1. Opening circle (10 min)
Big circle: How do you feel now, what happened to you during the last week?
2. What is your strenght? (10 min)
Volunteer participants show the others what they think they are good at (e.g singing, running, having nice, healthy hair, etc.)
3. Your inheritance (20 min)
The facilitator encourages a discussion on which of the previously presented characteristics are inherited from their predecessors. What is the difference between genetical inheritance (e.g. eye colour) and material inheritance (e.g. money, house)? Genetics is the field of science that researches how heredity works. Genetically hereditary characteristics are often confused with behaviours we learn from our environment. Participants try to give examples.
Participants work in groups. Each group gets word cards in Annex 1. Their task is to group the words into three sets: biological inheritance, material inheritance, learned behaviour.
The facilitator encourages a discussion on certain diseases, when we only inherit the inclination, but with the right way of living and special attention, the disease can be avoided or managed (e.g. diabetes). The facilitator can explain that according to research, genetic inheritance is partially responsible for e.g. alcoholism, but the environment is much more important, because if a parent is alcoholic, there is at least twice the possibility that the child will become an alcoholic, too. But it can be avoided with conscious foresight. Musical talent is partially inherited, partially learnt. Absolute hearing is influenced 50% by genetics and 50% by early musical education.
4. Family tree (15 min)
Participants work in groups. Each group gets a picture of the family tree in Annex 2, they provide names for the family members and find various relatives, e.g. aunt, mother-in-law, cousin, brother-in-law, forming sentences about the family in the picture.
Each participant draws their own family tree (including the grandparents).
5. Closing circle (5 min)
What are you taking away from this workshop? What was the best/ most difficult?
Which school subject would you connect this workshop to?
Annex 1
Annex 2
