Teacher Activity Directions

Background

Teach or review the difference between primary and secondary resource materials used in history.

What is a primary source? A first-hand account of a person, event, or idea. Primary sources are records of events as they are first described, without any interpretation or commentary.

Primary sources provide the evidence historians use to construct their explanation of people and events of the past. Evaluating the information received is part of the historians' job. Once the information is gathered, it must be organized in a way that is meaningful in the present.

Historians consider the perspective or bias of the author, the trustworthiness of the author, the content and tone of the source, and the political, economic, social, and cultural background of the period.

Ask students to list examples of primary sources -- manuscripts, diaries, letters, autobiographies, newspaper articles, court records, interviews, census statistics (tabulations without interpretations)

What is a secondary source? An analysis or a restatement of primary sources. Secondary sources attempt to interpret or translate information from primary sources. They can be used to help analyze primary sources, or to make a point in a research paper or essay.

Ask students for examples of secondary sources -- dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks, books, and articles that interpret or review research works.

*From Hairston, Maxine and John J. Ruszkiewicz. The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers. 4th ed. New York: HarperCollins College Publishers, 1996, pg. 547.

Introduction

Have students explore the information listed above under Resources. As a class, find examples of primary and secondary sources. To get students started, take them to the letters Uys received from former teen hobos on his website http://www.erroluys.com/BerkeleyHackett.htm. Discuss how Uys created his documentary by using primary source material.

Now students will be given the opportunity to gather their own primary source material on what life was like during the Great Depression.

Teachers can set aside an area of the classroom that can serve as an archive for student primary source projects, or post them on your class website. For students taking a contemporary American history class, these resources will provide relevant and personal details to their study of our nation's past.

Students should have some background knowledge about life during the Roaring 20s and how that life began to change at the end of the decade.

Students can use Beyond Books for in-depth research of this period to create meaningful, thought-provoking questions for their interview.

Teacher Directions

1. Research the Great Depression era prior to starting this assignment. Use previous notes and Beyond Books resources to assist students in preparing good questions for their interviews. As a class, discuss suggestions and possible topics that students will cover.

   Encourage students to base questions on issues they are curious about, what will make a good story, and what information is essential in order to analyze what life was like for the "expert" during the Depression.

2. Students will decide on a candidate to interview. Be sure to get permission. The expert should be someone who lived during the Depression. Grandparents, great-grandparents, great aunts and uncles, neighbors, friends' grandparents and great-grandparents would all make excellent experts.

   Otherwise, with parent approval you may encourage students to visit a local senior citizen center or nursing home. Many older Americans would love to tell the story of what life was like in "the old days" to your students. Many schools around the nation are involved in the Adopt-a-Grandparent program. You may wish to have students participate, if possible.

   Or, if time and funding permits, arrange for a class visit to a local center that works with area schools. This project will prove valuable for students and older generations alike.

   Another Option -- if students do not have the opportunity to interview a Great Depression survivor, have them search for primary sources on Beyond Books, or in Riding the Rails: Teenagers on the Move During the Great Depression. From first-hand accounts they can write an essay comparing and contrasting the lives of two people who lived through the Great Depression.

3. Students will submit a listing of the expert's name, age, and the relationship to the student. Ensure that all of your students have secured a subject for the assignment.

4. Students will then arrange the time and place for the interview. Monitor this as you wish, but be sure to set a deadline for completing this step. Giving students a weekend to conduct the interview is a good idea. Remind your students to be prompt, courteous, and patient.

5. Pass out and review Simple Tips for a Good Interview by Errol Uys. These guidelines will ensure a great interview!

6. Once the data has been collected, a transcript must be written or typed. This should be done as soon after the interview as possible. Have students begin with an overview of the experience. The date, time, location, setting, name of the interviewee, and age should all be presented.

   Other interesting information such as how old the person was during the Depression, their status (child, student, teen, runaway, hobo, adult, etc.), the socio-economic level of the family, and a hint as to what the story will tell should also be included here.

7. Have students type or rewrite their data. Accuracy is extremely important. You may wish to have students hand in the original notes or cassette tape of the interview along with the final transcript.

   When transcribing, students should label each section with their name and question, followed by the expert's name and their response. Instruct students to use brackets to indicate additions to the interview, i.e. notes on inflection, facial expressions, or artifacts that are presented.

8. Remind students to proofread their work and prepare it for archiving and presentation.

9. Have students write a brief essay to conclude. Your expectations for this part of the assignment will vary based on the skill level of your students. Student analysis (the secondary source) of what life was like for their expert should be based on the information gathered. Students can present the conclusion to the class. Encourage a question/answer session so that students can share the details of their interviews.

10. Join Beyond Books on October 13 from noon to 1pm (EDT) to ask questions of Errol Lincoln Uys and former boxcar teens, Rene Champlain and John West. Add their answers to your class archive on the Great Depression.