Families Past, Present, and Around the World

1. Families Past, Present, and Around the World

2. Unit Sub-Topics • Different Types of Families • Family Roles and Responsibilities • Our Classroom Family • Family Celebrations and Traditions

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.”

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. UNIT SKETCH

12. 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?

13. 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.”

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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. .

20. 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.

21. Lesson Plan My 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

22. Materials:The Relatives Came, by Cynthia Rylant and a picture of each student’s family • Procedure: • Teacher will read The Relatives Came to the students • 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? • Teacher will have students will show the picture of their family to the entire class and describe who makes up their family. • When all of the children are finished, the teacher will facilitate a follow up discussion about the differences in families. • Students will do a journal write based on the prompt: Who is in my family?

23. 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?).

24. 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.