Explain to students that they are going to be reporters for their family and investigate and share about some important artifacts and stories in their family. At this time or before explanation I will share an artifact from my family and give examples of some of the questions that I asked my grandparents. Have students generate questions that they could ask a family member about an artifact or event. Type up questions for students to take home and use in their interviews. Students can interview any relative they want, or several, older relatives may be able to provide stories that the students have never heard or are unfamiliar with.
Students can interview in person, over the phone, or send a letter of inquiry.
As students complete their interviews, they can share what they learned with the class. If they are able encourage them to bring in the artifact as well, photos of the artifact are also a way to give the class a concrete image. Evaluation of discussion and how they are synthesizing the information about family stories and oral histories will be done through observation and questioning. I am looking for students to apply what we have been reading, in this book and others, to what we have been doing with our quilts. If I do not see them making the connections, I will guide them to it through questioning, otherwise just facilitate their discussion.