Introduction
Tracing our family history can be fun and interesting. Using maps and
globes can help us locate our "roots." Many different cultures make up
the United States. This lesson discusses family history and the mixing
of different cultures.
Shared Book Literature Source
How My Parents Learned to Eat, Ina R. Friedman.
A child tells of a happy resolution of a slight problem stemming from
diverse cultures within a family.
Other Materials Needed
- Discovery Globe
- World Discovery Map
- United States Discovery Map
- Map Markers
- "Post-it" notes
Suggested Lesson
As a pre-reading exercise ask the children if they know where their
parents and/or grandparents "came from." List the places mentioned on
the chalkboard or chart paper. Locate the places mentioned on the
Discovery World Map and Globe, and United States Discovery Map.
Brainstorm with the students about how their parent/grandparents are
alike and different. Emphasize such cultural traits as religion,
language, and favorite types of food.
In a shared book experience, read the book to the children. Discuss
how people from different countries with very different cultures can
overcome obstacles and live in harmony.
On the World Discovery Map, show the students where the characters in
the book lived. For homework, ask the students to find out from their
parents where each of them lived when they met. When they return with
the information, put a "Post-it" (with the child's name on it) and the
place where the parents met. Then put the Post-its where the family
lives now. Use colored string or roving to connect the Post-its or pins.
Examine the map to find out how many families have moved from the area
where they met. Discuss why people move.
Graph the information. Who met farthest from their current home? Who
met in the place where they still live? Emphasize that all people move
from place to place. Sometimes people move great distances. Other people
may move only within the town in which they were born. Movement of
people, products, and ideas is a constant theme of geography. |
