Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Exploring and Sharing Family Stories

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Writing gets personal when young scholars interview family members in order to write a personal narrative about that person.
Activity
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian: Folklife and Oral History Interviewing Guide

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
The Smithsonian Folklife and Oral History Interviewing Guide by by Marjorie Hunt is an excellent resource for collecting family and community cultural information. It provides step-by-step information on how to plan and conduct...
Website
Other

The Walt Disney Family Museum

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource offers a great look at the life and work of American film director Walt Disney. Most of this museum is dedicated to him and includes his biography and audio interviews. However, there are several clips from some of his...
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: American Folklife Center

For Students 9th - 10th
Set up to assist American families in tracing their family histories, this extensive guide explains how to begin the process, to conduct research, tp take oral interviews, and to locate and analyze documents.
Activity
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Arthur: Around the Block Activities

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Explore how people are alike and different in these ARTHUR activities. From interviewing classmates to establishing local pen pals to creating neighborhood maps, the activities will help children understand and appreciate what we share...
Article
Other

Interviews: Amazing Grace: From Diapers to Demonstrations

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides an enjoyable and helpful article on Paley's life and career by Seth Rogovoy for the "Berkshire Eagle." Rogovoy uses information from interviews with Paley and discusses themes in her work as well as her ability to...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Immigration: Our Changing Voices

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Through dialogue, documentation, research, and interviews, students understand their role in society. This unit provides a background to students' family histories and gives them an opportunity to listen to the voices of immigrants of...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Woman Who Helped Anne Frank Dies at 100 by Teri Schultz, Npr

For Students 5th - 6th
CommonLit.org is a wonderful resource to use in a Language Arts classroom. Each story or article is accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. In addition, students can click on words to see...
Primary
PBS

Pbs: Frontline: The Pilgrimage of Jesse Jackson

For Students 9th - 10th
This site contains links to many interviews with Jesse Jackson. There are also links to a list of important events in his life, links to his religious views, and his social impact.
Article
PBS

Pbs Online News Hour: The Art of Romare Bearden

For Students 9th - 10th
Newshour with Jim Lehrer, a nightly news broadcast on PBS, offers a wealth of material on Romare Bearden. Content includes the NewsHour report, a gallery of his artwork, extended interviews with the artist, and a companion lesson plan.
Website
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Colonial House

For Students 9th - 10th
Companion website for Colonial House, a televised experiment in historical reenactment, provides information and insight about what daily life, in 1628, must have been like for English settlers in early America. With video clips from the...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Child's Play

For Teachers 3rd
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text and interview with a girl named Kylie Copenhagen who invented a board game. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Graphic
Other

Pdn and Kodak Professional: Migrations: Humanity in Transition

For Students 9th - 10th
Displays images by photojournalist, Sebastian Salgado, on immigrants in motion "seeking survival and a better life - one individual at a time, one family at a time, from field to town to city, and across national boundaries"....
Lesson Plan
Volunteer Voices

Volunteer Voices: My Heritage Notebook [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this lesson, students will recognize the importance of the family in community situations through personal interviews, creating a personal history with pictures and text.
Unit Plan
Scholastic

Scholastic: Book Files: Holes

For Students 3rd - 8th
"Holes" by Louis Sachar, is a Newbery winner. Trouble seems to follow Stanley Yelnats and his family. Can Stanley "fulfill" the void/hole that exist? Make the smart choice by enjoying the novel with a BookFiles reading guide. The file...
Website
Other

Vic Firth: Educator's Resource Library

For Students 9th - 10th
This website is a cornucopia of resources for percussion instruction. There are videos, audiocasts, podcasts, interviews with talented percussionists. Please check out this website is you are interested in any aspect of percussion.
Website
The Book Report

Kids reads.com: Lois Lowry

For Students 3rd - 8th
Read about Lois Lowry in her own words. She talks about her work and her family.
Website
Other

Gene Autry Entertainment: Gene Autry: America's Favorite Singing Cowboy

For Students 9th - 10th
Deemed the official website of Gene Autry, this site provides a century of information including movie and TV clips, recordings, radio interviews, a timeline of personal appearances, family information, and the beloved Cowboy Code.
Handout
Other

Sabelallende: Isabel Allende

For Students 9th - 10th
Isabel Allende's biography can be found on this site. The site also contains a timeline, family album, press photos, interviews and her speeches. You can also read an excerpt and summary of her books.
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Eyewitness to History: Children of War

For Teachers 4th - 6th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This passage shares an interview of a World War II-era native German whose family fled Berlin. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading skills and strategies and...
Handout
Scholastic

Scholastic: Joseph Bruchac

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Author Joseph Bruchac gives a personal account of his childhood, family relations, and career. Features links to a booklist, an interview transcript, and the transcript from a discussion group.