The Family History Project

Suggested Writing Topics

• What values does your family believe in so much that they sacrificed a lot for them?
• Which towns/cities/areas did your family live in?
• When and why did they move from place to place?
• Tell family stories that show your family's connection to the land.
• Who are the heroes in your family history and why?
• What did you learn about life from your grandparents?
• What languages did your family speak? Who spoke them? Does anybody speak them today?
• What interesting customs does your family have?
• If you know, where did they originate?

More Topics - From Other Teachers

• How many generations has your family lived in ___________?
• How did they arrive here?
• Tell stories about their trip, their adventures, their personalities, their reasons for coming.
• Tell stories about their adjustments and difficulties/fortunes.

  IF your family has been here so long that nobody remembers why or when they came:

• Tell stories about your family's history here.
• How many wars did they fight in? Which ones?
• What war stories are told in your family? (These might or might not be relevant for your country.)
• What is the story behind your name?
• Units on immigration to the US and students find their country of ancestry and research it.

Suggested Activities

• Field Trip to a Genealogical Library(May be a $2-$5 admission fee)
• Field Trip to an Historical Society or Museum
• Invite a Genealogy Librarian To Visit the Classroom
• Family History Centers of the Church of Latter Day Saints may entertain a full class for a field trip or a parent/child visit-these libraries have microfilm records for rent of wills, census, land records both from the US and many countries with very friendly, helpful librarians to answer questions
• There are many email listservs on the internet. These lists are a "safe" place but children should identify themselves as children so adults will understand their limitations and not expect them to "go search the census records". Children should also have a very specific question to ask if they post. See the "Links" list. I may be able to help in this type of research if a teacher does not care to subscribe to a listserv.