PEI History 621B Research Presentation
Option 1: Interview
You will
be required to interview a senior(s) and prepare a presentation based upon your
interview, additional research, and strong presentation methods. Presentations
will be assessed on the following:
ü depth in your interview
(content)
ü historical understanding
and ability to explain terms, events, etc. that arise
ü background research and
context
ü strong presentation
method; involvement/interest gained from class
ü correct identification of
the subject, location, date, relations, region, etc.
ü application of the Six
Concepts of Historical Thinking
Option 2: Skill Mastery
You will
learn and work towards mastering a skill that is not prevalent or common in
today’s society. Expectations include:
background information and history of the “trainer” and the skill;
explanation of the skill; demonstration of the skill to the class;
training/involvement of some or all class members in the skill; safety, set-up
and planning; hand-in all notes and information gathered.
Option 3: DIY
You have
the option of creating a different option for this researched presentation. You
must arrange to have a discussion with me, and confirm its relevance prior to
beginning your project. Your “idea” must be historical in nature, involve
learning something new, and be presented effectively to engage (and possibly
involve) the class in a signficant way.
Presentation Duration: Approximately 5- 10 minutes. If you work in
partners, please double this time and be sure that both individuals are equally
involved (in both the research and the presentation). You must include a picture of both students and the person you are interviewing,
in your presentation.
Format: Presentations should be engaging and
have complimentary visuals. Most students will use a slideshow to present their
information to the class; however, this is not mandatory. You may bring in any
artifacts or pictures to enhance your presentation.
Due date:
·
Presentations will be scheduled for mid-January. I will set a
due date shortly after the Christmas break.
Interviewing Techniques – Oral History
Starting out:
ü Find out about where your
interviewee grew up. Read up on the local history of their home (note special
events eg: Airbase in Sherwood 1940 or
the 1947 Wood Island Ferry)
ü Ask a son or daughter for
tips on good questions or stories to ask them about
ü You are recording history à ask the “obvious”
questions first (age, parents’ names, siblings, etc.) Just get down all the
details à don’t interpret the information now.
Make notes now, interpret your findings later.
ü You may wish to record
your interview (definitely helpful when to get all the information). Be sure to
ask permission, but keep your phone or recorder off to the side, as it
sometimes makes the person being interviewed feel nervous.
ü Start with non-threatening
questions (birth place, age, parents, etc. first)
Some areas
to investigate:
o Childhood (were you born
in the hospital? Doctor or midwife? Pets? Bicycle? Fishing hole? Favorite
childhood activites/memories?)
o Their father’s car, his
job à Did he play sports? Relationship
with parents?
o Childhood illnesses?
(Mumps, Measles, Polio)
o Ever in the hospital?
o Their earliest memories at
home
o Description of childhood
home
o Responsibilities around
the house à chores?
o Their mother’s
cooking/favorite foods as a child
o Where was food
bought/grown?
o Did mother work outside of
the home? Other mothers?
o Christmas as a child?
Presents? Letter to Santa? Stockings? Christmas foods? Favorite present?
o Description of area where
they grew up à Relationship with neighbors?
o School – first teachers,
favorite subjects, schoolhouse description (differences between now and then)
o Leisure activities à Go-to games?
o Sports – where were they
played? Outdoor rinks? West Kent vs. Queen Square
o Summer vacation – work or
play? 1st jobs? Pay?
o Grandparents – what they
did for a living. What did they look like? Where did they live? Memories of
interacting with grandparents?
o Farm life à
horses/cows/chickens/making hay
o Home Remedies à Cod liver oil, mustard
plaster, sulpher and molasses, Epsom salts?
o Myths? Family stories
passed down from generation to generation à popular sayings?
o Entertainment:
Prohibition? 1st drink/tobacco?, dances/ popular music (songs,
fiddlers, bands), picnics, circus, Old Home Week, ghost stories, Phantom Ship
o Religion: Church? Socials,
picnics à allowed to play on Sunday?
Please
use these questions as a guideline and formulate other relevant questions that
might help you uncover interesting information regarding the person and/or
PEI’s history. In your presentation you
must interpret and critically analyze your findings. I expect you to synthesize the information, and draw conclusions on
what you have learned about the person and the time period he/she grew up in.
You must also use the information you gather to compare the similarities and
differences between the past and current lifestyle of Islanders. Have
relationships changed? Have family responsibilities changed? Have values
changed? Have attitudes toward certain things changed?
Please take
the time to thoughtfully sift through your information and make connections with
past and present. YOU MUST APPLY THE
CONCEPTS OF HISTORICAL THINKING AT LEAST FIVE (5) TIMES THROUGHOUT YOUR
PRESENTATION, MENTIONING AT LEAST THREE (3) OF THE DIFFERENT CONCEPTS. IN OTHER
WORDS, YOU CANNOT USE THE CONCEPT OF HISTORICAL THINKING “CONTINUITY AND
CHANGE” FIVE TIMES.
Your presentation should:
ü Give audience a complete
view of the life of the person you interviewed
ü Highlight similarities and differences between past and current lifestyles of
Islanders.
ü Apply at least five (5) concepts of historical thinking to
the information you gathered.
