How are members of my community connected to watershed resources? How are their values and perspectives different from one another?
Overview
Students conduct formal, tape-recorded or videotaped oral history interviews of community members. Exposure to the diversity of interviewees’ experiences, values, and perspectives provides students with a deeper understanding of past and current community values for watershed resources.
This activity was developed as part of the Penobscot River Watershed Education Program, a collaborative project led by Maine Sea Grant, the University of Maine Senator George J. Mitchell Center, and the Penobscot River Restoration Trust, working in partnership with Old Town Elementary School and the City of Old Town, Maine. Fifth grade teachers and students at Old Town Elementary School piloted this activity during the 2007-2008 school year.
This activity builds on the previous Prepare and Practice Oral History Interviews activity, in which students define social science and oral history as a class and then work in small groups to prepare for and practice oral history interviews with classmates and teachers. It sets the stage for the subsequent Conduct Cultural and Historical Researchactivity; in which students visit local museums and historical societies to deepen their knowledge of past and present community connections to watershed resources.
Standards (MLR)
Science and Technology
B1. Skills and Traits of Scientific Inquiry
3-5 Students plan, conduct, analyze data from, and communicate results of investigations, including fair tests.
6-8 Students plan, conduct, analyze data from, and communicate results of investigations, including simple experiments.
C1. Understandings of Inquiry
3-5 Students describe how scientific investigations result in explanations that are communicated to other scientists.
6-8 Students describe how scientists use varied and systematic approaches to investigations that may lead to further investigations.
Social Studies
A1. Researching and Developing Positions on Current Social Studies Issues
3-5 Students identify and answer research questions related to social studies by locating and selecting information and presenting findings.
6-8 Students research, select, and present a position on a current social studies issue by proposing and revising research questions, and locating and selecting information from multiple and varied sources.
E2. Individual, Cultural, International, and Global Connections in History
3-5 Students understand historical aspects of unity and diversity in the community, Maine, and the United States, including Maine Native American Communities.
6-8 Students understand historical aspects of unity and diversity in Maine, the United States, and various world cultures, including Maine Native Americans.
English Language Arts
E1. Listening
3-5 Students apply active listening skills.
6-8 Students adjust listening strategies to understand formal and informal discussion, debates, or presentations and then apply the information.
E2. Speaking
3-5 Students use active speaking skills to communicate effectively in a variety of contexts.
6-8 Students adjust speaking strategies for formal and informal discussions, debates, or presentations appropriate to the audience or purpose.
Learning Objectives
Students use social science research skills to plan and conduct formal oral history interviews
Students use audio visual equipment to record oral history interviews
Students practice speaking and active listening skills during oral history interviews
Students use audio/video transcription skills to identify and transcribe important parts of oral history interviews
Students understand how to tell the difference between opinion and science-based information
Materials
Paper and pencils
Tape-recorder or video camera
Blank cassette tapes or video tapes
Computer and Internet connection
Quiet classroom or other school space to conduct interviews
Computer projector (to show video, if using a video camera)
Time Needed
Five to ten 40-50 minute class periods (depending on how many formal interviews are conducted, and whether or not students transcribe the interviews)
Activity Procedure
Identify 4-8 community members who represent the diversity of perspectives the students want to capture. Some of the characteristics students may wish to consider include: age, gender, profession, ethnic/cultural background, place of residence within the watershed, length of residence within the watershed, etc. Typically, oral history interviewees are thought of as being elderly citizens, but it is important to remember that younger interviewees have perspectives that are just as valuable.
NOTE: Students are not likely know the names of people who match the characteristics they are looking for, so teachers may need to speak with various community organizations to identify individuals who are willing to share their perspectives. Of course, other teachers are often well connected to the community as well, so broadcast word of your oral history project within the school, in addition to notifying town/city council members, local historical societies, librarians, watershed organizations, etc. Tips for inviting prospective interviewees and orienting them to the project:
Phone calls directly to prospective interviewees are often the best way to describe the project and request participation. If someone else contacts them on your behalf, be prepared to share a summary of the oral history project and interview topic via mail or email.
Create a list of 10-12 possible interviewees, so you have enough alternates to complete your project if some people decline your invitation or are unable to make it on their scheduled interview day.
Plan for 30-minute interviews with each person, and let prospective interviewees know that this is the interview length, so they know what kind of commitment they are making if they accept. This includes 15 minutes of interview questions and answers led by the student interview team, and 15 minutes for other informal discussion.
It works well to schedule one-hour blocks of time for the interviews, if the school day schedule is flexible enough to make this possible. This allows you to schedule two 30-minute interviews for each interview session, and condenses the amount of class time that must be devoted to the project. Invite both interviewees to arrive at the beginning of the scheduled hour, so there is no delay between interviews. The first person usually enjoys sitting in on the second interview.
Ask your interviewees if it is all right with them if the rest of the class listens while the small group conducts their interview (or even more than one class, if you are doing the project with multiple classes). This makes things much easier in terms of scheduling and logistics, and allows all of the students to hear more of the interviews.
NOTE: If you are working with more than one class of students, the students may not get to see all of the interviews conducted by other classes, but it is good if they can at least see all of the interviews conducted by their own class.
Be sure to mention that the interviews will be tape-recorded or videotaped and photographed, and let them know that you will need written permission to make these recordings and take photographs.
Once the interviewees have agreed to participate, ask the students to choose which person/people they want to interview, and break them into interview teams of 4-5 students: an interviewer, an audio or video recorder, one or two note-takers, and a photographer.
As a class, review the list of 3-5 oral history interview questions that you developed in the previous activity, Prepare and Practice Oral History Interviews. Make any final changes the students want to make, and then keep these core questions consistent for every interview.
Give each interview team as much information as you have about the person they have chosen to interview (age, profession, gender, etc.), so they can develop one or two additional questions that will be unique to their interview.
It is good to have one or two extra questions on hand, in case the interviewee gives fairly brief responses to the core questions, and they may bring out fascinating stories or experiences.
Remind the students that specific questions about a person’s experiences or perspective provide more interesting/useful information than general questions or yes/no questions, and they are easier for interviewees to answer than open-ended questions.
Review the interview team roles, and remind the students how the audio/visual equipment works. Check to be sure that you have all the proper cassette tapes or videotapes, and that the equipment batteries are fresh or recently charged.
Conduct the interviews!
NOTE: Consult the oral history resources listed below for additional information about conducting oral history interviews with students and for examples of student interview transcripts.
Debrief with each small group after each interview they conduct. What went well? What was challenging? What would they do differently next time? What was the most interesting thing they learned?
Debrief as a class.
Ask the note-takers from the interview teams to share some of the highlights from each interview.
Did the interviews provide enough information to answer our research question? Is there any other information we need? What was surprising about what you heard? How much variety was there in the different perspectives? How IS our community connected to watershed resources?
Revisit the discussion of the nature of objectivity and subjectivity in science (opinion vs. science-based information, how to tell the difference, and the value of each) that the class discussed briefly in the previous lesson, Prepare and Practice Oral History Interviews. Discuss any questions the students have about information they heard and whether it was opinion or science-based information. Bring up any additional examples that you noted during the interviews to be sure the students are not developing misconceptions.
Interview transcription.
If you have a few students with good writing/typing skills and interest in tackling this project, provide pairs of students with a quiet place to work and copies of the cassette tapes or videos of the interviews. One student can stop and start the video/audio, while the other student writes, and they can trade roles as they wish.
Ask each interview team to give these student volunteers suggestions for one small part of their interview that they would like to have transcribed.
Since this part of the project can be challenging and/or time-consuming for students in grades 5 and 6, it is useful to work closely with the students to identify the exact section of the interview that needs to be transcribed, and support them as they go.
Reflection/Formative Assessment Ideas
Reflection activities are described within the activity procedure. Each participating class should reflect on the interview process and content, first within small groups and then as a class. During each of these debrief and reflection sessions, the teacher or one of the students should make a list of their observations and summarize the discussion on the bulletin board or on a flip chart. Keep these lists and summaries for reference during the Student Action activities.
In addition, it is helpful to ask the students to complete a personal OWL chart about the interview experience to find out what they think they’ve learned about the answer to their research question. Each student should divide a sheet of paper into three columns. The “O” column is for things the students observed during the oral history interviews. The “W” column is for things the students are still wondering about. The “L” column is for things the students have learned so far in their investigation of their research question. For more information about the OWL formative assessment probe, consult the write-up for this probe in the book, Science Formative Assessment, which is listed in the references section below.
Extension Ideas
If your students are engaged in the interview transcription process, here are some ideas for things you can do with the transcribed interview highlights, provided that you have permission from all of your interviewees:
Compile them in a book with a photograph of each interviewee. This can be done with hand-written or typed, transcriptions, and the finished product can be displayed in your school library, in the town/city library, in the town/city hall, or at a local historical society.
If you have access to someone with video editing skills, you can compile edited clips of the videotaped interviews and clips of the students sharing things they learned through the project into a documentary video about the project.
Call a local newspaper reporter and invite them to come to your school to interview the students about their experience and use some of the interviewees’ comments in an article about the project. If they can come on one of the interview days, that is even better.
Keeley, P. (2008). Science Formative Assessment: 75 Practical Strategies for Linking Assessment, Instruction, and Learning. Assessment Probe #32, K-W-L Variations. A joint publication of Corwin Press, and the National Science Teachers Association Press. Pg. 128-131.
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Conduct Oral History Interviews
Author(s):
Beth Bisson, Maine Sea Grant Program;
Cheryl Daigle, Penobscot River Restoration Trust;
Cathy Lucas, Old Town Elementary School;
Lynn Mayer, Old Town Elementary School
Table of Contents
Question(s)
How are members of my community connected to watershed resources? How are their values and perspectives different from one another?
Overview
Students conduct formal, tape-recorded or videotaped oral history interviews of community members. Exposure to the diversity of interviewees’ experiences, values, and perspectives provides students with a deeper understanding of past and current community values for watershed resources.
This activity was developed as part of the Penobscot River Watershed Education Program, a collaborative project led by Maine Sea Grant, the University of Maine Senator George J. Mitchell Center, and the Penobscot River Restoration Trust, working in partnership with Old Town Elementary School and the City of Old Town, Maine. Fifth grade teachers and students at Old Town Elementary School piloted this activity during the 2007-2008 school year.
This activity builds on the previous Prepare and Practice Oral History Interviews activity, in which students define social science and oral history as a class and then work in small groups to prepare for and practice oral history interviews with classmates and teachers. It sets the stage for the subsequent Conduct Cultural and Historical Research activity; in which students visit local museums and historical societies to deepen their knowledge of past and present community connections to watershed resources.
Standards (MLR)
Science and Technology
B1. Skills and Traits of Scientific Inquiry
3-5 Students plan, conduct, analyze data from, and communicate results of investigations, including fair tests.
6-8 Students plan, conduct, analyze data from, and communicate results of investigations, including simple experiments.
C1. Understandings of Inquiry
3-5 Students describe how scientific investigations result in explanations that are communicated to other scientists.
6-8 Students describe how scientists use varied and systematic approaches to investigations that may lead to further investigations.
Social Studies
A1. Researching and Developing Positions on Current Social Studies Issues
3-5 Students identify and answer research questions related to social studies by locating and selecting information and presenting findings.
6-8 Students research, select, and present a position on a current social studies issue by proposing and revising research questions, and locating and selecting information from multiple and varied sources.
E2. Individual, Cultural, International, and Global Connections in History
3-5 Students understand historical aspects of unity and diversity in the community, Maine, and the United States, including Maine Native American Communities.
6-8 Students understand historical aspects of unity and diversity in Maine, the United States, and various world cultures, including Maine Native Americans.
English Language Arts
E1. Listening
3-5 Students apply active listening skills.
6-8 Students adjust listening strategies to understand formal and informal discussion, debates, or presentations and then apply the information.
E2. Speaking
3-5 Students use active speaking skills to communicate effectively in a variety of contexts.
6-8 Students adjust speaking strategies for formal and informal discussions, debates, or presentations appropriate to the audience or purpose.
Learning Objectives
Materials
Time Needed
Five to ten 40-50 minute class periods (depending on how many formal interviews are conducted, and whether or not students transcribe the interviews)
Activity Procedure
NOTE: Students are not likely know the names of people who match the characteristics they are looking for, so teachers may need to speak with various community organizations to identify individuals who are willing to share their perspectives. Of course, other teachers are often well connected to the community as well, so broadcast word of your oral history project within the school, in addition to notifying town/city council members, local historical societies, librarians, watershed organizations, etc. Tips for inviting prospective interviewees and orienting them to the project:
NOTE: If you are working with more than one class of students, the students may not get to see all of the interviews conducted by other classes, but it is good if they can at least see all of the interviews conducted by their own class.
NOTE: Consult the oral history resources listed below for additional information about conducting oral history interviews with students and for examples of student interview transcripts.
Reflection/Formative Assessment Ideas
Reflection activities are described within the activity procedure. Each participating class should reflect on the interview process and content, first within small groups and then as a class. During each of these debrief and reflection sessions, the teacher or one of the students should make a list of their observations and summarize the discussion on the bulletin board or on a flip chart. Keep these lists and summaries for reference during the Student Action activities.
In addition, it is helpful to ask the students to complete a personal OWL chart about the interview experience to find out what they think they’ve learned about the answer to their research question. Each student should divide a sheet of paper into three columns. The “O” column is for things the students observed during the oral history interviews. The “W” column is for things the students are still wondering about. The “L” column is for things the students have learned so far in their investigation of their research question. For more information about the OWL formative assessment probe, consult the write-up for this probe in the book, Science Formative Assessment, which is listed in the references section below.
Extension Ideas
If your students are engaged in the interview transcription process, here are some ideas for things you can do with the transcribed interview highlights, provided that you have permission from all of your interviewees:
Resources
References