Selected MFS lessons adapted for virtual learning
While most the My Family Story lessons can easily be done virtually as they are, below are suggestions of how to best adapt portions for online:
- Creating a Family Tree – If printing is not a possibility, ask students to create their family tree only on MyHeritage. Instructions at the bottom of this page.
- World Maps – When students share their world maps and want to add to a collective class map, educators can create one using Google Maps. It can be edited either by all students, or edited by the educator and shared to view with students and families.
- Interviews – When practicing interview classmates, use the ‘breakout rooms’ function on Zoom to allow short 10-minute sessions of practice between small groups. When interviewing grandparents or older family members, video calling can actually be more beneficial in connecting with loved ones, and recording the interview to review later.
- Combining MFS with other lessons – My Family Story should work for you. You can use MFS lessons in conjunction with other lessons you are running, such as combining the world maps lesson with your lesson on national history or immigration.
- Creative Displays – These can be made from materials found at home- they do not need to be made from expensive or valuable objects. As students become increasingly comfortable with digital platforms, they can even incorporate that in their displays. Take a look at a few winning projects from 2019-2020 that creatively used technology to produce incredible displays: