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LESSON OVERVIEW
Toolkit Topic: My Family
Lesson Title: What is family to you?
Subject/Grade Level: Social Studies/ First Grade
Lesson Duration [can be longer than a single class period]: 40-50 minutes
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Essential Question(s) for Toolkit: What is a family? How are families now different from the
past? How are families different based on where they live?
Essential Question(s) for Lesson: What is family to you? What does being part of the family mean?
What does family do that makes it a family? What are some differences you saw between your family
and someone elses? Why do you think there are differences in the way families are? What things
make a family be a family?
OBJECTIVES
STANDARDS

B.4.3 Examine
The student should be able to identify what is
biographies, stories,
a family by being able to discuss and
narratives, and folk
tales to understand the
contribute ideas as to how to identify a family.!
lives of ordinary and
The student should be able to identify what
extraordinary people,
makes up a family by being able to provide
place them in time and
context, and explain
examples of things that make up a family. !
their relationship to
The student should identify certain
important historical
events
differences that can occur between families

C.4.1 Identify and

by being able to identify the within their group
explain the individual's
family pictures. !
responsibilities to
family, peers, and the
The student should be able to identify and
community, including
communicate some reasons as to why
the need for civility and
changes occur between families by
respect for diversity
hypothesizing about them in their groups of

E.4.3 Describe how

families are alike and
4.!
different, comparing
The students should be able to make a
characteristics such as
comparison diagram consistent of
size, hobbies,
celebrations, where
similarities and differences by being able
families live, and how
to construct one for their family and the
they make a living
family in the novel that is read aloud. !
The students should properly distribute
similarities and differences they found
between their family and the family in the
book on the comparison diagram. !
The student should be able to use literature
to identify the differences families have and
some ideas as to why these occurred by
filling out their comparison diagram.

ASSESSMENTS
Discussion!
The students will be involved in a discussion about what they think
family is, what family is made up of, what family has to do or be in order
to be considered a family, differences between families, and why these
differences might occur. !
This would be an informal assessment of simply listening to the students
and seeing if they were contributing any ideas and information. !
After book questions !
The students will listen to One Family by George Shannon and answer
some questions afterwards via a method of partner discussion. The
students will be exposed to a children's literature that involves a story of
Thanksgiving in different families that are not the traditional families
children usually hear about. The teacher will then ask students
questions and have them raise their hands to give a response. !
What were the differences in these families you saw between the
ones we wrote about and families you might know?!
Do you think or did you see in the book any of these differences
in families affect the way they did certain things?!
Why do you think these differences can change the way a family
does certain things?!
Why do you think your family is the way it is and this family is the
way it is?!
Exit Slip!
After the students have their partner discussion and closing students will
complete an exit slip of three questions based on their partner
discussion.!
What is one difference you noticed between your family and the
one in the book?!
What is one brainstorming idea as to why this difference might
have occurred?!
What is one unique think about your family that is different from
someone else's family?

DIFFERENTIATION
If the students are ELL or english is their second language we can include their
language in our discussion about family.!
Have the students tell the class how to say family in their language.!
The teacher will write ask the student to write down the word in their
language on a piece of paper then post the words in the classroom.!
If there are students who are unable to concentrate for a long time, during the
lengthier classroom discussion you can have students do one minute
exercises. !
Have students take one minute breaks between the discussions. Ask
students to get up find a partner and they have one minute to chat about
whatever they would like then they sit down where they are.!
This will get the students moving and those who cant sit in one place for
a long time will get a break and be able to pay attention more.!
If the students are visual impaired and are unable to write and draw then:!
The students will be asked to think about their family picture in their
head and describe it during their group discussion later. The student can
also ask the teacher to help them write down their thoughts. The student
would then be asked to tell the teacher how to form the comparison
diagram in order to meet the standard and meet the objectives, along
with what to fill in each column.
LESSON CONTENT OUTLINE

Lesson Opening The lesson would be started with a sandwich activity.

Please refer to the end of the lesson for a print out of the sandwich parts.
Students will be given parts of the sandwich (all the same parts for every student)
They will be asked to make their sandwich the way they always do without looking at the kids
around them.
Three students with completely different sandwiches will then be chosen to present their
sandwiches to the class.
Teacher will continue with the discussion.
Where their sandwiches all made the same?
Did they still all make a sandwich?
If their sandwiches were different, was one better or worse than the other sandwiches?
Bring the activity back to the idea that while the sandwiches were made differently no one is
better or worse than the other, they are just different sandwiches.
Transfer into the idea that families are the same way sandwiches we made today. Some may not
be the same as others but they are not better or worst then other families there are just different
families out there.
Learning Activities
Discussion: Students and teacher have a discussion based on several different
questions. First they will discuss what a family is in their opinion. The teacher will write down some key
words from the discussion on a big white paper. Then the students will transfer into discussing what
activities a family does. The teacher will repeat writing down key elements. The students will continue to
discuss what is it specifically that makes a family a family. The teacher will also write down what they
think

Draw your family activity: the students will be asked to draw a picture of their family. They can include
the family members they think about when they think about family or even pets if they are part of their
family as they see it. The students will also be asked to draw some things around their family to show
what their family is like or what they do together.
The students will turn to another person around them. Then the students will pair up with
another group of two. In groups of four students will be asked to look at their pictures and
determine what they had in common and what was different.
The teacher will create a big comparison chart, two columns one labeled differences and one
labeled similarities. This will let the teacher place students ideas and model how to use one
form of a comparison diagram to the students. The teacher will ask each group share the
commonalities that they found between their family drawings and will write them under the
column labeled similarities explaining to the students that since these are the things that are
similar between their family drawings they will be placed in the similarities column. The
teacher will then ask the students what the differences are and write them down in the
differences column.
The teacher will then ask the students to turn to their think-pair-share partner and think of some
reasons why these differences could be found.

Read Aloud: Teacher will read the book One Family to the students. The book will portray different
families during thanksgiving. Students will be asked to think about the possible differences between this
family and their own while they listen to the text.

Pair up discussion: Students will pair up with another student and talk about the differences from the
family in the book to their own family. The students will be asked to each complete a comparison
diagram, like the one that the teacher did for the similarities and differences between he family in the
book and their family. The students will be asked to share these with their partners.
Lesson Closing The students will be asked to come back to a full class discussion. The teacher will
review what they learned about family and the differences some families portray. The teacher will
explain to the kids that for the rest of the unit they will be learning about families and how families
change not only from one family to another, like we observed today, but how they change over time. The
students will be asked to complete an exit sheet based on their discussion with their partner. The exit
sheet will ask them to write one difference they observed between the family in the book and their own,
one brainstorming idea as to why these differences might happen, and one unique thing about their
family whether it be tradition, family members or something they do special to their family.

MATERIALS/RESOURCES/TECHNOLOGY
Four big pieces of white paper !
Markers!
One Family novel!
Exit slips for the classroom!
Curious open minds!
Paper for students