Grade Five students are to interview relatives for their childhood memories of World War II. The relatives should have been 10-11 years of age during the War; about the same age as the interviewer. After the interview, children are to give a first person written account in Postcard format with a prepared charcoal drawing or an archival photograph to represent the memoire. The students will learn interview techniques, creating a postcard, e mail procedure, an art medium and importantly family lore.

To learn interview techniques, how to create a computer generated postcard, the charcoal art medium, e mailing their postcard to e mail buddies and becoming involved with Veteran’s Affairs Postcards for Peace Keepers.

Period 1: Explore the background history of Newfoundland’s role in War World II. General overview in Student Text pp 98-101. Website on the Royal Nfld. Regiment. Read alouds: Remember Me, Number the Stars, Kit Pearson’s Trilogy.

Period 2: Discussion on what life was like for their older relatives during the war. Use wartime songs, pictures, and Canada Songs.

Period 3: Teach/Review Questioning Techniques: Refer to Blue Handout. Practice with their peers using their lifetime or sports event to practice the technique.

Period 4: Teach/Review interview techniques: Discuss whether one would use video, cassette, paper and pencil; how to make the subject feel comfortable, and alert them to sensitivities that may illicit poor memories for some relatives. Set the interview assignment due in approximately 3-4 days, preferably a long weekend project.

Period 5: Research the internet for archival photos to assist in presentation. (www.archives.ca) Alert them to newspaper and book research possibilities for other photos. Save possible photos to a disk.

Periods 6 & 7: Introduce the students to Creating Post Cards from the Past. See blue handout. Lead them through the instructions, give a handout of directions and give time for them to create a simple one or two to e mail to their buddy readers and/or e mail buddies.

Period 8: Discuss voice and how they should pretend to be their relative and write in the first person for their story. Give computer time to type their story.

Period 9: Bring in a Guest Artist to teach charcoal techniques and practice using them. They may even start their own drawing to accompany their postcard from the past with the artist being available to assist.

Period 10: Scan in charcoal drawings or archival photo, if the student is not happy with their representation. As scanning will take time, students could also learn and play traditional games that were played during the 1940’s.

Periods 11 & 12: Sharing Time: Read their postcard stories in class, e mail to someone, and challenge them to write another postcard to send to Veteran’s Affairs Postcards for Peace program. These postcards could be also shared with the local papers, and or create their own Newspaper for Peace.

Teacher Notes