Allen M. Jones, Montana's current poet laureate, has a challenge for kids ages 7-12: Write a story that's less than 300 words based on an interview with a family member, then send it to him to read.
Because he's a writer, not a historian, he proposes that students write their stories in first person. He has great prompts: "Tell me about a problem you had when you were growing up or when you first moved to Montana." "Was there something you really wanted that you couldn't have?" "Did you ever do something that you shouldn't have, and then try to get out of trouble?"
Many of his questions focus on problems--to create a narrative arch. "What choices did you make that led you to having your problem?" "How did you finally manage to solve the problem?"
Here's the flier he's created with sample questions and instructions.
If you are intrigued by this assignment but want to focus on non-fiction, check out the user guide Oral History in the Classroom Mini Footlocker for inspiration. Or Unit 4, Part 3, Lesson 2 of Montana: A History of Our Home, which asks students to interview a family member about their immigration history. (See p. 217 of the teacher's guide or p. 30 of the PDF.)
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