The realities of slavery and reconstruction hit home in oral histories from the Library of Congress. In this unit of study, students research slave narratives from the Federal Writers' Project and describe the lives of former African slaves in the United States--both before and after emancipation. From varied sources, students can sample the breadth of individual experiences, make generalizations about the effects of slavery and reconstruction on African Americans, and evaluate primary source documents. This lesson plan, intended for students in grades 3-5: cites subject areas, time required, and skills developed; provides an introduction; presents learning objectives; poses guiding questions; gives teachers tips on preparing to teach the lesson; suggests (and delineates) six classroom activities; lists selected Web resources; and addresses standards alignment. A "story pyramid" sheet is attached. (NKA)