[Detail] Charley Williams and Granddaughter, Age 94
Lesson Overview
Learning history from real people involved in real events brings life to history. This project provides a means to learn about the twentieth century from real people and primary sources. A 1913 newspaper provides a view of the world on the brink of a World War. An interview with a grandparent or significant elder provides a human face for life in the twentieth century. Through researching primary and secondary sources, students become conversant with significant aspects of twentieth century history.
Objectives
Students will learn:
- that each person, no matter how seemingly insignificant, contributes to the world's story;
- how to differentiate between primary and secondary sources and how to assess the relative importance of each in the study of history;
- how to access, interpret, analyze, and evaluate primary sources of various kinds;
- how to conduct an interview;
- effective use of questions in doing research;
- techniques and skills of research;
- the importance of accuracy and honesty in research;
- how to "write history" clearly so that it communicates to others;
- how to teach others the topic on which one has become an expert; and
- techniques for effective oral presentations
Standards
Time Required
Eight to ten weeks
Recommended Grade Level
- 9-12, 6-8
Topic
- Immigration & Ethnic Heritage
- Culture & Folklife
Era
- Great Depression and WWII, 1929-1945
- Postwar United States, 1945-present
Credits
Deborah Dent-Samake and Carolyn Karis, American Memory Fellows, 1998
