ACTIVITY 1
Discuss Family History and Self-worth
Please read the following questions and answer them as you watch the story about Victor Villaseņor.
1 About how old was Victor when the redheaded boy named Howard told him he was bad?
2 What did Howard
expect Victor to be carrying with him?
Note the innocence and sensitivity of Victor’s
response to Howard.
3 What words did Victor use to describe himself after his experience with Howard?
4 Who did Victor begin to resent? Why?
5 After Victor went to Mexico (at age nineteen) and learned more about his culture, what did he realize about himself? What did he say?
6 Who became Victor’s greatest heroes?
7 In Victor’s story about his father running to catch the train to rejoin his family, what was pulling and pushing his father?
8 When Victor started talking and getting to know people deep inside, what did he begin to realize about an ordinary story?
9 What did Victor say about those of us who think we are "nobodies?"
EPISODE ONE: ACTIVITY SHEET
ACTIVITY 2
Complete the vocabulary crossword puzzle
Discovering your ancestors is like putting the pieces of a puzzle together. Use the vocabulary words listed below to answer the following questions on the crossword puzzle.
VOCABULARY
Ancestor: a
person from whom one is descended.
Genealogy: the science of studying about
our ancestors.
Generation: the average span of time between
the birth of parents and that of their children.
Given Name: a person’s first
name(s).
Maiden Name: a female’s surname or family
name at birth.
Maternal Line: the line of descent on the
mother’s side.
Nickname: an informal version of a given name.
Paternal Line: the line of descent on the
father’s side.
Pedigree: an ancestral line or line of descent.
Surname: a person’s last name or
family name.
QUESTIONS
Down
1. An informal version of a given name.
2. Your father’s line of descent.
3. Your mother’s surname or family name.
4. The science of studying family history.
5. A person from whom one is descended
Across
4. The first name of a person.
6. Line of descent on your mother’s side.
7. A person’s last name.
8. An ancestral line or line of descent.
9. The span of time between the birth of parents and
their offspring.
ACTIVITY 3
Begin filling in a pedigree chart
Key points to follow:
- Start with yourself on line 1. Your father’s full names should appear on line 2. Your mother’s full names should appear on line 3. (Always record male names on the even numbers (except for line 1) and the female names on the odd numbers.)
- Use the maiden name for females.
- Write dates using day, month, year (05 MAY 1946).
- Write place names as completely as possible (city, county, state).