Teaching Themes
Family: Everything You Need
What does it mean to be a part of a family? You may use these resources to help students develop their ideas.
Lesson Plans, Book Resources
Introducing Our Families
Grades: PreK–K
Children will delight in sharing and learning about their family members
Teaching Guides
Oral History: A Writing Workshop Teacher's Guide
Grades: 3–5
Lesson planning suggestions and other resources for using the "Oral History Writing Workshop" in the classroom
 Writing Activities Oral History: A Writing WorkshopGrades: 3–5 Who would you like to learn more about? This step-by-step workshop guides students writing an oral history on a person of interest. |
Book Lists Home Story QuiltsGrades: Here is a story about a quilt. It is a special quilt because it tells a story about home. The author is Carolyn Elwood, a teacher who works with... |
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Lesson Plans, Book Lists Books for Teaching Family StoriesGrades: 3–5 Teacher created book list includes tips for classroom use. |
Lesson Plans, Book Resources Books for Teaching About Cultural DiversityGrades: 3–5 Teacher created book list that focuses on how people from cultures all around the world have come together as Americans. |
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Lesson Plans, Writing Activities Learning to InterviewGrades: 1–2 Have students practice their listening and speaking skills by asking them to introduce their families and each other, with the main theme being... |
Lesson Plans, Writing Activities Displaying the DataGrades: 1–2 Students collect, analyze, and chart data based on interviews with classmates regarding their family ancestry. |
Activity Plan 3-4: Make a Family GraphGrades: PreK–K Chart the way for math learning with this graphing activity in this ready-to-use teaching idea for three- and four-year olds. Activity: Math. |
Embracing Our DiversityGrades: 3–5, 6–8 Ms. Newingham's 3rd grade class studies and celebrates ancestry, completing research reports and staging an "International Festival." |
Activity Plan 5-6: What Is A Family?Grades: PreK–K A theatrical family investigation for five- and six-year olds, Activity: Art. |
Lesson Plans Family Quilts Keep Us WarmGrades: PreK–K Discusses a lesson plan for teaching children about family diversity involving a quilt craft, fingerplays, family photos, and lecture. |
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Lesson Plans, Book Resources Brown Paper Bag Family MemoriesGrades: PreK–K Shares a lesson plan for discussing the topic of family. Students talk about memories of family activities and play show and tell with objects that... |
Tracing Our Own Family PilgrimagesGrades: PreK–K, 1–2 Students track their ancestors' voyages to America in this Thanksgiving lesson plan focused on diverse cultural heritages. |
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Lesson Plans, Computer Lab Activities The Mystery of History: Original SourcesGrades: 3–5 Presents a lesson identifying the methods through which historians gather facts and verify their accuracy with a special slant on stories about... |
Lesson Plans, Writing Activities, Book Resources What is Your Story?Grades: 3–5 Illustrates a lesson plan that entails students interviewing parents or guardians about their family stories, and writing a biographical memoir... |
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Lesson Plans Listen To Me!Grades: 3–5 Students utilize the oral presentation skills they've learned by telling family stories they gathered through interviews with parents or guardians... |
Internet Field Trip: Families: The Roots of HistoryGrades: PreK–K, 1–2, 3–5 Provides Web sites with information on genealogy and family history. A research guide, oral history questions, and example memoirs are featured.... |
 Lesson Plans Discovering Your HeritageGrades: 3–5 Students are asked to interview their families about their cultural heritage, create a family tree, and map their journeys to America |
Lesson Plans A Trip to the HomelandGrades: 3–5 Children learn about their countries of heritage by developing a travel log and booking mock travel reservations. |
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Lesson Plans The Heritage ProjectGrades: 3–5 Classmates prepare to celebrate their cultural heritage by compiling a family tree, page from history, world map, passport, and travel log, and... |
We Are Family, Grades 2–3Grades: 1–2, 3–5 A cross-curricular theme unit celebrating family. Activities include making a family tree, discussing animal families, taking snapshots, recording... |
