1850's Interviews
8th Grade History Assignment: Interviewing Historical Figures from the 1850s
Objective:
You will use ChatGPT to conduct two interviews with people from the 1850s. One interview will be with a famous historical figure, and the other will be with a generic person from that time period. This assignment will help you develop a deeper understanding of life, events, and perspectives from this time period.
Instructions:
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Choose a Historical Figure and a Generic Role:
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For your first interview, select a well-known historical figure (e.g., Harriet Tubman, Abraham Lincoln before presidency, Frederick Douglass, a Gold Rush prospector).
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For your second interview, choose a general role (e.g., a factory worker, a plantation owner, a railroad builder, a schoolteacher, an immigrant, a Native American from the time period).
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Develop Your Questions:
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Prepare 5 interview questions that will help you understand the person’s life, opinions, and experiences.
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Ask at least two follow-up questions based on the responses you receive.
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Example questions:
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What is your daily life like in the 1850s?
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What are your views on (slavery, westward expansion, industrialization, etc.)?
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How do you feel about the government and recent events?
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What are your hopes for the future?
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Conduct the Interviews:
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Use ChatGPT to generate responses by asking your questions as if you were interviewing the historical figure and the generic person.
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Keep track of your responses by copying them into a document.
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Summarize and Reflect:
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Write a 400-word reflection summarizing what you learned.
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Answer the following:
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What did you find most interesting about your interviews?
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Did any responses surprise you?
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How do these interviews help you understand the 1850s better?
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Turn in Your Work:
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Submit your final work on Moodle, including:
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The list of questions you asked.
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The ChatGPT-generated responses.
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Your 400-word reflection.
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