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Karen
Anglehart
09
Project
Summary
TAH Project
As I am
so new to high school and the US History and Global Curriculums, I
think I’d like to start my first year with a simple oral history
project.
One of
my favorite possessions is a cassette tape with an interview I did
of my grandmother. When I was in college I sat down to interview
her with a basic cassette recorder and a list of questions. I asked
her about her childhood, how she met my grandfather, what my mom was
like as a kid, etc. I can listen to the tape and almost believe
she is in the room with me and my kids can know her through her
stories and hear her voice.
I would
like the kids in my US History course do an oral history project
where they interview a person at least one generation removed from
themselves, so they can record a the stories of someone they love.
It’ll also be a terrific reminder of who they were in the year 2009!
2.
Clear Purpose and Objective:
The
objective of the project is for the kids to capture the oral history
and personality of a loved one on a DVD recording. It’ll be a
keepsake for both the student and the person being interviewed.
I also
want the kids to realize that there is a great deal of history to be
learned from the people around them.
3.
Stakeholders: grade level, who will benefit, who will participate in
this project.
11th
grade students in my US History course
4.
U.S. History Content Area
Contemporary US history
5.
Outline Describing Content
6.
Software to be used, internet materials, contacts, etc.
* I am
going to have to purchase a small ‘camcorder’/ DVD recorder and
train the kids to use it. The $250 materials allotment and the
stipend should cover the cost of the ‘camcorder’and DVD discs.
*NPR --
Story Corp. interviews and its companion book Listening is an Act
of Love
*
Materials to research good questions & for interviewing techniques
7.
Level of Student Involvement
The
students will :
Make an
appointment with the person they’d like to interview
Develop
a list of questions to ask
Learn
to use the recorder
sign up
for a week to use the recorder
conduct
the interview
Write a
summary of the interview and the process of writing the questions
and include a reflective piece about the experience
Evaluate themselves and their interviewing skills
Burn a
copy of the DVD to share with their interviewee
Write a
thank you letter to the person they interviewed
Evaluate their success
8.
Evaluation process (include students when possible)
I will
grade the students on their list of questions, whether or not the
project was completed, and use a writing rubric to grade their
summary and reflective piece. I would like the students to also
grade themselves and their interviewing skills.
9.
Timeline: how you envision the project being carried out between
start up and conclusion
Mid
Nov. I will introduce the kids to oral history through the book
Listening is an Act of Love and by listening to NPR “Story
Corps” interviews.
Mid
Nov. We will research interviewing techniques and questions to ask
for an oral history project
Mid
Nov. Get kids to set up a date for the interview and establish a
sign out sheet for the “Camcorder”
3rd
week of Nov. Have kids generate a list of questions they will ask
the person they are to interview.
The
kids will have until after Easter break to conduct the interviews.
This time frame allows for family members to get together if they
live far away.
The
summary/reflective writing piece must be turned in one week after
the interview is completed.
A thank
you letter, explaining how the experience affected them, and a copy
of the DVD must be turned in one week after the interview is
completed.
Teaching American
History Project 2009
Description:
This was an oral
history project in the vein of Story Corp, an oral history project
aired on NPR every Friday morning at 7:20. The students in my U.S.
History class were required to interview a grandparent or other
elder, record their interview in some manner, and write a reflective
piece sharing their thoughts on the experience.
The timeline of my
project:
1. I used a number
of Story Corp interviews to introduce the project - both archived
audio recordings from the website and stories from Listening is an
Act of Love by David Isay. I also shared my personal experiences
with interviewing my own grandparents.
2. The day before
Thanksgiving vacation, I gave the kids a number of different
readings about interviewing skills, including lists of suggested
questions, from the Story Corp website and an article entitled
"Getting Nosy with Aunt Rosie" from Genoogy.com. We had a long
conversation regarding courtesy and etiquette, setting an
appointment with their interviewee, and recording options.
3. I required
that the students inform me as to the subject/time/date/locale of
their interview, as well as a list of questions they wanted to ask.
The kids were strongly encouraged to interview a grandparent, if at
all possible, if not then they could interview another close
relative or friend. If they could not do a face-to-face interview,
then they could use a 'webcam' or phone! The kids were given until
mid-January, the end of the marking period, to conduct the interview
and complete their written reflective piece and thank you letter.
4. I bought a
Sony camcorder so it was available to students who needed a
recording device. I also bought DVDs and made two copies of the
interviews for the students-one to keep and one to share with their
grandparent.
In
short:
a. Introduced the concept of interviewing
someone-providing examples of
oral history
b. Provided materials about conducting effective
interviews and lists of possible
questions.
c. Provided the students with the option of
using my video recorder if they
needed a recording device. (Purchased through the Teaching
Am. History Grant)
d. Required that the students conduct the
interview, write a one-page
reflective piece about their experience and their opinion of
the project, and a
hand written thank you letter to the person
they interviewed.
My initial
experience with the project was frustration at the overwhelming
resistance to the project. At the end, it was a mixture of delight
that the kids actually sat down and talked to their grandparents,
sadness that some kids had no one to interview, and continued
frustration that some kids absolutely refused to do the project,
even though it meant an incomplete or failure for the marking
period.
I was amazed at
the number of grandparents who refused to be recorded in any
manner. My personal experience with my own grandparents so was
different-they were all very willing to talk on camera. I treasure
these videos and was disappointed for the kids when they told me
they just couldn't convince their grandparent to talk and be
recorded. We worked around it by having the kids take notes and
document the questions and responses.
Ultimately, the
response from the students about this project was very positive.
Some kids embraced the idea immediately, interviewing family members
and starting conversations about their cultural heritage. A number
of kids brought in genealogy research done by members of their
family to share with the class and shared their stories about
conducting their interviews. These kids had a wonderful time
learning about their families!
It was also
difficult for a number of students. A few did not have an 'elder' in
their family who lived nearby or one who was willing to talk to
them. I heard more than once "my grandparent doesn't talk to us,"
and "my grandmother won't talk to me about the past because it was
too hard and she doesn't want anyone to know about that." The
project brought up painful feelings for some kids and their
families.
The kids worked
around the difficulties the project presented and most, ultimately,
had a really good time with it. The following comments are a
sample of the thoughts expressed by the students in their reflective
essays.
"I was
a little bit nervous at first to interview her (Grandma), because I
didn't know what was going to happen. It was such a great feeling
to see my grandma reminisce and smile. I could tell this experience
meant so much to her ." ~Emily
"I
really did enjoy the interview. Mainly I enjoyed just sitting down
and talking to my grandfather. I learned so much about him and his
family. I also learned what life was like back then." ~ Brett
"This
interview had me learn many things I did not know about her. It
seems to me that I myself am a younger version of her..... By the
end of this interview I knew so much about her my respect grew
toward her, not as a grandma but as a friend" ~Arielle
"The
interview I had with my grandma was a very good experience. I loved
talking and laughing with her! I often don' t see my grandma so it
was nice to hang out with her on Christmas Eve. Me and my grandma
hung out for the whole day and I updated her on my life. It was a
very good day." ~ Aubrey
"The interview
with my grandpa was an awesome experience. I learned a lot of new
things about him.... Interviewing my grandpa is an experience that I
will never forget." ~ Matt
"My
interview with my grandmother left my mind with many thoughts. I
never really thought about what life was like, as some say back in
the day, until I sat down and truly got someone from that times
perspective....This project has certainly taught me a lot and I'm
certainly glad I did it." ~ George
An 18 year old
male student who did a phone interview with his grandmother from
Florida also told me, "I was the first time I've ever really had a
conversation with my grandmother. It was awesome!"
Kids talking to
their families. Our elder project was a success-not perfect, but a
success none-the-less. I will surely do this again next year. I
will change a few things, though. I am planning on having a "Story
Corp." Friday. At the beginning of class on Fridays we will listen
to the Story Corp broadcast from NPR that morning. After a few
weeks of listening to interviews I will have the kids interview each
other. This will allow the students to develop a list of questions
and get comfortable with interviewing someone. We will then expand
the task to include a family elder. I would also love to have the
kids interview a war veteran at the end of the year, after we learn
about the conflicts of the 20th century.
Karen Anglehart
U.S. History
Teacher
Thomas A. Edison
High School
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