Activity:

Talk with your students about life before they were born. Discuss how our grandparents lived through events in history that will never happen again and changed the world because they happened. Some things to bring up are U.S. landing on the moon, John F. Kennedy getting shot. Things in history affect us all and change our thoughts and feelings in many ways. Have all the children in your classroom think about and talk about a person in their family that they could talk to about doing an interview with. Have them work together to think of some questions they might ask their grandparent(s). They might remember what they were doing when World War 2 ended. Were they in the war? What did your Grandma do while your Grandfather went to war? Do they have some old letters they wrote to each other?? Try to have each child bring in some memento from the period in history they talk to their grandparent about. Even if it is just a dress from that time period. And of course, lost of pictures if possible! Have them do a poster of the pictures and write up their questions before the interview. You might even suggest they tape the interview if they want.

Objectives:

In this day in age we are missing out of a natural part of life. Being older and remembering history because they were there. They did not read about it they experienced it. Also this will help children to learn to do an interview and know what questions to ask. The children should do a rough draft of questions and then work in small groups to get more ideas of questions. They should also be asked who they are going to interview.

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Debbie Haren

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