FAMILY TREE

APPROX: 60 MINS

NOTE TO PARENTS/GUARDIANS

This activity requires students to look at examples of family trees online and has the option for them to select an online program for creating their own family tree — please supervise to ensure your child’s online security and safety. One hour has been allowed for this activity which would enable most students to prepare a basic family tree with a few details. Some children may wish to create a more detailed family tree which they could work on over time — be guided by their level of interest.

ACTIVITY

The aim of this activity is to create a family tree so that you can learn how to clearly display information and to hopefully find out some things you did not know about your family’s history. 1. Start by having a look at some family trees online to get an idea of what a family tree is and the type of information they can include. 2. Decide on what information you would like to include in your family tree. Will you just include people’s names or will you add other information such as dates of births, deaths and marriages? Could you include where people were born, details about their immigration to other countries, their occupations? What information do you need to make your family tree informative and interesting? 3. Gather the information you need. This might include just talking to your parents, or if you are preparing a more detailed family tree, talking to aunts or uncles, grandparents, etc. Perhaps you may also look at old photographs or documents your family has. 4. Create your family tree. Try to set it out in a logical way that shows the relationships between different people and the passing of time. You may choose to do this by drawing and writing your family tree, or by finding an online program that will help set your information out. 5. Share your family tree with members of your family. Curriculum Links: HASS — Inquiry and Skills — Researching