My Heritage is My City's History

The third grade classes at the school looked into the quality, quantity, and accessibility of San Leandro's history written for third grade understanding. The students' search took them to the San Leandro Community Library and to the San Leandro Historical Society where they found little information available to third graders. However, the students found both entities interested in working with the youths to develop an oral history of city seniors' experiences as seen from the perspective of youths. The students formed a partnership with the Bay Area Cesar Chavez Service-Learning Alliance (through the Alameda County Office of Education) and the Villa San Leandro (an assisted living community). The partners worked with the students to develop plans for an oral history book project.  Students from the third grade classes joined with students from the fourth and fifth grades to develop interview questions and to practice interviewing seniors, including the recording and summarizing of the information. The students then met with and interviewed seniors and developed a book incorporating the interview summary written by students, a timeline of historical events that ranged from early settlement times to the present, and a bibliography. The city mayor presented the book to the community in a ceremony at the San Leandro Community Library.