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Sullivan County Folklore-A Study Using Still Photography (Slides)
To Illustrate A Literary Presentation
Dorothy Sue B. Minor
Dobyns-Bennett High School, Kingsport, Tennessee
Subject: Community Studies/History
Grade: 9-12
"It was thrilling to watch the students become involved in
the family and community sharing and the selection of stories
that had never before been recorded as a part of written literature."
Purpose and Description of Project
Dorothy Minor worked with several groups of high school students
to produce a slide/tape presentation on the folklore of Sullivan
County. In the process, they studied folklore as a literary genre,
researched and recorded authentic legends and myths of their own
area, analyzed the relationship of such stories to actual history,
and synthesized their findings into a continuous narrative illustrated
with slides.
As a result of the project, reports Minor, "we learned a
tremendous amount about folklore, photography, local and regional
history, actual hands-on production work, and the wonderful feeling
of success at the completion of an activity in which so many contributed
so much." She says that students came to realize that literature
"is part of life" and "developed a renewed respect
for their own cultural heritage and an increased feeling of unity
with family and community." An unexpected outcome was that
students also got a "mini-course in history" because
their development of folklore narratives allowed them for the
first time to "see the names, dates, places, and stories
that they had studied in their textbooks come alive in relation
to our community," adds Minor.
Activities
The students began by studying folklore as a genre, using examples
from Paul Bunyan to Dracula and focusing on such topics as folk
music and old-time medical remedies. Students were then divided
into groups according to their skills and interests to carry out
the remaining activities. Each group's activities are outlined
below.
- The first group selected story subjects and then researched
and wrote their stories. Minor stressed these stories must not
be drawn from books or made up by the students but actually gathered
from the recollections of parents, grandparents, or other older
people.
- Another group searched the library for historical documentation
for these stories, and yet a third group developed the stories
into a continuous narrative for the script.
- A fourth student group spent evenings and weekends driving
around the county to take slides of actual sites related to the
stories or of scenes that would illustrate the proper mood.
- As production of the slide/tape show actually began, other
student teams (1) recorded the narrative and selected musical
accompaniment, and (2) made posters of the program titles and
credits to be photographed for the show. The final activity was
selection and organization of slides in correlation with the audio
portion of the program.
- Audiences for the final presentation have included other classes
at the Dobyns-Bennett High School, classes from other schools,
and members of the community.
Materials, Resources, and Expenses
The community was an essential resource for this project, stresses
Minor, who points out that teachers, parents, and other citizens
"welcomed us into their homes, their families, and their
most private lives." They shared stories that had come down
from generation to generation. Other local people helped the students
research historical aspects of the stories, and a number of school
staff helped with instruction in photography, editing, and technical
advice.
Outcomes and Adaptability
Minor says that the growth of the students' appreciation for their
social and literary heritage "surpassed even our wildest
expectations. What was to be a study, with the development of
this program as a terminal product, has become so much a part
of the lives of these students, these teachers, and this school
that plans are being made to continue the program in the future."
During initial lectures, the teacher acknowledges, student interest
in local oral history was "almost nonexistent." However,
that interest reached "amazing and unbelievable" levels
once students actually got involved with one-to-one dialogues
with community residents as they ferreted out Indian legends and
ghost stories; visited actual sites to take slides; and started
re-creating the moods of the stories through visuals, narration,
and music.
Minor believes that the supply of oral history and folklore is
inexhaustible and is just waiting to be researched and recorded.