What stories can we learn from interviewing members of the fishing community?
Grades: 6 - College
Overview
In this activity, students will learn more about the "place" where they live - Monterey Bay - and the people who helped build Monterey’s reputation as one of the best-known fishing communities in the world.
Working individually, and in groups, students will research, plan, and conduct personal interviews, first with each other and then with actual citizens in the community, to capture the rich stories, traditions, and knowledge that define Monterey’s fishing legacy.
Place-based learning allows students the opportunity to deeply explore the historic, economic, environmental, and cultural dimensions of a particular “place” and, perhaps more importantly, how all these dimensions inter-connect through the lives of those who live and work in the region.
Skills/Outcomes:
- Students will gain research skills by using a variety of sources, including the internet, published articles, historical archives, and personal interviews.
- Students will strengthen their critical thinking and analysis skills as they evaluate various data sources, published and/or unpublished information, and web-based resources.
- Students will develop interview protocols and skills.
- Students will learn to work individually and in groups to plan and conduct interviews of people associated with a Monterey fishery.
- Students will actively engage in a meaningful and memorable way with citizens who live and work around Monterey Bay.
- Students will learn how to effectively use a variety of media to gather, organize, and present creative stories.
- Students will improve their ability to evaluate information gathered and to make critical choices when presenting that information to each other and/or to a broader public audience.
Time: 400 minutes
Education Standards
National |
Science: NS.9-12.6 Personal and Social Perspectives. K-12.2 Places and Regions. NSS-G.K-12.5 Environment and Society. Language Arts: NL-ENG.K-12.2 Understanding the Human Experience. NL-ENG.K-12.4 Communication Skills. NL-ENG.K-12.5 Communications Strategies. NL-ENG.K-12.8 Developing Research Skills. |
|---|---|
California |
English/Language Arts: Writing Strategies (1.0). Written and Oral Language Conventions (1.0). Listening and Speaking (1.0). History/Social Science: Grade 11, United States History and Geography: Continuity and Change in the Twentieth Century (11.2.2, 11.5.7, 11.8.6). Visual and Performing Arts: Grade 8: Creative Expression (2.1, 2.3). |
Ocean Literacy |
6. The ocean and humans are inextricably interconnected (b, c, e, g). |
Activity Guide & Powerpoint
Activity Guide (pdf 80 KB)
Printable Materials
Interview Consent Form (pdf 80 KB)
Interview Questionnaire (pdf 80 KB)
Joey Jones Interview (pdf 1.4 MB)
Download All Modules
Online Resources
- DoHistory: Step-by-Step Guide to Oral History.
- Hemp, Michael K. 2002. Cannery Row: The History of John Steinbeck’s Old Ocean View Avenue. The History Company. Carmel, CA.
- Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. 1996. Public Law 94-265.
- Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
- Monterey Maritime and History Museum.
- Steinbeck, John. 1945. Cannery Row. The Penguin Group. New York, NY.
- Thomas, Tim and Dennis Copeland. 2006. Images of America: Monterey’s Waterfront. Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC.
- Wigginton, Eliot. 1968. The Foxfire Book: Hog Dressing, Log Cabin Building, Mountain Crafts and Foods, Planting by the Signs, Snake Lore, Hunting Tales, Faith Healing, Moonshining. Anchor Books. Garden City, NY.
- Voices from the Fisheries Handbook.
Fishermen Interviews & Fishing Videos
- Voices from the Fisheries Oral History Interviews.
- Sardine Fishing in Oregon on the F/V Ocean Angel 2 (video).
- Troll fishing for Chinook / King Salmon (video).
- Bait & Pole fishing for Albacore Tuna in Washing/Oregon (video).
- California Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishing (video).
- George’s Bank Yellowtail Flounder Drag Fishing (video).
Evaluations
Teacher Evaluation (fillable pdf 220 KB)