Time Travelers: Exploring Our Past and Present · 2nd Year

Active learning ideas

Family Trees: Tracing Generations

Active learning works well for tracing family trees because students need hands-on practice to visualize relationships and time. Constructing, comparing, and discussing trees turns abstract concepts into concrete understanding through movement and conversation.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Myself and my Family
• NCCA: Primary - Time and Chronology

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Concept Mapping
• 30 min · Pairs

Family Interview: Gathering Stories

Provide interview templates with questions about names, birth years, and special memories. Students call or message relatives, record answers in pairs, then compile into a draft tree. Share one fun fact per pair with the class.

Construct a family tree that accurately represents your family's generations.

Facilitation Tip

During the Family Interview, circulate and model open-ended questions like 'What was your favorite family tradition growing up?' to encourage detailed responses.

What to look for

Provide students with a partially completed family tree template. Ask them to fill in the names and birth years for two missing relatives (e.g., a great-aunt and a cousin) based on provided relationship clues. Check for accurate placement and data entry.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Concept Mapping
• 45 min · Individual

Tree Building: Template Workshop

Distribute printable tree templates. Students fill in their data, draw lines for relationships, and add photos if available. Circulate to offer guidance on generations and accuracy.

Compare your family structure to those of your classmates, identifying similarities and differences.

Facilitation Tip

In the Tree Building workshop, provide examples of non-traditional structures so students see diverse family forms before creating their own.

What to look for

After students have shared their family trees, ask: 'What is one interesting similarity you noticed between your family tree and a classmate's? What is one significant difference, and what might that difference tell us about families?'

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 35 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Class Comparisons

Display completed trees around the room. Students walk in small groups, noting similarities and differences on sticky notes. Regroup to discuss patterns as a class.

Explain how understanding your family tree connects you to a broader history.

Facilitation Tip

During the Gallery Walk, assign small groups to prepare one question about another student's tree to promote focused observation.

What to look for

On an index card, have students write the name of one ancestor and one descendant from their family tree. Then, ask them to write one sentence explaining how understanding this connection helps them understand history.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Concept Mapping
• 25 min · Pairs

Timeline Extension: History Links

Each student adds one historical event from a grandparent's birth year to their tree using provided timelines. Pairs check facts and share connections.

Construct a family tree that accurately represents your family's generations.

Facilitation Tip

In the Timeline Extension, guide students to select one historical event that connects to their family's timeline, such as a grandparent's birth year.

What to look for

Provide students with a partially completed family tree template. Ask them to fill in the names and birth years for two missing relatives (e.g., a great-aunt and a cousin) based on provided relationship clues. Check for accurate placement and data entry.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers approach this topic by starting with students' lived experiences, which builds engagement and background knowledge. Avoid assuming all students have access to the same family structures or information. Research shows that personal narratives increase retention and empathy, so allow time for sharing beyond the classroom. Use guided questions to help students connect their stories to broader historical events.

Successful learning looks like students accurately placing relatives on their trees, describing connections between generations, and using this knowledge to identify similarities and differences across classmates' family structures.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Tree Building workshop, watch for students assuming all families have the same structure with two parents and four grandparents.

  Use the provided diverse examples and group sharing to highlight variations like single-parent, blended, or extended families. Ask students to describe their own family structure before completing their trees.

• During the Family Interview, watch for students treating generations as separate and disconnected.

  Encourage students to ask about overlapping lifespans, such as grandparents who lived during their parents' childhoods. Guide them to note these connections on their trees.

• During the Timeline Extension, watch for students believing family history has no link to broader events.

  Model how to find connections, like a grandparent born during a war or a great-uncle who moved during the Great Migration, and have students add these links to their timelines.

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Methods used in this brief

• Concept Mapping
• Gallery Walk