PRE-VISIT LESSON
Language Arts, Grades K-5
All in the Family

OBJECTIVES

Students will be able to:

Conduct an interview of a family member.

Collect information regarding family traditions.

Use the information they have collected to write a historical narrative.

Interpret the interview information through the creation of a drawing or painting.

INTRODUCTION
The skills and techniques of quilting were passed down through many generations in Gee's Bend. Mothers taught their daughters, who later taught their own daughters, and so on. Many families have their own unique traditions and customs that are passed down in a similar way.

MATERIALS
Writing materials

Drawing
and painting supplies

ACTIVITY
Ask students to think about traditions in their own families. What things have their parents learned from their grandparents? What have students learned from their parents? Do they still continue these traditions? Traditions might be an original recipe for a dish, a religious custom, a hobby, or a job skill.

Have students generate interview questions to ask a family member about a tradition or custom they've learned from an older generation. After the interview, students will write or dictate what they learned and create a drawing or painting to illustrate the tradition.

After the projects are completed, have a class discussion about the various traditions represented. Ask students if they would like to continue participating in these or other family traditions. Why or why not? What sort of traditions would they like to pass on to their own children one day? Are family traditions valuable? Why or why not?

Finally, have students create an exhibition of their work by displaying both the written narratives and the visual artwork. Invite family members and other classes to view the show.


Artists | 6-12th grades | Look at Art | Resources