All Categories

In all categories, transcripts of oral history interviews should Not be included in any history day projects.

In a Performance

Oral memoirs are very helpful in performances because they provide the student with not only factual information, but also shares the emotions, inflections, style and general character of an individual. Oral testimony should be integrated into the script through actual verbatim accounts or by summarizing parts of the interview. One could:

·         present a biographical sketch

·         establish the character of an individual

·         establish the role an individual played in an event

·         present a unique insight on an event

·         present a rationale for a person’s actions or participation in an event

·         recreate an event

In an Exhibit

Oral testimonies gained from an interview could be used in the following way:

·         Create a timeline

·         Develop a time line to illustrate and document life spans in relation to major events.

·         Create captions that explain other primary source materials.

·         Construct captions or quotes which explain photographs and other visual aids.

In a Documentary

Oral interviews work well in video documentaries. Short quotes and captions, shown visually, are effective in slide/tape shows. Oral history may be used in a documentary to:

·         Give support and validity to sources

·         Provide a major portion of the documentary evidence

·         Explain and interpret various pictures and documents

·         Present both facts and opinions

·         Present various points of view

·         Document change

In a Historical Paper

Oral interviews may be quoted, summarized, or analyzed by students in a historical research paper. Make sure you document properly. Oral histories can be analyzed in papers to demonstrate the following:

·         Cause and effect

·         Fact vs. Opinion

·         Attitudes then and now

·         How the interviewee shows pol., econ. And social bias.