Like a detective, this challenge invites you to investigate information and understanding of your history. Throughout this challenge, take time to think about questions like:

• What is your history?

• Where are you from?

• What stories of your life have shaped you into who you are at this moment?

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And, extending questions like:

• What is the history of your family?

• What are the stories you are always told?

• What are the stories you don't know enough about and would like to know more of?

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Step One - Answering Your Questions. Using a notebook or a new document, take some time to answer the questions listed above. Jot/brainstorm/paragraph about the information being asked in the starting questions. In this initial writing, leave room to add more information as you learn more about these ideas.

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Step Two - Interviewing and Adding to Your Questions. Find a family member that can also help you answer the above questions. Interview your chosen family member about the initial questions but also expand your curiosities to ask more questions based on your thinking you've experienced so far. In efforts to focus on those curiosity questions, use a recording device to record your interview experience with your family member. 

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Other questions to think about:

• Are there stories in your family that show resistance? To hate? To racism? To unjust laws? 

• What is your history beyond your family? Is it related to the land around you? (Significant events, etc)

• Are there people who have been left out of your history books that you'd like to honor? 

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Step Three - Combine Your Collected Notes & Find a Focus.  Using your initial jottings and your family member interview, add to your collected notes. *You may need to listen to your interview again to maximize the details that can be added to your notes. After bringing your notes together, find a focus that you want to know more about using research. 

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Step Four - Use Credible Sources and Collect Evidence: Going back to your family member, try to collect any family photos or other artifacts that support an understanding into your history. Additionally, use your research focus and credible research sources to gain a stronger understanding into your history. For example, if your family has always been from central Illinois, think about who inhabited these lands prior to colonization? Or if you have access to any ancestry information, how can people/places/events be explored in more depth? 

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Step Five - Construct & Reflect: Construct a demonstration of your learning and post it to your blog along with a reflection using the following questions:

• What lessons/thoughts have you learned as a result of this experience? Why are they important or stand out to you? 

• How might discovering our personal history help us understand others?

• How might our stories and moments in our history contribute to where we are now as people?

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