Lesson 3

In the previous lesson you learned about the important events that took place in your life and how they affected you. In this lesson we will begin to look at the events that took place in your ancestors lives. While there are many sources that can tell you more about how a person lived or where an event happened, one of the most helpful sources is records. Records are simply written details about a life event. But records are fragile. Just think of how easy it is to loose your homework! Do you know where your birth certificate is? What about your kindergarten report card?

EXPLORE the following links to find out just how fragile records are and what is being done to save them.

Gathering and Preserving Records

Preserving your Family History and

Records at Risk

Questions to Consider

1. What are some of the ways records can be destroyed?

2.What are some of the feelings people have when they lose records that tell about their families?

3. What are some of the ways records can be preserved?

Activity 

Now examine some records on line

Ancestors Vital Records

Choose a record that interests you and, from the clues found in the record, write a diary entry on your word processor, recording the events of the day as if you were one of the people named in the record. This record can be a birth certificate, death certificate, a marriage certificate 

SAVE the Diary to your portfolio.

Self-Assessment

Use the Autobiography Incident rubric to evaluate the above assignment. Since you are taking the position of the person in the document you examined you will evaluate the document as if you were the person for who the event happened. CREATE a document entitled Lesson 3-Vital Record Incident Self-assessment. Enter the grade you would give yourself and SAVE the document to your portfolio.

What I have learned.

You’ve seen how fragile records can be, but also learned that they are the best way of finding out your family’s history. You know now that many records have survived, and they may contain interesting clues to your family story. 

In Lesson Four you will learn why documentation is important and how to make a record of the sources you will use in your search for the past.

To Lesson 4