Education Magazine

Excellence In Education Lincoln Daily News January 25, 2023 Page 35 By Jamie Selinger, Mount Pulaski High School At Mount Pulaski High School, all juniors take both English and US History, which provides a great opportunity for the two teachers, Brian Erlenbush and Jamie Selinger, to work together so students can learn history through what they read and research and improve their critical reading skills and writing skills as they learn. One way in which students did that last semester was by interviewing a friend or family member who was born prior to 1955 and writing that person’s biography. Students began this process in September by choosing an interview subject and working in history class to brainstorm questions about their subjects’ lives and their perspectives on major historical events they witnessed. In English class, students shared their questions with each other, expanding their lists along the way, and practiced interview etiquette and developing follow-up questions with partners. Mount Pulaski Juniors learn about history by writing biographies Students then set up their interviews outside of school. There were a few students who interviewed family members living outside of the area and talked with them over the phone or computer. Most students were able to meet with their subjects face-to-face. The kids had some really great experiences, learning things about relatives and acquaintances that surprised them and learning more about life in the latter part of the 20th Century. Continued --