Family Heritage BIG6 Lesson-Multiple Days
By Tara Hargrove
Planning
The goal of this particular lesson is for students to learn a bit more about their heritage and background while using the BIG6. The students will go through the BIG6 research model (see attached power point) with their task definition being to learn more about their heritage. Their final product for step 5 (synthesis) is to create a float of one of the countries their ancestors are from that they researched. Great to do with 4th-6th grade. This is a collaborative type of lesson. The librarian’s contribution is to supply the resources (read aloud, sources used for searching and supplies for miniature parade floats).
Promotion
You will begin by reading the book, Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet to introduce to them how the Macy’s Day Parade begin and how the props showed off different countries that the immigrants who lived in New York were from. This will hook the students as well as help them understand what immigrants are and how we all came to be in America and be called Americans. The fun part about this is the creating of the floats (which is the promotion part).
Preparations
You will need to have pages created for students to possibly interview family members on. Questions such as Who was the first to travel to America in the family? When did they come? Why did they choose to leave their home country of ________? Students can also draw a family tree and fill in the gaps they know with the help from their parents and grandparents. A pathfinder or student source sheet (see attached example) should be created to help students find informational sites on different cultures and customs. Once students have found a couple of countries their family originates from, they will answer some basic questions about these countries. Once students have done this, they are ready to pick ONE country to make their float over. Supplies will be needed (art supplies) for students to be creative with. Once students have created their small floats (small, not life size) they can parade through the school with their floats, showing off their heritage.
Procedures
Students will first interview one or more family member.
Then students will draw a family tree.
Next students will find out some facts about one to two of the countries their family is from.
They will then narrow it down to one country to create a small parade float over.
Students will create their floats.
Either display floats for others to see or do a parade through the school or cafeteria with their floats in hand.
This may take a week total with spending 30-45 minutes a day on it.
Payoff
This is a fun way to get students excited about their heritage. The book itself really opens students up to how biographies aren’t always thick books with lots of words and how biographies can be fun and exciting and can apply to their own lives. When students see how much fun reading and learning about something that relates to them by a simple and interesting picture book biography, they will want to read more!
***Modifications to make it simpler due to time restraints or younger students:
You can call this Cultural Mini Parade Floats. Read the book, Balloons Over Broadway and still have the discussion with them. Let students choose a country from a premade list (by the librarian) and have students create a mini float over that country. You could have books pulled for each country already and that would be their source of information. This would cut down on time.