APPENDIX A

Community ESL Program

My Story, Your Story

Project Design
Language Learning Goals:
Learners enhance listening skills
Learners become more fluent in producing authentic, meaningful speech and enhance their overall
communicative competence
Learners build vocabulary through engagement with authentic/natural speech of both native and
non-native speakers
Learner enhance their capacity to tell their own story and to recount the stories of others by using
the interview formal.
Affective Goals:
Learners gain confidence in their ability to engage in English to achieve specific purposes
Learners recognize that their own stories are important and interesting
Learners gain confidence in their own agency and skill in product creation
Learners experience the value of learning from and with peers
Project Time Frame:
Mid-January through May or early June
Minimum 30 minutes dedicated class time weekly

Introduction and Overview

First Thursday: Students review the story-hearing/story-telling arc of the project. (Handout #1
Overview with outcomes of what students will have accomplished by the end of each part of the
project). This includes a description of the three specific task products, a checklist of what they will
accomplish, and class discussion of how their creation will contribute to learners language learning
goals.
Note: This presumes that there was class conversation during the in fall to confirm that this is a
project that the learners do, in fact, want to do (and have chosen, among other options provided, to
do this Winter/Spring).

PART 1: INTERVIEWS & INTERVIEWING

Timeframe
Outcomes

Task product
Week 1
About interviews
generally
in learners L-1
Week 2

Mid-January through February

Students learn about interviews and the interviewing process.
Learners work together to analyze real world interviews both in the L1 and in
English. Using an inductive process that relies on listening skills and note taking,
they identify: different types of interviews; distinguish between conversation and
interviews; roles and related behavior/etiquette in interview situations; the general
structure of interviews; specific elements of interviews (including vocabulary and
question form).
Learners make judgments about quality of interviews and identify specific actions
that contribute to a good interview in contrast to those that would not.
Learners hone listening skills using authentic speech and practice listening skills (i.e.,
listen for main idea, listen for details).
Learners increase vocabulary relating to how to do interviews (specifically, adjectives
describing characteristics, good and bad) that form the basis for the rubric for Part 2
Poster listing (and illustrating) interviewing dos and donts.
Activities/Tasks

Actors

Input/Resources

What interviews do you watch?

Identifying different types of interviews
and preparing for homework (watching
interviews in L1)
Homework: Students watch 2
interviews in L-1, begin process of
analysis (Task 1)
Groups discuss what was learned from
interviews; begin process of analysis of
interviews

Group
Class

Video clips (recent news/

celebrity interview)

Individual

Handout #2 guided
listening for home viewing

Groups
of 4

Handout #3 guided
reflection/note-taking

Interview to solicit story:

From 11 Million Dreams Campaign a son
interviews his mother about her dreams
(in Spanish with English subtitles)

Week 3
in English

Discussion about what new insights this

video brings about interviewing to elicit
stories. What did the son do to
encourage his mother to share her
dream? Add to notes
Introduction of StoryCorps (SC):
interviews to elicit stories
Listening to first SC segment:
The Icing on the Cake
Blanca Alvarez daughter, Connie, asks her
mother about the time when she and
Connies father immigrated into the U.S. and
struggled to make ends meet. They hoped to
shelter their children from these harsh
realities, but Blanca's daughter Connie
reveals how much children can really see of
their parents' livesand the inspiration they
draw from their struggles.

Purpose
Activation of schemata

Information gathering,
classification

throughout
Part 1

Class

11 Million Dreams Interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=3aZwoggs7AE&feature=
youtu.be

Class

Class

Online introduction to WebSite,

or PowerPoint screen saves if
WiFI is not available
StoryCorps Interview 1:
http://storycorps.org/animation/th
e-icing-on-the-cake/

analysis, evaluation
(L-1 input forms the basis for
L-2 production)

Information gathering,
analysis, evaluation
(L-2 input forms the basis for
L-2 production)

Week 4

Individual

Listen (with video/visual support)

for major idea, details; follow-up with
reading of script
Continue analysis of good interviewing
(with goal of eliciting stories)
Listening to second SC segment

Development of listening
skills (authentic speech, with
different accents)

Group

A Family Man
Samuel Black is interviewed by his wife Edna
about what he learned from his father, who
worked 16-hour days to provide for his wife
and eleven children.
Audio, with visual support

Individual
Class

http://storycorps.org/animation/afamily-man/

Continue analysis of good interviewing

(with goal of eliciting stories)

Week 5

Development of two posters in each

group: 5 Dos for a Good Interview; 5
Donts
Groups present poster to class in
walking poster-pairs round robin
Class uses group input to develop a
comprehensive list of interview advice
to self and prioritize importance (which
in part forms the rubric for the next part
of the project)
How not to interview or discussion of a
bad interview (with video from The
Colbert Report his parody of
interviewers, who dont let interviewees
finish their thought).
Interview advice from StoryCorps
Pair discussion two main ideas

Posterboard, markers, etc.

Group
Class
Pairs
Class

Prioritization, Cooperative
Group Decision-making and
Production
Advice-giving

Class

Fluency
Presentation skills
Synthesis

Whiteboard

www.colbertreport.com
(current interview parody
of interviewer who

Handout #4
Pairs
Class

Class discussion of meaning

PART 2: INTERVIEWING FAMILY & FRIENDS

Timeframe
Outcomes

Task product
Week 1

Week 2
(Longer session)

March through mid-April

Applying their own advice on how to use an interview to elicit a story, students plan for
and carry out two interviews: one with their child and another with another family
member or friend.
Learners develop (by groups) question templates that guide group members
interviews with their children (topics and questions).
Learners expand Interview Dos and Donts into a more detailed rubric.
Learners individually choose a topic and develop questions for interview with
another family member or friend.
Note: planning/questions developed in English for group input; interviews can be in
L1
Learners assess interview with group and tell to group a story from their interview
(in English).
Learners write two stories, one from each interview, receiving peer feedback.
As a class, following group input, learners develop the design parameters of the one
class produce (Stories Book) and organizes its creation (including illustrations,
pictures, etc.)
Development of a class Stories Book with contributions of two stories from each student
Activities
Prepare for first interview in groups of 4
based on age of child(ren)
Group discusses various areas to
discuss and sample questions,
brainstorms additional questions, and
chooses at least four questions they
determine will best elicit good
story/stories from their children.
Group discusses follow-up question
strategy, possible problems and
problem solves (provides advice to
each other)
Members of group fill out preliminary
interview sheet
Homework: Each learner conducts
interview of her child.
Storytelling in groups
Taking time to think
Self-assessment of interview (using
Handout #5, Part 3)
Review notes (using Handout #5,
Part 2) and plan to tell story (using
activated in opening)
General discussion in group of how
interviews went
Each group member tells story to
group and receives feedback
(comprehension checks).

Actors
Group

Input/Resources
Handout #5
Preparing for the
Interview
Doing the Interview
Reflecting on the
Interview (incorporation
of Dos and Donts,
above)

Purpose
Plan for and engage in
meaningful speech and
listening in interview format

Individual

Individual
within
Group

Group

Handout #5: First

Interview

Utilize pre-planning to
reduce cognitive load in oral
production
Repetition of content in
different modalities to
enhance speaking and
writing fluency

Class
Introduction of Rubric
Explanation: Builds on classs
observation about Interview Dos
and Donts provides additional
bases for self-assessment, peer-topeer assessment, and teacher
feedback in categories of preparation,
setting up the interview, politeness,
follow-up questions, note taking,
evaluating the interview, telling the
story, writing the story.
Discussion in small groups: Does
this make sense? Should items be
added? Dropped?
Agreement about use.

Handout #6: Interviewing

Rubric

Group
Class
Reference: All-Star 3,
Unit 4, Writing Strategy
Whiteboard

Refresh earlier learnings on

diagramming, outlining, and paragraph
writing.
Apply to storytelling. Inductive
exercise: What parts does a good story
have? What should be included from
the interview? (Quotations, facts)

Week 3

Week 4

Each member writes a first draft of the

story in paragraph form, using the
information developed by class (with
input from teacher) about parts of a
good story.
Story-writing
Members review and revise their first
drafts from the previous session.
In pairs, learners first read their
revised story to their partner; partners
then peer edit the written story (using
approach normally done in the other
parts of the class); learner makes
final revisions in written text.
Reflection
Class discussion what was learned in
round 1 of the interviews
A similar, but less controlled process
unfolds for the second interview (with
another family member or friend).
Handouts are adjusted to reflect student
input.
Overview.
Brainstorming of ideas for interviews,
using HO #7 (various baskets of
possible questions, from StoryCorps).
Formation of groups of 4 persons
formed by student choice of area of
interest (from StoryCorps categories or

Agreement on common
grounds for self-, peer-topeer, and teacher feedback

Individual

Schemata activation

Repetition of content in
different modalities to
enhance speaking and
writing fluency

Individual
within
Group

Revision of writing by
individuals and upon receipt
of feedback from peers

Pairs
Individual
Class
Class

Same as for the first

interview cycle

Handout #7 StoryCorps
Questions
Whiteboard

Week 5-6

Week 7-8

categories added by students).

Learners in groups discuss ideas
relating to the topics they chose.
Each member writes questions
individually (unlike round 1, these
initial questions can be different), and
shares them with group for input and
potential problem solving.
Homework: Each learner conducts
interview of an adult relative or
friend.
The same activities/tasks are done
relating to Interview 2 that were done
for Interview 1, above.

Groups
Individual

Handouts similar to
those developed for first
interview, adapted to
reflect specific context

Creation of Stories Book

Groups (randomly chosen) brainstorm
ideas about what a Stories Book might
look like, using mind-mapping
techniques. Brainstorming continues
in whole class. Ideas are prioritized
and agreement is reached on design
elements (including information to be
included in addition to the two stories
each, such as illustrations, pictures,
etc.).
Specific tasks are identified.
Agreements are clarified on what each
individual and group will produce.
Students develop for themselves the
way the work will be done and how
it will look, with consideration given
to access to
materials/computers/computer
expertise within the class.
Students bring in necessary items
(e.g., photos, etc.) for assembly of
book. [This may require a smaller
group to complete the actual
production, possibly using the
computer facilities of the school or it
could be a totally print version. The
compilation process can continue as
the final stage of the project is
completed.]

Group
Class
Group
Class

Examples of different
types of books,
notebooks, scrap books,
etc. brought in (or
provided by teacher) as
input to discussion about
book design.

Use of authentic language in

order to complete a given
task (creation of Stories
Book)
Utilization of different
abilities and strengths of
students (e.g., illustration,
layout, organization)

PART 3: INTERVIEWING EACH OTHER

Timeframe
Outcomes

Task product

Week 1

May (possibly into early June)

Applying what they have learned about interviewing and how to elicit a story, and using
authentic and meaningful language, students conduct 5-10 minute interviews of
each other, which are recorded. Each learner:
o plans for being interviewed and is interviewed and recorded, producing oral
answers to broad questions negotiated in advance and follow-up questions,
arising during the course of the interview.
o Interviews a partner, asking broad and follow-up questions, using the skills
developed throughout this project.
o Selects one story told by the partner to write (following the pattern above).
These stories with other stories in the class Stories Book and the interviews are
compiled in a CD and included in this book.
Students celebrate their accomplishment, sharing their product with the elementary
school administration and reading stories during a school story time for young
students.
Students assess what they have learned.
Development of a CD with learner oral interviews with each other, which along with a
selected story from each interview will complete the class Stories Book
Activities
Overview of Peer Interview Task

Actors
Class

Input/Resources
Handout #8

Purpose

Part 1: National Day of

Listening Do-It-Yourself
Instruction Guide
Part 2: StoryCorps:
Suggested Questions for
Peer Interviews (p. 15)

Listening and Observing Model:

Example of Peer Interview #1

Individual
Class

I remember that night when you called and you

said I need help
Gloria Flores, a student at Cesar Chavez
Public Charter Schools in Washington, D.C.,
talks to her friend and fellow classmate
Joseline Mejicanos, about how she went from
struggling to learn English to becoming a
straight A student.

StoryCorp Peer Interview #1:

http://storycorps.org/listen/gloriaflores-and-joseline-mejicanos/

Practice listening skills

Provide model of what a
recorded peer interview is
like

Groups of four are randomly selected

and formed for this task.
Discussion: How is this peer interview
the same as or different from other
interviews the class has observed?
What can we learn from this as we do
our own peer interviews?

Group

Review of the Various Baskets of

Interview Questions pros and cons of
different baskets
Pairs are chosen from within the group

Group

Preparation and Preplanning for Peer Interview

Handout #7:
StoryCorps Questions
Handout #8, Part 2: Peer
Interview Questions

for the peer interview

Groups brainstorm what activities they
will need to do to prepare for the peer
interviews:
as interviewer
as interviewee.

Week 2

Week 3
(longer session)

Development of common class to do

list
Preparing for being interviewed
Individual reflection about questions
learner might want to be asked, from
either list or additional questions;
conceptual map can be used.
Conversation in pairs take turns:
first student (interviewer role) learns
more about what the person who will
be interviewed is interested in sharing
(with conceptual map assisting
comprehension); interviewer begins
to develop broad questions and
overall approach to interview. Roles
are reversed. Product: Identification
of at least 5 questions for each
interviewee.
Vocabulary development intergroup work. Students have chosen
the same or similar questions meet in
groups of 2-3 to brainstorm about
what new vocabulary they might need
to express their answers. They make
a common list that all can use.
Individual learners think specifically
about each of the 5 questions,
making notes about what might be
said.
Trial run: taking turns interviewer
asks questions, and interviewee
responds. Peer feedback provided.
Looking ahead to recording session
(hopes and fears)
Second run: In Storycorps format,
pair members interview of each other
in group setting and receive group
feedback
Recorded run: Pairs do and record
the interview a second time (recorded
by other members of their group).
The recording time slots are assigned
to avoid confusion.

Class

While half of the groups are

recording, the other half is working on
the writing task: each interviewer
writes a story she selects from the

Individual

Individual

All-Star 3, Chapter 4,
Writing Strategy

Preplanning to reduce
cognitive load
Fluency (initial output that
will be repeated in different
settings)

Pairs

Group

Vocabulary expansion and

use in authentic speech
Print and online
vocabulary tools

Individual

Preplanning

Pairs

Fluency building

Class
Pairs in
Groups

Recording equipment
(Olympus handheld
recorders, in quietest
corners of room)

Fluency building

Repetition/reinforcement of
story-writing skills (narrative
paragraph(s) as taught in
regular part of class

Week 4

Week 5

interview she did, in a format and with

feedback similar to Part 2, weeks 2-3.
Significant addition: review of draft
by the interviewee.
Class sharing and reflection on
Process

Group

Compilation and illustration of written

stories (with reference to recording)
included into class Stories Book
(same process as in Part 2, week 8,
plus compilation of all audio files onto
one CD, which will also be included in
book)

Individual
Group
Class

Class determines next steps, which

could include in subsequent weeks:
Presentation of copy of class book to
principal/elementary school
administration
Reading of Stories Book to an
elementary school class
Class celebration, book signing, story
reading (next week)
Class determines how to explore these
and other options including the
possibility of a pair(s) of students
actually doing a real StoryCorps
interview.
Distribution of copy of one book/CD to
each class member
Review of where weve come
Checking the check-list of outcomes
Reflections about
o what we learned
o how we learned
Celebration (with food and festivities!)

Class

Pair
Class
Material (as above)
needed to create book
and/or
Possible use of
computers, if available
and if students know how
to use them for this
purpose

Class
Handout #1 Overview
with outcomes

Achievement of task
outcome

Use of authentic language to

utilization product of task