Oral history, a method of collecting historical information through preplanned tape recorded interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge of an historical event, is a viable learning activity at the high school level. This methodology was conceived and later institutionalized by Alan Nevins in the 1940s as a way to counter the loss of valuable source materials through such modern devices as the telephone. Oral history relies on the informal case history, an interview technique using probe questions and careful phrasing to direct interviewee responses to the dimension of response demanded by each question and its related hypothesis. Autobiography, biography, and subject are three types of informal case history which lend themselves to a high school course. Of these three, the subject variant, which focuses on a single important aspect or period in the interviewee's life, is most suitable for a high school assignment in terms of scope and person-hours involved. High school teachers interested in learning more about specific interview techniques and activities should consult works by John Neuenschwander. (LP)