HASS · Year 1 · Family History and Traditions · Term 1

Interviewing Family Members

Students learn basic interviewing skills to ask family members about their memories and experiences from the past.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HASS1S03

About This Topic

Interviewing family members teaches Year 1 students to gather information about the past through direct conversations. They practice forming simple questions, such as 'What games did you play?' or 'What was your school like?', to learn about parents' or grandparents' childhoods. This meets AC9HASS1S03 by developing skills in posing questions and collecting data from familiar sources, while addressing key inquiries about family life in earlier times.

In HASS, this topic builds personal connections to history, helping students see change and continuity in daily routines, homes, and communities. Children record responses with drawings, voice memos, or short notes, which reinforces listening and communication skills essential for future inquiry.

Active learning benefits this topic greatly because practicing interviews in pairs or small groups builds confidence and models respectful listening before home assignments. Classroom sharing sessions let students compare stories, spot patterns across families, and value diverse experiences, turning abstract history into shared, memorable narratives.

Key Questions

1. What questions could you ask a family member to find out what life was like when they were young?
2. What do you think your parents' or grandparents' lives were like when they were your age?
3. How can asking family members questions help us learn about our family's history?

Learning Objectives

• Formulate at least three open-ended questions to gather information about a family member's past experiences.
• Record responses from a family member using drawings, short written notes, or voice recordings.
• Compare and contrast at least two different family stories about past daily life.
• Identify at least one continuity or change in family traditions or daily routines over time.

Before You Start

Identifying Family Members

Why: Students need to be able to identify immediate and extended family members before discussing interviewing them.

Basic Question Words (Who, What, Where, When)

Why: Understanding these fundamental question words is necessary for formulating interview questions.

Key Vocabulary

Interview	A conversation where one person asks questions to get information from another person.
Memory	Something a person can recall from the past, like an event or a feeling.
Experience	Something that happens to a person or that a person does.
Tradition	A belief or behavior passed down within a family or group, often with symbolic meaning.
Continuity	The state of staying the same or continuing over time.
Change	The act or instance of becoming different.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Family stories must be about big events like holidays only.

What to Teach Instead

Many stories reveal everyday life, such as chores or meals, showing history's texture. Pair practice helps students generate varied questions, while group shares highlight the value of ordinary details in building family timelines.

Common Misconception

Interviews work best with yes or no questions.

What to Teach Instead

Open-ended questions uncover richer details. Role-playing in class lets students test question types, compare responses, and refine skills through peer feedback, making structured inquiry feel natural.

Common Misconception

Life in the past had nothing in common with today.

What to Teach Instead

Similarities exist in family bonds and play. Classroom story circles reveal these links, as students actively compare drawings and notes, fostering nuanced views of change over time.

Active Learning Ideas

Pair Practice: Mock Family Interviews

Pairs take turns as interviewer and family member, using 5-6 prepared question cards. Switch roles after 5 minutes and note one interesting fact on a shared chart. Debrief as a class on what made questions effective.

25 min·Pairs

Whole Class: Question Bank Build

Brainstorm questions together on the board, categorizing them by themes like food, toys, or school. Vote on the top 10 for home use. Students copy their favorites into personal booklets.

30 min·Whole Class

Small Groups: Story Reenactment

After home interviews, groups reenact a family story using props like hats or drawings. Perform for the class and discuss similarities to today. Record key learnings on group posters.

45 min·Small Groups

Individual: Home Interview Journal

Students prepare 3 questions at home, interview a family member, and draw or dictate the response in a journal. Bring journals to school for a show-and-tell circle.

20 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Journalists conduct interviews to gather stories for news reports, asking people about significant events they have witnessed or experienced.
• Oral historians at museums, like the National Museum of Australia, interview people to collect personal accounts and preserve memories of historical periods for future generations.
• Family members often share stories and traditions during holidays or special gatherings, helping younger generations understand their heritage.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

Observe students as they practice asking a partner a question about a hypothetical childhood. Ask: 'Can you state one question you would ask your grandparent about playing games when they were little?' Check for clarity and appropriateness.

Exit Ticket

Provide students with a small card. Ask them to draw one thing they learned from an interview with a family member and write one word to describe it. Collect these to gauge understanding of gathered information.

Discussion Prompt

After students share their findings, ask: 'What was the most surprising thing you learned about your family's past? How is it different or similar to your life today?' Facilitate a brief class discussion comparing stories.

Frequently Asked Questions

What simple questions can Year 1 students ask family members about the past?

Start with concrete prompts like 'What toys did you have?', 'What food did you eat?', or 'How did you get to school?'. These spark stories without overwhelming young interviewers. Provide question cards with visuals to scaffold, and model active listening by repeating back what they hear. Follow up in class by charting common themes across families.

How to adapt interviewing activities for students from diverse family structures?

Include options like interviewing aunts, neighbors, or carers, and emphasize chosen family bonds. Offer multilingual question sheets or drawing alternatives for recording. Class discussions celebrate varied stories, building inclusivity and showing history through multiple lenses in line with Australian multicultural contexts.

How does this topic link to AC9HASS1S03 standards?

AC9HASS1S03 requires posing questions about the past and collecting information from sources like family. Interviewing directly practices these by generating inquiries and gathering oral histories. Extend with timelines of family changes, integrating skills into broader HASS units on community and place.

How can active learning improve interviewing skills in Year 1 HASS?

Role-plays and peer practice simulate real interviews, reducing anxiety and honing question phrasing through trial and error. Group shares after home tasks let students analyze effective techniques collaboratively, while props and drawings make recording accessible. This hands-on cycle deepens listening, empathy, and historical thinking beyond passive instruction.