ORALHISTORY LESSONPLAN

LowerElementarySchool;Grades13
RelatedMuseumPrograms:All;Usescontentfrom
theHardTimesprogram

Big Idea:

Oralhistoryisatoolforlearningaboutpeople,places,andevents.

Description: Studentsutilizeoralhistoriesasatoolforlearningaboutpeople,places,and
events.Asstudentsexploretheinterviewprocessbydevelopinginterview
questions,conductinginterviewswiththeirclassmates,andretellingthestories
theycollect,theygainanunderstandingofthewayoralhistorieshelpustolearn
aboutthepastandeachother.

Objectives:

Studentswill:
Understandthatoralhistoryisawayofgatheringdetailedinformationthat
helpsusunderstandaspecifictime,place,person,orevent.
Understandwhataninterviewis.
Experiencewhatitisliketoparticipateintheinterviewprocess.
Understandthatallofushaveimportantstoriestoshare.

Essential Questions:

Howdohistorianslearnaboutthepast?
Howcanoralhistorieshelpustounderstandthepast?

Time Frame: 13classperiods.Thisactivityhasbeendesignedtobecustomizedtoyour

learninggoalsandyourstudentsindividualneeds.Choosetodothecomplete
lessonplanorselectpartswithyourstudentsbasedonyourscheduleand
objectives.

Materials:

ObjectPhotos(locatedinappendix)
InterviewWorksheet(locatedinappendix)
StoryWorksheet(locatedinappendix)
Pencils
Chartpaper
RecordingofJosephineBaldizzisoralhistory(availableat
http://www.tenement.org/education_lessonplans.html)
PictureofJosephineBaldizzi(locatedintheappendixofthislesson)

Vocabulary:

Historian
OralHistory
Interview

OralHistoryLessonLowerElementarySchool

LowerEastSideTenementMuseum

Procedure:
PreLessonPrep(tobecompletedbytheteacherbeforethedayofthelesson)
ListentoJosephineBaldizzisoralhistorytobecomefamiliarwiththematerialand
backgroundoftheoralhistoryusedinthislesson.

Part1:Introduction
Askstudentsiftheyknowanystoriesaboutthemselvesfromwhentheywereababy.
Instructstudentstosharethatstorywithastudentsittingnexttothem.Selectafew
volunteerstosharetheirstorywiththeclass.
Askstudentshowtheyknowaboutthosestoriesiftheywerenotoldenoughto
remembertheeventsofthestoriesthemselves.Helpstudentsarriveattherealization
thatsomeoneelsehadtotellthosestoriestothem.
Explaintostudentsthathistoriansalsocollectstoriesaboutevents,times,andplaces
forwhichtheymaynothaveapersonalmemory.
Reinforcethatonewayhistorianslearnaboutthesestoriesisbyaskingorinterviewing
peoplewhoexperiencedorrememberthoseevents,times,andplacestotellthemthe
story.Clarifythatthisprocessiscalledoralhistory.

Part2:Activity
Explainthatintodayslesson,studentswilldotheworkofhistoriansandconductan
oralhistory.Studentswillintervieweachotheraboutaneventspecificallytheirfirst
dayofschool.[Asavariation,youcanalsohavestudentsworktogethertointerview
theteacherabouthisorherfirstdayatschool.]
Workwithstudentstopreparetheinterviewquestions.
o Explainthatbeforehistorianscaninterviewanotherperson,theyneedto
preparefortheinterviewandchoosewhatquestionsthattheywanttoask.
o Discusswhatinformationstudentsthinkismostimportanttolearnfromthese
interviewsandwhatquestionswillallowthemtoacquirethatinformation.
o Helpstudentsthinkaboutdifferenttypesofquestions(i.e.Yesornoquestions
versusopenendedquestions)
Exampleofayesornoquestion:Didyouhaveaniceday?
Exampleofanopenendedquestion:Howwouldyoudescribeyourday?
o Createaquestionbankbyrecordingstudentsquestionsuggestionsonchart
paperorontheboard.
o Dependingonyourstudentsandtheirgradelevel,assignstudentstochoose24
questionstoaskthepersonthattheywillinterview.
Givestudentstimetointerviewoneanotherand,dependingonthegradelevel,record
theintervieweesresponsesontheInterviewWorksheets(see:appendix).

OralHistoryLessonLowerElementarySchool

LowerEastSideTenementMuseum

Part3:WrapUp
Instructstudentstoretellthestorythattheyheardbywritingorcreatingadrawingon
theStoryWorksheet(see:appendix)
Bringtheclassbacktogethertosharewhattheylearnedandtoreflectontheinterview
experience.Discussionquestionsmightinclude:
o Whatinformationdidtheylearnabouttheirclassmatesfirstdayofschool?
o Howdiditfeeltobeaskedallofthosequestions?
o Howdiditfeeltobethepersonaskingallofthosequestions?
o Whatwasfunaboutinterviewingsomeoneinclass?
o Whatwasdifficult?
o Whatwouldyoutrytododifferentlynexttime?
Havestudentskeepinmindtheirowninterviewexperienceastheylistentopartofan
oralhistoryrecordedbyhistoriansattheTenementMuseum.Tellstudentsthatthe
womantheyareabouttolistentolivedasachildinthesamebuildingthathousesthe
TenementMuseum.
DisplaythepictureofJosephineBaldizzisothatstudentscanattachhervoicetoaface.
PlaytherecordingofJosephineBaldizzisoralhistory,whichcanbefoundonour
websiteathttp://www.tenement.org/education_lessonplans.html
Askstudentstoturntotheirneighborandsharesomethingtheylearnedfromlistening
toJosephineBaldizzisstory.
Facilitateawrapupconversation.Somequestionsmightinclude:
o HowdidoralhistoryhelpustolearnaboutJosephineBaldizziandherfamily?
o Howdidoralhistoryhelpustolearnabouteachother?
o HowdidJosephinesinterviewcomparetotheinterviewsthestudents
conducted?Whatkindsofquestionsdidtheinterviewerask?
o IftheycouldinterviewJosephine,whatquestionswouldtheywanttoaskher?
o Whatothereventsandexperiences,wouldthestudentswanttolearnabout
usingtheoralhistorymethod?

Assessment:

ReviewtheInterviewandStoryWorksheet.
Listentotheinterviewquestionsstudentschoosetoask.
Askstudentswhattheywereabletolearnabouteachotherfromtheirinterviews.
AskstudentswhattheywereabletolearnaboutJosephinefromlisteningtoheroral
history.

OralHistoryLessonLowerElementarySchool

LowerEastSideTenementMuseum

Extensions:

Havestudentspublishtheirworkandcompilestudentsworksofhistoryaspartofa
ClassroomHistoryBook.
o Onexampleofpublishingcouldbehavingstudentscreatecoversfortheir
StoryWorksheet.
o OnewaytocreateaClassroomHistoryBookistobindtogetherstudentsStory
Worksheetswithafrontandbackcoveranddisplayingthebookintheclassroom
library.
Instructstudentstointerviewafamilymember/grownupabouttheirfirstdayat
school.Havestudentsrecordtheirfamilymembersresponsesandwriteaworkof
historythattellsthenarrative.Havestudentcompareandcontrasttheirfirstdayof
schoolwiththatoftheirfamilymembers.

OralHistoryLessonLowerElementarySchool

LowerEastSideTenementMuseum

Appendix: Picture of Josephine Baldizzi

Josephine and her brother Johnny circa 1935

OralHistoryLessonLowerElementarySchool

LowerEastSideTenementMuseum

Appendix: interview Worksheet

Name:___________________Date:____________________

InterviewWorksheet
Question:
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Answer:
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Answer:
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Answer:
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Appendix: Story Worksheet

Name:___________________Date:____________________

StoryWorksheet
Writethestory!
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Drawthestory!

OralHistoryLessonLowerElementarySchool

LowerEastSideTenementMuseum