Dr. Michael Calvert
Assistant Superintendent, South Allegheny School District, Pennsylvania
Been using Humy in his district since 2024
“We enjoyed the program last year and used it frequently.”
Interview assignment
Founding and Preserving the Nation: An Interview with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln
Choose from Abraham Lincoln and George Washington
Grade 8Community
A ready-made interview for Grade 8, shared by a teacher on Humy. Students question one of 2 AI figures in a live chat. Humy grades the conversation against the rubric below.
Free teacher account · 20 AI messages a month · No credit card
- Format
- Interview
- Grade
- 8
- Grading
- Per criterion
Founding and Preserving the Nation: An Interview with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln
PreviewInteract responsibly with the AI and verify facts. Note that teachers have access to these conversations.
Choose a figure to interview
Hello, I'm Abraham Lincoln. I'm ready for your interview. What's your first question?
The assignment
Have you ever wondered what it truly takes to build a country from the ground up, or to hold one together when it is on the brink of tearing apart? History is filled with pivotal moments, but the leaders who navigated them faced unimaginable pressure, complex decisions, and high-stakes choices that still shape our world today.
Choose Your Historical Interviewee
For this assignment, you will step into the role of an investigative historian and select one of two monumental U.S. presidents to interview:
- George Washington: The legendary general and first president who guided the birth of the American republic, set foundational precedents, and helped forge a brand-new nation out of revolution.
- Abraham Lincoln: The sixteenth president who led the nation through its greatest moral and political crisis during the Civil War, fought to preserve the Union, and issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
Learning Mission:
Develop sharp inquiry skills, build historical empathy, and connect the monumental decisions of the past to contemporary life through a dynamic, evidence-based conversation.
Interview Guidance: Approach your chosen leader with thoughtful, probing questions. Do not just ask about facts—ask about their personal struggles, their leadership philosophies, and how they weighed heavy burdens of state. Use your historical knowledge to back up your line of questioning!
Select your preferred historical figure and click "Start Assignment" to begin your interview.
Rubric
Students see this rubric before they start. Humy scores the conversation against it and writes feedback for each criterion.
Assignment: Interviewing George Washington or Abraham Lincoln (Grade 8)
Maximum Total Score: 16 Points
Review the criteria below to see how points are awarded across four key performance areas.
| Criterion | Exemplary (4 pts) | Proficient (3 pts) | Developing (2 pts) | Beginning (1-0 pts) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Dynamic Interview Process & Verification | Sustains deep dialogue over many turns, building relevant follow-ups and respectfully challenging claims. | Engages in moderate dialogue with some follow-ups, though challenging of claims is limited. | Relies mostly on a static list of questions with minimal follow-up or engagement. | Pastes questions in one or two messages without engaging the persona's responses at all. (0 pts for empty) |
| 2. Inquiry Depth & Leadership Focus | Asks probing questions addressing personal struggles, leadership philosophies, and heavy burdens of state. | Asks good questions about leadership choices, though some focus remains on basic historical facts. | Focuses primarily on surface-level historical facts rather than leadership philosophies or struggles. | Asks very few or overly simplistic questions that lack depth and historical awareness. |
| 3. Historical Knowledge & Context | Effectively uses strong historical knowledge to back up the entire line of questioning. | Demonstrates adequate historical background knowledge to support the interview conversation. | Shows limited historical context, resulting in generic questions disconnected from the era. | Displays major historical misconceptions or provides no background context in questions. |
| 4. Persona Connection & Contemporary Relevance | Skillfully connects the monumental decisions of the chosen president to contemporary life and issues. | Makes a basic attempt to connect past presidential decisions to modern-day circumstances. | Struggles to connect historical decisions to any contemporary or modern-day relevance. | Fails entirely to tie the interview topics to modern life or the broader historical stakes. |
How to Calculate Your Final Score
Your final assignment grade is calculated through simple addition:
- Add the points earned across all 4 criteria (ranging from 0 to 4 points each).
- Empty or missing submissions automatically receive 0 points.
- The maximum possible score is 16 points.
The 2 historical figures in this assignment
Students choose one of these figures to talk to. Each is an AI version grounded in a curated biography and selected historical sources. As with any AI, students should check important claims.
In your classroom
Ready for your class in three steps.
Open it in Humy
Create a free teacher account, open this assignment and choose Copy to my assignments to make it yours.
Share the link
Students open it and type their first and last name. No email, no password.
Humy grades the conversation
Each chat is scored against the rubric, with feedback for each criterion. You see every result.
Open this assignment in Humy
Signed up but don't see it? Open Assignments → Community library.
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What educators are saying
Jacob Chisom
World and American History, Monticello High School, Arkansas
Been using Humy in his classroom since 2024
“My students say it’s a welcome change of pace. I’m not a fan of the “sage on the stage” model, so I try to incorporate research-oriented and self-paced activities. With Humy, students have to take charge of their learning. They’ve become more adept at critical thinking, forming better questions, and improving their reading comprehension. The interview feature has been my go-to tool. I create assignments where students must ask historical figures a set number of questions, then summarize the responses to ensure they’re truly absorbing the material. This approach lets them actively explore the past rather than passively consuming information.”
Roger Campbell
7th-grade World History, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Been using Humy in his classroom since 2024
“Humy has helped me bring historical figures, sometimes long past, to life. When my students interact with these figures in real-time, it eliminates some of the perceived “ancient” characteristics of my curriculum. This has shifted my students’ thinking away from viewing history as abstract or irrelevant. Real-time interactions make historical figures relatable, even allowing students to ask off-topic questions that help put historical lives in a more relevant context for 13-year-olds. The feature I use the most is the interview feature. After teaching a topic, most recently Gandhi and Joan of Arc, I have the students ask pointed, focused questions. We practice good conversation techniques beforehand, teaching them to listen (or read) carefully and formulate thoughtful follow-up questions rather than just interrogating. It helps students practice effective conversation skills.”
Dr. Michael Calvert
Assistant Superintendent, South Allegheny School District, Pennsylvania
Been using Humy in his district since 2024
“We enjoyed the program last year and used it frequently.”
Jacob Chisom
World and American History, Monticello High School, Arkansas
Been using Humy in his classroom since 2024
“My students say it’s a welcome change of pace. I’m not a fan of the “sage on the stage” model, so I try to incorporate research-oriented and self-paced activities. With Humy, students have to take charge of their learning. They’ve become more adept at critical thinking, forming better questions, and improving their reading comprehension. The interview feature has been my go-to tool. I create assignments where students must ask historical figures a set number of questions, then summarize the responses to ensure they’re truly absorbing the material. This approach lets them actively explore the past rather than passively consuming information.”
Roger Campbell
7th-grade World History, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Been using Humy in his classroom since 2024
“Humy has helped me bring historical figures, sometimes long past, to life. When my students interact with these figures in real-time, it eliminates some of the perceived “ancient” characteristics of my curriculum. This has shifted my students’ thinking away from viewing history as abstract or irrelevant. Real-time interactions make historical figures relatable, even allowing students to ask off-topic questions that help put historical lives in a more relevant context for 13-year-olds. The feature I use the most is the interview feature. After teaching a topic, most recently Gandhi and Joan of Arc, I have the students ask pointed, focused questions. We practice good conversation techniques beforehand, teaching them to listen (or read) carefully and formulate thoughtful follow-up questions rather than just interrogating. It helps students practice effective conversation skills.”
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What do students do in "Founding and Preserving the Nation: An Interview with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln"?
They choose one of 2 AI figures, then read the task and the rubric and ask their questions in a live chat. When they finish, Humy scores the conversation against the rubric with feedback for each criterion.
How is it graded?
Automatically against the rubric on this page. Each criterion gets a score and written feedback that points to the student's own work. You see every result. Students see their scores too.
Who made this assignment?
A teacher on Humy who shared it with every school. Shared assignments are listed only after they pass Humy's automated content review, and Humy can take one down if it's reported.
Can I change it for my class?
Yes. Open it in Humy and choose Copy to my assignments. You get your own copy of the task, rubric, grade and questions to change before you share it.
Do my students need accounts?
No. Students open the link you share and type their first and last name. No email, no password.
Is Humy free to try?
Yes. A free teacher account includes 20 AI messages a month, shared with your students, plus all five assignment formats and auto-grading. No credit card.
Is Humy.ai safe and compliant for schools?
Yes. Humy.ai is used by more than 100 schools, universities and organisations. The platform is FERPA- and GDPR-aligned, supports SSO, and offers an IT-approval pack tailored for school procurement teams.
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