Families

Day 1:

1. Students will begin the lesson on the carpet. Begin by reading the story All Kinds of Families by: Norma Simon. After reading the story to students, discuss the different types of families that were in the book, and explain to students that no two families are the same. All families are different.
2. Give students an example such as if you were to bring in a family photo, it would look completely different than Student Xs’. Have students brainstorm ideas about what makes their family different than other families. (Think about family traditions, types of food that you eat regularly at home, transportation, shelter, clothing, etc.) Have students share out and write down some of the ideas students discuss. Also discuss the importance of family with students.

 
Day 2:

1. Briefly review the information that students learned the day before.
2. Create a chart with four sections. Label the sections ‘Food, Clothing, Shelter, and Transportation’. Discuss with students that even though we live in the same community, family traditions, and ways of living are different. Have students think about the type of foods they typically eat in their homes. Have them share out and write down their responses on the chart under the section titled ‘Food’. Do this for Clothing, Shelter, and Transportation. (When discussing clothing, talk about what kind of clothing worn in the Summer, Spring, Fall, and Winter. When discussing transportation have students think about how they get to school. Students may ride the bus, ride in a car, ride a bike, or even be a walker. When discussing shelter, have students even think about if they live in a house, apartment, etc.)
3. After creating the chart, go over it with students and discuss similarities and differences.

 
 
Day 3:

1. Briefly review the information that students learned on Day 1 and Day 2. Review the chart that was made on Day 2.
2. Discuss with students that we have similarities and differences between families and traditions with each other, but also with other families all around the world.
3. Pick 3-4 countries and briefly discuss typical family traditions, food, clothing, shelter and transportation in those countries. (potential resource for information: http://www.everyculture.com/index.html)
4. After giving students information on a few countries. Make a chart similar to the one made on Day 2 for the countries that were discussed with students. Compare and contrast charts.
5. Divide students into small groups. There should be 4 groups. Each group will be assigned either Food, Clothing, Shelter, or Transportation. Students must come up with an idea to present the information discussed about these topics regarding the families in our community, and families around the world. They can do this through a PowerPoint, poster, song, rap, written response, etc. Students need to show the similarities and differences between them. Students should start this project today, but not be finished.

 
 
Day 4:

1. Review assignment expectations with students before sending them off to work in their groups. Students should be given the entire social studies period, (will vary) on this day to complete their group projects.

 
Day 5:

1. Allow students to finish any last-minute things on their projects. (5-10 minutes)
2. Have each group come up in front of the class and present their projects. The teacher should do some questioning with each group to allow students to think deeper, and to see if students truly understand the material.

Students will be assessed through the questioning that takes place throughout the entire week. They will also be assessed on the project that is presented at the end of the week. The teacher should do deeper questioning when students are presenting their projects, so that it is clear that students truly understand the material.