Welcome to GenealogySearch.info - Information on Blank Family Tree

A family-tree study teaches kids about their personal history - and our diverse culture

Who are the members of your family tree? And from what countries does your family come?" These questions were the starting point for what would become a rich and informative exploration of family roots in my multiage class of third, fourth, and fifth graders. Mexico, Germany, and Ireland were some of the places kids readily shared. But when one child offered "Pennsylvania," I knew there was work to be done!

Acknowledging the past is critical for students to grow into citizens who appreciate and respect our diverse society as well as the wonderfully multiple meanings of "family" today. As the children in my class learned about their own and others' history, they gained a sense of how American culture has evolved from countless individual stories that reach back across generations to many lands.

To begin our study, I assigned a "family tree" as homework. Each student was given a reproducible chart with spaces for the names and birthplaces of her or his parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Using my own family history as a model, I demonstrated how to complete the chart and explained that my mother had helped provide the information. Since parental involvement was crucial, I sent a letter home along with the chart, explaining the activity to parents and requesting their cooperation. I asked that children complete and return the assignment within one week.

As teachers, we know that any activity that impinges on personal matters calls for great sensitivity. Family history can be a tricky subject, especially when it includes adoption, divorce, the death of a parent, blended families, and so on. In the case of a few students for whom I anticipated such difficulties, I telephoned their parents before sending home the chart and letter. The parents appreciated having the chance to prepare for the discussion before their child brought it up. One adoptive family chose to have their daughter research the background of her birth parents. Another, for private reasons, chose not to have their child complete the chart. (She was still able to participate in the group follow-up activities, described below.)

So 28 of my 29 students completed their family trees. A number of parents told me what a pleasure it was to tell their family's "story" to their children. Some related that grandparents and other extended family members had become involved. The youngsters' clear delight in sharing what they had learned was an unanticipated bonus. One boy, for example, learned that he had relatives who had entered the United States through Ellis Island. He was thrilled to find, with his parents' help, a record of their entry through the Web site of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. (See Multimedia Resources, page 11.)

Once the family trees were complete, we set about processing the information we'd collected in a number of different ways. First we created a visual presentation using a large world map. Students sketched small portraits of themselves on index cards and stapled the cards around the map. Then everyone took two pieces of yarn in two different colors - one to represent Dad's lineage and the other for Mom's - and used it to connect his or her index card to their ancestors' countries of origin.

Next, we created a bar graph showing what countries of origin were represented in our class and the number of families from each one. Now we had a mathematical representation of our data as well. The graph showed that most of our families had originally emigrated from Germany and France, followed by Mexico.

Finally, we wrote summary statements based on the family trees. Using my own family tree as a model, we generated statements such as "One of my great grandmothers on my father's side was Lorena Pickett. She was born in Red Cloud, Nebraska," and "My mom's grandmother is my great-grandmother, and her name is Roberta." These summaries formed a linguistic representation of what the children had learned.

As a culminating activity, we played several rounds of Immigration Dominoes, adapted from Karen Baicker's Immigration Then and Now. (See Multimedia Resources, page 11). In this game each child writes the name of two countries - one for each side of the family - on an index card. The object is to match countries just as players match dots in the game of dominoes. For instance, Heather begins. Her card says Ireland and Germany. Without saying a word, Vince stands next to her because his card says Germany and Korea. Kris stands next to Vince because she has Korean and Norwegian roots. And so on. The game builds problem-solving skills, while the extra challenge of completing the activity silently requires strong teamwork and cooperation.

We quickly learned that there were multiple outcomes, depending on who started the game. We also had a few students who didn't share countries of origin with anyone in the class. After brainstorming for a solution to this problem, we created some "wild cards" - blank cards to be used as bridges between students of different origins. Then the challenge was to link the entire class with the fewest number of wild cards.

Immigration Dominoes was a great way to wrap up this unit because it vividly demonstrated both the closeness and the variety of our connections to one another. The lesson fostered a sense of connection in other ways as well, through communicating with parents and the sharing of stories. My students found meaning and pleasure in this exercise. As one commented, "We all have families, and I like finding out where different families come from."

Each year nine new third graders join Ruth Melendez's class of third through fifth graders at High Plains Elementary, in Colorado Springs, CO. These students then stay with her for all three years.

Correction In the September 1999 issue of Instructor, Lessons: The Arts incorrectly identified Nancie Atwell as coauthor of Seeking Diversity. Linda Rief is the book's sole author.