Grade 1 Fall History — Then and Now, Family Histories, and How We Know What Happened
Lesson 7 30 min hist.g1.f.lesson_07

Designing our family-history interview - the 4 big questions

Skills targeted
Objectives
  • Students can name the 4 family-history interview questions.
  • Students can identify which family member or community elder they will interview.
Vocabulary
intervieworal historyquestionlistenrecordelderpermissionthank you

Lesson plan

Warm-up

5 min

Calendar Circle. Then: 'Today we become HISTORIANS. A historian asks people about long ago and writes down what they say. Tonight YOU will start an INTERVIEW.'

Teacher moves
  • Show MG-7 anchor
  • Affirm 'Every family has stories worth knowing'
  • Address the worry: 'What if my elder doesn't remember much?' - 'Any answer is a great answer.'
Media
M-1-F-HIS-07-B Manipulative Physical / non-image

11x17 fold-in-half take-home sheet. Outside cover: child's name, interviewee's name, date, picture-prompt of interview-in-progress. Inside: 4 zones labeled Q1-Q4 with the question printed, picture cue, and 4 dictation lines per zone (raised-line for emergent writers). Bilingual versions printed in Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Russian, Haitian Creole, French, Korean, Urdu.

Direct instruction

12 min

An INTERVIEW is when one person ASKS QUESTIONS and another person ANSWERS. We will all use the SAME 4 QUESTIONS so we can compare answers later. Listen: (1) When you were my age, what was your favorite GAME or thing to do? (2) How did you GET TO SCHOOL? (3) What is one thing in the world TODAY that didn't exist when you were little? (4) What is one STORY your own grandparent told YOU? Plus a special routine: GREET - ASK - LISTEN - THANK - RECORD.

Key examples
  • Notice - I LISTENED. I did NOT add my own opinion. I wrote KEY WORDS, not every word.
    model Teacher knocks, greets, sits, asks Q1, LISTENS without interrupting, jots key words, thanks the guest
    prompt Teacher demos full interview with a guest elder (school staff, volunteer grandparent)
  • Practice the routine - the real interview is tomorrow night.
    model Pair partners; rotate who plays elder
    prompt Practice the GREET-ASK-LISTEN-THANK-RECORD routine in pairs (one is child, one is 'grown-up')
Checks for understanding
  • Name 2 of the 4 interview questions.
  • What is the FIRST step of the interview routine? (GREET.)
Media
M-1-F-HIS-07-A Chart
24x36-inch laminated chart titled 'OUR 4 BIG QUESTIONS' with 4 numbered question boxes each with picture icon (game-boar

24x36-inch laminated chart titled 'OUR 4 BIG QUESTIONS' with 4 numbered question boxes each with picture icon (game-board, school-bus, smartphone, speech-bubble). Below: 5-stage routine band GREET - ASK - LISTEN - THANK - RECORD with stick-figure illustration of each stage.

MG-7 Chart
Mounted on classroom wall at child-eye-height (24-36 inches) with laminated surface for repeated dry-erase use.

Mounted on classroom wall at child-eye-height (24-36 inches) with laminated surface for repeated dry-erase use.

Guided practice

8 min
Tasks
  • Pair practice: child interviews partner pretending to be a grandparent
    scaffold Sentence frame on table; teacher rotates
  • Each child writes/draws their target interviewee on the interview sheet header
    scaffold Picture options if writing is hard

Formative assessment

3 min
Exit ticket
  • Name the first step of the interview routine.
  • Name ONE of the 4 questions.
  • Who will you interview?
scoring All 3 correct = mastery; 2 of 3 = practicing; 0-1 = re-teach plus parent-conference

Closure

2 min
Moves
  • Send interview sheets home tonight
  • Preview: tomorrow we share our interview findings with a partner

Homework

15 min
Tasks
  • Conduct your interview at home this week. Use the sheet. Bring it back by next Wednesday. If you cannot reach your interviewee in time, the teacher will help arrange a school-based alternative.

Exercises in this lesson

hist.g1.f.his.oral_history_interview.ex_01
Name the 4 family-history interview questions.
 name 4 questions · diff 2

Differentiation

Scaffolds
  • Picture-question cards
  • Pre-paired with adult support
  • Phone interview option (if elder lives far away)
Extensions
  • Add a 5th question of your own
  • Use the tablet to audio-record the interview
English Learners
  • Bilingual interview sheet in home language
  • Caregiver-supported translation
Ieps 504s
  • Adult conducts interview while child observes
  • Pre-printed answer prompts for elder to circle
  • Extra week to complete

Teacher notes

THIS LESSON KICKS OFF THE FAMILY-HISTORY INTERVIEW PROJECT - the unit's spine. CRITICAL: pre-conferral with caregivers in week 1-2 (already done) so by lesson 7 every family knows what's coming. ALTERNATIVES READY: a school-staff elder pool (custodian, retired teacher, school nurse) for any child without family-elder access. Tablets with consent-only recording. Children should bring back their sheet by Wednesday - lesson 8 needs the data.