Art Integration

Lesson Plan
By, Bethy Bregant

Lesson Title & Bid Idea

Celebrating Culture
Families
1st Grade

Lesson Overview
In this lesson, students explore the diversity of
families and cultures through stories read aloud
in class, and represent their own families and
traditions in the form of a family tree, including
origin of culture, creative representation of
family members, and written descriptions of
family traditions.

Key Concepts
1. Visual Art: Representing family structure and
symbols with detail and visual support.

2. Literacy: How to describe characteristics of

family members and family traditions like in the
book, All Kinds of Families by Mary Ann
Hoberman and Light the Candle Bang the Drum
by Ann Morris.

3. Social Studies: Components of culture such as

food, language, religion, and traditions describe
diversity in family life.

Essential Questions
What makes up a family?
How are families different or alike across the
world and in different cultures?

Lesson Objectives/Goals
1. Visual Art: The students will be able to represent their
family origin and defining characteristics through
constructing a family tree out of art supplies provided.

2. Literacy: The students will be able to make

connections and discuss comparisons to the text and to
their self by drawing on prior knowledge and experience
to ideas in the text through oral responses and written
lists during class discussions.

3. Social Studies: The students will be able to identify

similarities and differences in families across cultures
and generations throughout history that make families
diverse.

Content Areas Integrated

1. Visual Art
2. Literacy
3. Social Studies

Opening
At the beginning of the lesson, I will explain to students that
families are both different and the same in way. Before going
any further, I will ask students to suggest ways they think
families may be different or the same.

I will then spark wonder in the students by explaining to

them that we are going to explore our own families and our
peers, so that we can discover unique characteristics that
might also be an important characteristic of someone else in
the class.

I will then transition to the first activity, reading aloud the

storybook All Kinds of Families by Mary Ann Hoberman, so
that students begin brainstorming the many ways families
are different and the same.

Summative Assessment
Strategy
I will grade the family tree students construct
based on effort put into the project, as well as
the amount of thoughtful contribution students
make when participating in discussion and
activity throughout the entire unit.