About the Assignment

• Assignment Name: A personal narrative on intergenerational differences

• Instructor: Mr. Smith / Grade level: 8th Grade

• Abstract: To complete this assignment, students need to (1) design questions to ask their parents or grandparents about things known to their generation but not to the younger generation, (2) do an interview with their parents or grandparents and get their answers to the questions, (3) write a draft of their personal narratives on what they learn from the interview, (4) review each other's draft in class and give feedback, and (5) revise their draft and submit their final personal narratives to the teacher.

• Rationale: The assignment is designed, in Mr. Smith's words, "to validate the premise that the experiences and lives that make up a person's background are valid sources of knowledge, which is why talking about these things qualify as 'research,' just as much as what is printed in books." Thus, their family becomes a source of knowledge and the interview becomes the medium to that knowledge. In addition, students can cultivate essential research skills such as data collection (interview), critical thinking (reflect on the interview), and academic writing.

• Assessment: Grammar and punctuation weigh very little in the assessment. Works are evaluated mainly on the frame of the story (how conversation started), clear description of the intergenerational differences, and students' self-reflection.

Student Sample 1

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Student Sample 2

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Student Sample 3

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Critical Analysis