Year 9 Oral History Project
Year 9 history students began the year by completing an oral history project. They had to select a project, research it, design interview questions, interview a family member, and analyse the responses. There were some amazing projects ranging from exploring what it was like to go to a grammar school in the 1960s, to what it was like growing up during civil wars, to what it was like experiencing terrorist attacks, to how fashion changed over time. We had projects that covered the histories of countries in nearly every continent!
Huge congratulations to the winners; Charlotte Smith, Ria Dhinsa, Sophie Chang and Alessia Fraccia.
Two students have written about their experiences of completing the project:
It was incredibly interesting to interview my parents on topics such as 9/11, LGBTQ+ rights and experiences in the 90's compared to now. Talking about such sensitive issues (that may not have even been resolved now) and hearing different answers on a personal account for our history project was quite eye- opening for sure and made me understand that everyone has a different opinion, and they are neither right nor wrong. Asking my parents was a process of asking the right things and asking the sort of questions that would/could possibly stir up views on certain topics. And then, of course, sorting their answers in a way that could be presentable, a way in which it could be respected and easily understood, was quite a task.
I then went on to back up their different thoughts with facts which were well- researched. I then finished my project off by expressing my opinion of each topic and why I thought it made the world what it is today. Honestly, I loved the history project and I'm quite glad about the result I worked hard to receive. Obviously, there is always room to improve, and in my opinion, I think I came up with interesting but typical topics, topics which everyone was doing. If I had included a topic of my own, maybe I could have made my project even better.
Overall, I'm quite pleased with how my project turned out and I'm even more excited to use my learning from my mistake(s) in future projects.
By Svara Tejawsi
I was really excited to be able to branch out and get involved with a creative history project. I loved being able to explore with new resources how oral history changes perceptions on different revolutions over various eras. I got the chance to change my writing style and be more thorough with primary research.
I was able to get exclusive information from family members via social media which was intriguing, and I got to find out various truths.
After carrying out my own research and corresponding with my family, it made me have to re-evaluate my opinion and caused interesting debates at the dinner table.
Carrying out this project in such an assiduous manner allowed for information to stay fresh in my mind. I definitely think that the three weeks we had to carry out the project was so valuable; it helped me plan information and get more of an idea about my family’s background. The elongation of the homework made me realise that it isn’t just ‘task and finish’, and it helped me enjoy history a lot more.
By Charlotte Smith