Family Treasures Assignment

FAMILY TREASURES ASSIGNMENT
GUIDELINES FOR STUDENTS



Our class is planning a special assignment for the beginning of 2006. It will be an opportunity for the children to do some public speaking and share some of their family history with classmates. This assignment will conclude with presentations in the class beginning towards the end of February.

INTRODUCTION TO STUDENTS

You are invited to go on a very special treasure hunt. You will look in your own home, or perhaps your grandparents' or some other family‑member's home for a family treasure or story.

First, you have to find a family treasure. Then the real detective work begins:

‑ Why is that treasure so precious to the family?
‑ What is the story behind the treasure?
‑ Or, what family story is there to tell?

You will interview people in your family:

‑ parents, grandparents, brothers\sisters, or maybe an aunt or uncle.

This kind of research is called oral history as it involves listening to people's stories and recording them. It's also called material history because it deals with objects and the reasons why they are important.

Through your detective work ‑ your research ‑ you will be doing something exciting and important. You will be discovering part of your family's history and writing it down so that this story will not be forgotten.


CHOOSING A TREASURE

1. Give your family as much time as possible to find a treasure
for this project. Talk to your grandparents as well as your
parents, if you can. Or talk to other family members.

2. The treasure, or story, should be very important to somebody
for personal reasons. If it's been passed down from one
person to another in your family, that's terrific. But the
treasure doesn't have to be very old or worth any money. It
could be a:

‑ child's toy ‑ family recipe
‑ souvenir ‑ family photograph
‑ tool ‑ family Bible or other book
‑ jewelry ‑ story
‑ cooking pot
Whatever it is, it should matter a lot to its owner(s).

3. Your family treasure should be something you can easily take to show your class. That means it should be small and easy to carry. Please don't choose things which are breakable or worth a lot of money.

4. If, however, the only family treasure available is large or fragile‑ a chair, a big china bowl, a
clock, for example ‑­ you could take a photograph of it, and bring the picture to class.

5. Find out if your family has any photographs, newspaper clippings, letters. etc. These could give you some clues about the treasure. The more you know about your treasure ahead of time, the better your interview will be.
INTERVIEWING
1. Write out your questions ahead of time. Show them to the person you will interview. People need time to think ‑ and remember.
2. Choose the right time to do your interview. People also need to be relaxed and in a good mood. Ask them for at least half an hour of their time.

3. It may be best to interview two ‑ or more ‑ family members at the same time. They can help each other remember things about the treasure. If the person you really want to interview is
shy, do the interview with him or her alone.

4. Find a quiet place ‑ no TV., radio, telephone. Close the window or door if there is distracting noise. You want people's full attention!

5. You can use a tape recorder ‑ make sure the person being interviewed agrees. Put it on the table between you and the other person. People soon forget that the machine is there.

6. Take notes. Try to write down important things in the person's own words, if possible.

7. If you are using a tape recorder, test it both before and during the interview to make sure it is working. Use at least a 30 minute cassette so you don't have to interrupt the conversation to turn the tape over.

8. Be a good listener! Make sure you give the person time to answer your question or finish what he or she is saying. Then ask the next question.