SPECIAL HOMEWORK FOR THE JANUARY “FAMILY” UNIT

DO NOT LOSE THIS HOMEWORK PACKET

When we return from our winter break on January 4, 2016, we will do the social studies unit on families. This unit requires very special homework, which must be done on the forms I provide. Because it involves interviews with grandparents, finding information on family history, and collecting photographs, it is best done when families get together over the holidays.

Week of January 4 - 8, 2016

1. Work on the autobiography booklet with one picture and two sentences for each year of life. This is due January 28. The autobiography booklets, not another format, must be used, so don’t lose it. The first page should tell when and where your child was born. Each succeeding page should be about something special or memorable that happened during each following year of life. Your child should write two sentences about the memorable event and attach a photo or a photocopy. [Here are some examples of ideas for pages. “I was born in April in Corona, California. Didn’t I look cute when I came home from the hospital?” “When I was two years old, I had a tracheotomy because I got popcorn stuck in my trachea. This is me in my oxygen tent.” “When I was three years old, my baby sister was born. I’m holding her very carefully.” (The autobiography will be graded.)

2. On Monday in class, make a pictograph of how many family members live in your house with you. If you have two families or two homes, you can combine them.

3. For homework Monday evening (or during the off-track time), write a paragraph that describes one family tradition (birthday cakes, family reunions, holiday lights, feasts, etc.). Use the oval form and plan to read it aloud in class. Begin with a topic sentence. Then write detail sentences about how and why you celebrate this tradition. Finish with a conclusion sentence. (We’ll read about family traditions in the social studies book. Both the written work and the oral reading will be graded. The paragraph will be posted on the bulletin board.)

4. For homework Thursday evening (or during the off-track time), interview a grandparent or great-grandparent (in person or on the phone) to identify four things that are different for children now compared to the ancestor’s time. Based on the interview, finish contrast sentences on the homework page telling what it was like “then” and how it is different now. On Friday, read this aloud to show the class how things have changed since their grandparents’ time. (Remember to say what they did have or did do, not just that they didn’t have what we have now. For example, instead of saying, “They didn’t have computers,” tell what they used then. We’re reading in the social studies book about how things are different “now” from how they were “then.” Both the written work and the oral reading will be graded.)

Week of January 11 - 15, 2016

1. For homework, due on or before Monday, January 11, fill out a “Family Data Chart” with first and last names of the child, the parents, and grandparents. For each one, give the state or country (if not the U.S.) of birth, as well as different states or countries where that individual has lived. (Do this carefully because we’ll use it for in-class projects like the family tree and the map with places family members have lived.) We are celebrating our different heritages and will be pointing out all these places on a map.

2. Later in the week, use the “Family Data Chart” to put names on a family tree. (We’re reading about family trees in our social studies book. The family tree done in class will be graded by comparing it to the “Family Data Chart.”)

3. For homework, identify three ancestors and the other countries (not USA) they came from. Color those countries on a world map. (For example, “Great-great-great-great Grandma Lancaster came from England” or “My mother, Luz Antuna, came from Mexico.” We’re reading about family history in our social studies books. This will be graded.)

4. In class use the “Ancestors and Countries of Origin” homework to put pins on a world map to show all the countries from which our ancestors came.

Week of January 19 - 22, 2016

1. Find a picture of an ancestor (grandparent, great-grandparent, etc.). Prepare a short oral presentation for January 22 to tell the class the ancestor’s first and last names, the relationship (grandmother, etc.), where he/she was born and/or grew up (e.g. Dayton, Ohio, or Mexico City, Mexico), and what country his/her ancestors came from (e.g. Japan, Germany, Mexico). [EXAMPLE: “This is a picture of my grandmother, Mary Amelia Emerick Kelly. She was born and grew up in western Washington State. Her ancestors came from Germany, England, Scotland, and Ireland.”] Do not plan a longer presentation. (We are reading about using artifacts, like pictures, to learn about the past. The oral presentation will be graded.)

2. The Pop the Question book report is due on Thursday, January 21.

3. For homework, on maps of the U.S. and the world, identify states and countries family members have lived in. (This is practice only. Students will not be able to copy this for the work in class.) In class on January 22, use the “Family Data Chart” to identify all the states or countries in which the child, parents, and grandparents have lived. (In the social studies book, we’re reading about how families move around the country and how things are different in different locations. The in-class map work will be graded by comparing it to the “Family Data Chart” and homework. Inconsistencies lower the grade.)

Week of January 25 - 29, 2016

1. Test on the family unit in the social studies book. (This will be graded.)

2. The autobiography booklet with one picture and two sentences for each year of life is due on Thursday, January 28. Students will read the autobiography aloud and show the pictures to the class. (Both the written work and oral presentation will be graded.)