#2 Lesson Title:  FAMILY
Grade Level:  2 - 3
Subject Areas:  ELA and Social Studies
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Background
Your students will enjoy reading a poem written by other students.  Familiarity with the words of this song will help prepare students for the videoconference.

FAMILY is a class poem written by second graders during a workshop with teaching artist Julie Kabat.  Julie has set the poem to music and will sing this song during the videoconference.

Objective
Students will compare how their families are alike and different from their own.

"A family is like a tree."
In addition, students will learn that a poetic figure of speech -- which seems simple -- can actually be very complex since it is a simple comparison with multiple meanings.

Space Needed
Enough room to stand in a circle
Classroom window (hopefully, looking out on a tree), or outdoors

Materials
Overhead and screen (or chart paper)
Markers
Print out of the text FAMILY* on overhead transparency

Procedure

1.  Read this poem with your students, and discuss family as community.

2.  Note the "refrain," the two lines that begin the poem and recur at the end.  Point out the two verses that stand in between.
       Poetry Definitions:  Refrain

3.  Using the first verse of the poem as a prompt, discuss how families are alike and different.  Draw on your students' personal experiences.

"Is your family big or small?"
Together, near or far away . . . "Do you live with all members of your family, or not?"

4.  ( Optional Discussion )  The topic of the poem is FAMILY.  What subtopics did the writers choose? (size, living arrangements, ways of helping out or shared tasks, life experiences)

5.  Explore the simile:  "A family is like a tree."

a.  Observe a tree from the classroom windows.

    - Name the parts of a tree you see.
    - What part of the tree is hidden from view and can't be seen?

b.  Discuss:  Why are roots important to the tree?

     - They hold the tree strong in one place. 
     - They take food and water from the earth and nourish all parts of the tree.

c.  Stand in a circle and pretend to be a tree.

    - Can you move your feet? (Attached to roots . . .)
    - What part of your tree-body can you move?
    - There are many branches on a tree.  Stretch out your branches (arms) and leaves (fingers).
    - "Wrap" all your branches around your tree trunk.  (Trees, if you were still a human being, what does this feel like? . . . Like hugs?)

d.  Discus and analyze the comparison:  Is a family like a tree?

(There are multiple meanings and no one right answer!)

    - In a family, who might be the 'branches'?  Who belongs in your family?

    - "Many branches wrap around us.  "  What could this mean?

    -Does your family have "one trunk"?  If so, who might this be?  (Parents, grandparents, ancestors--who do you think and why?)

    - "Hidden roots hold us in place"
       Roots are hidden under the ground

    - What can't you see, but holds your family together and make it strong?  (Discuss different kinds of unseen things such as ancestors, love, caring, hope, etc.)

Assessment
Students will work in small groups to brainstorm and write a list of all the ways a family is like a tree.  Compare the lists.

Expand this lesson:
Art Lesson:  Texture/Collage