Photo of Kidlink volunteer Daniel
Maslowski with family
In this first lesson of our "What
Are My Roots?" module we are going to introduce our families. Who is the
one person in your family that you know best? Of course! It is
YOU! This
is where we will start as we climb our family trees and see who our families
are, how they have lived and how they helped shape us into the people we
are today.
Discussion
Questions
What do we mean when
we say "my roots?" Have you ever made a family tree? When you make one you
start with yourself. Introduce yourself to the rest of the students who are
doing this module with us by telling us a little about yourself. Tell us
your name, your place and year of birth. Were you baptized in a church or
in some religious ceremony? Ask mom, dad or your grandparents to tell you
about the ceremony. Relate the story to us in the
KidComWho-Am-I? room for this module.
What was happening
in the world during the month you were born? Search the web to find out.
Tell us some of the interesting things that were going on in the world. Ask
your KidCom friends who are doing this module with you to tell us what events
were taking place in the world when they were born.
Was your name given
to you at birth or sometime later? Were you named after anyone in particular
in your family? Are you similar to that person in any way?
Is it possible that
our names might have something to do with our personalities? Do you think
a girl named "Joy" will be a happy child and adult?
Are there special naming
traditions in your family? Share them with us in the
KidComWho-Am-I? room
Do you know how long
people have been using a first name and a last name? Do you think people
have always had two names?
Do you know the origin
of your surname or last name? In some cultures the surname comes from the
profession of the first person who had the name. In Germany the surname Lichtman
means candle maker; Arzt - doctor; Bader - barber: Bauer - farmer. In other
countries surnames identify the father of a person. Surnames might also reflect
the location of the family who first used the name such as Walsh (from Wales)
or Norman (from Normandy). Where do you think Lawrence Atwood's family might
have lived in the early days of their family?
Ask your parents to
describe the first home you lived in. Are you still living in that home?
Ask your parents to tell you how it is different from the house where they
grew up.
How many homes have
you lived in? Can you remember them all?
Have you ever found
any old books, diaries or treasures in your attic that tell you more stories
about your ancestors? Tell us what you have found.
Do you have relatives
who live near you like aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents? How do you
travel to visit these relatives? How did they travel to visit their relatives
when they were your age?
What are some important
events in your life so far? Write them down and describe them for all of
us.
Have you moved from
the city where you were born? When did you move? Do you know why you moved?
Ask your parents to tell you about the places that you can't remember because
you were too little when you left.
Do you have brothers
or sisters? Tell us about them. How old are they? Do they live in your city
or have they moved away? Are any of them married? Do they have children?
Are your father's
parents living? What are their names and where do they live?
What are/were their
occupations?
While searching for
the occupations of your relatives did you find that you don't know what some
of the words mean? Do you know what a "clapman" or a "gummer" is? One means
the town crier and one means a person who improved old saws by deepening
the cuts. Search the web or visit the library to find occupations that existed
in your country more than 100 years ago. Do all of the occupations still
exist today? If they do, has the name changed? If the job is now gone why
do you think it is gone?
Are your mother's
parents living? What are their names and where do they live?
What are/were their
occupations?
Has anyone in your
family done something special that has helped your family, community or nation?
What special talents do/did they have?
Do you think your
ancestors have contributed to the way you are today? Think about the things
you value in life and that are important to you. Did any of your ancestors
have these same strong values or feelings? If you happen to love music or
art, for instance, did you inherit this love from any relatives? Can we inherit
such things as a love for art or dancing or music? Can talents in such areas
be inherited?
Are there any special
songs that your family sings whenever there are big family gatherings? Do
the old people in your family sing the same songs as you do or different
ones? Do you know those songs?
When older members
of a family become ill and need care during the day is it the custom in your
country for younger family members to care for the elderly or are they generally
placed in homes for the aged?
An heirloom
is a valued family possession that has been handed down from generation to
generation. Ask your parents if there are any very special heirlooms in your
family. Tell us about them. Do you have any possessions that you love that
you think you would like to see handed down to your children and their children's
children? What is this possession that you have that is very important to
you? Describe it to us, when you received it, or perhaps made it, and why
it has great value to you.
Are there special
days set aside for honoring the family in your country such as Mother's Day
or Father's Day? When and how are these days celebrated? Is there a Grandparent's
day?
Classroom
Activities
In a "lineage poem",
you tell about your "line" of ancestors or family members, your "heritage"...what
they have passed down in the way of character traits and values to you. As
a class write lineage poems and display them for the other classes in your
school to see. These are the important parts of a lineage poem:
name
parents' names
generation/place in the family
translation from a foreign language if you know
it
personality
interests
something about your family
some sort of commentary about all of this....
During the eight weeks
of this module you will make a Family Tree. Begin to gather information
for your Family Tree by asking relatives for names, birth dates and
birthplaces of members of your family. Gather your information and any pictures
you might have in a folder. Collect important information about relatives
that you would like to add to your Family Tree. As a class brainstorm some
questions that you can ask your mom, dad, grandparents and relatives. Share
these questions with the rest of us in KidCom.
Pretend that you can
go backward in time. You are having a conversation with a relative who lived
a long time ago. What would you say to him or her? Write your conversations
as a skit or play. Find a partner in your class who will take the part of
your older relative and perform your play.
Did any of your ancestors
speak another language because they came from countries outside the country
where you live now? If so, make a simple dictionary of words in that language.
You might have to find others in
Kidlink who speak that language to help you if no one else in your family
still speaks that language. Search
Kidlink's
membership database for
Kidlink kids living in other countries.
Make a diorama (three
dimensional scene in miniature) of a house in the time of one of your early
ancestors. Make sure that the items you place in the house were actually
invented by that time. Do research in the library and on the web to make
sure your diorama is authentic.
Invite someone from
your family to come to school and share a special talent they have. If there
are bankers in your family they might talk to your class about a career in
banking. If there are farmers in the class they might explain the challenges
of living off the land and how it has changed or stayed the same over the
years.
Celebrate "Grandparents
Day" and invite your grandparents to come to school. Sing songs, write poems,
make paintings for them and honor them with a festivity. Invite them to tell
a story to the class from the days when they were young.
Have you or any of
your relatives received any special awards, medals or trophies? Bring them
to school (if you are allowed) and share the stories behind them.
Make a cassette recording
or video tape of an interview or sharing time with an older relative. Perhaps
they will tell some stories to share with your classmates.
Kidlink
English
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