Famous Leaders research and Speech Project

Interviewing Famous Leaders in History

Brief Description

Students research a famous leader and then assume the role of interviewer and responder as they compose a question-and-answer interview with that leader.

Objectives
Students will

* Learn about the lives and careers of famous world leaders (Presidents, Roman emperors, English monarchs, or others).
* Assess and paraphrase historical sources.

This lesson is an alternative approach to a traditional research paper.

Materials Needed

* Biographical dictionaries or other sources of biographical information about leaders of the period being studied.
* Internet access (optional)

The Lesson

Students select the individual they would most like to learn more about.

Compose a preliminary list of questions to ask your leader. You must have a minimum of 10 questions.

Interviews with questions of high quality will earn a better grade.

Sample Topics should include questions (but not limited to):
* The leader's family and background;
* How the person became leader
* A significant contribution for which the leader was responsible (for example, a significant law that was enacted under a president's leaderships …)
* Military matters under the leader's tenure;
* Social policies during the leader's term/reign;
* Contributions the leader made; or
* Personal habits, likes, and so on.

Students will use available resources (books, Internet sites, and other sources) to research/learn about the leader. Then they will put themselves in the shoes of an interviewer who lived at the same time as the leader; they will compose historically accurate questions and answers to those questions. They should include questions that will lead to sharing of information they found personally interesting as they researched the life and times of the leader.

Students will need to include a reference to the sources used for each answer; or to include a full and correctly formatted reference list with their interview.
Students should include with their interviews a portrait of the leader.
A fun technology integration activity would be to take digital pictures of the students posed to appear as if they are interacting with the image they collected of the leader; then use a Photoshop program to superimpose the image of the student on the image of the leader.

As a culminating activity, students will share their interviews with their classmates (Approximately 5-8 minutes). They might do this by reading them aloud with a partner (the partner can be the interviewer and the student can pose as the famous leader). Students will be CIM scored on the class presentation of their research. (Note: District Mandate/Graduation Requirement: Students must pass two CIM scored speeches.) The speech could take the form of an interview, a power point, or a regular speech. This final activity might even include costumes.

Grading Scale

50 points for the information on your famous leader/speech to the class
10 points for the references for your leader (At least two needed)
10 points for a portrait of your leader
You can earn up to 10 extra credit points for dressing up like your leader

Time-Line

12/ 2-3– Intro assignment. Pick famous leader by next class.
12/10 –11 & 12/15-16 – Work time on interview and research time in library (How to cite references lessons taught by Ms. Fulton)
1/7-8: In class lessons on Citation Page.
1/ 13-14 – Presentations in class. Paper due and typed Citation Page in proper format due.