Grade Level: 8
Time: 20–30 minutes (classroom introduction); independent interview and reflection

Standards: 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source.
CSSS.8.Inq.3.a. Gather information from multiple sources and evaluate their relevance and intended use (e.g., origin, authority, structure, context, corroborative value, credibility).

Learning Objectives: 

• Students will be able to define “doing history” as an active process of investigation using primary sources.
• Students will conduct an interview to collect primary source evidence about the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Students will analyze and compare multiple perspectives to identify how contested narratives shape historical understanding.

Teacher Background: 

This introductory lesson familiarizes 8th-grade students with the concept of “doing history” using a shared event they have personally experienced: the COVID-19 pandemic. By interviewing a peer or relative, students will act as historians, gathering oral narratives to compare with their own memories and reflections. This lesson is designed to take less than one class block to introduce, with the actual interview and “Comparing Perspectives” reflection worksheet to be completed independently outside of class.

This lesson is strictly a brief, low-stakes introduction to the concept of oral history, to build foundational skills in active listening and respect for other perspectives. Students should be made aware that professional oral history involves standard best practices to ensure historical value and ethical compliance, but the focus should be kept on human connection and the collection of primary source narratives.

Essential Question:

How do individual perspectives and primary sources shape our understanding of a shared historical event?

Supporting Questions:

• What is the difference between a static historical narrative and the active process of “doing history”?
• Why is it important for historians to look at different perspectives rather than just one side of a story?

Step-By-Step Lesson Instructions (20-30 minutes)

Part One: Introduce “Doing History”

1. Direct Instruction (Slides Presentation pages 1–5):
   • Introduce the concept of “doing history” as an active investigation. Contrast this with reading a textbook (a static narrative).
   • Define primary sources (eyewitness accounts, diaries, interviews, photographs) versus secondary sources.
   • Explain that students are living through history. Their personal experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside those of their families and friends, are valuable historical evidence.
2. Turn-and-Talk (Slides Presentation page 6):
   • Have students turn to a partner and discuss:
     • In your own words, what does it mean to “do history”? How is this process different from just memorizing facts?
     • Why is it important for historians to look at multiple perspectives, rather than just one side of a story?
     • Think about your own life during the pandemic. What is one “primary source” from your own experience (an object, a photo, a text message) that could help a historian in the year 2126 understand what life was like for you?

Part Two: Introduce the Interview Assignment

1. Share the interview instructions, along with tips for a successful interview and some sentence starters they can refer to during their conversations (Slides Presentation pages 7-9).
2. Explain that professional historians follow specific guidelines for recording oral histories and that this project is simply a friendly, respectful introduction to these standards. Instruct students that if their interviewee feels uncomfortable or wants to skip a question, they must respect that request.

Part Three: Exit Ticket

Students will write down who they plan to interview (e.g., parent, grandparent, sibling, friend) along with one open-ended question they want to ask them about their pandemic experience.

Opportunities for Assessment

After students complete their interview, they should compare their experience with that of their interviewee using the provided Comparing Perspectives worksheet.

Articles and Worksheets

“Doing History: The COVID-19 Pandemic” Slides Presentation (PDF) (Canva)
Interview Notes Worksheet (PDF) (Doc)
Comparing Perspectives Worksheet (PDF) (Doc)