1st State Stories: Delaware Oral History - 4

Interview a family member or close friend about what they think is the "most important" time in their life. It could be a single day, an event, a certain age, or a time span they think back on as significant.

Finding out who, what, where, when, why and how is an important part of this project, but the interviewee's opinion and why they feel that way are what will make this interview unique. To prepare for the interview, students should ask an adult, "What was the most important time in your life?" After some thought, the adult should give a simple answer, such as: my childhood, my wedding day, the day you were born, my time as a soldier, my college years, the day I participated in _____, when I met ________. Then, the student may take some time in class or with another adult to think about good follow up questions

This project is driven by the person rather than the questions and is more in keeping with a traditional oral history than many of the group interviews suggested above. It can potentially be very interesting and fun. To help prepare students for the interview, you could practice good listening skills or teach them to write down a word that helps them remember something they want to ask more about. The end result of the project might be a poster project, collage or picture that students can interpret for their classmates.

Variation: A person involved in a key historical event that the class is studying may be invited for a group interview. Students can compare the first-person account to other documents (newspaper accounts, photographs, history books).

Topics and questions: The following general questions are only a guideline for the kinds of information students should try to discover:

How old were you at this time?
Where did it happen?
Who were the other people who were there?
Tell me about what happened. Help me to know what it was like to be there.
Why do you feel this time is so important to you now?
What do you think kids can learn from what happened to you?
How many times have you talked about this before?
Can you show me any pictures or other things that help you remember this time in your life?

Standards: Social Studies-History; Language Arts-Research; Language Arts-Written and Oral Communication

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