Family Crest
Students can begin to think about their family histories and their own lives by making a family crest.

My Piece of History
Students examine pictures of household objects from the late 20th century, gather historical information about them from older family members, and then create an in-class exhibit of historical objects from their own homes.

Back in the Olden Days
Students will discuss what it might have been like when, and where, their parents and grandparents grew up. They will conduct interviews to see if their guesses were right.

Exploring Family Roots
In this unit, students will  study history through a familiar and relevant topic: families. Students will explore family roots, traditions, and how daily life has changed and remained the same.

The Hundred Penny Box
Using a penny and its date, students are asked to remember and write about an important event in their lives. Then students read "The Hundred Penny Box" by Sharon Bell Mathis, the story of a 100-year-old woman who has collected a penny for each birthday she's celebrated and who uses the collection to recount the stories of her life.

Reading, Writing, and 'Rithmetic in the One Room Schoolhouse
For young children, the experience of attending school strengthens their growing sense of independence and their relationship with the world beyond their family. This lesson focuses on this universal experience, using original photographs to give students a vivid impression of how American children received an education a hundred years ago. They learn about a one-room schoolhouse, seeing how children learned, played and traveled to school. This lesson encourages students to explore the similarities and differences of being a student in a one-room schoolhouse versus attending their own well-equipped, modern school.
 

Within These Walls: View 200 years of American history  from the doorstep of one house that stood from Colonial days through the mid-1960s in Ipswich, Mass. Meet 5 families whose lives became part of the great changes and events of the nation’s past.

Around the World in the 1890's: Photographs from the World Transportation Conference 1894-1896.

Little House Big Adventure Website with activities based on the Little House on the Prairie book

Growing Up:  In this program, puppets Digger and Splat show that all plants and animals grow. Didi takes off on a toy box ride to look at all the ages of life - from babies to grandparents, Robofact explains why a year is such a long, long time.  Short video from United Streaming.

Suggestions for English Language Learners: 
(E/B=Entering/Beginning, D=Developing, E=Expanding)

(E/B) Students point in response to oral directions.
(E/B) Students make an illustration of a community.
(E/B) Students identify neighborhood signs from pictures (such as traffic lights, schools or railroad crossings).
(E/B) Students identify buildings in neighborhoods from pictures.
(E/B) Students draw a neighborhood map.
(E/B) Students respond to written questions by circling or checking.
(E/B) Students work with a peer to read information.
(E/B) Students match descriptors with an illustration of a family.
(E/B) Students label illustration or drawing.
(E/B) Students write about their own family using repetitive sentence structures, such as "This is my ______." , "I have a _______."
(E/B) Students build a model community with recycled material, such as boxes, paper rolls, and box tops.
(E/B) Students compare different family members using simple sentence structures.
(D) Students locate places in neighborhoods from maps.
(E/B, D) Students sort pictures of communities from the past and today.
(E/B, D) Students role play a game from the past or a game from today and compare.


 

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