Context for this Challenge: This challenge is designed to be
given to an entire class. Part of the challenge is for students to
recognize the need to gain access to the various kinds of recording
technologies required to put together an oral history. The teacher will
want to make sure a videocamera, tape recording device, and
digital camera are all available. The teacher will also want to be
completely comfortable with guiding students in the use of this
equipment.
The Challenge:
As a class, organize, plan, and
create a written
history based on interviews and photographs of local people who have
lived in our community over the past 80 years.
This written history might take the form of a class book that is
composed of articles that information gleaned from interviews with
local people and includes photographs or illustrations that depict
scenes from their stories.
As you begin to make plans for this project, discuss each of the
following questions below with your teacher. Use these discussions to
make decisions about how you will go about completing your work.
•Focus
questions for your work:
What are the various
tasks that need to be completed to create a
class book of oral interviews and illustrations about people who have
lived in your community over the past 80 years? Who in your class might
want to do these various tasks?
Who might be the
people to interview in your
community? How will you contact them and make arrangements to record
their stories?
What technology do you
have available to record
your interviews and/or pictures (video camera, tape machine, digital
camera)? How will you learn how to operate these devices properly?
When you conduct a
formal interview, what roles
need to be filled so that the interview goes smoothly and you get the
information you need?
What questions you
will ask when you conduct
your interviews? What skills might you need to practice so you are a
good interviewer (questioning, responding, encouraging, probing)?
• How will your notes from these interviews be
organized? Who you write them up?
What
will be the final form of your class book?
How will it be organized - by topic (family life, work, play, etc.), by
individual interview, etc? Will it be typed, hand
written? Will it have a cover page, table of contents, etc.?
Who will write up, edit, and make decisions about
the
final form of the various articles and illustrations of
your book?
As you go about putting your book together,
remember that careful planning and attention to detail are very
important. Whatever articles you write should be in proper form (topic
sentence, body, and conclusion) and display correct spelling and
grammar. Please make sure the stories you tell and information you
include are accurate.
All members of the class are expected to
participate in the process of creating the book and do their fair share
of the work.
We will discuss in class how much time you will have
to complete this challenge.
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