Unidentified, and Michael Montgomery. Conversation with 60 year old white female, White Pine, Tennessee (Transcript). 1977–1978. Manuscript. Library of Congress American Folklife Center. https://www.loc.gov/item/afccal000572/.
Students will close read the interview transcript, taking note of linguistic differences between the two speakers. They will consider the woman’s story in the context of Roosevelt’s New Deal and its connections to modern day.
As part of Roosevelt’s New Deal, the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) was established to bring electricity to and improve the standard of living for much of the southern US.
Source: https://www.britannica.com/money/Tennessee-Valley-Authority
- What can we learn about people from how they speak?
- What assumptions might we make because of how they speak?
- How does the way we speak connect to and contribute to our identities?
- How might language use change over time?
ELA Standard
8.W.6. Demonstrate command of English grammar and usage.
Social Studies Standard
8.E.5. Explain and evaluate examples of domestic and international interdependence throughout United States history.
Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
- Pair students up and have them answer this question: What is one favorite or impactful memory you have? One partner should ask the question and transcribe the other’s response. Invite them to challenge themselves to capture what their partner says as closely to how it sounds, using spelling that captures the way the word sounds. Then, have the partners switch.
- After they are finished, rejoin as a whole class to reflect on the process. How did it go? What was challenging? How did you overcome those challenges? What new realizations about spelling and speech were revealed to you through this process?
- Next, in their pairs, have students read through the transcript, highlighting places where words and/or phrases seem different or outside of “correct” mainstream middle-class English.
- After reading, invite the pairs to consider the questions:
- What do we learn about the woman from the interview based on how she talks?
- How does that influence how/what we think and/or assume about her?
- How do the interviewee’s stories and experiences add to our understanding of history—FDR’s New Deal or the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)?
- Come back together as a whole class and ask the pairs to share in a whole-class discussion the major takeaways from their partner discussions.
Unidentified, and Michael Montgomery. Conversation with 39 year old white female, White Pine, Tennessee (Transcript). 1977–1978. Manuscript. Library of Congress American Folklife Center. https://www.loc.gov/item/afccal000573/.