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Title: Kentucky Coal and Our Environment
Level: Secondary
Day/Time: One class period or Homework assignment
KERA Goals: 1.2, 5.1, 5.3

Objective:

1. Organize thoughts into coherent questions
2. Improve verbal skills
3. Write a report using notes

Background Information:

Materials:

Permission slip
Paper
Pencil

Activity:

1. Students will identify person who was or is directly or indirectly involved in the coal industry. This may be a person who is or did work a coal mine. It may be someone (grandparent) who used coal to heat the house. It may be someone who works for an electric company that uses coal.
2. Contact person to see if you may conduct an interview.
3. Fill out permission slip and return to teacher.
4. Develop a list of questions to ask the interviewee.
5. Conduct the interview at the scheduled time.
6. From the interview notes, write a report on what the interviewee said.

NOTE: A tape recorder may be used and the interviews put on one tape for a class record.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS:

COAL MINE HISTORY INTERVIEW

What country were you born in?
Where did you first live in the is area?
How old were you when you started in the mine?
What was the name of the mine and where was it?
Who owned the house you lived in?
Where did you shop?
What were your wages?
Describe you home.
What jobs did you have in the mine?
What was the ethnic breakdown of your community?
What was the greatest change you saw in coal mining?
Did unions develop slowly or rapidly in your area?

Lesson Evaluation

Provided by American Coal Foundation

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