Family History John Andrew Sheffield English Teacher Foothill High School

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, I’ve heard students express a lack of knowledge about family members.

What will the Kids be Doing? They Will: Research the origins of their first & last name Research the origins of a family member’s 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.

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 to my web page.

My Web Pages Teacher PageStudent Page

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.

The graph above charts student progress & grades for this project. Student Progress

Lesson Shortcomings Some students had trouble finding their exotic names. Relevance of interview questions isn’t always apparent. Some kids had trouble turning a spoken interview into an essay

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 isn’t always apparent. Collect and check interview questions before the interviews. Include a speech element for those students who are more oral/auditory. Some kids had trouble turning a spoken interview into an essay

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