I am David Williams and I am the Social Studies teacher Huntington Middle School for team 6A. I would like to invite the students to the exciting study of our world. Our first project is a family tree that students have received the instructions for and should be sharing with you soon if they have not already. Below is a copy of the instructions.
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FAMILY TREE ASSIGNMENT
Assignment:
You are to make a family tree display that traces your family back at least to all four sets your great-grandparents (they are your parents grandparents). With the family tree display you must provide a map which shows location of the origin of your ancestors. Also, you must have at least one brief story about one of your ancestors. Meeting all the requirements will earn you a B. To earn an A you need to do something extra to make it special.
Due Date: September 7, 2011
The Family Tree:
The family tree needs to include, as much as possible, the following individuals – you, your siblings, your parents, their parents, and your parents’ grandparents. On each of these individuals you need to provide birth, marriage, and death dates as they apply. Your chart or diagram must clearly show the relationships of these people to each other.
Your family tree diagram should be neat, but the accuracy of the information and being able to understand it is far more important than how it looks. A display that is large and attractive but is confusing will not earn as good a grade as a simple diagram that is easy to understand.
The Map:
Only Native Americans originated in the United States. All of the rest of our ancestors originated in other locations – Europe, Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands, etc.
On your map be as specific as you can in identifying where your ancestors originated. Some of us may know the town or city where our ancestors lived before they left for America, but most of us will likely know only the name of the country or perhaps only the region of a continent. On your map show the originating locations, as much as possible, for the different branches of your family.
The Story:
While some of us may have had an ancestor who participated in some great event or made some fantastic accomplishment, the ancestors of most of us did not. The stories from my family are mostly about rather ordinary happenings. Thus, the story you relate to the class may range from the phenomenal to the ordinary. Talk to your parents and grandparents about this. Everybody has some story they want to pass on to you.
EXEMPTIOMS:
Many of us, for what ever reason, do not have access to all of the information about our families that I am asking for in this assignment, or there may be reasons some of us do not wish to divulge this information. In these cases please have a parent or guardian inform your teacher by sending a signed note with a phone number stating that you are unable to complete a portion or all of this assignment and you will not be penalized in relation to your grade.
The purpose of this assignment is not because your teacher wants to know about your family. The purpose is to give each student an opportunity to learn something of his or her family heritage that they can pass on to their children and grandchildren.
