Students interviewing each other in a classroom with headphones and microphones

TOPS K-8: Immigration Radio Features 2004

Black and white photo of a student speaking into a microphone, wearing headphones. A second person wearing headphones in the background.In the spring of 2004, two classes of 8th Grade Washington State History Students at TOPS K-8 in Seattle worked with Jack Straw’s teaching artists in the classroom and in the studios at Jack Straw to interview recently immigrated middle school students from Hamilton International Middle School and create radio features based on different aspects of the immigrant experience.

The students did independent research with teacher Karen Hart to try to answer the question, “Through the eyes of an immigrant, what is this place we call Washington?” Students then learned about oral history interviewing techniques and conducted interviews of recently immigrated 6th, 7th, and 8th graders from Hamilton International Middle School.

Jack Straw engineers assisted the students in recording the interviews, then editing and selecting segments for the radio features. Jack Straw teaching artist Sabrina Roach then guided the students through compiling their research, selecting information and interview excerpts, and composing their radio features.  Students then visited Jack Straw to record their narration with Jack Straw’s engineers and vocal coaches, and to mix their final pieces with interview excerpts and appropriate musical excerpts.  Each student received a compilation CD of their finished radio features.

 

This project was a partnership between TOPS, an alternative K-8 school in the Seattle Public School District, and Jack Straw Productions (now known as Jack Straw Cultural Center). It was produced with the special support of the Washington State Arts Commission Arts in Education Program, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Friends of TOPS, and individual contributors.

The TOPS lead teacher was Karen Hart. Special thanks to Wendy Chapman and her ESL class from Hamilton International Middle School for allowing themselves to be interviewed as a part of this project.

Jack Straw’s team included teaching artists Sabrina Roach, Anita Montgomery, and Richard Sloniker; audio engineers Scott Bartlett and Moe Provencher; education manager Kim Banet; and executive director Joan Rabinowitz.