Seventh Grade Genealogy Detectives

The 7th graders are researching something very, very important: themselves! In the About Me unit in Communication Arts, students dig into aspects of who they are, including their names, their intelligences, and their families.

While learning about yourself is, indeed, important, there is an ulterior motive to this unit: practicing important research skills! A key aspect of research is understanding the difference between primary and secondary sources, and identifying if those sources are reliable. This is why Heather Owens, parent of Emma ('26) and Lillian ('28), came to speak to the 7th graders about her passion: genealogy.

In Mrs. Owen's presentation, she walked students through the types of resources and records one uses when researching family history. Primary sources were "created at the exact time an event happened," while secondary sources are "written later by someone looking back."

After explaining research strategies, the students became genealogy detectives! They were shocked to discover that they were looking for clues in primary sources about some people they knew about: Abraham Lincoln! Amelia Earhart! Babe Ruth! ("His name was actually George?!") Elvis Presley! Walt Disney! It was hard work for the students to examine the handwritten records, but they persevered and discovered! "I didn't know Walt Disney ever got married!" and "Abraham Lincoln was a captain in the army!" and even "Why are so many of these people connected to Illinois??"

In this unit, and with this guest speaker, the 7th graders didn't just listen and learn; they DID and they DISCOVERED. Now, as they practice researching even more, they will have the memory of discovery to remind them why these skills matter.

See more photos here!