Free Article - Family Artifacts Lesson Plan

First published in the Social Science Docket, Summer-Fall, 2003

A family artifact can be any object that has some importance in the family. It could be a cultural object, one with sentimental value, or one with historical significance. If the family does not have something that is old, the artifact can be something new that they would like to pass along, a recipe for a special dish or even an ethnic food.

Essential Questions:

Our Families: Who are we? Where do we come from? What can we learn about history from our families and family artifacts?

Instructions:

1. Send a letter to parents (see sample here) explaining the Family Artifact Museum and requesting:
   • They share a Family Artifact with their child's class.
   • They share a childhood game, dance, song, etc. with their child's class.
   • They help their child complete the museum card for the artifact.
2. Each child will be photographed holding his/her family artifact. Each child or family member will be asked to fill out a "museum card" (see sample here) describing their artifact. The child or family member will read the museum card when presenting the object.
3. Create a display of artifacts and photographs on open school night. Other classes can also visit the museum.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved.

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Updated: 2/8/12 06:51 pm
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