Objective:

Students will create a storyboard that represents a family’s history, focusing on different locations where family members have lived. They will use a sequential graphic organizer to break down events and visually plan the steps for telling their family story or a family of their choice.

Materials Needed:

• Storyboard templates (paper)

• Markers, crayons, or pencils

• Pictures or symbols to represent family locations and events

Steps:

• Introduction:

  • Begin by discussing how families often live in different places over time and the stories behind those moves. 

  • Ask students, “Where has your family or another family lived, and how did they end up where you or they live now?” 

  • Explain that they will create a storyboard to illustrate the family’s history, leading to their current residence.

• Group Activity:

  • Students will work individually or in pairs to fill out their storyboard, planning the family’s journey in steps. 

  • They will draw or write about each location, explaining the significance and timeline of the moves. 

  • Encourage them to decompose the story into simple steps that show key moments, such as a grandparent moving for a job or the family moving to a new city.

• Creating the Plan:

  • As students build their storyboards, they will break down the sequence of events and goals (e.g., moving to find a better home). 

  • They will think through how each location connects to the next and identify expected outcomes, such as “My family moved closer to school.”

• Presentation and Discussion:

  • Students will share their storyboards with the class, explaining the steps they chose and why those events were significant in the family history. 

  • Lead a discussion on how planning and organizing steps make it easier to tell a clear story.

Equity and Access:

Provide pre-drawn symbols or templates for students who need extra guidance in drawing or organizing their storyboards. Pair students who need more support with those who can help guide the process.

Real-World Application:

Discuss how stories of people moving between locations are common in history, such as migration patterns, and how maps and storyboards help us understand the movements and decisions people make.

CS Practice(s):

• Developing and Using Abstractions: Students simplify family stories into key moments and events for their storyboard.

• Recognizing and Defining Computational Problems: Students identify the important steps needed to explain a sequence of events in a story.

Standard(s):

• CA HSS 2.1.1

• CA CS K-2.AP.14

Objective:

Students will use Google Slides to create an animated slideshow that represents their family’s history, or the history of a family of their choice. They will plan the sequence of slides to show key moments, explaining the family’s moves and transitions, and illustrate these steps using images, text, and transitions.

Materials Needed:

• Tablets or computers with Google Slides

• Images or icons to represent family locations and events

• Pre-made Google Slides template for animation

Steps:

• Introduction:

  • Introduce the lesson by asking students to think about how a family moved from one place to another and why. 

  • Explain that today, they will create an animated digital story using Google Slides to show the sequence of the family’s moves.

• Group Activity:

  • In pairs or small groups, students will plan ththeeir family’s story in Google Slides, creating one slide for each location or event. 

  • Encourage them to use transitions and animations to show the family moving from one place to another, selecting images and text to represent key moments. 

  • Explain how planning these steps helps ensure their animations tell a clear and organized story.

• Creating the Animation:

  • Students will break down the family’s history into events and create slides that show each transition. 

  • For example, one slide may show “Our family moved to a new house near school,” and the next might show “We lived there until we moved to a bigger house.” 

  • Students will use transitions between slides to illustrate movement and change.

• Testing and Refining:

  • Once students have built their slideshow, they will test the animations to ensure the transitions flow smoothly and the story makes sense. 

  • Allow time for them to revise their animations, adding more details or adjusting transitions as needed.

• Presentation and Discussion:

  • Each group will present their animated story to the class, explaining the steps they took to plan and organize the family’s history. 

  • Lead a discussion on how breaking the story into steps helped them think more clearly about the process.

Equity and Access:

Provide a pre-made Google Slides template with suggested icons or images for students who need extra guidance. Pair students with varying levels of technology skills to encourage peer support.

Real-World Application:

Connect the lesson to how people use digital tools, such as slideshows, to present and share important information, such as in history presentations or family photo albums.

CS Practice(s):

• Creating Computational Artifacts: Students create a digital slideshow representing their family’s history.

• Testing and Refining Computational Artifacts: Students test their slideshow animations and revise them based on feedback to improve the flow of the story.

Standard(s):

• CA HSS 2.1.1

• CA CS K-2.AP.14