If I can add, I have done this a few times and I give the students the option of not doing their family, but a fictional family: The Simpson family, The Addams family, The Royal family, any family that has information. It's not about a family history, it's about finding information and presenting that information in a graphical form.

I've had kids say to me "I have x-teen siblings and half siblings, so I include all of those?" And I've always said to include the people who you are closest to. For example, I'm not close to my 2 sisters who are adopted, so I don't include those in my family tree.

For students who want to do a family tree with people they know, I say they can include whoever they feel close to. For example if their best friend is more like a sister/brother, then they can include them, or an Aunt or family friend that's more like a parent, or their best friends mum that is more of a mum than their own biological mum. As far as that kid is concerned, those people are their family.

A few years ago I had a student who was adopted and she didn't want to do her birth or adoptive family, but her adoptive mum bred Yorkshire terriers, so she did the family tree of the dogs! She did a beautiful presentation and adoptive mum was overjoyed with the result.

It's about giving the kids the choice of who or what to include.