The Statue of Liberty
Photograph courtesy of the National Park Service
 
 
Subject Areas
History and Social Studies
   U.S. History - Immigration/Migration
   World History - Africa
   World History - Asia/Far East
   World History - Europe
   World History - Latin America
 
Time Required
 
 
Skills
  information gathering and research
map reading
critical thinking
organizing information
exposition

Where I Come From

Introduction

In this lesson, students take research into their heritage a step beyond the construction of a family tree, traveling through cyberspace to find out what's happening in their ancestral homelands today and explore their sense of connection to these places in their past.

Guiding Question:

What parts of the world has your family come from? What is life like there today? What are your feelings about these places your family once called home?

Learning Objectives

After completing this lesson, students will be able to:
  • Identify the countries and cultures that are part of their family heritage.
  • Locate these places on a map.
  • Report on life in these places today.
  • Characterize their sense of attachment to these places in their past.

Preparing to Teach this Lesson

1    This lesson plan consists of four learning activities that you can use together as a unit or adapt separately to your curricular needs.

2    Review the suggested activities, then download and duplicate any online materials you will need. If desired, you can bookmark specific web pages so that students can access relevant online materials directly. (See Selected EDSITEment Websites for a guide to locating online materials.)

3   For guidance on presenting and exploring lessons on family history, visit The Learning Page at American Memory, which includes America Dreams and other resources on immigration and ancestry in addition to many more topics.

Suggested Activities

A Family Travel Log
Mapping Your Past
What's New in the Old Country?
A Place to Call Home

A Family Travel Log Begin by having students talk to a parent about the countries and cultures that are part of their family history. Ask students to create a family "travel log" with one page set aside for each place where members of their family have lived in the past. Encourage students to ask their parents for information about their family's experiences in each of these places and to record these facts on the appropriate pages of their travel logs.

Mapping Your Past In class, arrange for students to research the places their families have come from using the online resources of the Xpeditions website.

  • Have students use the Atlas section of the site to find and print out maps of the places that are part of their family history, which they can then add to their travel logs and mark or color to show where their ancestors lived (if they have this information).

  • Students can also use the "Flags and Facts" feature of the National Geographic Map Machine to gather background on the history and geography of the places their families come from, and include this information in their travel logs as well.

  • You might also have students mark the places that are part of their family history on a whole class world map, to help them discover geographical connections.

What's New in the Old Country? Next, have students find out what life is like in their ancestral homelands today by reading online news reports from those countries and cultures. In addition to political and breaking news, online news sources offer sports reports, feature stories, entertainment news, and even weather forecasts. EDSITEment provides links to online news reports from virtually any part of the world, many of which are available both in English and in the language of the originating country. Use these links to find news sources for the students in your class:

Africa

Americas

Asia

Australia

Europe

As they "visit" each country or culture through these news sources, have students collect souvenirs for their travel logs -- pictures, advertisements, charts, cartoons, news clippings, and surprising facts. Then have them organize their souvenirs to create an online (or conventional) travel album, a virtual tour with commentary, or as a series of emails from imaginary relatives to family members in the United States. Share these projects in class, inviting students to compare their impressions of homelands they share and comment on the differences (and similarities) between life in other regions and their lives in the United States.

A Place to Call Home Finally, have each student choose one country or culture from their family history for extended study, setting aside time each week when they can deepen their acquaintance with this part of their heritage. (Students of similar heritage might conduct this research in small groups.) In addition to online news sources, students can use library resources to learn more about the history and geography of their chosen region, and can interview family members to learn about traditions that link them to this place in their past. Have students keep a journal or digital diary as they explore, where they can collect additional "souvenirs" and reflect on their feelings about their ancestral lands. What stirs pride in their cultural heritage? What gives them a new perspective on who they are? After four weeks, have students organize their research to produce an essay or computer presentation that introduces others to the place they have studied and highlights what makes it feel like a place they could call home.te their message to you) telling a distant relative about life in a sod house on the plains.

Extending the Lesson

Continue your travels through family history by having students explore their literary heritage create anthologies of stories, poems, songs, and folktales from all the countries and cultures in their past. Divide the class into small groups that share a similar heritage, or have each group gather examples of a single genre from several cultures and report on similarities and differences they discover. Resources for the study of world literature are available through EDSITEment at Asia Source, AskAsia, African Studies WWW, the Bucknell Russian Studies Department, the Center for the Liberal Arts, the Goethe Institute, Ile en ile, LANIC (Latin American Network Information Center), Lire les femmes ecrivains et les litteratures africaines, NativeWeb, and SARAI (South Asia Resource Access on the Internet).

Selected EDSITEment Websites

African Studies WWW

Asia Source

  • Asia Today

    Bucknell Russian Studies Department

    Center for the Liberal Arts

    Goethe Institute

    Ile en ile

    LANIC (Latin American Network Information Center)

    Native Web

    SARAI (South Asia Resource Access on the Internet)

    Other Information

    Standards Alignment

    1. NCSS-1

      Culture and cultural diversity. more

    2. NCSS-2

      Time, continuity, and change. The ways human beings view themselves in and over time. more

    3. NCSS-4

      Individual development and identity. more

    4. NCTE/IRA-1

      Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works. more

    5. NCTE/IRA-10

      Students whose first language is not English make use of their first language to develop competency in the English language arts and to develop understanding of content across the curriculum.

    6. NCTE/IRA-11

      Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.

    7. NCTE/IRA-12

      Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information). more

    8. NCTE/IRA-3

      Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes. more

    9. NCTE/IRA-4

      Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes. more

    10. NCTE/IRA-5

      Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes. more

    11. NCTE/IRA-6

      Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts. more

    12. NCTE/IRA-7

      Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience. more

    13. NCTE/IRA-8

      Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge. more

    14. NCTE/IRA-9

      Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.

    15. NGS-1

      How to Use Maps and Other Geographic Representations, Tools, and Technologies to Acquire, Process, and Report Information from a Spatial Perspective

    16. NGS-10

      The Characteristics, Distribution, and Complexity of Earth’s Cultural Mosaics

    17. NGS-12

      The Processes, Patterns, and Functions of Human Settlement

    18. NGS-13

      How the Forces of Cooperation and Conflict Among People Influence the Division and Control of Earth’s Surface

    19. NGS-17

      How to Apply Geography to Interpret the Past

    20. NGS-4

      The Physical and Human Characteristics of Places

    21. NGS-6

      How Culture and Experience Influence People’s Perceptions of Places and Regions

    22. NGS-9

      The Characteristics, Distribution, and Migration of Human Population on Earth’s Surface

    Verizon logo