| In order to begin our
study of the United States during the 1920's and 1930's you must
first create a character who is a teenager in 1919 and who will grow older
with the decades. You will be taking on the persona of this character throughout
the unit as you react to the events you learn about.
To get started, we will read and
share information about the culture of the decade leading up to 1919 as
follows:
1. View and take notes on:
The Beginning: Seeds of Change
from The Century: America's Time
2. Read and take careful notes:
Prelude: May, 1919 from Allen,
Frederick Lewis. Only Yesterday : An Informal History of the Nineteen-twenties.
New York : Perennial Library, 1964.
3. Read and create a poster of your
assigned chapter(s). Take notes on other peopleís presentations:
Johnson, Hannah Lyons. Picture
the Past, 1900-1915. New York : Lothrop, Lee and Shepard, 1975.
4. Read and jigsaw your assigned
chapter(s): Tompkins, Vincent, ed. American Decades : 1910-
1919. New York : Gale Research,
1996.
5. Peruse and pass around
at your table excerpts from:
Andrist, Ralph K. American
Century; One Hundred Years Of Changing Life Styles
In America. 1972.
Schroeder, Joseph J. The Wonderful
World of Automobiles, 1895-1930. Northfield, Ill., Digest Books,
1971.
Sears, Roebuck and Company. Sears;
[catalog] Boston: Sears, Roebuck and Co, 1916.
6. Go to The
Background on the 20's and 30's Links page.
Follow the links to American Cultural History during the first two decades
of the Twentieth Century and take notes on things that interest you. (Be
sparing in what you print!)
7. Find and print one or more photos
of someone who might be your character (and friends and family) from Touring
Turn-of-the-Century America: Photographs from the Detroit Publishing Company,
1880 - 1920.
8. Now, begin creating ideas for
your character below:
Name:________________________________
____Male ____Female
Date of birth/Age in 1919:______________/______
Physical characteristics:____________________
Place of birth:_______________________________
_______________________________________
Place of residence:___________________________
_____________________________________________
Parents' names:__________________________________________________________________________
Other family members (names/ages):__________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Father's occupation:________________________________Mother's
occupation______________________
Family ethnicity and country of
origin:________________________________________________________
Education______________________________________________________________________________
Describe your house and neighborhood:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Describe your usual attire: _________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
What are your favorite pastimes?____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
What worries you?_______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
What interests you?_______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
How would your friends and acquaintances
characterize you?______________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Other thoughts/ideas:______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
9. Using the information above,
draft a letter which introduces you to the reader of your scrapbook. |
