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Finding the Soul of the 1920s!

Lesson Author
Course(s)
Required Time Frame
Two weeks to three weeks
Grade Level(s)
Lesson Abstract
All students will be required to use primary and secondary sources to investigate the 1920s.
Description

The lesson will be taught in a 7th grade classroom. All students will be required to use primary and secondary sources to investigate the 1920s.

  • I am a fan of teaching with a constructivist approach where students are hands on in numerous experiences and exploring their individual strengths. This podcasting lesson with is either with a partner or by himself or herself. I will expect
  • The classroom will open with Jazz music from the 1920s to set the tone alone with images of ordinary people on the smart board. I will have names of famous Missourians from the 1920s on the classroom desks, which we will explore through the unit. We will create a visual timeline in the classroom
  • I am hoping to expand this unit with my colleagues. I think we could incorporate the 18th and Vine museums into our multicultural assembly in January. My focus will be to for students create a podcast based on a person or topic from the 1920s. I want to also highlight the Jazz Age in Kansas City through creating a podcast.
Rationale (why are you doing this?)

The 1920s produced an amazing amount of history about extraordinary time for our country. I want to encourage students make connections from the past to the present of strong leading Americans, plus ordinary people doing extraordinary things. I will focus on the history of the Kansas City region for this project

Lesson Objectives - the student will

Research a topic from the 1920s

Be given a basic history of the 1920s.

Create an original podcast using their research.

Students will explore the Kansas City history during the 1920.

Understanding of beginnings of Jazz music in Kansas City

District, state, or national performance and knowledge standards/goals/skills met

 Social Studies, students in Missouri public schools will acquire a solid foundation, which includes knowledge of

1. Principles expressed in the documents shaping constitutional democracy in the United States

2. Continuity and change in the history of Missouri, the United States and the world

5. The major elements of geographical study and analysis (such as location, place, movement, regions) and their relationships to changes in society and environment

6. Relationships of the individual and groups to institutions and cultural traditions

7. The use of tools of social science inquiry (such as surveys, statistics, maps, documents)

Technology Standards:

ISTE-NETS-S: Creativity and Innovation

Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.

Students will apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.

Students will create original works as a means of personal or group expression

Kansas Standards

Benchmark 1: The student uses a working knowledge and understanding of individuals, groups, ideas, developments, and turning points in the era of the emergence of the modern United States (1890-1930).

9. (A) analyzes factors that contributed to changes in work, production and the rise of a consumer culture during the 1920’s (e.g., leisure time, technology, communication, travel, assembly line, credit buying).

Benchmark 5: The student engages in historical thinking skills.

1. (A) analyzes a theme in United States history to explain patterns of continuity and change over time.

2. (A) develops historical questions on a specific topic in United States history and analyzes the evidence in primary source documents to speculate on the answers.

3. (A) uses primary and secondary sources about an event in U.S. history to develop a credible interpretation of the event, evaluating on its meaning (e.g., uses provided primary and secondary sources to interpret a historical-based conclusion).

Secondary materials (book, article, video documentary, etc.) needed

The Roaring Twenties Statistics

The Roaring Twenties Timeline

Kansas City Library

1920s

The 1920s

Stanley Coben, Rebellion Against Victorianism

An analysis of the social and intellectual transformation during the 1920s.

Ellis W. Hawley, The Great War and the Search for Modern Order

A highly readable interpretation of the period.

Films

It

Clara Bow’s vivaciousness helped define the new woman of the 1920s. This film tells the story of a shop clerk who wins the heart of her rich employer because she has "it": "that quality possessed by some which draws all others with its magnetic force."

Fully describe the activity or assignment in detail. What will both the teacher and the students do?

Podcast Learning Goals:

An appreciation for the history of radio and the 1920’s.

Be able to find quality research and write about the events

Create a quality product

Improving communication skills

Be able to work with technology and improve his or her skills.

What to Do:

Introducing a podcasts

I will ask the students if they familiar with podcasts and what they like to listen to on the radio? I plan to show podcasts from the apple website. I will have downloaded my couple of my favorites. I plan to discuss the history of radio and it’s importance on American History. After we have completed our discussion, I will explain we will be creating a podcast based from historical research in the 1920’s. I will provide the students with a list of topics from the 1920’s to choose on of interest to them.

The class with chooses a partner to create their podcast (radioshow) it should resemble old time radio shows. I want students to include music and other artifacts from the time period.

1. Students will select a person or topic of interest from the 1920’s.

2. Students will choose a partner or can choose to work alone.

3. Students will listen to old radio show and modern podcasts to brainstorm ideas in the form of a concept map.

4. Students will be given two days to research their topic. The teacher will provide some web source as a starting point for students.

When writing the script students should consider length of segment, order of the show, music segments, and overall creative informative podcast.

5. Students will create a written script from their research.

6. Students will record the podcast using Garage band. It can be done with Audacity. Students will go into the computer lab to do their recording.

Students will one day to record and one day to edit the podcast.

Before recording students will practice reading scripts out loud.

Podcasts will be posted on my webpage for parents to listen to their child’s work. I will also make each student a copy of all the podcasts.

Assessment: fully explain the assessment method in detail or create and attach a scoring guide

I found this scoring guide, which could easily be used for this project.

Rubric for Podcasts

*I typically work with the students to create a scoring guide, so they are involved in the process of creating a quality product. I think the students take ownership in the project when they understand how it is going to be graded. I also will allow them to grade themselves, and then I will conference with them about his or her score. We will look the final product together.