RESOURCE GUIDE Listen Up: Developing Student Skills for Oral History Table of Contents A. What is oral history?
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B. Examples of oral history
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C. Who makes oral history?
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D. Shared agreements
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E. Tradition share (activity)
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F. Photo reflection (activity)
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G. Communication brainstorm (activity)
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H. “Special Guest� Interview (activity)
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I. Question game (activity)
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J. Practice interview with observer (activity)
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H. Additional resources
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WHAT IS ORAL HISTORY?
According to the Oral History Association of America, “Oral history is a field of study and a method of gathering, preserving and interpreting the voices and memories of people, communities, and participants in past events.” WHY STUDY ORAL HISTORY? Oral history can deepen students’ understanding of how history is written, why it matters and how storytelling can illuminate issues and events in a profoundly personal way. By participating in oral history, students can improve their skills as critical readers and thinkers as they interact with a “text” on many levels. It is also an opportunity to “humanize history” and for students to develop an empathic relationship with the historical events that are happening around them.
EXAMPLES OF ORAL HISTORY StoryCorps: StoryCorps’ mission is to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world. Ø https://storycorps.org/#popular-stories Densho: A grassroots organization dedicated to preserving, educating, and sharing the story of World War II-era incarceration of Japanese Americans in order to deepen understandings of American history and inspire action for equity. Ø http://archive.densho.org/main.aspx OG Told Me: Pendarvis Harshaw is a photographer and journalist who was born and raised in Oakland, California. In 2011, Pendarvis started a project called “OG Told Me,” in which he photographs and interviews elder black men in Oakland. Ø http://www.ogtoldme.com The Library of Congress: Voices from the Days of Slavery: Former Slaves Tell Their Stories. Ø http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/voices
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LOOKING AT HISTORY: WHO MAKES IT AND WHO WRITES IT?
TIME NEEDED: 30-45 minutes. MATERIALS: Copies of Studs Terkel’s quote and “Questions from a Worker Who Reads,” a poem by Bertolt Brecht (both included below). OBJECTIVE: To broaden students’ perspectives on the sources of history. RELATED CORE CURRICULUM STANDARDS: Speaking and Listening L.9-10.1. Reading Literature L.9-10.1, RL.9-10.2 OVERVIEW: Renowned oral historian Studs Terkel once said, “I’m celebrated for celebrating the uncelebrated.” Terkel’s ideas about oral history were inspired by the poem “Questions from a Worker Who Reads” by German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht. Using Terkel’s quotation and Brecht’s poem, students can begin to explore definitions of history, reconsider historical subjects, and imagine unvoiced historical narratives. STEP ONE: Read the Studs Terkel quotation below aloud: You know who built the pyramids? Ask anyone that question and they say something like, “Everybody knows who built the pyramids; it was the Pharaohs, right?” Wrong. It was the Pharaohs that had the idea of building the pyramids, for their own aggrandizement, to try to immortalize themselves… But they didn’t actually build the pyramids themselves, they got peasants and slaves to do the actual work. STEP TWO: Facilitate a brief class discussion based around student questions and responses to the quotation. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: • • •
What is Terkel saying about the nature of history? Who decides what constitutes “history” and what does not? Why? Who is affected by these decisions?
STEP THREE: Read the Brecht poem (as a group or silently). Address questions (terms, historical figures, etc.). Use the discussion questions below as prompts for a conversation about history and how it is reported.
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Questions from a Worker Who Reads
Who built the seven gates of Thebes? The books are filled with names of kings. Was it the kings who hauled the craggy blocks of stone? And Babylon, so many times destroyed. Who built the city up each time? In which of Lima’s houses, that city glittering with gold, lived those who built it? In the evening when the Chinese Wall was finished. Where did the masons go? Imperial Rome is full of arcs of triumph. Who erected them? Over whom did the Caesars triumph? Byzantium lives in song. Were all her dwellings palaces? And even in Atlantis of the legend, the night the seas rushed in, the drowning men still bawled for their slaves. Young Alexander conquered India. He alone? Caesar beat the Gauls. Was there not even a cook in his army? Phillip of Spain wept as his fleet was sunk and destroyed. Were there no other tears? Frederick the Second triumphed in the Seven Years War. Who triumphed with him? Each page a victory. At whose expense the victory ball? Every ten years a great man. Who paid the piper? So many particulars. So many questions. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: • • • •
What does this poem suggest about silent voices? What do you imagine the people would have to say if you could go back and interview them? Who writes history? Is it biased? How would those who are not in power write the history differently?
DEVELOPING TRUSTWORTHINESS: SHARED AGREEMENTS AND CONFIDENTIALITY Ask your students to brainstorm a list of what they need from each other to learn effectively, speak openly and honestly, and share what is important to them. Within a high school classroom, we also found it important to emphasize that our goal was to learn more about the person in front of us, not to extract the most salacious gossip or dramatic experience. Our conversation centered around the questions “What do we need to feel safe?” and “What do we owe one another as members of a classroom community? • • • • • •
Ask your students to commit to the agreements in some way Write up and post the agreements where they can be accessed Brainstorm with students how we can show our trustworthiness in a relationship o This can include: confidentiality, listening without comment, providing physical space Give students a pass to be a witness during activities Spend time explicitly discussing how personal sharing is invitational and not obligatory, and why sharing is a choice and requires trust Discuss the role of technology in personal sharing (smartphones, social media) 4
TRADITION SHARE ACTIVITY TIME NEEDED: 30-45 minutes. OVERVIEW:
Ask students to spend time thinking about one tradition their family participates in, whether it is an elaborate holiday or an everyday ritual. Have each student share one of these traditions with the class. After each student has shared their tradition, facilitate a discussion about cultural representation. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: • • •
Think about traditions you see in media and pop culture. Which cultures and traditions are widely represented? Which aren’t? Which traditions do you want to learn more about? Why is it important to see more than one culture and tradition in mainstream media?
PHOTO REFLECTION ACTIVITY TIME NEEDED: 3 days to complete the assignment, 1 class period to share. MATERIALS: Photographs that can be shared electronically through any website, or physical photographs that can be passed around. CONTEXT: This activity comes from Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Palos Hills, Illinois. A student shared a picture of her home in Yemen and her teachers and class loved hearing about her life and childhood there. The picture showed students her actual home, allowing for an immediate and specific understanding of her life story. OVERVIEW: Have each student pick a photograph, recent or old, of themselves or people or places important to them. Each student should write about 100 words about why it is important, and bring both photograph and written assignment to class. Everyone will share their pictures and stories in one class period, allowing for questions and discussions to follow.
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COMMUNICATION BRAINSTORM TIME NEEDED: 15-20 minutes. MATERIALS: Paper, pens, pencils and/or whiteboard and markers.
OBJECTIVE: Create opportunities for students to connect personal experience with essential oral history interview skills. RELATED CORE CURRICULUM STANDARDS: Speaking and Listening SL.9-10.1, SL.1112.1. STEP ONE: Write the following question on the classroom whiteboard or in students’ journals or notebooks (feel free to adapt the question to suit your students’ needs): If you had a meaningful story to share with someone, what would you need in order to feel safe, to feel brave? STEP TWO: Students call out or write down their responses to the question. Make sure they write down everyone’s responses. Encourage them to be specific, with prompts like “How can you show or communicate that during a conversation? Can you give an example?” SAMPLE SKILLS: Trust, respect, listening, genuine interest, understanding, eye contact, attentive body language STEP THREE: After sharing, remind students that the communication skills they have been discussing are not only essential skills to practice in preparation for their interviews, but also valuable life skills.
MODELING AN INTERVIEW: THE “SPECIAL GUEST” INTERVIEW TIME NEEDED: Two class periods (plus some preparation). MATERIALS: “Special Guest” autobiographical sketch, paper, pen/pencil, and notebook. OBJECTIVE: To practice interviewing skills and to formulate interview questions. RELATED CORE CURRICULUM STANDARDS: Reading Literature RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.2. Speaking and Listening L.9-10.1. Writing W.9-10.1.
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OVERVIEW:
In this exercise, students will have the opportunity to hone their ability to generate and ask interview questions. When conducting an interview, it is always difficult to ask the right questions, the questions that will inspire the narrator to really open up and tell an unexpected story, something more interesting than just standard biographical information. Learning to create these questions both before the interview and while the interview is taking place takes practice. This exercise lets students practice these skills. In addition, students will feel a better connection and deeper understanding of their school administrators and vice versa. PREPARATION STEP ONE: Ask one of your school administrators to write an autobiographical sketch. Tell them not to spend more than ten to fifteen minutes on their sketches. To honor their busy schedules, allow them at least two weeks to complete their “assignment.” STEP TWO: Decide on a date for the “Special Guest” interview. On the appointed day, the interview should last approximately twenty minutes. DAY ONE STEP ONE: Read the Special Guest’s sketch aloud. STEP TWO: Have students develop five questions for the guest. Encourage them to create questions that can “fill in the gaps” of the guest’s sketch. STEP THREE: Give each student an index card. Have students write their favorite question on the card. STEP FOUR: Choose the most effective questions together as a class. DAY TWO STEP ONE: Before the interview begins, tell the students to take out their notebooks. The notebooks are not for writing down their Special Guest’s answers. Instead, students are to write down additional questions they may have for their guest as the interview takes place. STEP TWO: Have your guest sit at the front of the class. Students will interview the guest using their selected questions. If there is time, students may ask their additional questions. STEP THREE: Thank the special guest for coming. You may want to consider having your students write a thank-you note. Follow with a debrief session using the following prompts: • •
When was the interview successful? When did it stall? Did you incorporate follow-up questions? What else did you observe?
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THE QUESTION GAME TIME NEEDED: 20-25 minutes. MATERIALS: Black/whiteboard, and notebooks.
OBJECTIVE: To help students understand the difference between “closed” and “open” questions, and which ones are appropriate for an oral history interview. RELATED CORE CURRICULUM STANDARDS: Speaking and Listening SL.9-10.1, SL.1112.1, SL.9-10.3, SL.11-12.3. STEP ONE: Have students write down three questions they might like to ask you, the teacher. Draw a T chart on the board with “class” listed above one side, and your name written above the other. INTRODUCTION: We’re going to play a game today in which you can ask me questions, and I’ll answer them (within reason). Now, I’m looking for certain types of questions. If you can ask me the type of question I’m looking for, you get a point. If you don’t, I get a point. I’m not going to tell you anymore about what I’m looking for in the questions. You will start to see the pattern. STEP TWO: Call on different students, listening to and answering their questions. If they ask a question that requires only a yes/no or factual answer, put a point in your column. If they ask a question that requires an opinion, some thoughtfulness, a description, etc., put a point in their column. It can be helpful to exaggerate this some, by really going into a story with the first few open questions volunteered. As the game progresses, students will probably continue to ask closed questions. As they do, ask their classmates what could be added to their questions so that the class gets a point. Usually, they will start adding “why” and “how” and “could you explain…” to their peers’ questions. STEP THREE: When they have won, stop and have students explain how you got points (what those questions had in common) and how they got points (what those questions had in common). Write these ideas down on the board and have students recall how they changed some questions with just a few words to give the class points. STEP FOUR: Label the questions “open” and “closed”. Tell students they want to ask mostly open questions in their interview so their narrator will tell stories, not just give facts. But let them know that a few closed questions at the beginning to get some basics, like name spellings and place of birth, can be really helpful. STEP FIVE: Give students a few minutes to write a couple of open questions for the interview they are going to do. Do a check for understanding with pairs and the whole class to review. STEP SIX: For homework, assign a full question-writing exercise for the students’ interviews.
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THE PRACTICE INTERVIEW WITH OBSERVER TIME NEEDED: One class period.
STEP ONE: Working in groups of three, students create and exchange autobiographical sketches, introduced in the “Special Guest” interview activity (10 minutes). Sample student autobiographical sketch: (Courtesy of Mission San Jose High School, Fremont, CA) “I was born on February 5, 1996. My first Christmas was spent in the hospital for lung malformation, which I continued to have until I was two. I attended preschool and went to kindergarten at Mission Valley. My brother was born February 8, 2002. I finished K-6 at Mission Valley. I attended Hopkins for seventh and eighth grade. Currently, I attend Mission San Jose High School as a sophomore. I enjoy piano (which I’ve been playing since first grade), distance running, and watching movies.” STEP TWO: Students create 3-5 open-ended oral history interview questions based on their partners’ autobiographical sketches. STEP THREE: Students will take turns playing the role of Interviewer, Narrator, and Observer (20 minutes). STEP FOUR: Debrief the interviews as a class. Use the following questions as a basis for discussion (10 minutes): • • •
Were you more comfortable as an interviewer or as a narrator? Did anything surprising come up? As an observer, what did you notice?
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Weaver, Laura and Mark Wilding. The 5 Dimensions of Engaged Teaching: A Practical Guide for Educators. Solution Tree Press, 2013. This book offers practices, principles, stories and activities that support educators to 1) develop and sustain a reflective teaching practice 2) integrate social, emotional and academic learning in the classroom, and 3) cultivate a positive school-wide culture. http://engagedteaching.org/ Rethinking Schools Rethinking Schools began as a local effort to address problems such as basal readers, standardized testing, and textbook-dominated curriculum. Since its founding, it has grown into a nationally prominent publisher of educational materials, with subscribers in all 50 states, all 10 Canadian provinces, and many other countries. Rethinking Schools is remains firmly committed to equity and to the vision that public education is central to the creation of a humane, caring, multiracial democracy. http://www.rethinkingschools.org/index.shtml Voice of Witness The Voice of Witness education program connects educators, students, and human rights advocates with important, unheard stories in the VOW book series and supports them with curricula and training to help them conduct their own oral history projects. Free lesson plans and other curricular resources are located on our website. http://voiceofwitness.org/
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