* Note to teacher and students: Allow 1-2 weeks for students to collect information about their family using the questionnaire.
Some important things to remember as you begin to work on
your report:
· Before you prewrite, collect all of the important information about your family. Gather your family history packet, notes and information from your Internet genealogy research. This will make prewriting much easier.
· In prewriting, be sure to include enough details to tell who, what where, when and why.
· In writing your rough draft, remember to write paragraphs that are well developed. These contain a topic sentence, several supporting sentences with detail, and a conclusion.
Planning you Essay:
Paragraph 1: Write a catchy lead that catches the readers
attention. Use an interesting or surprising fact (maybe the origins of your
surname), or a vivid description to describe a family tradition or story.
Paragraph 2: Describe you ancestors. Who were they? In what
country did they live before immigrating to the United States? What do you think
life was like for them in this country? (Use information gathered from Ellis
Island Wall of Honor research and your Family History Questionnaire).
Paragraph 3: Describe how, when and why you ancestors came
to this country. How did they travel here? When? Why (persecution, better
opportunities, etc) did they come to America?
Paragraph 4 & 5: Tell a story or a tradition that has
been told about your family. Describe some of the interesting artifacts your
family still has which have been passed through the generations. Discuss some of
the information you gathered through Internet research about your family, family
name, etc.
Paragraph 6: Conclusion: Conclude your story by describing your own feelings about your family history. What does your family mean to you?
Due Dates:
Rough Draft:
Final Draft: