-Oral+History

TURNING POINTS - ORAL HISTORY Without oral history, we would not be able to appreciate and understand the events of the past and the impact the events have on the present. While it is often difficult for young historians to find suitable subjects for oral history on historical topics, that challenge becomes much easier the closer we come to the 21st century. In Unit 8, all students will be conducting some sort of oral history interview concerning an event, era, idea, or issue from our final unit.


 * Instructions**
 * You may collaborate with one or more individuals on this assignment, as long as everyone does the work.
 * Find a person to interview and a topic of discussion from Unit 8 - pretty much anything after World War II.
 * Talk to your families, friends, and teachers for ideas. The person should be someone you know or have a connection to, but you do not need to be related to them. More than one subject on the same topic would be awesome!
 * Research and write a brief summary of the topic of discussion (the historical event, issue, or idea). The topic can be specific (the Detroit Riot of 1967) or general (memories of the Civil Rights Movement). You obviously need to have background information. Your research must include at least __two cited sources__. The historical New York Times or the archives of Time Magazine are great resources!
 * Develop 7-10 interview questions for the subject. Don't ask just what happened, but find out their reactions, memories, etc.
 * Conduct the interview. If possible, record the interview (audio or video). You can embed it on your space. It's not necessary, but very cool ...Post the questions and interview responses on your Unit 8 Online ISNs.
 * On your wiki, discuss your reaction to the interview, and include any relevant pictures, artifacts, and links.
 * Want an idea of the expectations? Here are some of my favorite examples from the past few years -

Start thinking about this assignment VERY SOON by choosing partners (if you want) and talking to your parents about who you can interview. Your parents might make great subjects!

TURNING POINTS - ORAL HISTORY - Rubric
 * || ** UGH ** || ** OK ** || ** NICE JOB ** || ** OH YEAH! ** || ** BEYOND ** ||
 * ** Topic ** || No topic selected for oral history || Topic is a stretch to connect to Unit 8 || Good topic || Great topic ||  ||
 * ** Topic summary ** || No topic summary present || Topic summary is limited, with no media to support || Topic summary is fairly complete with 1-2 cited sources and some media || Excellent topic summary with 2+ cited sources and additional media ||  ||
 * **Interview questions** || No questions posed, or questions very basic || A few basic questions presented || Solid questions that cover a great deal of the topic and experience || Excellent set of questions that really dig deep into the topic ||  ||
 * **Interview responses** || Not posted ||  || Posted as text || Posted as text and very complete || Posted as audio and/or video ||
 * **Reflection** || No reflection || Some reflection, but not much effort put forth || Reflection shows student(s) took time to think about the interview || Reflection shows deep thought about the event or era and the interview that took place ||  ||