Title:  Boyle Heights: America in the Mirror Subject:  History, Language Arts Author:  Susan Anderson, Roosevelt High School Date:  April, 1998 Unit:  Boyle Heights

Teaching Unit

Introduction for Teachers - Creating Oral Histories

Collecting oral histories is an invaluable exercise for students of history on many levels. In order to collect a good oral history, students must:

1. research the time period that is the focus of the interview
2. create a list of valid questions
3. learn good interviewing techniques
4. practice good speech and social skills

Students should be thoroughly prepared for their interviews. How to prepare them depends upon your class organization and the amount of time you wish to devote to this exercise. It can be a one collection assignment or an on going assignment in which several oral histories will be collected. What follows here is a list of steps and procedures that will prepare students for the basic task, you can individualize it to meet your particular needs and time constraints.

• Students will understand the process involved in creating good oral histories.
• Students will create a list of valid and appropriate questions.
• Students will practice good interviewing techniques and skills.

Students will locate, understand and interpret information from primary and secondary sources.

This depends upon the resources available. The only equipment that is absolutely needed is a tape recorder. Digital cameras and/or a camcorder would be useful. Also packets or handouts with instructions for students on how to prepare for an oral interview are useful. Online computers that would allow students to search for and download this information would be helpful in reinforcing student research skills. If that is not feasible then the teacher will need to download appropriate material or “whack” a number of sites.

1. Teacher will introduce the concept and purpose of collecting oral histories.

2. Teacher and class will listen to, view, and read transcripts of several model oral histories. (One example of an interesting oral history site is What Did you Do During The War, Grandma?. It is a collection of oral histories about women in World War II. The address is http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/WWII_WOMEN. There are many, many good sites out there to share with students!)

3. Teacher and class will discuss what makes a good oral history and create a class rubric for judging their own projects. (See Oral History Rubric.)

4. Students will decide on an era or an event they would like their oral history to focus on. They should research the era or event keeping a special eye out for controversies or areas where historians seem to hold multiple perspectives. (See Research Unit for lesson ideas.)

5. Students will begin the process of creating their list of questions. As students prepare their lists some activities that will be helpful to them might be:

   • Watching the professionals. Teacher and students can watch people like Barbara Walters or Larry King. View with an emphasis on follow-up questions. The teacher can stop the tape at any point and ask students if they think the interviewer expected that answer and/or ask the class to write what they think the next question should be. Students can critically analyze the interview for lines of questioning they think were missed.

   • Students should also review oral history models they have seen and again create lists of questions they might have asked that the interviewer did not.

   • Students should visit the web sites of several professional organizations for hints and tips about conducting oral history research. Some suggested sites are listed at the end of this section. The most important thing for students to understand is that they must follow where the answers to their questions lead them and not just read from a prepared set of questions no matter what the interviewee has just answered.

6. Students will locate and set up a preliminary interview with their subject. The point of this preliminary interview is to explain to the interviewee the nature of the assignment, the era or event the student is most interested in, and perhaps give the interviewee a list of preliminary questions. Students will make an appointment for the final taped interview.

7. While waiting for the date of the interview, students should practice their interviewing techniques on classmates, friends, or family members.

8. Students will check out appropriate equipment and conduct the interview.

Tips for Teachers:

• Have students check equipment twice.
• Have students identify the interviewee at the beginning of the tape.
• Make sure that students have interviewee sign a Material Release Form.

Students and teacher will evaluate oral histories according to the class generated rubric. (See Oral History Rubric.)

Missipippi Civil Rights Oral History Project. Good model.
URL: http://www.-dept.usm.edu/~mcrohb/

Tips for Interviewers.
URL: http://library.berkeley.edu/BANC/ROHO/rohotips.html

Oral History Questions.
URL: http://www.rootsweb.com/~genepool/oralhist.html

The One-Minute Guide to Conducting Oral History.
URL: http://library.berkeley.edu/BANC/ROHO/1minute.html

The Promised Land- 16 Steps in Creating Oral History. Excellent guide for teachers and students!
URL: http://school.discovery.com/learningcomm/promisedland/teachandlearn/oralguide.

UCLA Library Special Collections/Oral History Program.
URL: http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/special/ohp/ohpindex.html