Oral History and Social History

at the recording machine

Overview

Students study social history topics by analyzing life histories from the Federal Writers’ Project (1936-1940) that recount the lives of ordinary Americans. Based on these excerpts and further research in the collections, students develop their own research questions, then plan and conduct oral history interviews with members of their communities.

Related Resources

Grade

High School, Middle School

Subjects

Civics, Social Studies

Length

200-400 minutes

Topics

communities, Federal Writers' Project, life histories, oral histories, social history, WPA

Author

Teaching with the Library of Congress

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