Suggested Methods

1. Explain what ethnographic documentation and fieldwork mean. Contrast ethnographic field methods with gathering information through books, documents, or other written sources. Discuss what sorts of information are available through interviewing someone that are not available through written sources, and vice versa. Do students believe written documents are more “reliable”? Why or why not? Do they think interviewing someone about a tradition or event might be more interesting than reading about it?
   
2. Direct the class in interviewing you. First, each student should think of two questions about your life that he or she would like to ask. Students each ask one of the questions in turn and write down your answer. What did the class learn? How hard was it to write down your answers? Discuss how using a tape recorder to get your answers word for word might have been valuable.

Teachers should make the point that good note-taking is essential, but in an interview it is impossible to take notes word for word. Good interviewers write down just key words and sentence fragments during the interview so as not to lose the stream of the conversation. Immediately after the interview, they try to write out the interview in the fullest form possible.

Student Activity

1. Practice collecting the spoken word by having each student conduct a short interview of a fellow student on the subject of his or her last birthday celebration. Use tape recorders if they are available. Direct students to note the context of the interview. How might the interview have been different if it took place at the person’s home instead of in a classroom? What if family members or friends who helped celebrate the birthday were there in the room when the interview was being conducted? What if the person had been interviewed just after the birthday celebration was over? What if the interviewer had been present at the birthday celebration him or herself?
   
2. Have students write up the interview. Give the write-up to the person interviewed and discuss whether the interview is a fair representation of what happened at the birthday celebration. What other questions could the interviewer have asked to get more information? Practice interviewing someone with a “prop” such as a photograph of an event, a family heirloom, a souvenir from a trip, etc. Write a short explanation of the pros and cons of using “props” in interviewing.

HIGH SCHOOL ADDITIONS: Attend an event of any kind: basketball game, wedding, informal gathering of friends, or even a typical family dinner. Write down everything about the event that you can observe: who is there, the activities in the order they take place, the mood of those in attendance, any unusual occurrences, etc. Then interview one of the other people at the event about what he or she observed. Write about the two views. Do you think your observation skills need practice?

Home/Community Connection

Have students conduct a life history interview with an older member of their household. Students should compose at least ten questions they would like to ask this person. They should also pick one particular cultural tradition—it may be cooking, or celebration, or language use, or singing—that they can concentrate on in their interview. Students should write up their interviews and share them with the class. Teachers can help students find patterns, commonalities, and differences in the content of the interviews. They can also hold a “clinic” as students discuss the trials and challenges of conducting a good interview.

Student/Senior Citizen Exchange

Pair students with seniors and have them interview one another on a particular subject. Keep the subject fairly simple, but encourage the interviewers to go into as much depth as possible. Ideas for topics include: favorite pastimes or hobbies; favorite foods; the most interesting person in your family. Use tape recorders if possible. Transcribe interviews and share them with one another. Discuss what you learned.

		Photo
		LESSON 1.3
	Evelyn Birkby, a former radio host from KMA Radio in Shenandoah, Iowa, interviews other women at the Smithsonian Festival. What are the differences between a formal interview and an informal discussion?
				PHOTO BY JEFF TINSLEY