Families Past, Present, and Around the World

Unit Sub-Topics• Different Types of Families

• Family Roles and Responsibilities

• Our Classroom Family

• Family Celebrations and Traditions

Key Perspectives• Students will learn that each family is different.

– This will be addressed primarily through group discussions and exploration through literature.

• Students will learn about how families work together as a unit.– Students will learn this concept by examining the

roles in their own family and in classmates’ families.

Key Perspectives• Students will learn that their classroom functions

as a family.– This will be addressed through teacher led discussion

and will be related to the children's out of school families.

• Students will learn that families have different celebrations and traditions.– The children will learn this through literature, guest

speakers and student presentations of their own cultures.

Background Information• Interviews with children

– Children often think that every family is just like their own

• Interviews with members of various cultures.– Families in other cultures often have different

values and standards than what we consider “normal.”

Rationale(Why is teaching family important?)

• Students need to learn about diversity.• Family is a common parallel to use to help

children “cross borders” at such a young age.

• Gives students commonalities with their peers (alike and unalike).

• It could be their first experience encountering multiculturalism.

State Standards Addressed

• 18.B.1a Compare the roles of individuals in group situations (e.g., student, committee member, employee/employer).

• 18.C.1a Describe how individuals interacted within groups to make choices regarding food, clothing and shelter.

National Standards Addressed

• 5D. Understands the interrelationships between people and their environment

• 5G. Understands the implications of cultural heritage and diversity, as well as cohesion, within and across groups.

Instructional Strategies• Integration of Literature

* Kindergarten is literacy intensive.

• Interviews and Surveys

* Helps create social experiences and personal connections to peers.

• Oral History

* Using experts on the topic helps children get more involved and excited about learning

• Integrating the Arts* Gives children another outlet to express what they are learning.

Literacy Links• The unit will be literature based. We plan on

using:– Fiction

– Poetry

– Integrating Writing Activities

– Non-Fiction

– Developing Speaking/Listening Experiences

*All of these literacy links are applicable to both the family topic as well as student’s literacy development.

UNIT SKETCH

Essential Questions• A. What does a family look like?

• B. How do family members help each other?

• C. How does our classroom family work together?

• D. What traditions/celebrations does your family participate in?

Enduring Understandings

• A1. With such diverse classroom populations, students will recognize that families are composed of two or more members who care for each other.

• A2. Classrooms no longer represent the traditional “nuclear families.”

Enduring Understandings

• B1. Roles and responsibilities vary as much as the types of families.

• B2. Everyone has a responsibility/role within a family unit.

• B3. Family members communicate in different ways.

Enduring Understandings

• C1. Classrooms represent a special type of family with different roles and responsibilities.

• D1. Traditions and celebrations reflect the religion, culture, and history of the family units.

• D2. All families have unique celebrations, holidays, and traditions.

Lesson Descriptions• Tuning In: Students will bring in pictures of their

families to start talking about different families– Instructional Strategy: Literature (The Relatives Came)

• Preparing to Find Out: Students will prepare 2-3 interviewing questions for a peer about their family– Instructional Strategy: Interviews and Surveys

• Finding Out: Students interview each other using their prepared questions and present their findings to the class.– Instructional Strategy: Interviews and Surveys

• Sorting Out: Students will each make a square depicting what makes their family unique which will be compiled to make a “classroom family quilt.”– Instructional Strategy: Integrating the Arts

• Going Further: Guest Speakers from community of families will present information on different cultures, celebrations and traditions.– Instructional Strategy: Oral History

• Making Connections: Students will compare their roles in their home family to their roles in their classroom family.– Instructional Strategy: Literature (I Need a Rest!)

• Taking Action: Hall of Families (each child will create a “family profile” to be posted in the hall).– Instructional Strategy: Integrating the Arts

Bibliography• Adoff, Arnold. Black is Brown is Tan. New York: Harper Collins, 1973.

• Carlson, Nancy. My Family is Forever. New York: Penguin Group, 2004.

• Crews, Donald. Big Mama’s. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1991.

• Eggleton, Judy. I Need a Rest!. Rigby Books, 2000. 

• Flournoy, Valerie. The Patchwork Quilt. Honk Kong: Dial Books, 1985.

• Fox, Mem. Whoever You Are. Orlando, Fl: Harcourt, Inc., 1997.

• Gliori, Debi. No Matter What. New York: Scholastic, 1999.

• Hoffman, Mary. Amazing Grace. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1991.

• Morris, Ann. Light the Candle! Bang the Drum!. New York: Dutton Children’s Books, 1997.

• Polacco, Patricia. Babuska’s Doll. New York, NY.: Simon & Schuester Books, 1990.

• Rylant, Cynthia. The Relatives Came. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1993.

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Unit Assessment• Throughout the unit, students should be informally

assessed. The teacher should be watchful of students level of participation and engagement. It might prove useful to keep a checklist to keep track of the students.

• After the unit, students should write a journal and a drawing to be formally assessed for the unit.

Lesson PlanMy Family (tuning in)

Essential Driving Question: What does a family look like?

Enduring Understandings: 1. Students will recognize that families are composed of two or more members that care for each other. 2. Classrooms no longer represent the traditional “nuclear” families.

Standards Addressed:

State Standard: 18.B.1a Compare the roles of individuals in group situations (e.g., student, committee member, employee/employer).

National Standard: 5D. Understands the interrelationships between people and their environment

• Materials: The Relatives Came, by Cynthia Rylant and a picture of each student’s family

• Procedure:1. Teacher will read The Relatives Came to the students2. Teacher will lead a discussion with the children about the family

in the book. Who is in the family? How is the family like or not like your own family?

3. Teacher will have students will show the picture of their family to the entire class and describe who makes up their family.

4. When all of the children are finished, the teacher will facilitate a follow up discussion about the differences in families.

5. Students will do a journal write based on the prompt: Who is in my family?

• Formative Assessment:– Teacher will assess the students throughout the discussions and picture

presentations informally based on participation.

• Summative Assessment:– Students will be formally assessed on their journal writes (Is it clearly

written and on the topic of the prompt?).

• Adaptations– If students do not have or choose not to bring in a picture of their

family, they may draw or cut out a picture of a family from a magazine.

– If students do not feel comfortable sharing their pictures they are not required to do so and may present in a different setting.

– Students may draw pictures or use an oral explanation if they are not developmentally ready to write.