There are many different creative ways to assess your students' learning for this unit depending on your objectives and your district's curriculum requirements. The different writing assignments could be turned into one large multi-part research paper, or you could allow students to use the writing portions to put together a scrap book. Students could video tape interviews with relatives and scan family pictures to create a slide show or video documentary. A family tree could be created on a poster board with the names, pictures and histories of each known family member. The class could even have a family history day where each student shares some of the stories, pictures, and interviews they have collected through the process of researching their family. Since the writing is meant to be the student's journey into finding and defining their identity, it is a good opportunity to allow for some flexibility and creativity in the final product so that it truly reflects their personality and path.