When students in a New Jersey public middle school decided to learn about their community's history of desegregation through a unique language arts and social studies project, no one imagined how powerful the experience would be for everyone involved. In addition to researching newspaper articles and historical documents, the students conducted interviews with townspeople who participated in the struggle to desegregate northern U.S. schools. They learned how everyday people became activists, how a bus could symbolize political struggle, and how the fight for full integration is never over. This hands-on book offers a curriculum guide for teaching oral history that can be adopted by any classroom or community; shows teachers how to perform social action projects that involve youth in the complex issues concerning race relations and integration; and demonstrates the kind of real learning that takes place when school projects are designed by, with, and for young people. (Contains 35 references.) (BT)