Educations and jobs through time in the family tree
Age group
8-10 years
Primary CMS area
Area 5 Understanding the world
- I understand how changes in society relate to my learning and work
- I understand how learning and work change over time
Unit Description
Students gain insight into their family educational and job history and the societal changes of the world of work over time.
With the help of parents, students make a family tree that including the educations and jobs in the family over time. This forms the basis for conversation about how the labor market and the connection between family and working life have changed over time.
Activity Educations and jobs through time in the family tree
Learning outcomes
Students get a beginning insight into
- own family history
- how family life and the labor market has changed during time
- the labor market has changed and is constantly changing
Students gain experience in talking about education and jobs.
Activity Name
Educations and jobs through time in the family tree and society
Description
The activity is part of a theme focusing on life ‘in the old days’ and life now. For example, the activity can be integrated into history teaching or social studies.
The teacher informs the student’s family about the activity and ask the family to help with the student create the family tree
Parents are informed (e.g. via letter or school web platform) about the activity and the purpose: The students gain insight into their own family’s educational and job history and the societal changes of the world of work over time. At home parents are asked to help their children fill out the family tree cards for the four generations: Pupil, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents. Parents are informed that the student and parent can choose to fill out cards only for one branch, or choose to go back fewer generations if, for example, there is some information that is difficult to access.
Introduction for the students (2 hours)
The teacher introduces the students to the concept of family tree. What is a family tree? How to make it? How to make your own family tree? Often one writes in a family tree name as well as year of birth. The teacher tells that family trees can also be made to contain other information. For example, who cared for one while you were a child, vocation etc. The teacher can draw his own family tree on the board and tell about his family. The teacher can tell how he / she has gained the knowledge needed to draw the family tree. The teacher also tells that sometimes you can’t get the knowledge you want about your ancestors.
The teacher tells the students that each of them now has to make a family tree for themselves and that this has two purposes
- To get insight into their own family.
- The individual student’s family tree will contribute to a joint study of how schooling, family life, the labor market have changed over time.
Template that students and families fill to make a family tree
The teacher prepares cardboard / paper template cards that students complete in collaboration with their family. Below is shown how a template could look like – the template is meant as an inspiration. It is important that the teacher adapt the categories to the local context.
Name
Year born
Who cared for the person during the day before the school age? (e.g. parents, grandparents, nursery)
How many years did the person attend compulsory school?
Does the person have an education after compulsory school? if so, which (if more than one, give an example)?
Work (give one or two examples) payed or non payed.
Generation
1 Student – 2 Parent – 3 Grandparents – 4 Great-grandparents
The cards are A6 size (10.5 x 14.8 cm) (4.1 x 5.8 in).
The teacher writes the generation number on the cards.
If possible, the cards for the four generations have different color. It will make it more visual for the student to work with different generations. And make it easier for students to work with the family trees in the class afterwards.
The chart below shows how many cards a student with two parents and no bonus parents should have for each generation. Some students may also want to fill in for bonus parents, etc. and may therefore wish for more cards. Other students do not fill the cards in all branches of the family. This is not so crucial since the activity is a common/a joint study of developments in family life and the world of work over time – and all students contributes to this whether they have filled few or many cards in their family tree.
Generation number
Example af the card colour
Number of cards for the students for each generation
1 – Student
Green
1
2 – Parent
Yellow
2
3 – Grandparents
Red
4
4 – Great-grandparents
Blue
8
The teacher presents for cards for the students.
Family work (e.g. 1 week)
Each child completes the cards with his or her family. As mentioned before, the child may wish to extend the family tree to the bonus parents and the extended family. Students and parents can also choose to make only one branch of the family tree.
A deadline is set for when the template cards must be completed and brought to school. It is important to work with a deadline that make it realistic for families to have time to work on the task.And at the same time so narrow that they do not forget the task.
The teacher can remind students and parents about the task a few days before working with the family tree at school.
Working with family trees in class (2-3 hours)
Immediately after the students have brought the family tree, work on it in class.
The students are divided into groups of two people. They place their template cards on the table and shape their individual family tree.
Timing
The activity lasts 2 hours:
- Introduction ½ hour
- Execution 2 hour (1 first step + 1 second step)
- Closure 1 hour
Role of the Teachers
The teacher participates in the activity and collaborates with the career educator. His/her role is to facilitate the engagement of students and their learning achievement. Teacher evaluate the activities and integrate them with curriculum and disciplines.
Methodology
collaborative inquiry learning
Students experiment learning throughout life
Students cope with challenges and changes which take place in life.
Observes students’ abilities and the learning achievement during each step of finding and analysing the problem, though a check-list
Learning materials
Bell, T.; Urhahne, D.; Schanze, S.; Ploetzner, R. (2010). “Collaborative inquiry learning: Models, tools, and challenges”. International Journal of Science Education. 3 (1): 349–377.
Roth, Wolff-Michael; Jornet, Alfredo (2013). “Toward a theory of experience”. Science Education. 98 (1): 106–26. What is Inquiry Based Learning (EBL)? Centre for Excellence in Enquiry-Based Learning. University of Manchester. Retrieved October 2012
Activity 1. What I know about my world
Activity 2. Who are the heroes of my world?
Learning outcomes
manage previous knowledge to systematize them (Students assess own information about work and professions)
Activity Name
Who are the heroes of my world?
Description
Introduction
– Explain activity to the working group
Execution
In this activity, the working group analyse the professions that face the challenges identified responding to the following questions:
- who takes care of this challenge?
- what activities do they do?
- where they work?
- why do they do it?
- how do you learn to do that job?
Closure
- Representing the knowledge possessed on the professions that face challenges through a drawing or a graphic
Learning materials
Bell, T.; Urhahne, D.; Schanze, S.; Ploetzner, R. (2010). “Collaborative inquiry learning: Models, tools, and challenges“. International Journal of Science Education. 3 (1): 349–377.
Roth, Wolff-Michael; Jornet, Alfredo (2013). “Toward a theory of experience”. Science Education. 98 (1): 106–26. What is Inquiry Based Learning (EBL)? Centre for Excellence in Enquiry-Based Learning. University of Manchester. Retrieved October 2012
Timing
The activity lasts 2 hours:
- Introduction 15 minutes
- Execution 1 hour
- Closure 45 minutes
Role of the Teachers
The teacher participates in the activity and collaborates with the career educator. His/her role is to facilitate the engagement of students and their learning achievement. Teacher evaluate the activities and integrate them with curriculum and disciplines.
Methodology
collaborative learning
Observes students’ abilities and the learning achievement during each step of finding and analysing the problem, though a check-list
Activity 3. What I know about heroes of my world?
Learning outcomes
Collecting, organizing and processing of information and data
Activity Name
What I know about heroes of my world?
Description
Introduction
Explain activity to the working group
Execution
- Interview witnesses, experts, family members or others to gather general and specific information on the identified professions
- organizing and processing the information collected through a drawing or graphic
Closure
Compare the information collected with those previously held per finding the difference (activity 1)
Learning materials
Bell, T.; Urhahne, D.; Schanze, S.; Ploetzner, R. (2010). “Collaborative inquiry learning: Models, tools, and challenges“. International Journal of Science Education. 3 (1): 349–377.
Roth, Wolff-Michael; Jornet, Alfredo (2013). “Toward a theory of experience”. Science Education. 98 (1): 106–26. What is Inquiry Based Learning (EBL)? Centre for Excellence in Enquiry-Based Learning. University of Manchester. Retrieved October 2012
Timing
The activity lasts 4 hours:
- Introduction 15 minutes
- Execution
- 1 hour to prepare collecting data
- 1 hour to organize data
- Closure 45 minutes
Role of the Teachers
The teacher participates in the activity and collaborates with the career educator. His/her role is to facilitate the engagement of students and their learning achievement. Teacher evaluate the activities and integrate them with curriculum and disciplines.
Methodology
Inquiry based learning
Data collecting
Observes students’ abilities and the learning achievement during each step of finding and analysing the problem, though a check-list
