Looking back

An oral history interview is a primary source of information about the past. Watching and listening to personal accounts of experiences and events from the past can help build historical knowledge. It is important to note that oral histories depend on people's memories and experiences and can be inaccurate due to the passing of time and the interviewee's perspective.

An oral history interview is generally a narration that is guided by open-ended questions. An open-ended question usually begins with how, what, when, where or why. Phrases such as 'What do you think about ...?' and 'Tell me more about ...' are open-ended as they are asking for answers that require knowledge and opinions. The interviewer asks questions about the past and records the interviewee's responses through video, audio or written notes (with a scribe for young students). The interview can be analysed and inferences made to give a clearer picture of an event or period of time.

Familiarise yourself with the interview questions (.docx 21kB).

Tell students: 'We can find out about what families were like in the past by asking people such as grandparents or older people we know well'.

Watch the interview and then ask students to share one thing they recall about Rob's family celebrations.

To prompt further discussion, you might ask: 'Why could Rob's family get together almost every weekend?'

Students might respond, 'All his family lived nearby'.

'What does that tell you about his family?'

'They saw each other a lot'.

'How might other families have been different?'

You might prompt with: 'What if your family had just arrived in Australia from another country?'

Families get together to celebrate many things. 'What do you and your family celebrate?'

Share one of your own family celebrations with the class by showing a photograph or excerpt from a video.

Brainstorm the different occasions when families get together to celebrate. Record these occasions. You could collate these using a Microsoft PowerPoint slide show or Empressr. View the Empressr YouTube tutorial to get started.