Family Traditions
Brittany Barto
C&I 371-Social Studies
Social Studies Unit: Families
Adapted Lesson: Family Traditions
Target Grade: Kindergarten
*Adapted from: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/2856
Essential Question: What makes a family?
Guiding Questions and Learning Objectives/Goals:
o Student’s understanding of family traditions will be broadened.
o Students will be able to identify their family traditions.
Standards:
o Compare and contrast people and objects of long ago and now.
o Demonstrate confidence in expressing one’s own beliefs and feelings.
o Identify similarities and differences in individuals (i.e. actions, feelings, appearance, abilities).
o Exhibit an awareness that children grow up in different parts of the world with similar and different experiences.
o Identify customs, traditions, and celebrations that have special meanings for their family.
o IV. Individual Development and Identity
o V. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
Materials:
Procedures (Activities/Assignments):
Day One
o After the read aloud, we will have a small discussion and I will pose these questions:
§ What is a family tradition? (Wait for student response and if needed, give students the definition for family tradition aka the attitudes, ideas and ideals, and environment, which a person inherits from his/her parents/guardian/ancestors/ect.)
§ What family traditions did the author have?
§ Were there any similarities between your family and the author’s family in the traditions they had?
o At this point I would share some of the traditions my family has. First, we like to watch Packer games together on Sundays. Another thing we like to do is bake cookies together around Christmas time. We also love to go fishing in the spring/summer.
§ I would then ask students, “What are some other types of traditions families might have?” (Looking for ideas such as: special meals, rites of passage, yearly celebrations, inheritance, religious, naming, special family times, etc.) The focus should be on traditions in general, not necessarily holidays, but holidays can and should be included in the conversation, especially if those are the traditions in which are most important to my students.
o While going through this question, I would take notes on the various types of traditions the students think of so they can refer back to the list later on.
o Students will be sent home with a letter asking their parent/guardian/ect. to think of some family traditions they have, such as a yearly family vacation to a particular place or an activity that is prevalent to the family. This list should be returned to school the next day. Students are encouraged to bring photographs if possible. If there are students who have forgotten or do not have help at home to fill out the list, I will help them to come up with a list at school.
Days Two-Three (Depending on where students are at in their writing)
Days Four-Seven (Depending on where students are at in their writing)
Days Eight-Ten
Assessment
o They will also be assessed informally on their broadened understanding of family traditions through the “think, pair, share” activity with a partner and during the final presentation of student work.
o Students will be formally assessed on their knowledge of what a family tradition is with the exit ticket that is completed at the end of the lesson.
Parent Letter Example:
Dear Kindergarten Parents,
We are studying family traditions! Your child has learned that a tradition is something that a family does based upon the attitudes, ideas and ideals, and environment, which a person inherits from his/her parents/guardian/ancestors/ect. We are not studying the holidays specifically, but the activities that families do as a tradition, which may or may not include holidays. Examples discussed in school include yearly family vacation to grandpa and grandma’s house, going to the library on a certain day each week and such.
Please talk with your child about traditions you have maintained throughout your life and new traditions that you have started and continued with your children. This should be a wonderful time of family sharing and remembering. Enjoy this time with your family.
In the space provided below, write down some of the traditions that your child is most familiar with. These will be shared in class and then your child will make a book about them.
You may want to include photographs of these traditions.
We will be using these in class on our next school day.
Thanks for your participation.
Family Tradition Information Checklist
My tradition_____________________________________________________________
What happens____________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
When it happens__________________________________________________________
Where it happens_________________________________________________________
Who is part of this tradition_________________________________________________
What you hear___________________________________________________________
What you see____________________________________________________________
What you feel___________________________________________________________
What you smell__________________________________________________________
What you taste__________________________________________________________
Rubric for Completed Book
C&I 371-Social Studies
Social Studies Unit: Families
Adapted Lesson: Family Traditions
Target Grade: Kindergarten
*Adapted from: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/2856
Essential Question: What makes a family?
Guiding Questions and Learning Objectives/Goals:
- What is a family tradition?
o Student’s understanding of family traditions will be broadened.
o Students will be able to identify their family traditions.
Standards:
- MMSD Standards
o Compare and contrast people and objects of long ago and now.
o Demonstrate confidence in expressing one’s own beliefs and feelings.
o Identify similarities and differences in individuals (i.e. actions, feelings, appearance, abilities).
o Exhibit an awareness that children grow up in different parts of the world with similar and different experiences.
o Identify customs, traditions, and celebrations that have special meanings for their family.
- NCSS Standards
o IV. Individual Development and Identity
o V. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
Materials:
- (Adapted) Letter to parent/guardian/etc. for family traditions (attached)
- Family Tradition Information Checklist (attached)
- Crayons, Markers, Colored Pencils, etc.
- Writing sheet with box for drawing on top (attached)
- Construction paper
- (Adapted) Final Book Rubric (attached)
- Read Aloud
Procedures (Activities/Assignments):
Day One
- Read Aloud-In My Family by Carmen Lomas Garza
o After the read aloud, we will have a small discussion and I will pose these questions:
§ What is a family tradition? (Wait for student response and if needed, give students the definition for family tradition aka the attitudes, ideas and ideals, and environment, which a person inherits from his/her parents/guardian/ancestors/ect.)
§ What family traditions did the author have?
§ Were there any similarities between your family and the author’s family in the traditions they had?
o At this point I would share some of the traditions my family has. First, we like to watch Packer games together on Sundays. Another thing we like to do is bake cookies together around Christmas time. We also love to go fishing in the spring/summer.
§ I would then ask students, “What are some other types of traditions families might have?” (Looking for ideas such as: special meals, rites of passage, yearly celebrations, inheritance, religious, naming, special family times, etc.) The focus should be on traditions in general, not necessarily holidays, but holidays can and should be included in the conversation, especially if those are the traditions in which are most important to my students.
o While going through this question, I would take notes on the various types of traditions the students think of so they can refer back to the list later on.
o Students will be sent home with a letter asking their parent/guardian/ect. to think of some family traditions they have, such as a yearly family vacation to a particular place or an activity that is prevalent to the family. This list should be returned to school the next day. Students are encouraged to bring photographs if possible. If there are students who have forgotten or do not have help at home to fill out the list, I will help them to come up with a list at school.
Days Two-Three (Depending on where students are at in their writing)
- Using the list of family traditions that the students made with a parent/guardian/etc/teacher at school, the students will get together in pairs for “think, pair, share” to answer the questions, “What is one of your family traditions and why is it a tradition?” This will help to broaden their understanding of family traditions.
- Students will now choose a family tradition and use a family tradition checklist as a planning sheet for the final activity, which will assess the objectives for this lesson. For each item on the checklist, students will write complete sentences. Students should try and include as many aspects on this checklist in their final book as is appropriate.
- Once students have written out their sentences, they should peer review/teacher review to look for any changes that might be needed in the structure and content of the sentences.
Days Four-Seven (Depending on where students are at in their writing)
- Once students have written and gotten their sentences peer/teacher reviewed, they will begin to create their final product, their family tradition book.
- Each day, students will work on at least two of their pages, making sure to write their sentences neatly and with the necessary revisions that were made in the peer/teacher review.
- After they have finished their writing on a page for that day, they are welcome to add illustrations that go along with their text using crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc.
- If students do not complete the their pages during the designated time, they can use free time if they wish to do so.
- Students who may finish early can take the time to make a front and back cover for their books if they would like.
Days Eight-Ten
- Once most/all students have finished their books, we will gather on the rug to allow students to share their books with the class. This will cater to the objective of broadening students’ understanding of family traditions. This also touches on my educational philosophy of building classroom community through celebrations of student work.
- As always, students will only share if they feel comfortable doing so. Students are expected to be respectful of others while they are sharing information about themselves.
- Here at the end, I will have students fill out a quick exit ticket that will be composed of the question, “What is a family tradition?” I will have various answers listed and students should circle the ideas that fit the definition of what a family tradition is.
Assessment
- Informal
o They will also be assessed informally on their broadened understanding of family traditions through the “think, pair, share” activity with a partner and during the final presentation of student work.
- Formal
o Students will be formally assessed on their knowledge of what a family tradition is with the exit ticket that is completed at the end of the lesson.
Parent Letter Example:
Dear Kindergarten Parents,
We are studying family traditions! Your child has learned that a tradition is something that a family does based upon the attitudes, ideas and ideals, and environment, which a person inherits from his/her parents/guardian/ancestors/ect. We are not studying the holidays specifically, but the activities that families do as a tradition, which may or may not include holidays. Examples discussed in school include yearly family vacation to grandpa and grandma’s house, going to the library on a certain day each week and such.
Please talk with your child about traditions you have maintained throughout your life and new traditions that you have started and continued with your children. This should be a wonderful time of family sharing and remembering. Enjoy this time with your family.
In the space provided below, write down some of the traditions that your child is most familiar with. These will be shared in class and then your child will make a book about them.
You may want to include photographs of these traditions.
We will be using these in class on our next school day.
Thanks for your participation.
Family Tradition Information Checklist
My tradition_____________________________________________________________
What happens____________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
When it happens__________________________________________________________
Where it happens_________________________________________________________
Who is part of this tradition_________________________________________________
What you hear___________________________________________________________
What you see____________________________________________________________
What you feel___________________________________________________________
What you smell__________________________________________________________
What you taste__________________________________________________________
Rubric for Completed Book