My Family Heritage Album
Project for 5th Grade Heritage Unit
The word “heritage” means something possessed as a result of one’s situation or
birth. In order to help you learn more about your own heritage and relate to the
stories you are reading in your ImagineIt! Unit and in class, you will be working
on a heritage album for your family. Select from the choices given to create your
own Family Heritage Album.
Project Expectations
1. Presentation – project papers should be bound in a 2 pocket folder or a small 3ring binder. The pages should be neatly hand written or typed and the front of
the folder should be decorated to reflect your family’s heritage. You may use
plastic sheet protectors.
2. Introductory Page –his page should include your title (My Family Heritage
Album) along with your name and project due date (October 19, 2011). There
should also be a reflective paragraph about completing the project.
3. Required Pieces – each student will be required to have the following items in
their album. We will be collecting items from home to help complete some of
these items. The final copies will be completed at school. Each item should be
on a separate piece of paper with the appropriate heading.
 Family Tree
 Autobiography
 Interview / Biography
 Poetry
 Friendly Letter
4. Choice Pieces – each student should pick at least 3 other items to have in their
completed album. Each item should be on a separate piece of paper with the
appropriate heading. The Free Choice item should be presented to me for prior
approval. These pieces will be completed at home.
5. Grading – each piece will be graded separately for a total of 100 points. To
obtain full credit for the album, it must contain all the required pieces; folder,
introductory page, and 8 neat pieces that follow all the given criteria.
 Presentation – 10 points (Presented in the folder, Overall Neat,
Legible, and Creative)
 Introductory Page – 4 points (title, name, date, reflective paragraph
about completing the project)
 5 Required Pieces – 8 points each (final copy, follows guidelines,
neat, legible)
 3 Choice Pieces – 10 points each (follows guidelines, neat, legible)
 Extra Credit – 5 points each (Up to 2 other choice pieces may be
included for a total of 10 extra credit points. Each piece must follow the
guidelines, be neat, and legible.)
 Late albums will loose 5 points for every school day they are
late.
Suggested Schedule for Completing
My Family Heritage Album
Week One – September 4-7
Share your project assignment with your parents. Pick the three choice items
you want to complete. Decide who you plan to write a letter to and interview, let
the persons involved know that you need their help with a project.
Week Two – September 10-14
At Home: Talk with parents to get a complete list of family members. Get the
address of the person you are writing the Friendly Letter to.
At School: Write Friendly Letter to chosen family member.
Week Three – September 17-21
At Home: Conduct interview. Begin working on choice item #1.
At School: Create your family tree.
Week Four – September 24-28
At Home: Complete choice item #1. Begin working on choice item #2.
Complete questionnaire.
At School: Use interview questions to write the biography.
Week Five – October 1-5
At Home: Complete choice item #2. Begin working on choice item #3.
At School: Use completed questionnaire to write your autobiography.
Week Six – October 8-12
At Home: Complete choice item #3.
At School: Complete poem.
Week Seven – October 15-19 PROJECT DUE!
During this week you should work on making all the final touches needed for
your project. Finish the project completely. The project is due in class Friday,
October 19th.
Project Pieces
My Family Heritage Album
Required Pieces
1. Family Tree (Bring a list of your family members to school by Sept. 14)
At Home: Make sure you know your family names and how to spell them.
Include parents, siblings, and grandparents. You may include more generations
if you would like. You may also include pictures.
At School: Complete a family tree that goes back at least three generations
(grandparents) using one of the templates provided.
2. Friendly Letter (Mailing address needed by Sept. 14)
At Home: Pick a family member to write a letter to. Have their name and
address so that you can address the envelope correctly.
At School: Write a letter to a family member, following the friendly letter
format. Your letter minimum is 2 complete paragraphs. If you get a reply you
may include that in your project.
3. Interview / Biography (Completed Interview due Sept. 21)
At Home: Interview someone from your family who remembers an important
historical event. It could be immigrating to another country, the first man on
the moon, or a war. Submit a minimum of 10 questions and the answers.
At School: Use the interview questions to write at least a 3 paragraph biography
of the chosen person.
4. Autobiography (Completed questionnaire due Sept. 28)
At Home: Complete the questionnaire provided by your teacher. You may also
bring in pictures.
At School: Use the completed questionnaire to write your autobiography. Story
minimum 3 complete paragraphs.
5. Poetry
At School: Choose a type of poetry from the list below. Write a poem about
something that relates to you, your family, or your heritage.
 Narrative rhyming poem
 Acrostic poem
 Definition poem
 Bio-Poem
Choice Pieces - pick 3 pieces to complete at home.
1. Recipe
Copy a family recipe and write a story about why it is important to your family
or about a time when you have eaten it. When we present our projects you can
bring in the recipe for everyone to try! Story minimum 2 complete paragraphs,
not including the recipe.
2. Artifact
Describe in detail something that has a special meaning to you and your family.
It might be a family heirloom, a special photograph, or even your house.
Include a photograph or draw a picture of the item. You may bring in the item
when we present our projects. Story minimum 2 complete paragraphs.
3. Research
Research and write a 2 paragraph report on a topic that relates to your family
heritage – family name, country, etc.
4. Family Traditions
Write a story about one of your family’s traditions. It might be about a family
reunion you always attend or something special you do for a specific holiday. It
may be something you always look forward to or it may be a tradition you do not
enjoy. Story minimum 2 complete paragraphs.
5. Mini-Dairy
Make a journal. Record entries for one week about the happenings in your
family. A diary is a minimum of five sentences for each of the seven days. Be
sure to date each entry.
6. Funny Story
Does your family have a story that is always told when you get together? Write
that story. You may need help from a parent or other family member to get all
the details. Story minimum 2 complete paragraphs.
7. Photograph Album
Put together a small photograph album of your family. Include at least 10
photographs. Write at least a two sentence caption for each photo.
8. Free Choice
Is there something else, not listed here, which you would like to add to your
album? Explain your idea to your teacher for approval. You will NOT
receive credit if you do not get prior approval for this piece.