Teen Corner - Weebly · 2020. 4. 26. · Amanda’s Interview Audio Click here for a sample part of...

Teen CornerYour Family History: Where will it take you?

Notes Version

Cranes, Wilcox, 2014, Author’s Photo©MCGordon, FamilyHistoryNotes, 20201

Grandma, what were some things you and your friends did when you were teenagers?

Well, we lived in the country, so we did things like have a star club.

Oh, and the Dairy Queen, we’d go there some nights.

Did you do stargazing without a telescope? How late were you allowed out?

Grandma still stargazes. Super Moon,

April 20, 2019, Author’s photo

Interviewing: Past, Present, Future

©MCGordon, FamilyHistoryNotes, 2020 2

1. Permission, Inviting

Permission:

If you are under eighteen, check with your parents or guardians about interviewing anyone in your family or anyone else.

Inviting: Once you have the go ahead, call and ask the person for an interview about family history.

• Ask if they are Okay with your recording the interview.

• If not but they are enthusiastic being interviewed, agree to do the interview unrecorded. You can record someone else later.

• In either event, tell them you have some preparation to do so will get back soon.

• If totally no, ask your parents or guardians for another suggestion. You can move to the next step in the meantime.


2. Saving by Taking Notes

Without a recording, you will need to take careful notes. (If you would like to record, you may need to acquire equipment. To explore, go back and select the record version.)

• During the call: Jot them down while you are listening, probably handwritten (HW). Or have someone on another phone do it for you.

• Duration: Note your beginning and end times so you can say whether it was a half-hour or shorter or an hour or longer.

• Immediately when done: As soon as you hang up, add anything you couldn’t write down fast enough. In other words, fill in the blanks. Label topics in the margins so that later you can write something as close as possible to what the interview covered.

3. TestingYou can practice a sample phone interview if you like. For a long interview, use a landline or check with your support desk to learn how much time your cell phone can record.

Next see an interview snippet and how updating notes was handled.


Old and New TowersSo, Grandpa, tell me about what it was like when you were my age.

I lived across from an ancient tower. We loved exploring it inside….Later we were the first in Italy to get wind towers.

First? Are you sure? Back then?

Yes, first! But so many years later. I saw them when I went to Italy for a visit. Our town, even when I was little, always had lots of scientists.

How do you spell the name of your town?

HW notes: Lived in Italy, ancient tower, later wind towers, scientists. Castelluccio Val Maggiore [check spelling]

Historic Tower, Castelluccio Valmaggiore, Italy, Author’s photo, 2009.


Labeling, adding to notes

Old Tower-Wind Towers, Updated Notes

Margin Topics Unrecorded Interview NotesGrandpa’s Youth,

Old tower

Lived old town, Castelluccio Val Maggiore, Valmaggiore,

Italy [Looked up town on internet for spelling], played

outside tower, tried to scale walls, tried to get inside but

didn’t till visited Italy yrs. later. Could have been a Norman

tower, probably held grain. Visits to Italy,

New towers

Saw wind tunnels when visited, one of the first in Italy,

town had lots of scientists [Why did he bring up scientists.

Did that have something to do the wind towers. Ask him.]

I lived across from an ancient tower.

We loved exploring it …. [I couldn’t keep up here but remember.]


Eventually you will use notes like these to write a short history from what you heard on the interview, check it with the person you interviewed, make any changes, and share it with family.

Wind towers near Castelluccio Valmaggiore, Author’s photo, 2009.


Amanda’s Notes:

Amanda’s Notes

The timecodes are

for recorded interviews.

See SAMPLE INTERVIEWS

for the full notes.


4. Preparing the interview pieces

Think about what you will need to say at the start of the interview.

Identify yourself and the person being interviewed

Give the date, the locations.

Ask the person you are interviewing to spell his or her name even with easy to spell names. (Is it Larson or Larsen?)

Amanda’s Interview Audio

Listen to the beginning if you did not

already. You will hear many of the points

her and the next few slides.. Time code

0:00-2:24.

Yes, she’s reading it.

See SAMPLE INTERVIEWS for full audio.


Preparing: topics and/or general questions

• Topics: You could ask Grandma/Grandpa to make a list of topics to discuss. Whether they have a topic list or not, it is a good idea to have some topics with questions of your own. Questions fall into categories“:

• General questions: Your main questions should be open-ended. An open-ended question usually cannot be answered by more than one or two words. Sometimes it is a question stated as a polite request. Example: for the topic—teen years: Tell me anything you like about when you were my age.


Preparing: specific questions

• Specific questions: You may know of events, situations, hobbies, and more that you’d like to ask about. List those. You may need factual close-ended questions too, questions that can be answered with yes/no, true/false, a number, a place. However, you will usually want to know more so ask even more specifically so be prepared to ask: Exactly where was that? Or generally: Could you describe that place so we can picture it?

• Send when? You may send your questions ahead if the person interviewed would like.

• Expect the unexpected: Whether sent ahead or not, and even if the person you will interview did prepare topics, expect interviewees to add what comes to mind as they go along.


Preparing: procedural information

You will read this or something close to it. You will want to have this handy or write it out, especially if it has some special considerations.• I will be asking you some questions. Just say pass if

you’d rather not answer. • Do not tell me anything confidential or for which you

would like to remain anonymous.• I will share this with family and maybe even make it

into a book, website ,or movie someday.• I will send you a copy of the recording with a copy of

my notes—or ( if not recording) I will be taking notes and will send you a copy.


Preparing: asking for verbal permission

May I have permission to interview you

and share the information with family and others,

in any formats now and in the future?

[You asked earlier with a yes, but good idea to ask on the recording.]


Think about a Beginning TopicUsually general but could be about a special interest

Grandpa, can you talk about any of your favorite projects.

I just finished fixing the old TV from way before you were born, but I made it modern too.

How did you do that?TVs were furniture so I refinished the outside, then the I worked on the inside. I kept the old vacuum tubes, but I made it so it’ll connect to a DVD player. Now you can see old shows on a TV of that time. This was very tricky. I had to ….

You don’t have to have a beginning topic. You could ask a very general question even Tell me what you thin is most important for me to hear about. But a question like this is fun as a starter. It probably is important to Grandpa.

Late 1940s or early 1950s Stromberg Carlson TV. The DVD player on top for playing old shows like Howdy Doody.

Restoration and Photo by Mario V. Contini


Preparing: the end f the interview

Sending: I will send you my notes.

Checking: I will call you to see if you have any changes, make them in the notes, and then ask you sign the official OK to use the notes and information from them in a story or presentation based on them.

Another interview: I may ask to interview you one or two more times. If I do, what topics would you like to discuss.

Referrals: Is there anyone else you suggest I interview? (Even if you do not interview anyone else, another family member may, so note the suggestions.)

Finally: Thank you for all the great stories.

An Official OK

Click here for a simple

permission form

(sometimes called a release form)


5. Conducting the interview

Use your topics and questions, but be ready to let

Grandma/Grandpa talk about other things that matter

ton her. Ask about what you do not understand. Listen

a lot.

Here’s a small snippet with something

probably not on your list.


Not on the List

Birds?Yes, every year a bird makes a nest right where I don’t want it!

Well, Grandma, why do you let it?I love birds and so does Grandpa. He had a falcon when he was a teenager in Italy.

A falcon? What for? Wasn’t that scary for him?

You’ll have to ask him, but as he tells it, scary—I don’t think so. He always says that if he could be anything else, he’d be a bird.

Why a bird?Because he could fly everywhere and see everything below.

Why would she have brought this up? After listening a bit, what else could you ask? When or how could you move to the next topic?

Grandma’s Wild Birds— a dove not a

falcon, Author’s, Photo, 2018©MCGordon, FamilyHistoryNotes, 2020 17

Backup drive

6. Saving the Notes

Create a family history file on your computer and a subfile for interviews. Store there.

Backup the file.

Print a copy on good paper and store it in a safe place.

• Family History• Interviews

• Grandma• Gma Int1

• Grandpa

• Etc.

• Permission Forms

• Visuals

• Witting the Story


Computer Files CreatedBefore the Interview

7. Reviewing the NotesCardinal rule: Update immediately

As soon as you hang up:

• Clarify: As soon as you hang up, go through the notes. Make changes to those that may be confusing later.

• Add: Insert information rom what you remember at places that went too fast for you to make notes.

• Label: Look for topic changes and give each topic a name. Sometimes the person you interviewed adds to an earlier topic. Mark that with the same as earlier label.


8. Sending Notes

You can send your notes by email or by regular US mail.

Include a thank you and that you will call soon about making any changes or include the instructions similar to those on the next slide.

Suggest they call you for help if they have any questions.


Amanda’s Interview Audio

Click here for a sample part of a real

grandma/teen recorded interview, section

24:00-35:00 in the timecoded notes.

See SAMPLE INTERVIEWS for full audio.


Backup drive

9. Making Changes to the Notes

Check with the person you interviewed for any changes/corrections they may have after seeing the notes. The changes can be made as most convenient for the interviewee which may be:

• On a printout and sent to you by mail

• On an electronic copy in red or ALL CAPS and emailed to you

• Or dictated to you on the phone.

Make the changes as soon as possible, mark the notes as updated, and send a corrected copy. Store again under an updated file name. such as Grandma Int1 final.

• Family History• Interviews

• Grandma• Gma Int1

• Gma Int1 final

• Grandpa

• Etc.

• Permission Forms

• Visuals

• Writing the Story


10. Sharing the Finished Product

First, remember that you asked for visuals. Incorporate those in any print or electronic medium you decide to use. You may have gotten them directly from Grandma/Grandpa, found them in family albums on boxes, or created them yourself. Here are some sharing ideas to start. Add your own:

• Email: Send notes and/or write a story, skit, poem, or song to send by email

• Groups: Read the story, skit or poem at a family get together. Sing the song.

• Online: Start a family website or blog with information from and what you created from your notes.


11. Interviewing Again

• Grandma, last time I forgot—Could you tell me about your high school activities,?

Well, there were a lot, but my favorite? I was busy doing school plays and little theater too? I was so scared at tryouts for a musical, but to my surprise I had a decent voice and got the part! Your aunts had good parts too in that same musical!

• Can you tell me about that part and what it was like to rehearse and then do it in front of a lot of people? What parts did your sisters play? What about your brother?

I have a cast photo. Let me send it you and then we can talk about this. I can show you who is who. You’ll get a sense of what a big production that was. Some of us flew in!


Grandma in Wizard of OZ, Early 1960s. She’s in a big hat.

Can you guess the aunts—in leading roles too?


12. Question Samples


Click here for Question Samples

One Interview

Starter for Full History

NOW YOUR INTERVIEW AND STORY

Wherever it takes place.!

The same Super Moon through Desert Thicket


Teen Corner - Weebly · 2020. 4. 26. · Amanda’s Interview Audio Click here for a sample part of...

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