Family History

1
Family History
John Andrew Sheffield English Teacher Foothill
High School
2
John Andrew Sheffield
Graduate of Western Washington University
Former teacher at Nooksack Valley High School
Currently Teaches at Foothill High School
Reasons for creating a family history project
1. The State Standards for Language arts requires
Biographical and Autobiographical Writing.
2. The State Standards for Language Arts
requires knowledge of interview techniques.
3. In past years, Ive heard students express a
lack of knowledge about family members.
3
What will the Kids be Doing?
They Will
Research the origins of their first last name
Research the origins of a family members first
last name.
Interview a family member
Transpose and verify interview notes
Write a biography on a family members
Also
I suspect that my kids will find that they have
more in common with their family members than
they might otherwise have thought.
4
I Know What You Did Last Summer...
I worked on CTAP 295 !!!!!!
Created a web page Learned about FTP Downloaded
and uploaded files Linked PowerPoint, Word
Documents, Spreadsheats, Web pages, and E-mail to
my web page.
5
My Web Pages
Teacher Page
Student Page
6
Lesson Strengths

• The kids show interest in the assignment because
  it is partially about themselves.
• Writing assignment meets the district and state
  standards for essay writing
• The integration of a visual element, technology,
  writing, and group interaction appeals to several
  types of learners.

7
Student Progress
The graph above charts student progress grades
for this project.
8
Lesson Shortcomings

• Some students had trouble finding their exotic
  names.
• Relevance of interview questions isnt always
  apparent.
• Some kids had trouble turning a spoken interview
  into an essay

9
Changes I Will Make
Some students had trouble finding their exotic
names.
Include search methods for students to find
exotic names.
Relevance of interview questions isnt always
apparent.
Collect and check interview questions before the
interviews.
Some kids had trouble turning a spoken interview
into an essay
Include a speech element for those students who
are more oral/auditory.
10
The End