Elaine Seavey, Seminole High School, Seminole, OK
A TEAM APPROACH TO ORAL HISTORY
Appropriate for grades 8-10.
OVERVIEW: This project is a cross-discipline approach to the
study of Oklahoma History and English. Through the
accomplishments of this project, students will see the
interrelationship of the two disciplines. Students often do not
link literature and history as interdependent disciplines and tend
to compartmentalize each subject area. In demonstrating the
relationship these two subjects have with each other, we hope to
provide the kind of learning experience that would help students
tear down these barriers. The result of this active process will
be a student-written publication of their own community using the
skills obtained in their English classes.
PURPOSE: The purposes of this project are multiple. One purpose
is to involve the students activity in the pursuit of history and
to develop an awareness of the interdependence of the various
disciplines. The skills acquired in English class can be applied
in the exploration of the past. Another purpose of an oral
history project is a sense of community that evolves in the
students as they begin their quest of a "story." The students
also develop an appreciation for the people in the community who
are the "living" history.
OBJECTIVES: Students will be able to:
1. Observe the human side of history as revealed through
personal interviews, newspaper articles, and fictional
accounts.
2. Record the history of various sites and people in the
Seminole area.
3. Follow the process of preparing a manuscript for publication,
including gathering information, organizing, writing,
editing, rewriting, and typesetting.
4. Appreciate the interrelationship of literature and history.
ACTIVITIES: The following activities are designed to provide an
outline of the sequence a teacher may want to follow in your own
oral history project:
1. The teacher must become acquainted with the use of a tape
recorder and interviewing techniques. You may want to first
do some research in the area of oral history and interview
individuals about some interesting event. These tapes could
also be used as examples for the students. You may also want
to arrange for someone to come the classroom for an interview
and then the class could observe the techniques.
2. Introduce the oral history project to the students and
present some suggestions or examples of what might interest
them. Such as childhood memories of the Depression, life in
an oil camp, some research on a mysterious or unsolved
murder, or some sinister desperado, etc. Brainstorming some
particular topics is always stimulating to the class and
helps to encourage even the most cynical.
3. The class can then be instructed on some interview techniques
and strategies for obtaining and conducting interviews. The
students can then be put in small groups of paired off to
help each other in formulating sets of questions. During
this whole process both the English and history teachers are
working together in the sharing of their particular skills.
4. Students then record, transcribe, and edit their interviews.
The student help each other with the editing process, with
final approval from the instructors. All articles are signed
by the authors and credits are given to those who
contributed information for the project. Many of the
students received old photographs, old newspaper clippings,
and other documents to incorporate into their story. Some
took photographs of a particular building or area that was
related to their topic.
5. The final copies are entered in the word processor - there
are always some students who are either typing or in
computers who happily volunteer.
6. Students then participate in the process of typesetting.
During this time student are encouraged to submit names and
cover designs for the book. Remember, it is their book.
7. The happy day arrives when the book comes back from the
printer and distributed to the participants. It is an
amazing thing to watch their faces as they see their name in
print.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS NEEDED:
The Oral History Review
The Foxfire series
Brown, Cynthia Stokes -- Like It Was: A Complete Guide to
Writing Oral History
Sitton, Thad; McHaffy, George; Davis, O.L., Jr. -- Oral
History: A Guide for Teachers
TYING IT ALL TOGETHER: We were very proud of our students in the
completion of this project. The inter-disciplinary approach to
this project enabled students in these classes to apply English
skills for a practical purpose, that of actually communicating
with a reading audience. They gained an appreciation for the
"living" quality of history as they heard stories related by long-
time residents of our town.
In addition to these major objectives, students were exposed to
several other valuable experiences. They learned interview
techniques, gained an appreciation for those older in the
community who were absolutely essential to the completion of this
project, practiced self-discipline to stay with the task until
completed, and sharpened their proof-reading skills.
This project did not require big funds. Subject material is very
plentiful and students are involved in the active process of
writing history and creating their own publication and that is the
greatest benefit of all!!!!
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John Kurilecjmk@ofcn.org