Lessons you can use!

By Mary Ann Hetrick

Younger Kids Lesson plans| Projects for Teens|Links to other Lesson plans

1. For younger kids
   1. Have the children create pedigrees using pictures.
      1. Make a class assignment for the children to get Polaroid pictures of family members(or at least pictures that are ok to use for this project.).
      2. Have the children bring to class pictures they have taken of family members.
      3. Provide them with a poster board to glue them to.
      4. Place the child's picture at the bottom center of the page.
      5. Place any brothers or sister's pictures above the child's picture
      6. Place the picture of the child's father to the left of the child's picture, about half-way between the child's picture and the edge of the page.
      7. Place the picture of the child's mother to the right of the child's picture about half-way between the child's picture and the edge of the page.
      8. Place the picture of the child's paternal grandfather on the left and half-way between the picture of the father and the edge of the page.
      9. Place the picture of the child's paternal grandmother on the left even with the picture of the grandfather but to the right of the father's. About half-way between the father's and child's pictures.
      10. Place the picture of the child's maternal grandfather on the right and half-way between the mother's picture and the edge of the page.
      11. Place the picture of the child's maternal grandmother on the right and even with the maternal grandfather's picture. About half-way between the mother's and child's pictures.
      12. Then allow the children to use crayons to draw lines from their picture to each parent. Then from each patent to their grand parents.
   
   This is a Three generation pedigree for younger children.

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2. Projects for Teen's
   1. Have the class each pick a Migration Trail that one of their ancestors might have used, and have them research it.
      1. Then have them write a paper on why the Trail was started, and what the motives of the people who were using it might have had for moving.
      2. Finally have them make a map of the trail.
   2. Have the class pick one of the towns of a County one of their ancestors lived in.
      1. Have them research historical people of the town.
      2. Have them write a Biography of the person they researched
   3. Print out copies of a family group sheet and have the class fill them out using the questions found on the Beginning Genealogy section of this page.
   4. Have the class fill out a time line.
      1. Have them pick a famous person or grandparent.
      2. Have write down the persons birth date, and place of birth.
      3. Have them then write down the next major event in that person's life.
      4. Do this for each event until you get to their death date.
   5. Have each student fill out a 4 generation pedigree chart or a 6 person pedigree chart.  English / Spanish

Links for Teachers

• Ancestors Teachers guide
• Charts & Records
• Links to the Past: Learning Subjects
  By the National Park Service
• The American Experience | Technology Time line
  A great page!

Colorado History links

• Rocky Mountain Legacy: Home on the Prairie
• Tears in the Sand