Student Guide to Success

Tasks Create an oral history project

Interview a person who participated in or witnessed an event or era in American history

Create and use a list of interview questions

Use the information to create a product to demonstrate your understanding of that person’s experience

Step 1: Pick a person to interview Make sure

It is someone you know.

Relative

Family friend

Neighbor

The person is over 18.

They have participated in or witnessed an event or era that you want to research.

You complete the parental permission form.

Step 2: Pick an event or era from before 1990 Great Depression

World War II

McCarthyism

Korean War

Assassination of J.F.K

Cuban Missile Crisis

Civil Rights Movement

Vietnam War

Watergate

Great Society

Three Mile Island

Reagan Revolution

Gas shortage

Iran Contra Scandal

Fall of the Berlin Wall

Step 3: Develop 15 questions for your interview. Your questions should

Demonstrate a clear understanding of the time period.

Show evidence that your researched the topic

Probe the interviewee to give responses that require elaboration

Stay away from questions that result in yes or no responses.

Design questions around some of these categories Entertainment/Media

Employment/Occupations

Community Life

Family Life

Accomplishments

Event/era’s impact on community

Event/era’s impact on the interviewee’s life

Event/era’s impact on the nation

Step 4: The interview Listen to the person’s responses.

Ask appropriate follow-up questions.

Keep a record of your person’s responses.

Detailed notes or

A sound recording

Step 5: Create a final product Shows understanding of the interviewee’s experience

in historical context

Options for your final product

A PowerPoint presentation- 15 slides presented to the class

A Podcast

Video/Movie

A short narrative/biography (3 single-sided, double-spaced typed pages)

Ask me if you have other ideas

Products should: Demonstrate an understanding of the historical event

or era

Incorporate specific information from the interview

Place the interviewee’s experiences in historical context

Be interesting and engaging to the audience

Demonstrate effort and quality work