Social Studies teachers at Rocky Run Middle School in Chantilly, Virginia, have developed an engaging, interdisciplinary approach to the study of World War II. Students read their history texts, as well as historical fiction titles, then conduct additional research on particular aspects of the War.
The culminating event is the annual Oral History Day (“The Latest Generation Meets the Greatest Generation”) when the school welcomes up to 60 World War II veterans and civilians for small-group interviews with students that are archived in the school’s Oral History Center.
Watch our interviews below with Rocky Run teachers to learn how they created program and why it’s been so successful. Then hear from the students themselves about how the additional readings and the oral history project deepen their understanding of the War, hone their listening and interview skills, and give them a new appreciation and respect for their older relatives and interview subjects.