My Life/Your Life: A Look at Your Parents’ Past

Student Objectives

Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

Session 4

Extensions

Student Assessment/Reflections

 

STUDENT OBJECTIVES

Students will

• Develop effective interviewing techniques (e.g., how to select appropriate questions, make connections with the interviewee) by reading sample interviews, analyzing the interview process, and using role-play to practice
  
  
• Learn about a different time period by interviewing their parents about their middle school experiences and using Web and print resources to find historical context
  
  
• Compare the similarities and differences between their own experiences and those of their parents using a Venn diagram
  
  
• Demonstrate growth in verbal expression as they clearly and succinctly share ideas with group members and the class
  
  
• Synthesize what they have learned through role-play, journal writing, and the creation of a dramatic skit
  

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Session 1

1.	Tell your students that they are going to conduct interviews of their parents to find out what it was like when they were in middle school. If a parent is not available, students may choose another adult to interview.
2.	The goal of this session is to encourage students to think about what constitutes an effective interview. Share the following online interviews with your students: Maya Lin (arts) Julius Erving (sports) Archbishop Desmond Tutu (public service) You have the options of accessing these interviews in print, audio, or video form from the Academy of Achievement website.
3.	After each interview, have students brainstorm answers to the following questions: What did you learn from this interview? What surprised you the most? What kind of questions did the interviewer ask his or her subject? What kind of connections did the interviewer make with his or her subject?
4.	Conduct a role-playing exercise that will enable students to apply what they have learned about the interviewing process. Since this lesson is about facilitating communication and eliciting information, it is important for students to understand how to connect with the person they are interviewing. Ask for student volunteers to play the roles of the interviewer and interviewee. (You may also choose to invite school personnel to act as interview subjects or have students interview you for additional practice.) Brainstorm possible topics for the interviews. For example, you might decide to have students interview one another about their experiences outside of school, such as sports, music, or family vacations. As the interviewer begins the mock interview, model how to ask follow-up questions. For example, if the interviewee mentions an interest in hip-hop, you might ask about favorite artists. Tell students that making connections is about careful and active listening to the interviewee’s responses and responding accordingly.
5.	After the interviews are complete, lead a class discussion critiquing the effectiveness of the interview process. Sample questions include: Did the interviewer connect with the person he or she was interviewing? What evidence do you have to support your answer? Did the interviewer ask follow-up questions? Provide examples. After the interview, did you feel like you understood more about the interviewee? Why or why not?
6.	Create a class list of guidelines entitled, “Tips for Effective Interviewing.” Post this list to use as a shared classroom resource.
7.	Tell students that they are going to conduct interviews of their parents to learn about what their lives were like when they were in middle school. Give each student a copy of the Tell Me All About It! interview sheet. Students can feel free to add additional interview questions to the sheet. Instruct students to bring their interview results to share with the entire class in the next session.

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Session 2

1.	Tell students that they are going to use a Venn diagram to help them analyze the results of their interview responses. Access the interactive Venn Diagram tool and model for students how to use it. Then have students work independently to create a Venn diagram that compares their school experiences with those of their parents. Remind them to print their diagrams before closing the program.
2.	Divide the class into small groups, and ask them to discuss their interview results and share their completed Venn diagrams. Post the following questions on the board to guide students in their discussion and help them to prepare a presentation of their results for the class: What was the most surprising thing you learned about your parents? How were your parents’ experiences different from your own? How were your parents’ experiences similar to your own? Ask for volunteers to share the results of their small-group discussions with the entire class.
3.	After the class discussion, ask students to write imaginary diary entries describing events that might have occurred in their parents’ lives as middle school students. Students should finish their diary entries for homework.

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Session 3

1.	Have students return to their small groups and share their individual diary entries with one another.
2.	Tell students that they will be using their diary entries to write a group skit entitled “A Day in the Life.” The skit could consist of dramatic readings of their diaries or the development of composite characters and dialogue based on the diaries. The skit will need to include the following elements: The differences and similarities between their parents’ experiences and their own experiences as middle school students A historical context A musical context
3.	To assist them in incorporating the second element into their skits (i.e., historical context), students will be using the Internet to investigate the time period in which their parents grew up. Provide the class with the following resources to use for gathering historical context: Digital History Encyclopedia Smithsonian: History & Culture World History Timeline–2007 Tell students that they can also use materials such as encyclopedias, textbooks, magazines, and journals as references.
4.	Have students access the print and online resources to gather information about what was happening in the world during the time when their parents were teenagers. Students can also choose to ask their parents about historical events they remember as teenagers and then conduct further research about the events using the Internet.
5.	After gathering historical information about the time period, students should use it to add richness, depth, and authenticity to their skits. For example, remind students that they would not include an iPod in a skit about when their parents were teenagers.
6.	To incorporate the third element into their skits (i.e., musical context), have students research the songs that their parents listened to as teenagers. Encourage them to incorporate this music into their skits or make references to particular songs to provide a musical context to their dramatic scene.
7.	Circulate while students are working in their groups and provide assistance as needed.

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Session 4

1.	As a class, create a rubric that you can use to evaluate students’ skits. Some questions that you might use as a guide include: How effectively did you represent your parents’ and your own experiences in the skit? How could you have improved your skit? How effectively did you integrate historical resources into your skit? How did you incorporate music into your skit?
2.	Allow time for students to work in their groups to finish their skit and ensure that it meets the criteria from the class-generated rubric. You may also wish to have students create a stage set or backdrop that contains quotations from their interviews for the presentation.
3.	Ask students to present their “A Day in the Life” skits for the class.
4.	Provide time for students to reflect on what they learned from their skits and their interviews (see Student Assessment/Reflections).

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EXTENSIONS

• Have students create a popular culture mural highlighting examples from their middle school experiences and those from their parents.
  
  
• Have students create a popular culture mural highlighting examples from their middle school experiences and those from their parents.
  
  
• Have students summarize what they learned about the adult they interviewed using the online Bio-Cube tool. They can then write a brief biography that they share with that person.
  
  
• Ask students to create a CD that features music their parents listened to in middle school and music they like to listen to. Students can then share the CD with their parents and discuss their likes and dislikes.
  

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STUDENT ASSESSMENT/REFLECTIONS

• Ask students to respond to the following questions in their writing journals:

  What did you learn about yourself in this lesson?
  
  

  What did you learn about your parents in this lesson?
  
  

  What did you learn about the world your parents grew up in?
  
  

  How effectively did you represent your parents’ and your own experiences in the skit?
  
  

  What could you have done better?
  
  

  What was the purpose of this lesson?
  
  

  How can you apply what you learned in this lesson to other areas of your life?

• Read students’ responses, and lead a class discussion on the importance of communication in understanding other people’s life experiences. Some possible discussion questions include:

  Why is it important to listen to others?
  
  

  What did you learn about the past in this lesson?
  
  

  How can you become a better communicator?

   

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