The Tikkun Project
Lesson
3
Identifying the Most Important Factors That Make People Move From One Country to Another
Concept
A well-crafted interview question is one that only a real person's experience can answer not something research alone could tell us.
Focus Question
What makes an interview question powerful enough to reveal something research alone couldn't tell us?
Knowledge & Understanding Goals
Language, Strand B (Oral and Non-Verbal Communication), Grade 6: Formulate open-ended, purposeful interview questions to elicit information not available through other sources.
Thinking & Learning Skills
ATL — Communication Skills: Crafting effective interview questions.
ATL — Thinking Skills: Applying explicit criteria to revise a question.
Learner Profile: Communicators, Inquirers.
Context
Direct preparation for the interviews conducted in Lesson 4 turns the general question list from Lesson 1 into specific, high-quality interview questions, split explicitly into two tracks matching the unit's two-part Critical Challenge.
Lesson Outline
PREPARING FOR INTERVIEWS
Students review the questions brainstormed in Lesson 1. Introduce the three criteria for a great interview question: it helps obtain information about perspectives or experiences not easily found through other research; it's open-ended, not easily answered with a yes or no; it provides answers that help address the Critical Challenge — specifically, that surface either a real barrier, a realistic direct action, or a bigger recommendation and who it should go to.
TWO TRACKS OF QUESTIONS
Explain that the class needs both kinds of information: what would have helped right away, with modest means — and what would have taken bigger, longer-term change. Students draft at least one question aimed at each track. Direct-action track: "What's something small that someone could have done for you that would have made a real difference?" "Looking back, what's one simple thing you wish a neighbour, classmate, or local group had offered to do?" Recommendation track: "What do you wish had been different that would have taken a bigger, longer-term change to fix?" "If you could tell one person or organization in government what to do differently, who would that be, and what would you tell them?"
REVISING OUR QUESTIONS AGAINST THE CRITERIA
In pairs, students test each planned question against all three criteria, revising any that fail. Model the revision process with an example: "Did you find it hard to move to Canada?" (fails open-endedness — a yes/no question) becomes "What was the hardest part of making a new life in Canada?" Example strong questions to reference: "Tell me about what a day in your life was like before and after you moved to Canada." "What was it like to make a new life in a new community?" "What experiences made you feel most welcome or unwelcome in Canada?" "Why did you choose to come to Canada instead of other places? Were there other options?"
FINALIZING THE INTERVIEW PLAN
Each student finalizes 4–6 questions — a mix from both tracks — for their Lesson 2 interview contact, and confirms logistics (time, format — in person, phone, or video call — and whether a parent or guardian needs to help arrange it).
Notes for Teaching and Evaluation
Modelling one weak-to-strong revision before students revise their own questions matters here specifically because a yes/no question is a subtle failure mode — it looks like a real question and often gets a real (if thin) answer, so students don't always notice it's failed the open-endedness criterion until they see a side-by-side example.