“A Community of Stories” – Ninth Graders Learn History from In-Depth Interviews

This Fall as a kickoff to the school year, students in Jackie Scully’s ninth grade U.S. History class learned how to study history by conducting interviews and collecting stories, connecting to different time periods in the country’s history. She framed the project with a quote from Clifford Geertz, a prominent anthropologist, who defined culture as “the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves.”

Students were required to interview people they knew, perhaps grandparents or older friends, thinking especially about those who may wish to have someone to tell their stories to. They brainstormed questions for their subjects, and were encouraged to prompt them with open-ended questions that encouraged longer narrative answers about their lived experiences. Once their interview framework was complete, students conducted and recorded the interviews. They then wrote reflections about their interviews.

“How we study history, collecting stories connected to important events, and learning about different perspectives is the foundation of learning history,” said Ms. Scully. “It’s not about memorizing facts, but understanding our experiences and the impact it leaves.” She was quick to credit the idea to recently retired MFS History Teacher Eliza McFeely who created the project last year for her U.S. History classes. Ms. Scully changed the project slightly but “wanted to carry on her wonderful project.”

A wide range of topics were covered:

• Grandparents Location during the Civil Rights Movement
• The Stock Market Crash of 2008
• The Assasination of President John F. Kennedy, Jr.
• Living through World War II
• Living in China Prior to the Cultural Revolution
• Remembering September 11, 2001
• Immigration to the U.S. (4 – from Australia, Egypt, Jamaica, and Vietnam)
• Navy Life during the Vietnam War
• A Childhood in Philadelphia and the War on Drugs