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Unit
II
Classwork
Applications of Fieldwork Basics
Lesson 1 Getting
Positioned for Fieldwork
To make a good roux, constant
stirring is a must. Don't answer the door if there's a knock, and
don't answer the phone if it rings -- a roux needs constant
attention, so keep your eyes riveted to the inside of the pot the
whole time. Start with slightly more flour than oil, making a
cream-colored paste. About halfway through the process, the roux
will become more liquid, but it will thicken to paste consistency
again as it is near completion. Remember, stick with your stirring
spoon.
--Maude Ancelet,
Lafayette Paris
Grade
Levels
4-8
Curriculum
Areas
English Language Arts,
Social Studies
Purpose of
Lesson
Students are introduced to interviewing and fieldwork through a
student essay and activities that will help them understand the
Interviewer's task of examining his or her position in fieldwork
through observation and questioning. Students learn about themselves
and cultural assumptions through observation and the interview
process.
Lesson Objectives/Louisiana Content Standards, Benchmarks, and
Foundation Skills
- Students gain an overall understanding of fieldwork through
reading and discussing an essay.
ELA-1-E1 Gaining meaning from print and
building vocabulary using a full range of strategies (e.g.,
self-monitoring and correcting, searching, cross-checking),
evidenced by reading behaviors while using the cueing systems
(e.g, phonics, sentence structure, meaning). (1,
4)
ELA-1-M3 Reading, comprehending, and
responding to written, spoken, and visual texts in extended
passages. (1, 3, 4)
ELA-1-M5 Using purposes
for reading (e.g., enjoying, learning, researching, problem
solving) to achieve a variety of objectives. (1, 2, 4,
5)
- Students conduct observation on school grounds and formulate
summary statements.
ELA-4-M4 Speaking and listening for a
variety of audiences (e.g., classroom, real-life, workplace) and
purposes (e.g., awareness, concentration, enjoyment,
information, problem solving). (1, 2, 4, 5)
ELA-5-M3
Locating, gathering, and selecting information using
graphic organizers, outlining, note taking, summarizing,
interviewing, and surveying to produce documented texts and
graphics. (1, 3, 4)
- Students work in pairs to examine their own position as
cultural insiders and outsiders, as they
investigate their own and others' photographs or objects.
ELA-6-M1 Identifying, comparing, and
responding to United States and world literature that represents
the experiences and traditions of diverse ethnic groups. (1, 4,
5)
ELA-7-M3 Analyzing the effects of an
author's purpose and point of view. (1, 2,
4)
H-1D-M6 Examining folklore and describing
how cultural elements have shaped our state and local heritage.
(1,3,4)
Time
Required
3-5 days
Materials
Before beginning this unit, access the Interview Folder -- For
the Teachers, Field Kit
-- For Teachers, and Archive Folders
webpages and follow the directions to prepare them for all students.
When completed, they contain all the materials, forms, equipment,
and storage needed for all the lessons in this unit. Having them
ready will make this unit flow easily, as well as simplify the
process for your students.
Decide if the students will read the Conducting an Interview
Essay online or if you need to print copies. Other materials
needed for this lesson include a special object to share with
students, the Interview
Checklist, "I Learned" computer template, camera, paper and
pencils or pens for recording observations. Print and duplicate the
Worksheets and Assessment Tools listed below.
Technology
Connections
Internet Resources
Conducting an Interview
Essay
Adaptation
Strategies
Student Worksheets
Interview Folder
-- For the Teachers (for teachers)
Interview
Folder -- List of Contents (for students)
Interview
Checklist
Conducting
an Interview Evaluation
Insider / Outsider
Worksheet
Field Kit -- For
Teachers (for teachers)
Field Kit List
of Contents (for students)
Archive
Folders (for teachers)
Archive
Folders List of Contents (for students)
Listening
Log - Community Soundscapes
Photograph /
Special Object Worksheet
Photo Clues
Worksheet
Venn
Diagrams
What's the
Context Worksheet
Assessment Tools
Interview
Checklist
Conducting
an Interview Evaluation
Fieldwork
Rubric
Evaluation
Tools/Opportunities
Process
- Interview
Checklist
- Observation notes
- Journal notes, questions, conclusions
Summative
- Summary statements from school observations
- "I Learned" reports
- Conducting an Interview Evaluation - graded by teacher
Products
- "Keys to Successful Observations" reports
- "I Learned" reports
- Listening Log -
Community Soundscapes
- Insider /
Outsider Worksheets
- Photograph /
Special Object Worksheet
- Photo Clues
Worksheet
Background Information for the
Teacher
Fieldwork
refers to the methods folklorists and other social scientists use to
identify and study traditional culture through directly observing
and documenting tradition bearers and cultural processes. In short,
fieldwork includes observation, interviews, photography,
audio recording, video recording, sketching, research, and interpretation of
the customs and traditions within a community. Students may find
themselves asking grandparents about a cure for hiccups, observing
an elder prepare a special food, talking to family members about a
holiday tradition, or researching how a boat builder or net maker
has learned and practiced a craft.
Fieldwork allows you to enhance your curriculum through the study
of local culture. Students participate in hands-on, integrated
projects that increase their understanding of living cultural
traditions and also provide intriguing materials for improving
decoding, literacy, math, ethics, social skills, reading, and
writing.
When we think of fieldwork, we usually think first of the
face-to-face interview with a community member. However, fieldwork
consists of more than the interview and fieldworkers must do a good
deal of preliminary work before that actual interview. They must
identify and observe appropriate sites; conduct research before
entering the field; identify, locate, and schedule Interviewees for
appointments; prepare equipment and forms; formulate questions; and
analyze the fieldworker's various research positions.
At the beginning of this unit on fieldwork, students gain an
overall view of the fieldwork process by reading and discussing the
essay Conducting an
Interview. It is written at approximately 8th grade level.
For students having difficulty reading at this level, access the Adaptation Strategies
for ideas on how to help them understand and learn the content in
the essay.
Once they have gained this overall perspective, break the process
down into three steps: (1) observation, (2) positioning, and
(3) processing the knowledge and skills learned into a
presentation.
Students develop observation skills through activities that
encourage keen looking and listening, then summarizing findings and
conclusions. The process of self-analysis in preparation for fieldwork is known
as positioning.
Fieldworkers need to determine whether their own personal
information and experiences could bias results; whether the language
they use for writing about findings is appropriate, and whether they
are writing as an insider or outsider.
Getting positioned for fieldwork challenges students to examine
their pre-existing assumptions and to understand more thoroughly
what it means to be an outsider or insider of a given folk group. An
insider interviewer, a person from within a folk group, will probably have some
pre-existing knowledge of the traditions held dear. An outsider must
observe from without and consider his or her pre-existing
assumptions about a group being studied. This is one benefit of
having students conduct folklife fieldwork.
Fieldworkers must ask appropriate questions to gain more
knowledge to help dispel cultural stereotypes. An
insider's view of folklife will necessarily differ from outsiders'
views. What's more, not everyone within a folk group will agree
about a tradition, nor will everyone practice it identically. There
is great diversity within folk groups. Certainly, respecting
Interviewees' beliefs about their culture is important. Folklife is
not only a vehicle for positive and celebratory cultural expressions
but also for more troublesome beliefs such as stereotyping or
prejudice.
Students will easily understand the concept of "Insider /
Outsider" when they think of their own groups of friends, but you'll
want to stress how they can be "insiders" in some groups and
"outsiders" in others as they shift positions. Sometimes we can feel
like outsiders in a group to which we've belonged for a long time.
Whenever we join a new group, we feel like outsiders at first. The
same thing happens when a folklorist begins fieldwork in a different
culture.
To help students understand this concept, they are asked to
observe closely, from both insider and outsider positions,
photographs or objects that they bring to class. This exercise
illustrates the usefulness of student resources for localizing your
curriculum, the importance of effective questioning, and the
influence that our insider or outsider perspectives have on
knowledge acquisition and interpretation. For the last step,
processing information into a presentation, students will complete
an "I Learned" template on computers to present their findings, then
print and post them around the classroom.
To Prepare
Think of a story to tell about a time when you felt like a true
outsider. Bring a
special photo or object of yours about which students will have no
pre-existing knowledge. Adapt materials and exercises to target your
students reading level.
4th and 8th Grade
Activities
Introduction to Fieldwork
- Introduce students to the concept of fieldwork by having them
read Conducting an
Interview. This essay introduces the basics of conducting
interviews. Have students return to this essay throughout all five
lessons of this unit. It is written for 8th grade reading level,
so you may need to adapt this essay to your students' reading
level or select excerpts. Visit the Adaptation
Strategies page for help in this area. Review the Interview
Checklist with the students, as a means of summarizing the
essay's major ideas.
- Discuss the essay with students: What parts of fieldwork seem
easy to them? What seems like it's going to be hard? Has anyone
ever done fieldwork for another class? If so, have them share
their experiences. Remind students that you will be providing them
ample opportunity to practice interviewing with each other in Unit II Lesson 2 and with
a classroom guest in Unit II
Lesson 3 before they interview someone outside the
classroom in Unit II Lesson
4. Also stress that fieldwork leads to products, such as
presentations, papers, posters, websites, bulletin boards,
stories. In the products, they share with others what they have
learned and what the fieldwork means.
Observation
- The first principle of fieldwork to stress is "look and listen
before you speak!" Assign students to conduct a 10-minute
observation at school. This can be done in the hallway, at recess,
in the cafeteria at lunchtime, wherever. Tell students to take down
simple notes on what they observe. They should concentrate on just
observing, and not judging or forming an opinion. Encourage them
to use all five senses in this observation. Then have students
complete a Listening Log -
Community Soundscapes about the place they
observed.
- After students complete their observations and Listening Logs,
ask them to go over their notes and review what they observed and
heard. Have them write three to five statements to summarize their
findings. Then have them discover which actions helped them "look
and listen" more carefully and accurately. Ask the class to come
up with "Keys to Successful Observations" to be shared with
another class.
Positioning with a Photo or Object
- After students observe on the school grounds, focus on the
concepts of insider and outsider,
mentioned in the student essay they read. Begin by telling a story
of your own about a time when you felt like a real
outsider—perhaps a time when you first joined a new group, how you
felt in the beginning, and how you feel now. Ask if they felt like
an insider or outsider—or a bit of both—at the place they
observed. Talk about a time when you were an insider by showing
your photo or object to the students. First ask them to observe
the photo or object and to take notes on what they see. Then
instruct them to ask you questions about it. Explain why this
object is important to you, from an insider's point of view. Ask
students to tell you how they feel like an outsider when they look
at your photo or object. Explain that when outsiders apply their
assumptions about another person or group to the whole cultural
group, this is called "cultural stereotyping." This is often seen
in jokes or cartoons. It is important to stress at this point that
lots of pertinent information can be gained during
observation, such as aesthetics, history, and context.
- After sharing your story, ask students about times when they
have felt like insiders and outsiders. Some discussion questions
to consider are: What groups of people are you most comfortable
with? Have you ever told a story differently to a friend than to a
stranger? What things would a close friend know about you that a
stranger wouldn't?
- Assign students to bring a special photo or object to class
for the next activity. They should not bring something
irreplaceable!
- Pair students off to interview each other about the special
photos or objects. Before they start talking, first have them
complete the Insider
/ Outsider Worksheet in relation to their partners. What
do they already know that makes them an insider? What don't they
know about their partner, making them an outsider?
- After the students have thought about their positions in
relation to their partners, distribute the Photograph / Special
Object Worksheet. Allow 10 minutes for students to
complete Part 1, when they write about their own object from an
insider's point of view. Then ask students to exchange objects
with a partner, interview each other, and complete Part 2,
allowing 15 to 20 minutes. Students will need the Photo Clues
Worksheet for this section. After the students have
interviewed each other, ask them to complete Part 3, filling in
the blanks provided. Have some of them share their responses with
the class.
Processing Information into a Presentation
- On a computer, make a template of Part 3 of the Photograph / Special
Object Worksheet and label it "I Learned." Have each
student open the template and respond by filling in the blanks.
Then have them draw, scan, or take a digital photograph of their
partners holding the photo or object and paste it into the
document, then save it to an individual file, named "I Learned."
Print each student's "I Learned" file, complete with photograph,
and post around classroom.
- Have students read over their Conducting an
Interview Evaluation and check off the steps they have
learned in this lesson. If desired, check them yourself and
administer grades.
- If you plan to use the Fieldwork Rubric
to grade students at the end of the unit, review it with them now.
Tell them that they will be assessed at the end of the unit on
their ability to prepare carefully, practice needed skills,
conduct fieldwork productively and accurately, process and archive
materials properly, and present their findings. They can refer to
the rubric as they work on Lessons 2 - 5 to be prepared for the
evaluation.
4th and 8th Grade
Explorations and Extensions
- Continue your discussions with Venn
Diagrams. This will allow you to analyze similarities with
and differences from each other.
- Write a paragraph about what you did over the
weekend for a good friend. Then rewrite the paragraph for a stranger. List
what information a stranger needed that a friend didn't
need.
- Come up with a list of experiences when you felt like an insider, and a list
of experiences when you felt like an outsider.
- Continue discussion of special objects by completing the What's the Context
Worksheet at home.
- Walk around your neighborhood with a notebook, writing down
whatever grabs your attention. Select a spot where you can observe
people and activities and use precise detail in describing
objects, movements, speech, shapes, smells, and colors.
- Further hone observation skills with activities in Unit VII Lesson 1
Reading Artifacts and Unit VII Lesson 2
Teaching and Learning Through Objects and the Useful or
Beautiful Worksheet and the Class Consensus
Worksheet. Also use activities in VIII Lesson 1 On the
Job and the I
Spy Worksheet, which uses the work of self-taught
painters.
- Additional activities on insider and outsider perspectives are
included in Unit VII
Lesson 1 Reading Artifacts.
- For more on using photographs in the classroom, see Unit III Lesson 3
Activity 3 Family Photos.
Unit II Resources
Unit II
Outline
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