To study folklore, students need more information than their memories provide. Folklorists gather much of their information through interviewing. Students can be taught to interview, also.

1. Students should discuss what type of information they want to gather and dictate sample questions to the teacher or to a student recorder. Each student should contribute a question or two.
2. The class should decide which of these questions to include in the final questionnaire. Lead the students to realize which questions will produce the kinds of answers they are seeking; questions that can be answered "yes" or "no" should be avoided.
3. If the students don’t think of it, lead them to include name of interviewer and interviewee, date and place of the interview, topic, and a leading question that begins the interview (How did you learn to play this game?).
4. After the questionnaire has been completed, pairs of students should practice interviewing each other.
5. Ask two student volunteers to interview each other in front of the class, with everyone watching and taking notes. After the mock interview, the questions and the interviewing technique should be discussed and adjusted.

For more information see Chapter Five of Student Worlds, Student Words, Teaching Writing through Folklore, by Elizabeth Radin Simons.