Lesson 2.1: Family Stories

Families create their own
communities with shared traditions, stories, and items passed down from generation to generation.

[PHOTO BY GERHARD TIESSEN]

An old photo of Gerhard Tiessen’s family in Russia. Tiessen and his wife Grace now live in Kalona.

Most people—even young students—recognize their families as having distinct characteristics that set them apart from everyone else’s family. Special holiday foods, stories about eccentric or famous relatives, the knowledge of how to catch the biggest fish, or a precious heirloom brought during immigration to a new place all help tie a family together into its own community. Families and households are repositories of stories, often told by elders but learned and repeated by children.

A general word of caution to educators using this unit: The concept of “family” should be approached with some sensitivity. Students come from a range of family and household situations. Teachers can extend the idea of family to include good friends, neighbors, or others that students feel close to.

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Objectives
Students will be able to:
1. Identify family or household stories.
2. Compare family or household stories.
3. Discuss the contexts within which such stories might be told.

Cross References

Instructional Program:
Language Arts GENRE, COMPOSITION; Social Studies SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS, FAMILY

Prairie Voices Lesson:
Names, Family Folklore