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The lesson plan developed in this project presents the author's experience of searching for her roots during a summer seminar spent in Hungary, the land of her ancestors. Following an introduction, the project provides a summary syllabus for developmental writing students in an English literature and composition course, "Exploring Our Roots." The syllabus cites a purpose; explains methods; lists readings; gives assignments; and discusses evaluation. The project presents seven sections: (1) "Personal Essay" (Sample for Students); (2) "Internet Genealogical Research"; (3) "Grandfather Zrinyi's Ellis Island Records"; (4) "Zrinyi Castle in Sziget" (History and Photos); (5) "Handout for Students" (Lanier's Family History); (6) "Handout for Students" (Top Genealogy Web sites); and (7)"Handout for Students" (Family Heritage Article). (BT)

This lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that both individual families and whole cultures learn about their pasts by collecting and analyzing stories and artifacts; and that not all archeological finds readily reveal their history to archeologists. The main activity in the lesson involves students in making an oral presentation of stories that have been passed down through the generations in their families. It includes objectives, materials, procedures, adaptations, discussion questions, evaluation methods, extension activities, annotations of suggested readings and web links, vocabulary, and related academic standards and benchmarks addressed in the lesson plan. The lesson plan also contains a description of a video clip related to the lesson, comprehension questions related to the video clip, and answers to those comprehension questions. (RS)

This story and activities are intended to motivate students, grades K-8, to investigate history. The story "Gram's Trunk"-- is about a family's memories being saved by the grandmother, and about her daughter and granddaughter visiting her to look at the objects stored in the trunk. The activities are varied, but nearly all have to do with the student's own family, such as studying a period in history by studying what was happening in your family at the time, researching what was happening to your family during an earlier decade, or doing newspaper and/or magazine research in the public library to investigate what was happening on a family member's birth date. (BT)

This document consists of a booklet describing the Captured Wisdom project and transcripts of videos from the two CD-ROM disks. The booklet details how to get the most from the CD-ROMs with suggestions directed toward teachers, professional development providers, and administrators. Six Captured Wisdom learning sites are listed. The Captured Wisdom CD-ROMs present videos profiling seven innovative projects featuring successful practices that integrate technology into adult education instruction. The CD-ROMs also include the following information for each program: goals; content; learning issues; instructional activities; products and assessments; and resources. The target audiences of the individual projects include adult literacy students, speakers of English as a second language, and adult learners in General Educational Development programs. Transcripts of student and teacher interactions on the videos of "The Antarctica Project,""Home Countries,""The Mars Project,""The Restaurant Problem,""Intrepid Tales,""Creating Family Histories," and "Presenting the Whole Package" projects are included. (MN/CG)

The theme of this guidebook is "Follow your family's history and you will discover America's history." The guidebook offers a way for everyone to explore family history to discover how family stories connect to the history of the nation. It suggests that a family history can be started with a single old photo, letter, or family tale that can be saved as a legacy for generations to come. The guidebook provides 15 ways to preserve family memories and treasures through activities that make history an exciting adventure for the entire family, complete with many examples of how other families have discovered and saved their own stories. The guidebook's activities are: (1) "Keeping a Journal"; (2) "Why Family Recollections Matter"; (3) "Playing Detective with Photographs"; (4)"Discovering Clues in Family Papers"; (5) "Uncovering History in the Attic"; (6) "Exploring Your Home's History"; (7) "Climbing the Family Tree"; (8) "Finding Your Family's Place in American History"; (9) "Writing Your Own Story"; (10) "Fun for the Family"; (11) "Sharing Your Story"; (12) "Connecting with Your Community"; (13) "Finding Help"; (14) "Teaching American History through Family History"; and (15) "Joining Your Hometown Experts." An additional section, "Saving Your Family Treasures," suggests simple steps for preserving family heirlooms and combating the perils of rubber bands, adhesives, acidic paper, heat, light, and humidity. An extensive resource section lists relevant books; American stories; films; regional, national, and state addresses; and places to visit. (BT)

The suggestions in this booklet address the needs of children between the ages 4-12. The booklet shows how museums can inform and inspire and build skills for both classroom and lifelong learning. Suggestions are given for ways to make family visits to museums a special opportunity to spend time together in a rich learning environment. Museums also help children make the connection between the things they see and already know to things that they are learning in the school and the home. Chapters include: (1) "Foreword"; (2) "Introduction"; (3) "Museums Galore!"; (4) "The Museum Visit: Making the Most of It"; and (5) "Complementary Learning: Schools and Families." An 8-item bibliography section and a 49-item resources section offer additional ideas. (EH)

In these lessons students gather information from pictures and by listening to recordings from radio shows of the 1930s and 1940s. Students predict how radio changed people's behaviors and survey older adults about their radio listening habits. Students conclude that radio had a big impact on the lives of people in the past and that it lay the groundwork for television. Students also examine the role of radio today with its low cost and small size that contribute to its modern-day use. The sample questions for students to use in the survey are included in the paper along with procedures and suggestions for evaluation. (EH)

This document presents information for conducting a genealogical search at the Library of Michigan. Included are descriptions of genealogy and local history resources at the Library of Michigan; a 10-step process on conducting family research; bibliographies on how to conduct genealogical research, guides to organizing genealogical data, and books in the Abrams Foundation Historical Collection; a descriptive list of primary and secondary source materials; directions on how to connect to the Library of Michigan's ANSWER online catalog from a home computer; MichNet access numbers; pedigree and family group charts; additional rules; and a map for locating the Library of Michigan. (AEF)

Students cannot trace all the sources that inform who they are at a given moment, but all of them can explore a wide range of sources that inform their sense of self, clarify their values and their relationships to the world and others in it. Writing about family fits especially well into a sequence in which students narrate a personal experience, describe a hero, interview someone who is "different," compose a source-assisted report, and write an overall evaluation of themselves as writers. Students can do any or all of these things writing about family history. Such exercises remove history from the privileged ranks of scholars; they give students a chance to create a space for the other, to write their families "in" by digging into their pasts and sharing it with present readers who also have a stake in it. A personal family history is offered as well as a world wide web address which focuses on genealogy and composition. Contains 10 references. (TB)

This guide was designed, in form and content, with adults in mind, but anyone can use it to study Vermont history as a living subject that includes, affects, and involves everyone. The guide aims to stimulate historical awareness, develop readers' interest in the past and the present, and make them aware of their interaction in the processes of continuity and change using the journal, "Historic Roots," as a place to start an exploration of the past. Teachers can use this guide to enhance their students' sense of connection, and perhaps to stimulate their search for more knowledge about what has come before. Seeing history as the context within which individuals live their lives can help students open their minds to new information and new perspectives, developing analytical and practical skills as they explore their own connections to past and present. Activities in the guide are organized into three sections: (1) "Bringing the Past into the Present"; (2) "Using Maps and Graphics to Make History Live"; and (3) "Thinking about History." All of the guide's activities contain some of the same elements, all use different skills, but there should be some kind of reinforcement, through written assignments, discussion, or drawing to involve students. Some of the guide's activities can be done in the classroom; for others, where practical, the teacher may want to suggest a field trip to sites of interest or the local library. (BT)

This activity book is designed for grades 5-8 to look at America at home during World War II. The work examines the efforts of the men, women, and children who supported and supplied one of the greatest mobilizations of people and material that the world has ever witnessed. The activities were planned to compliment the exhibit of the same name, but they can be used to enrich any study of World War II and the homefront. The booklet is divided into five parts. Activities are designed to be completed in a single session, except for the "Victory Garden in a Pot." Part 1, "Road to War," contains: (1) "Teacher Resource"; (2) "The Road to War: Time Line"; (3) "Faces in the News"; and (4) "Places in the News." Part 2, "Where Were You on December 7, 1941?" contains: (1) "Teacher Resource"; (2) "Oral History Release"; (3) "Where Were You on December 7, 1941? Personal Accounts"; (4) "Oral Histories: Why? Who? How? Basic Rules"; and (5) "My Family Interview." Part 3, "Mom Goes to Work," contains: (1) "Teacher Resource"; (2) "Yesterday and Today"; (3) "Rosie the Riveter"; and (4) "Mom Goes to Work: Personal Accounts." Part 4, "V for Victory," contains: (1) "Teacher Resource"; (2) "What was Rationing?"; (3) "Pitching In"; (4) "The Ration Stamp Game"; (5) "A Victory Garden in a Pot"; and (6) "Creative Cooking." Part 5, "The Sights and Sounds of War," contains: (1) "Teacher Resource"; (2) "The Sights of War: Personal Accounts"; (3) "Symbols"; (4) "My Class Insignia"; (5) "V-Mail"; and (6) "The Sounds of War." A glossary and 21 references are included. (EH)

This issue of "The Goldfinch" focuses on Iowa history. The booklet is divided into two sections. Section 1, "Features," contains the following: (1) "Looking for History"; (2) "Talking History"; (3) "Climbing the Family Tree"; (4) "Tribal Storytelling"; (5) "News About You"; (6) "History Hangouts"; (7) "Documenting History"; (8) "Textiles Tell the Tale"; (9) "Iowa's Cool Collections"; and (10) "Meet an Iowa Kid Collector." Section 2, "Departments," contains: (1) "Wild Rosie's Map"; (2) "History Mystery"; (3) "Activity: Highway History Hunt"; (4) "Activity: Where in Iowa?"; (5) "Activity: Be a Photo Historian"; (6) "Activity: Iowa History Word Find"; (7) "Goldfinch Fiction: 'Attic Adventures'"; (8) "History Makers"; (9) "Goldie's Challenge"; (10) "Answers"; and (11) "The Roost." (EH)

This curriculum resource guide allows students to interpret key historical events and trends from the perspectives of a variety of cultural, linguistic, and ethnic groups. The 20 learning activities represent suggested approaches for teaching Units 11 and 12 of the New York State Grades 7 and 8 syllabus. Each unit is comprehensive, divided into topical learning activities. Focus questions, teacher background materials, major ideas, concepts, performance objectives, development strategies and worksheets are included. Follow-up activities provide extension suggestions for individual students or classes. Worksheets contain primary sources such as photographs, speeches, letters, and diaries of a particular era. Unit 11, "The Changing Nature of the American People from World War II to the Present," contains 14 learning activities. Unit 12, "Citizenship in Today's World," provides 6 activities. (EH)

This curriculum guide provides ideas for teaching about Lou Henry Hoover, wife of President Herbert Hoover. The book examines personal data, as well as the social milieu of the times of the Hoover's. Teaching suggestions accompany the chapters. There are 12 chapters in the guide: (1) "Timeline, Biographical Sketch, and Photographs of Lou Henry Hoover"; (2) "Lou Henry Hoover's Family Tree--Tracing Your Family History"; (3) "Comparing Childhoods--Interviewing Skills"; (4) "Point of View--Writing from Different Perspectives"; (5) "Lou Henry Hoover Outdoor Person--Environmental Issues"; (6) "Travels with the Hoovers-Geography and Visual Literacy"; (7) "Lou Henry Hoover First Lady--What Is the Role of the First Spouse?"; (8) "Lou Henry Hoover and Women's Changing Status and Roles"; (9) "Trending--Tracing Trends during the Lifetime of Lou Henry Hoover"; (10) "Historical Timeline of Events, 1874-1944, Lou Henry Hoover's Lifetime"; (11) "Songs of the Thirties--Identifying the Times through Song Lyrics"; and (12) "Watermarks--Writing about Positive and Negative Events in One's Life." (EH)

The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 1994 as International Year of the Family with the theme, "Family: Resources and Responsibilities in a Changing World." Objectives for the year include increasing awareness of family issues among governments and the private sector, highlighting the importance of families, increasing understanding of their problems, promoting knowledge of the economic and social processes affecting families, and focusing attention upon the rights and responsibilities of all family members. This document presents the following materials for schools to celebrate the year of the family: (1) suggestions for how schools can plan to be involved in The Year of the Family; (2) Year of the Family logos; (3) a proclamation form from the state superintendent; (4) a quiz to test the knowledge about issues facing the American family; (5) ideas for teaching children about different cultures; (6) a worksheet on family issues and concerns; (7) suggestions for creating hunger awareness; (8) tips for creating a family history; (9) parenting principles to teach about using money wisely; (10) some do's and don'ts for grandparents; and (11) a reference list on global awareness, family communication, peace education, and grandparenting. (WP)

This curriculum resource guide allows students to interpret key historical events and trends from the perspectives of a variety of cultural, linguistic, and ethnic groups. The 35 learning activities represent suggested approaches for teaching Units 7 and 8 of the New York State Grades 7 and 8 syllabus. Each unit is comprehensive, divided into topical learning activities. Focus questions, teacher background materials, major ideas, concepts, performance objectives, development strategies and worksheets are included. Follow-up activities provide extension suggestions for individual students or classes. Worksheets contain primary sources such as photographs, speeches, letters, and diaries of a particular era. Unit 7, "An Industrial Society," contains 25 learning activities. Unit 8,"The United States in an Increasingly Interdependent World," provides 10 activities. Contains a bibliography. (EH)

This curriculum resource guide allows students to interpret key historical events and trends from the perspectives of a variety of cultural, linguistic, and ethnic groups. The 30 learning activities represent suggested approaches for teaching Units 9 and 10 of the New York State Grades 7 and 8 syllabus. Each unit is comprehensive, divided into topical learning activities. Focus questions, teacher background materials, major ideas, concepts, performance objectives, development strategies and worksheets are included. Follow-up activities provide extension suggestions for individual students or classes. Worksheets contain primary sources such as photographs, speeches, letters, and diaries of a particular era. Unit 9, "The United States Between the Wars," contains 15 learning activities. Unit 10, "The United States Assumes Worldwide Responsibilities," provides 15 activities. (EH)

This paper describes a project that was required for completing the Americans for Indian Opportunity Ambassador Program. The project resulted in development of a course on American Indian family history taught at the Native American Educational Services College (Chicago, Illinois). Part of the course required American Indian students to document their family histories. This project is important because researching family and community history leads to examining how conditions evolved over time and provides both enlightenment and perspective on current life situations. Secondly, very little has been written about American Indian families. Nearly all the research that exists on American Indian families has been written by non-Indians and often is not relevant to Indian community situations. Lastly, researching family and community history is conducive to developing an emotional understanding of American Indian history. Included is a syllabus developed for teaching a course on American Indian Family History. The class lectures and course readings examine the effects of attempting to assimilate American Indians into White society. Additionally, the course emphasizes boarding schools because of the detrimental effects they had on American Indian families and communities. Also included are a list of questions to consider when researching family history, and the author's own family history. (LP)

The curriculum presented here contains three units designed to help Mexican-American migrant students understand and value the richness of their culture, experiences, and family. Unit 1, "My Roots," examines the different components of a culture, and presents aspects of the Aztec civilization and culture. Activities include hearing a poem in Nahuatl, the original Aztec language, art activities involving pre-Columbian designs, reading and acting out Aztec myths, learning about Aztec religion and its role in Aztec culture, and reading and writing activities concerning Cortes and the Spanish conquest of Mexico. This unit contains many drawings suitable for coloring or tracing. Unit 2, "My Family," covers the roles and responsibilities of family members, traditional versus modern family, and immigration and the migrant experience. Activities include diagramming families; writing about a favorite relative, family traditions and values, and student's own or family's migration experiences; interviewing a family member; and painting family scenes. In Unit 3, "Myself," the student examines his/her own name, appearance, feelings, and room or favorite place. Activities include group discussion, journal writing, making "me" paper dolls and personal-history mobiles, exploring feelings, and drawing self and favorite place. A resource section lists 54 recommended books, summarizes the process of leading a group circle session, provides teacher and parent evaluation forms, and describes slide shows available for use with lessons. Some student materials are provided in both Spanish and English. (SV)