Title of Unit Families Are Important

Curricular Theme 1st grade Social Studies

Objectives of the unit
- Students will be able to identify the different kinds of family structures
- Students will know families are multi-generational
- Students will know that family members have different roles, jobs and
responsibilities
- Students will understand that all families have traditions, beliefs and
customs which they pass on to other generations
- Students will know families are found all around the world
- Students will know how to create a digital storybook
Standards
NYS Social Studies Standards
- Standard 1: History of the United States and New York
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their
understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning
points in the history of the United States and New York.
- Standard 2: World History
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their
understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning
points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a
variety of perspectives.
- Standard 3: Geography
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their
understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which
we live — local, national, and global — including the distribution of
people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.
NYS Arts Standards
- Standard 1: Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Arts
Students will actively engage in the processes that constitute creation
and performance in the arts (dance, music, theatre, and visual arts) and
participate in various roles in the arts.
- Standard 2: Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources
- Students will be knowledgeable about and make use of the materials
and resources available for participation in the arts in various roles.
Rationale
This 1st grade unit will address NYS Social Studies Standard 1: History
of the United States and New York, Standard 2: World History and
Standard 3: Geography because the students will know that families are
found all over the world. They will learn that all families are different
and therefore come from/live in different places. They will learn about
some of these cultures and places, specifically those that relate to their
own family throughout the unit. Students will research their own
families through interviews with family members. At the end of the unit,
students will get to share their final projects with classmates thus
learning about different families and cultures.The unit will also address
 NYS Arts Standard 1: Creating, Performing and Participating in the Arts
and Standard 2: Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources.
Students will create illustrations of their families to include in the class
digital storybook.
Content
Students will research their own families and cultures through interviews
with family members. Students will create illustrations of their families
which will be included in a class digital storybook. In groups, students
will discuss their findings and compare/contrast their families and
traditions.
Student Preparation
Students should have some knowledge of families from the Kindergarten
unit. Students should also be able to have some knowledge of their own
families and access to someone to interview for this project. They should
have some experience with technology including internet.
Motivation
Students will be particularly engaged and excited by this unit simply
because it is essentially about them and what they know (their family).
Students will enjoy being able to gather information about their family
through interviews, literature and class discussions. Bringing in actual
photos or items of importance to their family will also be enjoyable for
the students as they will be allowed to share with their peers. Since
children are already natural storytellers, they will enjoy creating a digital
storybook about their family using various technologies both new and
old to them.
Procedure/Implementation
This unit will take place over the span of 6 class sessions (45 mins each).
The instructor will need additional time outside of these sessions (before
and after session 5) to scan illustrations and put together book using
PowerPoint.

Day 1
1. Show students introduction video
(http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?
scid=3668954&height=267&width=200)
2. Read The Family Book by Todd Parr. Give students the following
prompt prior to reading: We all have families who love and
care for us but not all families are the same. In this
book, there are many different types of families. As I
read, think about the varieties families come in and
what type of family you come from too!
3. Define “family” as a class. Make sure it is acceptable and includes
everyone in the class, keep in mind that not each student may have a
nuclear family unit with both parents. The definition simply can be “a
group of people who love, care for and support one
 another”. This should be written on chart paper. Help students
understand there are many different forms of families.
4. Have students name members that make up a family. These should
also be put on chart paper. Divide members into nuclear and
extended families. Define each to students and add to SS word
wall.
5. Have students create a drawing of their families. Allow some students
to share drawing at end of session.
Day 2
1. Show class the video clip “Daddy Helps With the Dishes”
(http://www.sesamestreet.org/video_player/-/pgpv/videoplayer/0/13aa
d977-154a-11dd-8ea8-a3d2ac25b65b/daddy_helps_with_the_dishes)
Instruct students to look out for ways the families in the video work
with and help one another.
2. Discuss video clip. Ask students What did you notice? Can you
name some of the ways these families worked together
or helped one another out? What different family types
did you notice in the clip? What does this make you
think? Give time for students to turn and talk to partners (5 mins)
3. Explain to student that each family member plays their own role and
may have a specific set of responsibilities (i.e., mom cooks the meals,
dad works and pays the bills, brother takes out the trash, grandma
cheers me up when I am sad). Define and discuss role,
responsibility, chores, support. Add words to SS word wall.
4. Break students into groups of four. Have students discuss ways their
own families work together and the individual roles/responsibilities
each family member has. Have each group come up with ways
families can help and support each other. Answers should be written
or drawn on paper provided to each group. Allow for a whole class
share at end of session.
5. For homework, have students complete the My Family Heritage
worksheet (http://firstgrfamilies.blogspot.com/2011/04/day-2-my-
family-heritage-worksheet.html) with family member
Day 3
1. Read portions of Wake up, World!: A Day in the Life of
Children Around the World by Beatrice Hollyer to class. Make
sure to show world map in beginning of the book and point out to
students that these children and their families are from different parts
of the world, just like their own families.
2. Discuss how families can be found all over the world. Note that some
families may come from more than one country as in multicultural
families.
3. Take a poll of which countries students’ families are from. This should
be recorded in bar graph format.
4. Display a map of the world, use stickers or thumbtacks to pinpoint
where students’ families are from. Only one marker is needed for each
 country even if multiple families are from there. Also make sure to
point out the students’ current location. Explain to students that their
relatives migrated to the United States at some point, whether long
ago or recently. Explain that since their families are all from different
places, they may have had different experiences than people who
came from somewhere else, including the student (if they were born
in the U.S.)
5. Break students into groups of 4. Have students share their interviews
and any other information they have learned about their family’s
heritage with their group members. Allow time at end of session for
some students to share.
Day 4
1. While students are seated on the rug, show students Day 4 video
(http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?
partnerID=symbaloo&scid=3674145&height=267&width=2
00)
2. Still seated on rug, have students turn and talk to partner about what
they have learned about families so far. Allow for 2 or 3 people to
share with whole group.
3. Explain to students that all families are important and special even
though they may be different from other families. Show student The
Family Thing video
(http://www.sesamestreet.org/video_player/-/pgpv/videoplayer/0/7af3
b945-1551-11dd-8ea8-a3d2ac25b65b/the_family_thing). Explain that
what makes them special could be anything-- the language they speak,
the traditions they share, the ways they help one another, etc.
4. Send students back to their seats to work individually on a drawing
showing what makes their family important and special. Tell students
this will be included in the class digital storybook.
5. Allow 5 minutes at end of session for whole group share on rug.
6. Show students mock student sample on class blog
7. For homework have students complete Storybook text worksheet
(http://firstgrfamilies.blogspot.com/2011/04/day-5-storybook-text-
worksheet.html)
Day 5
1. Prior to session, scan all illustrations. Students should each have 2
drawings (one of family, one of how family is important and special).
Also scan the homework worksheet. Crop and paste the text to the
corresponding illustration (i.e., “My family includes___” should be
the text accompanying the family portrait drawing; “My family is
important and special because _____” should be the text
accompanying the second drawing)
2. During session, tell students they will be adding their voice to their
slides. While each student reads their text into the microphone and the
instructor adds the sound byte into the slide, have other students work
in groups completing the Reflection worksheet
 (http://firstgrfamilies.blogspot.com/2011/04/day-5-reflection-
worksheet.html).
Day 6
1. Prior to session 6, finish digital storybook. It should include 2
drawings from each students with accompanying text and audio.
Upload digital storybook slideshow to class blog.
2. During session, students will meet in groups of 4 to discuss Reflection
worksheets
3. Seated on the rug, the class will watch the completed digital
storybook slideshow on the SMARTboard
4. Allow 10-15 minutes to share. Ask students to share thoughts and
opinions of finished storybook. Refer back to questions asked in
worksheet.
5. Refer back to class definition of “family” and ask if the class fits that
definition (a group of people who care for and support one another).
Note that although families usually have to do with those we are
actually related to or live with, it can also be extended to others who
seem like family, like the class or school.
6. End by showing We Are Family video clip
(http://firstgrfamilies.blogspot.com/2011/04/day-6-we-are-
family.html) and tell students we will continue talking about families
through this year’s Social Studies curriculum.
Materials and Resources
The Family Book by Todd Parr, Wake up, World!: A Day in the
Life of Children Around the World by Beatrice Hollyer; paper,
pencils, crayons/colored pencils/markers, computers, scanner, internet
access, SMARTboard, student notebooks, world map, thumbtacks or
stickers, My Family Heritage worksheet, Storybook text worksheet,
Reflection worksheet
Technology
Online video clips will be shown to the class using a laptop and
SMARTboard or projector. The digital storybook will be created using
scanned copies of students’ drawings inserted into PowerPoint. Unit
plan, student directions and worksheets can all be found on class blog
(http://firstgrfamilies.blogspot.com). Finished storybooks will be shared
on our class blog
Student Product/Performance
Students will create two illustrations which will be added to the class
storybook. Each illustration and accompanying text (from homework
worksheet) will be scanned and formatted into a PowerPoint slide.
Students will record their own voices reading the text. This sound byte
will be added on to slide. The accumulation of slides will form the class
digital storybook on families.
Assessment
- A rubric will be used to assess the finished digital storybook
(http://firstgrfamilies.blogspot.com/p/grading-rubric.html)
 - Conferencing and teacher observation will be conducted throughout the
unit to ensure students are focused, participating in group discussions
and completing individual work on schedule
- Documentation of these conferences will also be done to track the
progress made from the start of the unit and monitor student learning
Modifications/accommodations
Daily plans and directions will be displayed on online class blog to meet
the needs of ELLs and students who are more visual learners. All
students will have access to class blog and therefore can work at own
pace, reprint missing worksheets and view grading rubric. Students will
be assigned buddies where higher performing students are paired with
lower performing students and students with special needs are paired
with those without special needs. For students who need additional help,
there will be a take-a-number-please system. Students will take a
number each day in the order in which they need help, they will get to
meet with me in this order. This is to ensure that the instructor is able to
get to each student in a timely manner.
All activities should be modified for children who do not have particular
family members. For example, substituting "person who takes care of
me" for a missing family member (i.e., mom, dad).