Navigation
Learning how to interview elders and share personal histories with others.
What if you could travel back in time to see what your neighborhood looked like 50 years ago? You don't need a magic machine—you just need a story!
History is like a giant puzzle, and we are the detectives! To solve the puzzle, we look for primary sources. A primary source is a 'clue' that comes directly from the time we are studying.
Examples of primary sources include: - Photographs taken a long time ago. - Letters written by people in the past. - Interviews, which are conversations where we ask people about their lives.
When you look at an old photo of your school, you are looking at a primary source! It shows you exactly what things looked like back then.
Let's look at a photo from 50 years ago: 1. Look at the clothes: Are they different from what you wear today? 2. Look at the cars: Do they have the same shapes as cars today? 3. Look at the buildings: Are they still there, or do they look newer now?
By looking closely, you just used a primary source to learn history!
Quick Check
What is an example of a 'clue' from the past called a primary source?
Answer
An old photograph or a story told by someone who was there.
The best way to learn about the past is to talk to an elder. An elder is an older person, like a grandparent, a great-aunt, or a neighbor.
When we talk to them to learn history, we call it an interview. To get a good story, we have to ask 'Thinking Questions.' These are questions that start with What, How, or Why.
Instead of asking a question that has a 'Yes' or 'No' answer, we want to ask a question that helps the person tell a long, exciting story about their life.
Imagine you are interviewing your Grandpa about his childhood: 1. Pick a Topic: Let's pick 'Toys.' 2. Bad Question: 'Did you have a robot?' (He might just say 'No.') 3. Good Question: 'What was your favorite toy to play with when you were 6 years old?' 4. Follow-up: 'How did you play with it?'
Quick Check
What is a good word to start a question with if you want to hear a long story?
Answer
What, How, or Why.
Once you have finished your interview, you have a personal history to share! Sharing stories helps our community stay connected.
When you tell your story to the class, try to follow these three steps: 1. The Beginning: Tell us who you talked to (Example: 'I talked to my Great-Aunt Sue'). 2. The Middle: Tell us the most interesting thing they said (Example: 'She walked 2 miles to school every day!'). 3. The End: Tell us how you felt learning the story (Example: 'I was surprised she didn't have a bus!').
Try this challenge with your family: 1. Find an old object in your house (like an old kitchen tool or a trophy). 2. Ask an adult: 'What is this, and why is it special to our family?' 3. Draw a picture of the object. 4. Practice telling the story of that object in just 3 sentences to a friend.
Which of these is a primary source?
What is the best question to ask an elder to learn a story?
An interview is a way to learn about the past by asking questions.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, try to remember: What are the three words that start a great history question?
Practice Activity
Find one old photo in your house today and ask a grown-up to tell you who is in it and what they were doing!