If the participants have the proper materials, or computer programs, they can construct a family tree that looks like this:

Because family trees need information that is mostly familiar to the participant, this exercise can be most effective. Participants learn how to place information in a certain order, they may learn the spellings of other family member's names and by researching older generations, they can learn more about their family history. This leads us into the next section of this chapter, Family Histories.

Family History

Family histories tell the story of a family from the beginning (or as far back as a person can find information). A family history can even be about one generation if that is the level that the participant is working from. By using the information gathered in the family tree, the participant can now begin working on a family history. It should include information that is already recorded on the family tree such as birth dates, marriage dates and death dates, but it should also include personal information about a person, special events that happened in their lives, work a person might have done; anything that tells the "story" of the family.