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Wellspring—An Intergenerational Historical Writing Project (The)

Unit of 5 lessons

6th-8th Grade

Subjects:

Language Arts, Library / Technology, Philanthropy and Social Studies

Key Words/Concepts click to view

Lesson 1 :	ELA:	Concept Mapping; Interview; Listening; Research; Speaking
	PHIL:	5 genOn; Community; Social Capital
Lesson 2 :	ELA:	House on Mango Street (The); I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings; Lake Wobegon Days; Living Up the Street; Constructing Meaning; Cultural/Historical Contexts; Literature; Reading; Reflection; Social/Cultural Issues; Theme
	PHIL:	Community; Family; Respect
Lesson 3 :	ELA:	Letter Writing; Research; Thesis; Visual Media
	PHIL:	Common Good; Community; Service Project; Social Capital; Volunteer
Lesson 4 :	ELA:	Interview; Peer Review; Research; Self Assessment; Writing Mechanics; Writing Process
	PHIL:	Community; Service Project; Volunteer
	SOC:	Citizenship/Civic Engagement; Civic Responsibility/Virtue; Common Good; Community Capital; Human Capital; Inquiry
Lesson 5 :	ELA:	Peer Review; Persuasive Techniques; Research; Writing Mechanics; Writing Process
	PHIL:	Common Good; Community; Reflection; Service Project

Unit Overview:

The Wellspring is an intergenerational project. Eighth grade English students meet with older citizens of the community to share and record their stories. Interviews are compiled into a booklet, called The Wellspring, which contains profiles of local citizens, historical information, stories, poems, and local legends.

Students are taught the importance of preserving local history through writing. They recognize the historical value of this document. This could be valuable in any community but especially so in small communities where there may be no museum and/or no local newspaper. Students also recognize the philanthropic value of the book; it is a way of giving back to the community by capturing and preserving the places, faces, and stories that make the community unique.

Unit Purpose:

Preserving local history through writing; giving students the opportunity to interact with older citizens, to share and record their stories, to discover the wealth of history in the town, and to develop in students pride and a sense of connection to the community.

Unit Objectives:

The Learners will:

describe what published stories from other communities say about the people who lived in them.
define common good and community capital.
write a letter and design a poster to publicize their project.
write a research proposal.
conduct research and interviews and maintain a log of their work.
draft, revise, and edit final written projects to produce a finished research article.
produce a book, using computers to aid with layout and design.
describe the value of their contribution to the common good of the community.

Service Experience:

Although lessons in this unit contain service project examples, decisions about service plans and implementation should be made by students, as age appropriate.

Students are asked to join in an effort to preserve local history by collaborating on a book of recorded interviews. They begin by selecting a focus for their written project and advertising the project in the community to gain support and help in contacting people to interview. Students will meet with older members of the community and interview them about their experiences. They will write a story based upon the interview, assemble individual projects into a book, and host a release party for the community to share the finished product.

Unit Assessment:

Project Evaluation Rubric.

Notes for Teaching:

Although I use this project with my 8th grade English class, it could easily be adapted to the high school level. It is a particularly wonderful project for a small community like ours (of 500 people), but it could be revised in a larger area to preserve the history of a neighborhood or a community organization.