New Bedford Division of Adult/Continuing Education
455 County Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
MAIN CONCEPT:
Students learn to ask the right questions during an interview.
OBJECTIVES:
To help the students feel comfortable with the interview process, and observe how it is done.
To help the students become familiar with some local historical characters.
To practice asking questions of this guest speaker.
To help the students enhance their oral and written skills while using adjectives for a descriptive
portrayal.
MATERIALS:
Computer, modem, CD-ROM drive, a telecommunications network providing access to the World
Wide Web, and a bookmark for Oral History sites
Word Processing Software
World Map
CD-ROM (such as Grolier's Encyclopedia)
Journals for students to record information
Tape recorders, tapes and cameras
PROCEDURES:
The students are shown an autobiographical video about a famous person from the area.
The class brainstorms some questions that they would like to ask of this famous person.The
students are encouraged to prioritize their questions, and they are reminded to ask the "right"
questions.
The class is told that a local historical character will be visiting soon. The students are asked to
prepare a list of questions to ask this guest speaker.
Each student thinks about and writes the questions that he/she would like to ask. The students
are encouraged to prioritize their questions, and they are reminded to ask the "right" questions.
Have a person portray a Historical Character from the area, such as a sea captain's wife.
Students are to ask questions about her life at that time. The students refer to their list of
questions and take turns asking appropriate questions of the guest speaker.
The interview may be video taped so that the students may evaluate themselves on prioritizing
and asking the "right" questions during an interview.