School Interview Planning

Objective

Students will brainstorm a list of interview subjects from the school community and develop questions to ask them about the history of their school.

I can...

• I can think of people at our school to interview.
• I can come up with questions to ask about our school's history.

Standards Alignment

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) - Social Studies and English Language Arts Integration

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.7: Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of “how-to” books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions).
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.8: With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.4: Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.

---

Materials Needed

• Large poster or whiteboard
• Markers
• Graphic Organizer Worksheet (dyslexia-friendly: clear fonts, visuals, large spacing)
• Pencils
• Picture cards/photos of school community members (optional)

---

Lesson Timeline (30 minutes)

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

• Teacher explains today's goal: "Today, we will decide who from our school we want to interview to learn about its history."
• Use an "I can" poster to reinforce:
  • I can think of people to interview.
  • I can make questions to ask them.
• Quick group discussion: "Who do you think knows a lot about our school's history?" Call on a few students to share ideas.
• Write ideas down on the board as students volunteer (e.g., principal, librarian, long-time teacher, janitor, cafeteria worker).

---

2. Small Group Brainstorming Activity (12 minutes)

Grouping: Divide class into three groups of 5 students.

Instructions:

• Each group brainstorms at least three people from the school community who could be interview subjects.
• Groups then create three questions to ask their interview subjects about the school's history (examples: "When was the school built?" "What was the school like when you first started here?" "What is your favorite memory of the school?").
• Use the graphic organizer worksheet to structure their ideas (Interview Subject on left, Questions on the right).
• Encourage students to think about respectful and clear questions.

Teacher Role:

• Circulate among groups to support, ask prompting questions, and ensure all students participate.
• For dyslexic learners, assist with reading/writing or allow oral responses to be noted by teacher or a peer.

---

3. Group Sharing and Discussion (8 minutes)

• Each group shares their list of interview subjects and questions with the class.
• Teacher notes all shared ideas on the whiteboard or poster.
• Celebrate ideas and reinforce the “I can...” statements again.
• Confirm the success criteria have been met: each group has at least 3 subjects and 3 questions.

---

4. Extension & Wrap-up (5 minutes)

• Introduce the extension activity for advanced learners: "If you want, you can research one of your interview subjects before we interview them. You could ask family or use safe school resources to learn more about them!"
• Explain homework/next step: Think of who you might want to interview and what else you want to learn.

---

Success Criteria

• Students generate a list of at least three interview subjects from the school community.
• Students formulate at least three questions to ask about the school's history.
• Students participate actively in group collaboration.

---

Differentiation Strategies

• Small group work promotes peer support and diverse idea sharing.
• Graphic organizers help students with organizing thoughts, especially beneficial for students with dyslexia or language delays.
• Teacher scaffolding with sentence starters for questions (e.g., "When...", "What was...", "Can you tell me about...").
• Oral sharing options for students who struggle with writing.

---

Dyslexia-Friendly Options

• Provide graphic organizers printed on colored paper with dyslexia-friendly font (e.g., OpenDyslexic or Comic Sans) and large spacing.
• Use visuals/icons representing each interview subject to support comprehension.
• Use oral discussions and teacher scribing as needed.

---

Assessment

• Observe group brainstorming and participation for understanding.
• Collect and review graphic organizers to confirm at least 3 interview subjects and 3 relevant questions are created.
• Use informal questioning during the group share to check comprehension.

---

This lesson plan encourages active participation, collaboration, and early research skills with clear scaffolded support aligned tightly with Common Core standards to foster both social studies inquiry and literacy development.