
one of the
mandatory
important events.
Student included
two of the
mandatory
important events.
Student included 3-4
of the mandatory
important events.
Student included all
of the mandatory
important events.
Student included all
of the mandatory
important events, and
included at least one
of the optional
events.
Elaboration of
1-2 Important
Events in
Presentation
Student did not
elaborate on any of
the important
events.
Student mumbled
inaudibly about one
of the important
events.
Student spoke very
quietly about 1 or 2
of the important
events.
Student spoke clearly
about one or two of
the important events.
Student spoke clearly
and directly to the
class about one or
two important events.
Quality of
Presentation
Student did not
speak audibly or
make any eye
contact with the
class.
Student mumbled
for 50% of the
presentation, and
there was very little
eye contact made.
Student was audible,
and there was some
eye contact.
Student was clear in
their descriptions,
and made eye
contract throughout
most of the
presentation.
Student spoke clearly
and directly about the
timeline, and made
eye contact through
out the entire
presentation.
Score: _______ / 20
Notes:
Notes
Timeline Presentation Rubric
Name: _______________________
Topic Area
We understand
what important
events are.
We know why
and when
people use
timelines.
We spoke
clearly to my
classmates.
We don’t know.
I’m not too sure.
We think we
know.
We know for
sure!
We made eye
contact with my
classmates
during the
presentation.
We included 3
pictures on my
timeline.
We felt safe and
comfortable
speaking to my
classmates.
Notes:
Event:
How my life was
before:
How my life is
now:
Day 3: The Keeping Quilt
In today’s lesson, we will be reading, The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco. This story will introduce the topics of ancestry,
immigration, and heritage. Before reading the story, we will work on a K-W-L Chart as a class. Here, we will be able to assess
what the students already Know, what they Want to know, and after reading the story, what they Learned. A K-W-L Chart is a
great form of an informal, formative assessment to use through out a unit. I will ask the class what they know about their
ancestors. Do they know what ancestors are? How about heritage and traditions? Does your family have any traditions? I will
let the answers to these questions guide our next questions. Then I will ask, “What do you want to learn about ancestry?
Traditions?” Etc.
Also, before reading the story, I will do a quick literacy lesson for some of the words we will be using often throughout the
unit. These words are:
1. ancestors
2. heritage
3. immigrants
4. generations
5. tradition
6. language
7. customs
8. decision
To make sure I know our students know these words, I will put them all on large index cards that can go on a Word Wall. The
Word Wall will be referenced to throughout the unit. First, I will hold up each word and define the word for them. I will then
use it in a sentence to show them exactly how and when they can use this word. Then, I will hold up each index card
individually, and say the word slowly and have them repeat it after me. Then I will repeat the word once more after them so
they can ensure they are pronouncing the word correctly. After going through this a couple times, I will hold up each card and
they will say the word first as a group, and then I will repeat the word again. Next, I will mix them up, and run through the
vocabulary words again. This exercise has been proven to assist students learn, retain, and use new vocabulary terms.
After the story and the final part of the K-W-L Chart is over, students will write a journal entry about what they personally
learned from the story, and how they felt. Do they have any questions for me that they did not mention in class? Is there
anything else they hope to learn about? Do they know about their family’s heritage story?
While they are writing their journal entries, I will copy the K-W-L Chart down into my notes to keep for future reference. I
could also copy the K-W-L Chart down onto a large piece of paper to put up on the board during our Social Studies period so
the students can look back to it throughout the unit.
REMINDER: I will remind the students that their heritage paragraphs are due tomorrow. They were assigned earlier in the
week, which should provide families ample time to assist their children in writing them.
Day 4: Family Heritage Paragraphs
Today, the students will bring in their family heritage paragraphs that they wrote at home earlier in the
week with their parent(s)/guardian(s). By sharing and listening to all of the paragraphs, the students will see
that they all come from different places and backgrounds.
The students will be working in small groups of three to four people, and they will read their paragraphs
out loud.
I will be walking around among all the groups to listen in on the stories being shared. This will ensure that
the students will be staying on task, and listening respectfully to each classmate.
This lesson is a quick way for students to engage in the vocabulary of the lesson, learn more about their
ancestry, and learn about their classmates’ ancestry.
Sample Letter Home to the Parents Re: Heritage Paragraphs
Letter will be translated to different languages that the families speak at home.
Dear Families of 2nd Grade!
Our students are going to need your help with writing a paragraph about their heritage.
The paragraph should be anywhere from 5-7 sentences long, and should be written only
by our students. You are there to help them with the content by answering some of these
questions for them:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Where are our ancestors from?
When did they come to the United States?
How many generations of our family have lived in the United States?
What languages did our ancestors speak? Do members of our family still speak
them today?
5. What traditions do we still celebrate from our ancestors? (This could include
anything from the food you eat to the holidays you celebrate.)
We will then be combining all of the paragraphs to make a class book for them to read
through out the year! Thank you for contributing to some of the valuable learning that is
happening in our classroom. We look forward to reading these paragraphs in small
groups in class on Friday.
Sincerely,
Miss Carte
Day 5: Our Class Quilt!
After rereading The Keeping Quilt, students will discuss with a partner their heritage paragraphs to refresh
their memories. Students will then color in a quilt square that represents their heritage and culture. I will
then combine all of the quilt squares to make a class quilt to hang on our classroom wall.
At home: Students will take home a map to locate country/countries of origin with their families for
interactive bulletin board activity the next day. Also, they will bring in a picture of themselves, or their
family, siblings, etc. The student will look at their map from HW and locate their country of origin on the
bulletin board.
The Keeping Quilt: Our Class Quilt
Name: ____________________________
Draw a picture that reminds you of your family’s heritage. This can be
anything from your country’s flag, traditions your family celebrates,
or favorite foods you eat. If you are unsure of what to draw, look back
to your heritage paragraph to remind you!
After you are finished drawing, cut out your quilt square along the
dotted line, and glue it to one of the pieces of construction paper at
your table. Then punch a hole in each corner of the construction paper
using the single hole punch. Raise your hand if you have any
questions!
Name:
This is a picture of
____________________________________________
______
____________________________________________
______.
World Map
NAME: __________________________
With your families, color in the countries on this map that
your ancestors are from!
How many countries did you color in?
______________________________
How long ago did your ancestors live in these countries?
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
__________________.
Do you know how your ancestors came to America?
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
___________________________.
Day 6: Interactive Map Bulletin Board
Today, the students will be bringing in their World Map worksheets and pictures of them or their families.
Children will search for their countries of ancestry and connect a string to their picture in order to display
where they are from.
Step-by-step guide:
1.
The students will come up to the bulletin board in small groups or one at a time, where they will
see the model that we have provided for them: A picture of each of us with a piece of yarn
attached to Ireland.
2.
Then students will look at their map from their homework assignment to locate their country of
origin on the bulletin board.
3.
Next they will connect a string from those places to their picture on the perimeter of the bulletin
board.
4.
I will conduct a class discussion about some of the trends we notice while looking at our bulletin
board: Where are most families from? Is this different than other parts of the USA or California?
Heritage Map Class Discussion
Possible Talking Points

Where are most of our families from?
o Why?

Is this different from other parts of the USA or California?
o Why?

Have you visited places outside of our area?
o Were the families there different or the same as families here?

How were the families the same/different?

Why do you think they are the same/different?
Day 7: Letters from Felix by A. Langden
Today we will be reading Letters from Felix by A. Langden. This book tells a story about a little girl named
Sophie who loses her cherished stuffed animal, Felix, at the airport after a family vacation. Felix ends up
traveling the world alone and writes letters to Sophie about his travels around the globe providing her with
historical and humorous information about the places he travels to and the people he meets. Sophie looks
forward to checking her mailbox each day to hear about Felix’s incredible travels, however, she misses him
dearly and yearns for him to come back home safely. Luckily, Felix is able to make it back home in time
for Christmas!
Rationale: There is an enormous world out there with places that are quite similar to ours, and others
that are unique and mysterious, but wherever your adventure takes you, may you have a wonderful,
safe, and exciting journey where you learn new things and share them with others.
Social Studies/ History and Writing
I will read this book over two days. At the end of the first day, we will have a discussion about
different countries around the world. I will break the students up into assigned small groups, and they
will be assigned a country that is not one of the countries that Felix traveled to such as Japan, China,
Brazil, India, Australia, and Scotland. Each group will receive a packet of information about their
special country. There will be a country map, pictures of important landmarks, population, cultural
customs, special foods, language, and other interesting facts about the country. Each group will also
receive a few grade appropriate books about their designated country that they can also retrieve
information from. The students will pretend that they are Felix on a world adventure and will write a
postcard to our second grade classroom about their experiences in that country. They will receive a
large poster board and on one side of the poster, they will draw a map and write, “Greetings from
Brazil!” They will color the poster as if it was a postcard and include any other interesting
landmarks. On the back of the poster board, they will write a letter to our classroom about their
travels. They will need to use their informational packets and books to compile important information
that would be appropriate to write in a postcard. Writing about the population would not be
appropriate information to put in a postcard, so students will be learning how to sort out interesting
information from the facts. Students will be learning about geography, practicing research and reading
skills, and will need to write a grammatically correct letter. Since the students will have already
learned how to write a letter at this point in the year [Writing Applications (Genres and Their
Characteristics) 2.2 Write a friendly letter complete with the date, salutation, body, closing, and
signature.], we will only need to review the components of a letter quickly. Since we are moving
towards the CCSS in California schools, this is a fun way for the students to learn factual information
and have the opportunity to display their creative writing skills. Students will have class time during
days 7, 8, and 9 to work on their project, and all of the groups will present their posters to the class on
Day 9 and read their postcards aloud to the class.
Day 8: Finish Letters from Felix & Work on Posters
Today, we will finish reading Letters from Felix to the class. I will have given copies of the remaining
letters to strong readers in the class the day before, so they can come up and practice their oral reading
skills for aesthetic purposes. After we have finished reading, students will divide into their groups and
finish reviewing their packets of information. They will then write a rough draft of their postcard, which
they will turn in to me. After they have submitted their rough drafts, they will go back into their groups and
design and color the front of their postcard.
On days 7 and 8, they are practicing their reading by reviewing their country packets and deciding what
information is appropriate to include in their postcard. Some of the information for their country packets
will come from Children Just Like Me by S. Copsey. This book celebrates children from around the
world with personal interviews and shares important elements of their families, culture, everyday life,
and religion in their unique country. The other information will come from online resources such as
www.countryreports.com. This is a great website that has a lot of age-appropriate information about
all different countries for the students.
Day 9: Poster Presentations
Today, the students will neatly copy down their edited version of their letters onto the back of their posters.
Once everyone has completed this, we will begin the presentations. While they are presenting, students will
be respectfully listening. Also, for each presentation, students will write down one thing they learned and
one thing they found interesting. If they have a question, they can put the question down as well. This will
be a common practice for presentations in our classroom, so they will not need this to be explained to them
in great detail. While groups are presenting, I will be listening for content and presentation skills. I will
give each group member a copy of the rubric on Day 8, so they will know what is expected of them during
their presentations.
Poster Presentation Rubric
Student Name: ______________________________
1
2
3
4
5
Visual
Clarity of
Poster
The poster is
not
organized
and is
illegible. No
pictures are
included.
Poster is
somewhat
organized and
is difficult to
read. No
pictures.
Poster is
organized most of
the time, and is
somewhat easy to
read. There is at
least 1 picture.
Poster is
organized
chronologically,
and is somewhat
easy to read.
There is at least 23 pictures
included.
Poster is
organized, and is
written very
clearly. The
student included 3
pictures.
Key
components
of a letter are
included
(date,
salutation,
body,
closing,
signature)
Includes 0/5
key
components.
Letter is
illegible and
difficult to
understand
due to errors.
Includes 1-2
key
components.
Many
punctuation and
spelling errors.
Includes 3 key
components. 3 or
more grammatical
errors.
Includes 4 key
components. 1-2
grammatical
errors.
Includes all 5 key
components.
Letter is
grammatically
correct.
Participation
Only one
student
spoke during
the
presentation.
All but three
students spoke
during the
presentation.
All but two
students spoke
during the
presentation.
All but one
student spoke
during the
presentation
All group
members had a
chance to speak
during the
presentation.
Quality of
Presentation
Students did
not speak
audibly or
make any
eye contact
with the
class.
Students
mumbled for
50% of the
presentation,
and there was
very little eye
contact made.
Students were
audible, and there
was some eye
contact.
Students were
clear in their
descriptions, and
made eye contract
throughout most
of the
presentation.
Students spoke
clearly and
directly about the
poster, and made
eye contact
through out the
entire
presentation.
Score: _______ / 20
Not
es
Day 10: Intro to Interviewing!
Students will interview their fellow classmates to practice for their “Ancestor Interviews.” They will have
worksheets (attached) with different questions to guide their interviews. There will be extra lines at the end
for them to fill in their own questions to ask relating to the topic being discussed.
I will be able to see if they can pull relevant information from the interview through their answers on their
worksheets. While I am circulating through the classroom, I will be listening in on each pair as they
practice their interviews, and offering advice and reminders to stay on task as needed.
It is important to convey to the students why interviews are so important. They are a first-hand account of
history, and they convey personal stories, feelings, and recollections. Documents and facts can only tell us
so much about history, but interviews are a way to see how people were feeling during certain times.
Homework: Remind the students that their “Ancestry Interviews” are due tomorrow. The handout will have
been given out at the beginning of the unit so they could start thinking about who to ask and plan the time
for the interview in advance.
Introduction to Interviewing!
Name: _______________
In order to perfect our interviewing skills, we are going to practice
interviewing one another! With a partner, I want you to take turns
interviewing each other. This means that one person will ask all of their
questions, and record the answers, and then the other person will ask all
of their questions and record the answers. This is how typical interviews are
done. If you feel that you need to ask more questions to understand your
partner’s story, you may do so, however you need to write down the
question you asked, and their answer on the back of this sheet.
1. What is your full name? Why did your parents choose this name for
you? Did you have a nickname?
2. When and where were you born?
3. Who are the people in your family?
4. What is your favorite game to play?
5. What do you want to be when you grow up?
----------------------------------------------------------________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
“Ancestor” Interview!
Choose your ten favorite questions to ask your “ancestor” and record their answers
as best as you can in your journal. Each response should be in full sentences. Have
fun learning more about your family’s history!
1. What is your full name? Why did your parents choose this name for
you? Did you have a nickname?
2. When and where were you born?
3. Who were the people in your family?
4. Did you live in a house (apartment, farm, etc.)? Did it have electricity?
Indoor plumbing? Telephones?
5. Were there any special items in the house that you remember?
6. Did your family ever move? Where? How old were you? Why did you
move?
7. What is your best memory when you were a kid?
8. What kind of games did you play growing up?
9. What was your favorite toy and why?
10. What was your favorite thing to do for fun (movies, beach, etc.)?
11. Did you have chores? What were they? Which was your least favorite?
12. What school activities and sports did you participate in?
13. Did you have any pets? If so, what kind and what were their names?
14. Describe a typical family dinner. Did you all eat together as a family?
Who did the cooking? What were your favorite foods?
15. How were holidays (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) celebrated in your
family?
16. Did your family have special traditions?
17. How is the world today different from what it was like when you were
a child?
18. What stories have come down to you about your parents?
Grandparents? More distant ancestors?
19. Are there any stories about famous or infamous relatives in your
family?
20.
Are there any special heirlooms, photos, or other memorabilia that
have been passed down in your family?
21. What was/is your profession and how did you choose it?
Day 11: Interview Presentations!
Today, the students will present the information they gathered in their “Ancestor Interviews” in an oral
presentation to the class. They will tell us what they thought was interesting and evoked strong emotions
while they were interviewing their “ancestor.”
While everyone is presenting, I will be informally assessing him or her to document their learning and to
see if (s)he understood how the interview process works. Once everyone is done presenting, I will collect
the interviews to combine to make a class book. We will present the book on Ancestry Day for all of our
guests to look at.
Homework: Remind the students that Artifact Show-and-Tell Day is tomorrow. This means that they need
to bring in their artifacts from their ancestors to present to their classmates. I have sent home a letter to the
parents earlier in the week describing the process.
Day 12: Artifact Show and Tell!
Today the students will learn that the way their ancestors live is different from how they live today.
Students will bring in artifacts from their ancestors to present to their classmates. The parents have received
a letter at the beginning of the unit that explains the entire process.
Through out the presentations, I will be informally assessing their stories about their artifact and either
asking questions or giving prompts to help them stay on task. Afterwards, the students will turn in their
“Artifact Think-Pair-Share” handout. This is a formal way for me to assess if the students grasped the “big
idea” of the day: The way my ancestors lived is different from the way we live.
Artifact Pair Share
Name:___________________
With a partner, answer and discuss the following
questions.
1. What is the artifact you brought in?
2. What was it used for?
3. Does it have a special story that you can share?
4. If you could give someone in the future an artifact
to share that is in your life now, what would it be
and why?
5. How does this show that the way your ancestors
lived is different from the way you live?
Day 13: “My family makes me who I am.” Book Club!
Students will get into small groups of 3-4 and read a different book on families at each station.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Family Book by Todd Parr.
What Can You Do With Two Mommies? By Tara Theresa Hill
I’m Your Peanut Butter Big Brother by Selina Alko
Tell Me Again About the Night we Was Born by Jamie Lee Curtis
Weird Parents by Audrey Wood
The point of this lesson is to show that different families come from different places, have different
members, but all have one thing in common: they are a family and they love each other. I included this
lesson into my unit plan because I could foresee sensitive issues coming up in a heterogeneous classroom
on any given day, but especially on Ancestry Day.
At each station, there will be a different activity, journal entry, or list of questions to lead a student-guided
discussion about all the different types of families they read about.
The Family Book: Journal entry: How is your family like the family in this book? Different?
What Can You Do With Two Mommies?: Small Group Discussion: Do you know of any families that
might have two mommies or two daddies? Or maybe one mommy or one daddy? What do all of these
families have in common?
I’m Your Peanut Butter Big Brother: Draw a picture of you and your siblings! Do you look alike or
different?
Tell Me Again About the Night we Was Born: Journal entry: How do you think the night you we re born is
different from the night the main character was born? What do your parents have in common with the
adoptive parents in this story?
Weird Parents: Group discussion: Do you have “Weird parents”? Talk about some weird things you and
your parents/families do together.
The Family
Book by Todd
Carr
Journal Entry:
How is your family like the family in this
book? Different?
What Can You
Do With Two
Mommies? By
Tara Theresa
Hill
Small Group Discussion:
Do you know of any families that might have
two mommies or two daddies? Or maybe
one mommy or one daddy? What do all of
these families have in common?
I’m Your
Peanut Butter
Big Brother by
Selina Alko
Color Time!
Draw a picture of you and your siblings! Do
you look alike or different?
Tell Me Again About
the Night we Was
Born: By Jamie Lee
Curtis
Journal entry:
How do you think the night you were born is
different from the night the main character
was born? What do your parents have in
common with the adoptive parents in this
story?
Weird Parents:
By Audrey
Wood
Small Group Discussion:
Do you have “weird parents”? Talk about
some weird things you and your
parents/families do together.
Day 14: “My family has a past, and it has made me who we am today.”
This day is used to begin tying everything they have learned in the unit together before “Ancestry Day.”
To begin, I will distribute Venn Diagram worksheets to help the class start thinking about what they
learned. Students will compare and contrast how their families are different from each other’s by pairing up
and completing the diagram.
Then I will lead a discussion (see attached discussion questions) about what they learned about the different
types of families in yesterday’s book club and the previous work they did on their ancestry.
Then they will think about how they are alike and different from their ancestors by completing the Venn
Diagram on the backside of the one they already used.
The Venn Diagrams will be the way I assess if the students have made the connections they needed to make.
I will combine all of the Venn Diagrams into a class book.
Different Families Class Discussion
Possible Discussion Points

What were the families like in the books you read?

Are they the same or different from your family?

How are they the same or different?

Can you think of any different kinds of families we didn’t read
about?

What is the most important thing in a family?

Even though all families are different what are some things that they
all have in common?
Me
My “Ancestor”
My Family
My Partner’s Family
Day 15: Ancestry Day!
This is final day to culminate all of the learning that has occurred thus far. In order for this day to be really
special, I will encourage all of the students to bring in the person who they interviewed and whose artifact
they brought in. It will be really great for all of the kids to put a name to a face, especially since they have
been hearing about this person for nearly three weeks. There will be light refreshments and food for the
student and “ancestor” to snack on while they create the poster they will be presenting on later that day.
Students and their “ancestors” will create and present a poster that displays their family’s heritage and
compares/contrasts how they are alike and different.
The students will need to be able to compare and contrast their “ancestors’” lives with their own. In order
to do so, they will need to engage in a conversation similar to an interview that they conducted earlier in the
lesson. They need to determine what facts are relevant to the project and which facts are not. Their
background in oral presentations and their experience with family heritage and history will aid them
significantly in their presentations. Each lesson builds on the previous one and the scope of the lens through
which the students are looking into their past broadens as well. All of these lessons and skills culminate
into this final project and event.