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Lesson Plans: Using Film in the History Classroom
Saving Private Ryan: Oral History Project
by Catherine Rokicky
1. Research
2. The Interview
3. WWII Interview Questions
4. The Paper
Students will conduct an interview with a person who served in World War II and has a strong recollection of this time. This oral history interview will form the basis of a 5 to 7 page paper. Students will utilize their texts as well as two other sources to complete this project. The paper will be graded on content, analysis, clarity, style, bibliography, grammar/spelling, and overall impression. Papers need to include a cover page with a title, student's name, and class number and time. Papers must also include a bibliography.
1. Research
Before conducting the interview, students should read about the era that they have selected for their topic. Students should begin by reading the pertinent chapters in their textbooks. Additionally, students must consult two other sources, on of which must be a book. The other source can be from an identifiable and legitimate sight from the Internet or an article from a journal, magazine, or newspaper.
2. The Interview
Students should prepare the questions that they will ask the interviewee. Below are questions that should be addressed during the course of the interview. Students should also add some of their own questions that they formulated while completing their reading on the subject. Out of courtesy, students might want to provide the interviewee with a copy of the paper once it has been completed. Be prepared for your interview - take notes! If you want to tape record the interview, make sure that you clear it with the interviewee ahead of time. Also, you need the permission of the interviewee to use his/her name in the paper.
3. WW II Interview Questions
- How old were you during the war?
- When did you hear the news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor? What were your feelings/thoughts when the United States entered the war?
- Service in military: Were you drafted or did you volunteer? Where did you serve? What is the most prominent memory you have of your service?{You can also add to your questions here if the individual is willing to answer them. Remember that for those who participated in combat, the memories will not be pleasant so be considerate of the interviewee.}
- How did your family/friends support the war effort at home? Did they have a victory garden? Did they participate in rationing programs?
- What was your attitude about: Hitler and Germany? The Japanese? Josef Stalin and the Soviet Union? The British?
- How did the war effort affect your family and friends? How did it affect your personal relationships? Did it affect your economic standing?
- How did the war affect you personally?
4. The Paper
Students papers must be 5 to 7 pages in length (typed on a word-processor, double-spaced, regular margins (1 inch top, bottom, left, right), regular font). Points will be deducted for students who do not meet these requirements. The paper should also include a cover page with the title of your project, your name, class number, and time. Also, your paper should include a cover page with the title of your project, your name, class number, and time. Also, your paper needs to include a bibliography on a separate page at the end of the report. The bibliography does not count towards your 5-7 pages of text.
Before you discuss the information you have learned from the interview, you need to provide a background of World War II. This is where your textbooks and outside sources will help you in the project. You need to focus your background information to the major issues covered by your interviewee. For example, if your interviewee served in a particular battle, such as the Battle of the Bulge, you need to provide information about it.
After providing background information on the period, you need to summarize and analyze your interview. Do not simply list the questions that you asked with the answers. You need to write in essay form. You also need to give your analysis of the subject matter covered. You are part of this process of learning about the past-you are the one deciphering what your interviewee is recollecting. How has your subject's experiences influenced the way he/she views the past? Do you believe the recollections of the subject to be accurate? How has the interview changed or added to your knowledge about the era in question?
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