Family Life Cycle Visual-Human Development

I teach a unit on Families in my Human Development Class.  I have a Power Point with the notes below on it.  Then I have students make a visual representation of the Family Life Cycle using their iPad.  I used to have my students draw a visual of the Family Life Cycle by hand, then I had them fill out a chart on the computer (which I posted below for your viewing pleasure).  The most recent assignment forces them to to use higher level thinking skills and be creative to complete this assignment.  Students have more voice and choice then my handing them a worksheet to fill out.  They can learn to become decision making, free thinking, leaders!  Just the student I was hoping to have leave my room when my time with them is done!

Here are the Notes I go over, my notes have pictures that represent each stage but I was not able to get them to load on this site AND I was not sure if there were copyright issues so I just left them off.  I put a copy of the notes in Edmodo so students can follow along with me as I go over them (some students learn better with the information in their hand rather than up on a projector).  Students can also refer back to the notes as needed while working on the assignment:

Family Life Cycle NOTES

Human Development

This is the typical cycle a family goes through. Remember, there are always exceptions in Social Sciences because people are so different!  Some people may do this differently and that is neither good or bad, it just is. 

There is no set of time to be in each stage.  I was in the “Beginning Stage” for 8 years!  I did not start the "Parenting Stage" until I was 31 years old!

Beginning Stage: Focus on adjusting to married life, establishing roles, getting to know your spouse on a deeper level

Childbearing Stage: Focus on birth of children, needs of children, new responsibilities, role conflicts may occur between husband and wife as they each adjust to the demands of parenthood

Parenting Stage: Focus on reorganization of the family around school age children

Launching Stage: Children leave home for college/career/ marriage/etc.  Children may return home several times before moving out for good (seems to be more common now)

Middle-Years Stage: Focus on preparing for retirement, parents become grandparents, exploring new hobbies

Aging Stage: During retirement people tend to focus on friends, hobbies, interests, and traveling

Family Life Cycle Assignment

Students use ipads to compete this section

Please make a visual of the Family Life Cycle.  For each stage you need to include:  

1. The Name of the stage
2.  A picture of a family in that stage
3. Describe each stage using a complete sentence

 

A visual could be:

• A collage
• A Mind Map

You could choose from the following apps:

• Pic Collage (one collage per stage of the Life Cycle)
• Popplet Lite (make a mind map with Family Life Cycle in the middle and each stage branching off of it)
• Total Recall (another mind map app)
• Graphio
• Lino
• Moodboard

*I would choose Pic Collage

 

 

 

 

 

You will be graded using the following criteria:

• Each Slide/Stage is worth NINE points (three points for a picture, three points for a label, and three points for the description).
• Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation all Count towards the three points per required element on slide
• Attractiveness, professionalism, and overall appearance are also included in the three points per required element.

DUE: __________________

 

Old Assignment:  

Just for your information.  Here is the assignment I created for this lesson B.I. (Before iPads).  You could actually do this assignment using the ipads by posting it in Edmodo and having students copy and paste it to Evernote.  It would take on a more worksheet-like feel though.  Filling out boxes doesn't exactly foster higher level thinking skills.  The way students must work with and interpret the information below does though.  Both of the assignments could be used together though.  This older assignment could be given to students first to help student build a solid foundation of understanding and then the iPad visual could be an anchor activity for students who finish early OR it could be a review activity further down the road.  Oh the possibilities! 

Family Life Cycle

Human Development

Name:

Date:

Period:

Directions: You are going to fill out the chart below about the Family Life Cycle.  It is a normal cycle a family goes though.   In the middle column you will write something that someone in that stage might say, basically what you would hear in that house.   In the third column you will need to find a picture of what that that family might look like in that stage. 

	Statement Give an example of a statement you might hear in the house of a couple in this stage	Picture Picture of what this stage looks like
Beginning Stage: The couple is focusing on adjusting to married life
Childbearing Stage: Focus on birth of children, needs of children, new responsibilities, role conflicts may occur
Parenting Stage: Focus on reorganization of the family around school age children
Launching Stage: Children leave home for college, career, and/or marriage
Middle-Years Stage: Focus on preparing for retirement, parents become grandparents,
Aging Stage: During retirement people tend to focus on friends, hobbies, interests, and traveling