Summary
In this second lesson of "The K20 Chronicle" journalism unit, students will practice their active listening skills to determine what makes a good interview. After some collaboration time, students will apply what they have learned to conduct their own interviews of the school's seniors, which will be used later in the unit to create a Senior Spotlight in their school newspaper. This is the second of four lessons in "The K20 Chronicle" unit.
Essential Question(s)
What are the components of a journalistic article? What makes a good article? How do you create an engaging story?
Snapshot
Engage
Students brainstorm a list of individuals from any time period that they would like to interview. In small groups, students generate questions to ask these individuals.
Explore
Students watch several videos of interviews and evaluate interviewing techniques.
Explain
Students create a list of rules to follow when interviewing based on the previous two activities.
Extend
Students write questions for and conduct interviews of the school’s seniors.
Evaluate
Students review a peer’s recorded interview and complete a 3-2-1 reflection to provide feedback.
Materials
Lesson Slides (attached)
Interviewing Techniques and Guidelines handout (attached; one per student)
3-2-1 handout (attached; one per pair of students)
Camera (GoPros are preferred)
Chart paper
Markers
Computers (iMacs are preferred)
Internet access
Engage
20 Minute(s)
Introduce the lesson using the attached Lesson Slides and explain to students that this is the second lesson in the journalism unit. Display slide 3 to share the essential questions and slide 4 to go over the lesson's learning objectives. Review them with students to the extent you feel necessary.
Go to slide 5 and pose the following question to students: If you could interview one person from any time period, who would it be? Let students know they could choose someone famous or someone close to them; it could be someone alive, someone dead, or someone who hasn’t been born yet.
As students share out, generate a class list of "dream interviewees" on the board. Together, narrow down the list to the top 5 people students would like to interview. Title each of the five posters around the room with the names of the top 5 interviewees.
Go to slide 6. Place students in groups at each of the five posters around the room and explain the Chain Notes strategy. Using the 5-minute timer on the slide, have students in each group brainstorm a list of questions they would like to ask the individual listed on their chart paper.
At the end of the 5 minutes, transition to slide 7 and ask groups to rotate to the next poster. Give students time to review the questions already written on the paper before they write additional questions. This time, use the 4-minute timer.
Transition through slides 8–10 for additional rounds of generating questions. The timers on these slides each decrease by 1 minute as students progress through the activity.
Once students have completed their final round, go to slide 11 and give them some time to reflect on the questions written on their original chart paper.
Explore
60 Minute(s)
Display slide 12 and pass out the attached Interviewing Techniques and Guidelines handout. Inform students they should not write anything on the handout yet, as the first row in each table has already been completed for them. Play the video of LeBron James' "The Decision."
After the video, walk students through the handout. Each table contains some examples from the video, but these are not the only examples in the video. Be sure to point out key information and discuss where in the video students noticed each example.
Go to slide 13 and provide students with a link to the Wakelet collection titled "How to Conduct an Interview." Using a modified Jigsaw strategy, have each student watch three interview clips other than the LeBron James video. On the handout, have students complete each table with examples and notes from the three interviews they watched. Ask students: How do these interviews demonstrate the techniques and guidelines explained in the handout?
Once students have viewed three videos and taken notes on their handouts, hold a class discussion. Have students reflect on the questions they generated in the previous activity and the interview clips they just watched. Ask students: Were the questions in these interviews similar to your original list? Did any of your questions come up in the interviews you watched? Would you add something to your original list based on what you saw? What can you take away based on what you saw?
Explain
60 Minute(s)
Display slide 14. Based on the previous activity, have students brainstorm a class list of rules to follow while conducting an interview. Keep track of these curated rules and guidelines on chart paper or on the board. Be sure to guide the discussion during this time. Consider topics such as how to craft questions, how to conduct an interview, how to conduct oneself, and tips for staying on track and helping things go smoothly during an interview.
Go to slide 15 and have students begin crafting interview questions for the Senior Spotlight articles they are going to write later. Inform students that writing 7–10 questions is a good starting point, as follow-up questions tend to arise naturally during an interview. Also let students know that reviewing their Chain Notes question lists from the Engage activity can help them start the brainstorming process.
Extend
25 Minute(s)
Display slide 16 and share a few final tips for students before they go out to interview their seniors. Depending on the type of camera students are using to record, you may want to review the basics of how to use it.
Remind students to record the interview, to take photos of their seniors in a variety of locations around the campus (locations that mean something to the senior), and to ask as many questions from their list as they can in the time allotted, as well as appropriate follow-up questions where needed.
Evaluate
25 Minute(s)
Display slide 17 and assign student pairs or have students choose their partners. Pass out the attached 3-2-1 handout to each pair of students and have them cut or tear it in half along the dotted line. Ask each student to review their partner’s video and provide specific feedback on the interview.
Using the 3-2-1 strategy, have each student complete their half of the handout once they’ve finished watching their partner’s video. Remind students to include the timestamps of any sections they reference so they are easier to find later.
Resources
ESPN. (2018, June 11). [Full] Lebron James' 'The Decision' (7/8/2010) | ESPN archives. YouTube. Retrieved February 28, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Afpgnb_9bA4
K20 Center. (n.d.). 3-2-1. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/117
K20 Center. (n.d.). Chain Notes. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/52
K20 Center. (n.d.). Jigsaw. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/179
K20 Center. (n.d.). Wakelet. Tech Tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/2180
Link, L. (n.d.). How to Conduct an Interview [Video collection]. Wakelet. https://wke.lt/w/s/RDXwwr