Oral History Project

Oral History Lesson Plan
Objectives: The students will be able to conduct interviews in the field and record them to create a digital video presentation. They will use the information they collect to research historical elements connected to their interviewees, create a storyboard, a movie, and will reflect on generational differences by contrasting and comparing their interviewees in a classroom blog.
Materials: Flip-cams, access to computers and the Internet, and Oral History Question sheet, storyboard template, and Windows Movie Maker tutorial website, and classroom blog.
Procedure: Explain to the students that they are going to work in pairs to conduct interviews. Each pair of students will interview two subjects—one contemporary and someone from an older generation. One student will control the camera and the other will ask the questions. The students will be given the Oral History Question sheet before they go into the field and will be allowed to expand on the questions if they want to. Before the students are sent out into the field they will be given an in-class tutorial on the operation of the Flip-cams. They will be sent into the field in pairs with the instructions that they may interview friends, family, acquaintances, or professionals, if they make an appointment to do so. Explain that a professional can be a family doctor, minister, teacher, city councilperson, etc. The students are not to interview random strangers. When the interviews are complete, the students will research historical elements related to their subject in order to contextualize their interviews, create a storyboard using the template provided, and then use that storyboard and gathered elements to create a movie on Windows Movie Maker (a Movie-Maker tutorial will also be provided in the classroom). After viewing the films, students will blog and comment about the film-making process and what was noticed about the similarities and differences between the generations.
Standards and Indicators
Standard E1-1 The student will read and comprehend a variety of literary texts in print
and non-print formats.
Indicator E1-1.6 Create responses to literary texts through a variety of methods (for
example, written works, oral representations, media productions, and
the visual and performing arts).
Indicator E1-2.4 Create responses to informational texts through a variety of methods
(for example, drawings, written works, oral and auditory presentations,
discussions, media productions, and the visual and performing arts).
Indicator E1-2.7 Analyze propaganda techniques in informational texts.
Indicator E1-2.8 Read independently for extended periods of time to gain information.
Indicator E1-3.3 Interpret euphemisms and connotations of words to understand the
meaning of a given text.
Indicator E1-4.5 Revise writing to improve clarity, tone, voice, content, and the
development of ideas.
Indicator E1-5.1 Create informational pieces (for example, resumes, memos, letters of
requests, inquiry, or complaint) that use language appropriate for the
specific audience.
Indicator E1-5.2 Create narrative pieces (for example, personal essays, memoirs, or
narrative poems) that use figurative language and word choice to
create tone and mood.
Indicator E1-5.3 Create descriptive pieces (for example, personal essays, travel writing,
or restaurant reviews) that use sensory images and descriptive word
choice.
Indicator E1-5.4 Create persuasive pieces (for example, editorials, essays, speeches, or
reports) that develop a clearly stated thesis and use support (for
example, facts, statistics, and first-hand accounts).
Indicator E1-6.5 Create written works, oral and auditory presentations, and visual
presentations that are designed for a specific audience and purpose.
Indicator E1-6.8 Design and carry out research projects by selecting a topic,
constructing inquiry, accessing resources, evaluating credibility, and
organizing information.

Standard E1-2 The student will read and comprehend a variety of informational texts in
print and non-print formats.
Indicator E1-1.1 Compare /contrast ideas within and across literary texts to make
inferences.
Indicator E1-2.2 Compare/contrast information within and across texts to draw
conclusions and make inferences.
Indicator E1-2.4 Create responses to informational texts through a variety of methods
(for example, drawings, written works, oral and auditory presentations,
discussions, and media productions).
Indicator E1-5.2 Create narratives (for example, personal essays, memoirs, or narrative
poems) that use descriptive language to create tone and mood.
Indicator E1-5.4 Create persuasive pieces (for example, editorials, essays, speeches, or
reports) that develop a clearly stated thesis and use support (for
example, facts, statistics, and firsthand accounts).

Standard E1-5 The student will write for a variety of purposes and audiences.
Indicator E1-2.1 Compare/contrast theses within and across informational texts.
Indicator E1-2.3 Analyze informational texts for author bias (including word choice,
the exclusion and inclusion of particular information, and unsupported
opinions).
Indicator E1-2.5 Analyze the impact that text elements have on the meaning of a given
informational text.
Indicator E1-4.1 Organize written works using prewriting techniques, discussions,
graphic organizers, models, and outlines.
Indicator E1-4.2 Use complete sentences in a variety of types (including simple,
compound, complex, and compound-complex).
Indicator E1-4.4 Use grammatical conventions of written Standard American English,
including subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement,
agreement of nouns and their modifiers, verb formation, pronoun case,
formation of comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs, and
idiomatic usage.
Indicator E1-4.6 Edit written pieces for correct use of Standard American English,
including the reinforcement of the mechanics previously taught.
(See Instructional Appendix: Composite Writing Matrix.)
Indicator E1-6.1 Clarify and refine a research topic.
Indicator E1-6.2 Use direct quotations, paraphrasing, or summaries to incorporate into
written, oral, auditory, or visual works the information gathered from
a variety of research sources.