In small rural communities students often don't know the history surrounding the community or the people who have developed it. In a joint history/literature adventure students will document an oral history of the people and events that created their small town.
We are a small rural high school of 57 students.
The community has around 800 residents. Many students return to the farming community to continue with the strong agricultural ties, but too many find their future outside of the town as well. Students have a strong identity and sense of area.
My Project
My students need digital voice recorders and Livescribe pens to maintain an accurate record of interviews while creating an oral history narrative. All too often the stories of the elderly are lost to death or memory. And with those stories go the history of our past. With the past gone, generations of students lose out on the engineering of small rural communities. With the advent of social media the desire to connect with family and one's history is prevalent in my students' minds. This opportunity to document the stories and history of small rural SD becomes a reality. Students need to see a bridge between their past and their future. This journey will also give them publishing credit and an opportunity to involve the community in a project with the students.
Students will be seeking out members of the community to document the history of the community.
It will bridge the community and the school in a joint venture to create a documented history. Students will not only become active participants in their community, but will learn an appreciation for the past. They will also create a published work allowing for high school students to gain publishing and research credentials at the high school level.
More than a third of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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