Oral histories offer a unique way to learn about past events and the people that experienced or played important roles in those events. This project gives students the opportunity to learn more about the life of someone they find interesting and would like to know more about. During the workshop, you'll take students step-by-step through the process of creating an oral history. While the focus of the project is the creation of an oral history, the step-by-step instruction for completing the report revolves entirely around the writing process.

In addition, when your students' projects are complete, please encourage them to post their projects on this website for the rest of the world to enjoy!

Time Require
"Writer's Workshop: Oral Histories" offers teachers and students the opportunity to learn more about another person in their family or community as they work step-by-step through the writing process. A typical class following the entire lesson plan can expect to spend one class period each school day for two to four weeks, depending on class size, grade level, and resources. Our weekly lesson planner has divided the project up into a three-week schedule. However, you may choose to work at a slower or faster pace than what we've outlined. It should be noted that a good portion of the work required to complete this project (including but not limited to the interview itself) may need to be completed away from school.

This "Writer's Workshop" project gives students the opportunity to become comfortable with the writing process as they work to complete an oral history report. The workshop is designed to take students through each step of the writing process and includes tutorials, worksheets, online planning tools and interactive mini-lessons.

Mini-Lesson (1 day)
Begin your workshop with a quick mini-lesson designed to enhance students' note-taking and punctuation skills — each important skills required for conducting and reporting accurate interview information. We've provided both interactive online versions of our mini-lesson as well as printable versions you may copy for each student.

Pre-Writing (3–4 days)
The pre-writing stage of this project is probably one of the most important. It's during this stage that students will choose an individual to interview, research the person, develop a set of questions for their interview, and finally, conduct the interview itself.

Drafting (2–3 days)
During this step, students will review the notes or tape from their interview and begin to create a rough draft of their report. A rough draft allows students to begin the process of organizing their work and get their thoughts down on paper. While students are working at this stage, you should encourage them to focus on the content and allow their ideas to flow freely. During this phase of the writing process, grammar, spelling, and punctuation aren't of utmost importance.

Revising (2–3 days)
The revision process concentrates on the content of their oral history report. As students begin the process of revising their work you'll remind them that revising doesn't involve making changes for spelling, grammar, or punctuation.

Editing (1–2 days)
While editing isn't always a student's favorite task, it's an important task nonetheless. During this stage, students will check spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and subject/ verb agreement.

Reviewing (1–2 days)
The review cycle allows students one more look before taking their work public. During this phase we discuss number of different ways to students may conduct a review process including: peer review, self -assessment, and teacher conferencing.

Publishing (1–2 days)
Publishing is a time for students to celebrate their accomplishments and allow the rest of the world to view their work. In addition to posting your students' work on our website, we offer a number of other great ideas for publishing their oral history reports.

"Writer's Workshop: Oral Histories" correlates with many of the national standards for both language arts and social studies.

Standards met for English/Language Arts from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the International Reading Association (IRA) include:

• Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
• Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
• Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
• Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
• Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
• Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts.
• Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
• Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
• Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
• Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
• Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

• Culture (Students learn how to understand multiple perspectives that derive from different cultural vantage points.)
• Time, Continuity, and Change (Students study how the world has changed in order to gain perspective on the present and the future.)
• People, Places, and Environments (Students utilize technological advances to connect to the world beyond their personal locations. The study of people, places, and human-environment interactions assists learners as they create their spatial views and geographic perspectives of the world.)
• Individual Development and Identity (Students learn to ask questions such as Why do people behave as they do? What influences how people learn, perceive, and grow?)
• Individuals, Groups, and Institutions (Students study interactions among individuals, groups, and institutions.)
• Power, Authority, and Governance (Students study how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance.)
• Civic Ideas and Practices (Students study the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic.)
• Global Connections (Students analyze patterns and relationships within and among world cultures.)

Week One

Introduction to the Unit & Mini-Lesson (1 day)
Introduction:
Begin the unit with a discussion of oral histories. Explain that an oral history, in the most simple of terms, consists of an interview and a report of the interview. If possible, share an oral history report with the class. You might want to visit Scholastic's WWI Memory Book project at http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwii/memory/index.htm. Have students click the Read WWII Memories button to view oral history projects submitted by students who have participated in Scholastic's WWII Memory Book project. These samples offer a great opportunity for students to view a completed oral history project.

Next, discuss the overall scope and sequence of the project. If your class isn't already familiar with the steps of the writing process, review the steps and activities involved with each step. Be sure to include how much class time and homework will be involved with this project.

Mini-Lesson
The mini-lessons that accompany this unit, note taking and punctuation (with an emphasis on quotation marks), align nicely with the type of writing required to create and oral history.

Start by explaining the importance of good note taking skills. Discuss how these skills will not only benefit them now, but throughout their lives. Also, stress the importance of good listening skills. Allow time for students to experience the online note taking activity at www.?????.

End the day with a quick review of punctuation rules. Due to the fact that oral histories often include an abundance of direct quotes, be sure to allow ample time for review of the rules for quotation marks. Click here to print a copy of the Quotations Tip Sheet. This sheet will serve as a great reference tool as students work on their projects.

Click here to print hard copy versions of the two mini-lesson activities. You may copy and distribute these to your class as initial or follow-up activities.

Pre-Writing (3–4 days)
The pre-writing activities actually fall under three different headings

• Locating a Subject
• Preparing for the Interview
• Conducting the Interview

• Start with their own family. They may have older relatives who have interesting pasts and great stories to share.
• Consider neighbors and acquaintances.
• What about people they've admired from afar? The local sports hero, a doctor, the police chief, or even their first grade teacher could serve as great interview possibilities.
• Don't forget veterans of WWII or individuals that immigrated to our country in search of a better life. Scholastic has developed individual Oral History Writing Workshops that focus on each of these fascinating groups of individuals.

Preparing for the Interview
Once students have decided on the person they plan to interview, print and distribute the Preparation Checklist. Do not allow any student to begin an interview until they have worked through each of the important preparation steps listed on this document. One of the most important steps towards preparation involves researching the person they will be interviewing.

Another important part of the preparation process involves writing a list of interview questions. Have students work on their own list of questions before distributing the Great Questions for an Oral History Interview handout. This handout should only serve as a reference after the students have prepared their own list of questions

Finally, before sending students out on their interviews, review the etiquette rules for good interviews:

• Be on time.
• Maintain eye contact and be a good listener.
• Don't rush a response. Give the person plenty of time to answer your questions.
• Bring a tape recorder and something to take notes.
• Always conclude by thanking the person for spending time with you.

Week Two

Drafting (2–3 days)
Once the interviews have been completed, regroup and spend time as a class discussing the interview process.

• What did they like?
• Were they comfortable with the process or uncomfortable?
• Did they learn anything new?
• Did everyone get enough information?

Click here to print a Drafting Worksheet.

Once everyone has had time to review their tapes and revisit their interview notes, it's time to start writing a first draft. Allow students at least one class period and additional time at home to complete this part of the process. Also, remind students that this is simply a time to get their thoughts on paper—get content down now, and go back later to make corrections.

Revising (2–3 days)
When everyone has completed his or her first draft, it's time to begin the revision process. Spend time discussing what actually happens during a revision.

• Add additional information
• Rearrange events or information
• Remove unneeded information
• Replace existing text with new text that better describes or adds additional insight.

Tip for Students: A great way to check flow, content, and sentence structure is to read a paper out loud.

Week Three

Editing (1–2 days)
Once students have drafted and revised their work, it's time to check for grammar, punctuation, capitalization, subject/verb agreement, and spelling. Click here to print and then distribute an Editing Checklist to each student.

This might also be a good time to re-teach the quotations mini-lesson.

Reviewing (1-2 days)
The reports are almost ready for their debut. The reviewing process comes next. This step is painful to some students, so be sure to offer a variety of options for review.

• Teacher Conference
• Peer Review—Click here to print a Peer Review Checklist
• Self-Assessment

Publishing (1–2 days)
In some schools, this step is called "Celebrate". Publishing is a form of celebration. It's a time for students to share their work with others and in this case, the world. There are many great ways to publish an oral history report, however, by far, the best way to share something with the world is by posting it on the Internet. Click here for more information on posting your students' work on our website.

Other great publishing ideas include:

• Publish a class book containing each student's oral history project.
• Create a taped version of each student's report.
• Have students write a play based on the life of the person they interviewed.
• Have students read their reports during a school parent night.
• Allow students to use a multimedia software program to create an interactive version of their report complete with photos and voice recordings of their subject.
• Host a young authors conference in your classroom.