Instructional Plan: Interviewing the Elderly

Communication via technology is the area of language arts that has changed the most in the last decade. Through the social networking site Facebook and the free services of Skype, my middle school daughter has kept in touch with exchange students from Australia, Germany, and Japan. When I was her age this would have required a postage stamp and several day’s wait or an expensive long-distance phone call.

Another significant change of the past few years is the number of grandparents raising grandchildren. Most recent census data shows that “Grandparents are raising nearly 3 million children in the United States… That's up 8 percent over the past decade, largely because of the recession” (Robertson, 2011 January 27). The fastest growing demographic group in the United States is that of adults 85 years of age and older. “Most children view the later years as a time of decline and loss, rather than wellness and personal growth, and a time of isolation and loneliness rather than healthy involvement in the community….At very early ages, children have internalized ideas that serve as a breeding ground for ageism (age prejudice) and gerontophobia (fear of aging), that cloud a healthier view” (“UT Health Science,” 2011). The “Interviewing the Elderly” unit will attempt to increase communication between youth and the elderly in hopes that students’ understanding of and attitudes toward the elderly will improve.

I will be completing this unit with an 8th grade group in collaboration with a language arts teacher, social studies teacher, and media specialist.

Learning targets for the unit:

1. I can construct interview questions and conduct and interview in order to discover personal, historical information. (W.8.7.)

2. I can use technology in order to edit recorded information and form a cohesive, clear narrative or story and keep the audience engaged. (W.8.7)

3. I can use integrate media technology into a presentation to add interest to a piece. (SL.8.5)

4. I can organize a video presentation in a way that engages my audience initially and provides them with a satisfying conclusion. (W.H/SS.2a, W.H/SS.2f)

5. I can compile documents, artifact, and information received in an interview to develop one narrative or story about a person. (W.H/SS.2b)

6. I can use editing technology to make logical transitions in a video presentation. (W.H/SS.2c)

7. I can create a video presentation that has an appropriate tone and acceptable vocabulary. (W.H/SS.2d, W.H/SS.2e)

During the three-week unit, 8th graders will be paired with an elderly citizen at a local nursing home. By the close of the unit, they will have interviewed this person, taped and edited the interview, and created a human interest piece.

Learning movie editing software and the basics of photography and videotaping will be an integral part of instruction, as well as interviewing techniques and formulating questions that elicit information. Activities that increase awareness of the challenges of elderly citizens will be conducted, and students will read The Graduation of Jake Moon, a novel by Barbara Park that describes how life changes for a boy after his grandfather with Alzheimer’s comes to live with him.

The culminating activity for this unit will be a red carpet screening at the nursing home one evening to show all video stories and pay homage to the interviewees. Parents and family members of students, caregivers of elderly citizens, community members, and the local television news station will be invited to attend. Planning this celebration will be the responsibility of the learners—informing community members, contacting local media, sending invitations to caregivers, etc. The red-carpet evening will showcase not only the talent and creativity of our middle school students, but also positive cross-generational relationships.

The complete unit can be viewed at the following link.