The civil war for 5th graders has a ton of information geared towards middle elementary students covering topics from the sides, the causes of war, battlefield life, to reconstruction. Teach students about the value of listening by having them gather stories for storycorps. As they explore a recorded oral history, they examine the nuances of. This set of three classroom videos examines the actions taken by suffragists in 1917 as they fought to win the right to vote. Since 1974, we have collected more than 5,000 interviews with southerners from all walks of life, from politicians to activists, business owners to millworkers, educators to artists. Helping students to learn about a particular era or topic from the people who lived through it can be a powerful and meaningful. A guide for field workers in folklore and oral history by edward d. Example projects university of wisconsineau claire. Over 50 publications consisting of research papers, journal articles, books, and instructional materials dealing with oral history projects at the elementary school level are listed in this annotated bibliography. Oral history can be a useful and engaging pedagogical tool in diverse courses. In the end, students determine that their oral history projects are what edward hallet carr once referred to as a dialogue between the student historian and his facts. S tudents and youth groups throughout the united states have contributed significantly to the veterans history project. We encourage participation of students 10th grade and above. Over two semesters, spanning two different school years and groups of students, project worksheets, activities, and timelines for using oral history interviews in the classroom were developed and tested by fogh project manager patricia filer with beattys partnership.
Students become conduits between history and a persons life. This lewis and clark expedition project is a great way to engage your students in history and assess what they have learned. During the workshop, youll take students stepbystep through the process of creating an oral history. Teachers can use this rubric to score and grade student presentations and posters. So i want to begin this case study by telling you the story of the creation and evolution of the american century oral history project, the largest precollegiate oral history project in the united states. Students collected oral histories and recordings that were later turned into podcasts and other digital and webbased projects.
If the project is in a school setting, teachers or students need to create a form to fit their particular projects needs and goals, as well as the students abilities. Here is a list of ipod and ipad apps for elementary school. Mar 3, 2015 oral research project rubric middle school mar 3, 2015 oral research project rubric middle school stay safe and healthy. Invite a guest to the classroom who has experience relevant to the curriculum and model how to conduct an interview. But when we started an oral history project for which i asked my students to record, transcribe. Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. Oral history projects can help elementary students.
An activity assessment rubric assesses the finished product. Oral history projects are a powerful tool for meaningful learning about a member of ones community. Helping students to learn about a particular era or topic from the people who lived through it can be a powerful and meaningful endeavor. Handson activities from our 3rd grade american history unit. Oral histories can make history come to life from elementary through high school. Students should reflect on their interviewees testimony and select an aspect that resonated with them and relates to an idea or topic discussed in class. Engaging students and meeting standards through oral history. For more information using skype in the classroom from robert murcha, a sixth grade teacher, is a concise stepbystepbystep guide to skyping, including caveats about classroom management, chatting while skyping, and. The success of things like nprs storycorps and the foxfire project of the 1970s. Before the event, type out the questions you plan to ask, and share them with the students. Are there options for integrating this type of oral history project into the.
The report had to be written in first person so that the. Oral history lesson upper elementary school tenement museum big idea. By presenting family stories, students recognize that all of our family stories combined are part of the history of our country. With a little planning, students of all ages can embark on an oral history project that will reveal the character and preserve the unique voice of the interviewee. Oral history supports cognitive development and affective instruction. Students will recognize that most of what we know about malis history comes from oral accounts that were handed down from generation to generation. These interviews are conducted with people who participated in or observed past events and whose memories and perceptions of these are to be preserved as an aural record. Oral histories used in final projects are a great tool to assess student learning. Indicating the school or group on the required forms with interview submissions will ensure. History matters provides examples of projects that history students, from high school to graduate school, have done on the internet. Various websites, such as the oral history association web site and the veterans history project web site also provide.
There are 102 free worksheets in the projects section with the majority being craft activities. An effective means to enhance education in the elementary classroom. Collecting oral history, we have a sense of catching and holding something valuable from the receding tide of the past. The rapidresponse oral history is focused on archiving the experience of the pandemic as it unfolds in real time. While the focus of the project is the creation of an oral history, the stepbystep instruction for completing the report revolves entirely around the writing process. Student presentation, presentation skills, teaching strategies, teaching tools, teaching methodology, school. This is a great project for students who dont enjoy giving oral presentations. Though oral history projects are typically assigned to secondary school students in subjects such as english or history, they can work well in a variety of classes. Encourage your students to use their imaginations to determine how they will use the content they have collected for a final paper, presentation, or art piece.
In oral history projects, an interviewee recalls an event for an interviewer who records the recollections and creates a historical record. Instead of teaching history from textbooks, put students in the role of historian and help them make sense of the past. The above quotes are courtesy of students who have participated in the veterans oral history project developed by mrs. Students create a cute card for their mothers by following the directions on the worksheet. The projects included preschoolers views on a typical day at st lawrence school, kindergarteners family memories about the parish and school, first. Oral history as an educational experience nehedsitement. Making sure that all students are set up for success during these first experiences with research projects is so important.
In the early stages of preparation, interviewers should. To understand that history is made up of many peoples stories of the past, students interview family members about the same event and compare the ifferent versions, construct a personal history. The southern oral history program in the center for the study of the american south conducts original research on the history and culture of the american south. The students in the 8th grade social studies class had all done a family oral history project where they interviewed family members. Oral histories in the classroom oral history interviews have been widely recognized by many historians as a unique and distinctive technique by which to document the history of a specific individual, family, organization or group, community, timeperiod, or event. For this project, students are required to pick a year in american history, and make a collage of events that occurred during that year that were important to africanamerican history. Includes art and writing activities for 5th graders and links to other great civil war resources.
Students will record experiences through creative writing activities in their travel journals. This lesson plan addresses the ways people learn about events from the past and discusses how historical accounts are influenced by the perspective of the person giving the account. Oral history, well done, gives one a sense of accomplishment. Travel journals, recycled materials appropriate for mask making, glue, amd scissors. Interviews often reveal personal, social, economic or. Recent discussion on the oral history listserv has focused on subject matter for student classroom projects. Whether conducting their own research or developing an institutional project, first time interviewers and others involved in oral history projects should seek training to prepare themselves for all stages of the oral history process. To deepen oral history projects and to make them even more meaningful for your students, follow these steps. A number of oral history projects are profiled in this document. Oral history brings the social studies curriculum to life as students realize that they are surrounded by, and are part of, the creation of history. Oral history is a method to learn about past events from the spoken stories of people who lived through them. Helping students to learn about a particular era or topic from the people who. Oral history projects in your classroom practices in oral history 9780984594726. After brainstorming, have students go home and interview their parents, family members and friends, asking them for additional names.
Older students can work in teams and create a digital book for a presentation. Ives, provide a good orientation to the process of conducting oral history projects. Oral history is a tool for learning about people, places, and events. From the perspective of the elementary students, the project was about creating different media products that would all be posted on a web page created for the history of st. This document is a research project for black history month, and includes a rubric for quick and easy grading. In creating these living documents, students become historians who collect primary documents of enduring value. Next, have students conduct library and internet research to find more names. Oral history is interactive and can put the student in the center of learning.
Students utilize oral histories as a tool for learning about people, places, and events. If you are thinking about doing a project with your students, you have come to the right place. If students arent feeling inspired, have them ask the story genie. One assignment popular with a number of elementary school. Instruct students to bring those names to school to add to the list. Students will understand what oral history is and why it is important to. The projects described below took place in rural and in some cases remote settings with bilingual students. Life history forms the life history form can contain very little or a great deal, depending on the projects purposes. For a mothers day class with young learners consider trying out this project activity. Projects range from oral histories or prose with web links to visual essays or exhibits. See more ideas about oral history, this or that questions and history.
Introductory publications, such as the video an oral historians work. Oral history in the classroom southern oral history program. Through understanding the techniques in oral storytelling, students realize that audience is important in narrowing focus in stories. It can be challenging to find informational text that is appropriate for elementary kids. Great civil war resources for k12 students student guide. Oral history projects national council for the social studies. Project fresa is an example of a project that provided elementary students with rich language and cultural experiences while exploring their own rural community. Oha engages with policy makers, educators, and others to help foster best practices and encourage support for oral history and oral historians. In oral history projects, an interviewee recalls an event for an interviewer who records. Students can use that theme to create a final project. At its core, an oral history interview is story telling. The success of things like nprs storycorps and the foxfire project of the 1970s suggest that most of us simply love to hear storiesstories and memories of real people. At the end of the unit, students had a home learning project in which they researched a figure from american history and created a 3 minute oral report and a puppet resembling the character.
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