History
Your students can use their study of history to gain insight into life in times past and the products that were then available to meet people's needs and wants. People's basic needs have not changed through the decades but what they can use to meet those needs depends on the technology available at the time and how accessible it was to particular groups of people. People have always worn clothes and portraits from the past can tell us much about the way textiles were used especially for those who were wealthy or privileged in some way. To find out about the clothing of ordinary people it is often necessary to use written descriptions from the time in question.
English
Your students can use fictional accounts of living now and in the past to gain insights into peoples needs and wants.