The+Family+Tree+Reinforcing+Activity

__Activity:__ __Grade Level: First Grade__ __Approximate Time: 45 Minutes-1 Hour__ __Type of Lesson: Whole Group/Small Group__

This is an activity that would take place outdoors for the students, rather than inside of the classroom. The goal of this activity is to show students how you can build things that are within our own environment and is to be like a simulation of what it may have been like to build a house in other times.

__Procedure:__ > > > > > > > > >> >> >> >>
 * To begin this lesson, you are going to read this book to students, as a whole group, within the classroom. Some questions that you may ask them are things like, “What things are different in this story than they are in our world, today?”. You are trying to get students to make the connection our interaction with the environment and resources has changed over the years.
 * Once you finish the book, you will take the students outside to a designated, open area. Before you have taken them outside, you will have set up all of the supplies (sticks, leaves, etc.) for the students to use. Here, you are going to explain to the students’ that they are going to be making a house out of the materials that have been provided.”Boy’s and girls! Today we are going to try and build our own house out of these materials, just like the great-great grandfather did in the story we read”. This will also be the time that you are going to answer questions from the students if they have any.
 * You are then going to break the students up into small groups of 4 or 5 students. You will give them a few minutes to discuss and plan out the type of house they are going to build and how they are going to build it. At this time, you will be walking around, listening to what the students are saying.
 * After the students are done talking amongst themselves, you are going to allow them to walk around to the different materials, that they think they’ll need, and collect them. The teacher will be monitoring the groups to make sure that there isn’t one group that is taking all of the materials for a station.
 * After all of the students have everything that they need. The teacher is going to allow the students to work, within their groups, on their house. They will get approximately 20 minutes to do this part of the activity. At this time, the teacher will be walking around to teach group, observing what it is that they are building. The teacher may even ask questions to the group, such as, “Why do you think it’s important to use these materials?” or “What type of house are you going to build?”. The teacher is also there to offer assistance to the students in building their house, should they need it.
 * After the 20 minutes has passed, the teacher is going to have the groups stand up by their house and together, as a whole class, they will spend some time having each group talk about their house. What the group will be addressing is the type of house that they build, the materials they used, and why they decided on using those materials.
 * At the end of the activity, the teacher will walk around and take a picture of each group’s house. They will then go back inside of the classroom.
 * In the classroom, the teacher will close the activity/lesson by asking the students various questions that connect the activity to the book. Some questions might be:
 * “Do you think that it is harder or easier to build a house today than it was many years ago? Why or Why not?”
 * “ What do you think some of the challenges were in building a house by hand, many years ago?”
 * “How do you think people interacted with the environment many years ago, compared to how they interact with the environment today?”
 * “Are there any similarities to how you build a house today as to how you built a house many years ago?”

__Materials:__

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 * Book: “The Family Tree”
 * Outside Materials:
 * Leaves
 * Hay
 * Sticks
 * Lincoln Logs
 * Cloth
 * Twine (To tie things together)

__Additional Ohio Academic Social Studies Strands:__

> > __Topic:__ Human Systems __Content Statement:__ Humans Depend on and impact the physical environment in order to supply food, clothing and shelter > > __Topic:__ Heritage __Content Statement:__ The way basic human needs are met has changed over time. > > __Topic:__ Human Systems __Content Statement:__ Human activities alter the physical environment, both positively and negatively. 2. __Strand:__ Geography __Topic:__ Human Systems __Content Statement:__ Cultures develop in unique ways, in part through the influence of the physical environment. > > __Topic:__ Heritage __Content Statement__ : Local communities change over time. 2. __Strand:__ Geography __Topic:__ Human Systems __Content Statement:__ Evidence of human modification of the environment can be observed in the local community. 3. __Strand:__ Geography __Topic:__ Places and Regions __Content Statement:__ Daily life is influenced by the agriculture, industry and natural resources in different communities.
 * __Kindergarten:__
 * 1)  __Strand: Geography__
 * __First Grade:__
 * 1)  __Strand:__ History
 * __Second Grade:__
 * 1)  __Strand:__ Geography
 * __Third Grade:__
 * 1)  __Strand:__ History

__“Tags” (Key Concepts):__

> > > > >
 * David McPhail
 * Geography
 * Physical Environment
 * First Grade
 * History