What is the National Day of Listening?
Friday, November 29, 2013 is the sixth annual National Day of Listening.
Each year, Story Corps asks all Americans to set aside an hour on the day after Thanksgiving to interview a friend, loved one or community member about their lives, and to record the interview using recording equipment that is readily available in most homes, such as computers, smartphones, tape recorders or pen and paper, along with StoryCorps’ free Do-It-Yourself Instruction Guide.
Ideas for Bringing the National Day of Listening Into Your Classroom
The National Day of Listening is a great time for students to learn more about their family history. Here are a few ideas for activities:
- Use StoryCorps’ Do It Yourself Guide for a class discussion of great interview questions. Students can then interview a family member and share what they learned in class.
- Kids can draw a picture of who they will interview and send it to us. We’ll share it right here in the Youth Corner and on our Lowcountry Wall of Listening on Facebook!
- Younger children can work with parents to build a photo family tree, then share their tree in class
More Resources
Here is a helpful lesson plan unit called “Listening to History,” from our friends at EDSITEment. Students will learn about oral history and listen to selected interviews from the site History Matters.
Here is another great oral history unit from Rochester Oral History Archive.
