Yesterday in grade 7 we had a guest speaker - my Mom, Linda. Each year she comes in to be interviewed about what it was like in Halifax when she was growing up and what some of the similarities and differences were between grade 7 then compared to now. It is a really fun way to teach proper interview skills and more importantly, to learn about history and how each of us has a story which is an essential part of history.
Our class spent almost 1 hour and 30 minutes listening about poodle skirts and penny candy and how she got to go on the bus at a very young age all by herself. The students then asked some really great questions about technology, differences in school, cars and tv. I think the students really enjoyed hearing about her growing up years.
As the major Social Studies assignment for quarter one, I am assigning an interview to the class. All of the information will be sent home. I encourage you to become involved with this assignment, especially with choosing who to interview and the best kinds of questions to ask. The key to this assignment is that it must be someone at least two generations away (grandparent/great-uncle etc.) preferably from your family. Last year some students who did not have relatives living close by chose to do long distance phone interviews, while others interviewed a close family friend or someone from their church.
I hope they have fun with this assignment. This is the fourth time my Mom has come in and I am still learning new things about her childhood. Who knows what I will learn next year!
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