Collecting Family Stories Lesson Plan@Home

• Explain: Why Collect Stories
• How to get started
• Some suggestions
• Make a Family Tree with free software

Explain:  Why Collect Stories

Why tell a story?  Why collect stories? Tell me a story: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2007/4/19/lifeparenting/17459570&sec=lifeparenting

Explain to your child that when you listen to a story told by an older person you

• honor that person's experience, knowledge, and wisdom
• let them give their favorite memories to you
• connect with history 

That when you share stories with an older person, it

• helps increase understanding between the two age groups
• allows both to benefit from another's perceptions and skills
• helps remove myths and stereotypes about age, race, culture, or disability

How To Get Started

Ages 8 to 12

There is a My Family Stories Workbook here that you can print out and your child can fill in.  Each page is a guide for asking questions and collecting stories. Your child can decorate each page with pictures, photographs and even mementos. For the Workbook click here

Ages 12 and Up

There are guidelines for interviewing and collecting family stories at the following links:

A question of ethics:  For an older child there are some guidelines to keep in mind about asking questions and conducting interviews respectfully http://smithsonianeducation.org/migrations/seek2/ethics.html  

Build a family album for your family  http://www.pbs.org/americanfamily/your_album.html

Collecting family stories:  Interview questions for older kids http://www.storyarts.org/classroom/roots/family.html#questions

How To Collect Your Own Family Folklore http://smithsonianeducation.org/migrations/seek2/family.html

Some Suggestions

Here are some suggestions on how to get started:

• Choose a relative – maybe your grand father, or your grandmother, an uncle

• Ask them if they would like to tell you their story.

• Decide if you will record an oral history, make a video recording, make a journal or make a time capsule or a scrapbook!

• Ask your relative if they will share photographs and other mementos with you.

• Remember to always be respectful when asking questions

• Remember to always respect confidences

• Start with basic information about a time line such as when you were born, where, where you went to school and college.

• You could choose to ask about –

  • Places to remember

  • Event to remember

  • Life events such as marriage

  • Significant historical events

  • People they have met

• Transitions such birth in the family, growing up, first job, going to a new place to live, a marriage in the family

• Some writing prompts:

  • Dada tell me a story about when you were young

  • Dadi when did you and Dadi first meet?

  • Dada tell me about the time that you took part in the march with Gandhiji?

  • Dada/Dadi what was your first job ever?  How much did you earn then?

  • Dada/Dadi what did you study in college?  Tell me about your favorite teacher?  Who was your best friend?

  • Who was your favorite movie hero when you got married?  What was your favorite song?

Make A Family Tree With Free Software

Here are two Family Trees that you can download and use for free.  Use them to make charts of your family tree for yourself and to share with others in your family.

For Family Ties – Grow A Tree (Ages 8-12)

http://pbskids.org/wayback/family/tree/index.html

There is an online version that you can print.

And, there is a downloadable version that you can save and add to over time.  Adult help is required to download the family tree.

America 1900 Family Tree Builder (Ages 12 and Up)

Download this free application (in either Windows or Macintosh versions) from this website.

 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/1900/sfeature/index.html