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General
Specific

 

Some approaches to consider:

1. Work in small groups of three or four.
2. Work together to decide on a group of 6-8 questions.
3. Read at least a few complete interviews, and search the web site for answers.
4. Discuss what the answers mean to you, your friends and your family today.
5. Consider debating some of the issues brought up in the questions below (summer job safety; clean water; money management)

General questions about any Elder's interview: 1. As you read the interview, make note of any "new" words have you learned and their meaning. Are any of these still in use today? If not, why not? Hint: "macadamized" and "bobsled" (Miss Freda Brenton); "tick" and "awl" (Mr. Donnie Locke); poultice (Mr. Danny MacDonald). 2. Also note any new expressions - what would people say today? How is this different from the language teenagers use today? Hint: check out "oh boy" used by Mr. Donnie Locke; "a settin' of eggs" (Mrs. Kitty VanTassell); "ring a bell", "rigged up", "play out" (Mr. Danny MacDonald); "take them off" (Mrs. Pauline Carter). 3. How many jobs did this person have during their life? If they had more than one, why was this? How many of their jobs still exist today as occupations? How many jobs does today's adult expect to have in their lifetime? 4. What skills did they have? What kind of jobs might they have had today? 5. What values are important to this Elder? How does this compare with your own values? 6. What did they learn in life? How could what they have leaned benefit you today? What have you learned in life that you would like to pass on to another person your own age? 7. What has reading about this Elder's life meant to you? TOP
More Specific Questions: 1. What did people use for Christmas lights before electricity? Hint: visit Mrs. Ada Spidle 2. How does your family today celebrate Christmas, or any other spiritual time? How does this differ from the Elders' experience, in the way of gifts received and special foods? Hint: visit Mrs. Ada Spidle and Mrs. Pauline Carter. 3. Where in the village did people gather to get the news? Hint: visit Mrs. Eileen Forsythe to see what a typical workday was like. How do people find out what's happening in your community today? How do you communicate with your friends? 4. Being physically fit is good for everyone. How did the Elders keep fit? Hint: visit with Mr. Ray Hamilton to see what he did with his friends. How do you and your friends keep fit? 5. Sometimes even grownups have a hard time talking about their feelings. Visit with Mr. Ray Hamilton where he tells a moose hunting story. What do you do when you have something hard to talk about? 6. What was involved in buying groceries in days before supermarkets and credit cards? Hint: visit Mr. Harold Ellis's family, shopping at Nelson's General Store in Stewiacke. What does materialism mean to you and your family today, and what did it mean to elders in days gone by? 7. How does dating then compare to dating today? Where do you and your friends go to have a good time? What do you do? What would you like to be able to do? What are challenges facing teens today? 8. What does the term "friendly fire" mean? Hint: visit with Mr. Harold Ellis and read about his wartime activities. 9. What kind of injuries did people receive while working? What can students do today to ensure they are employed in a safe working environment? Hint: visit with Mrs. Pauline Carter to learn what can happen when you work in the woods. Visit Mr. Donnie Locke and learn about his work in the Brookfield Lumber Mill as a teenager during the war. 10. How were basements dug out before bulldozers? Hint: visit Mr. Donnie Locke and search for the scoop 11. Every person will experience change in their lives. How many things has Mr. Donnie Locke seen change in his lifetime? In your lifetime, what changes have you experienced? What impact have these changes had on you and your family? 12. What effect can television have on a person's willingness to visit other people? Hint: visit Mr. Danny MacDonald when he talks about people helping each other. What do you suppose would happen in your family if the television were unplugged for a month, just as an experiment? 13. How much money do you expect to earn when you leave school? How much do baseball and hockey players earn? Is this fair? What is Mr. Danny MacDonald's opinion on this topic? See what he has to say about families today in comparison with days gone by. 14. When Mr. Danny MacDonald started working, part of his pay was deducted as "compulsory savings" during the war. When you start working, how much will you deduct from your pay for savings? If you start to contribute to an RRSP, how much will it grow to by the time you retire? 15. Why is it necessary to have cattle at least a hundred feet from a river, and not plough or cut hay within a hundred feet? How does your family ensure the quality of your drinking water? What can you do as an individual person to become a personal steward of the water, which no one person owns? What is the quality of ground water in Nova Scotia today? How does this compare with the rest of Canada and with other countries? 16. What dances were popular in days gone by? Hint: visit Mrs. Pauline Carter. What dances do you and your friends enjoy today. How are they different from the dances enjoyed by Mrs. Carter and her friends? Are any of these popular today? 17. What does "equality" mean to you? How does your experiences with other people compare with those of the Elders? 18. What does the word "volunteer" mean to you? What kinds of things did the Elders "volunteer" to do as part of their everyday lives? Hint: visit Mrs. Pauline Carter and her description of sawing "up your year's wood." How do volunteers help your community today? TOP
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