Do american kids really all have to draw a family tree or is it just a movie thing?

When I was in high school we had an assignment of our family history and to see how far back we could go. It wasn't a "tree" it formulated as a paper bag. So the premise is that the outside of the bag is your family the front is for immediate family, the two sides are for the mother and father extended sides, and the back are the great/great grandparents. It was mainly to teach us about history (from what regions of the world we came from) health/science (for human traits and illness) and the cultural change. Yes I know that goes with history but it is meant to focus on how our forefathers/ancestors adapted to society in changing years. The inside of the bag is you. How everything about your experience of family created your existence (what made you, you). You placed key components that you identified with that would give as a representation of you. Everyday objects or family heirlooms that you hold dear to you would please inside the bag.

When I was in school the most they really did for a “family tree” was for kids- like a literal tree where they put their parents, brothers, maybe grandparents- basically 1-3 generations of immediate family, just names only or maybe Pictures- usually just as decorations for school functions like “back to school night” “open house” “parent teacher night” etc They kinda stopped (in my area) when “traditional” heterosexual nuclear families became no longer the default assumption and it could get complex or sensitive/problematic to do. In high school or college you might have some sort of family research project- but no school/classes I took required like an actual genealogical tree or anything. I don’t remember it being a thing really- maybe just like an “art project” sort of thing and then maybe once or twice in all my years.

We did family trees too but maybe up to great grandparents if they were known

I remember doing a few in grade school and one in high school. It’s always super upsetting when you are the kids with only half a tree, the kids with a tree so large you don’t get time to finish, or that kid that doesn’t know anyone past their immediate family. (I managed to be all three and very annoying as a child)