1920s Unit Plan

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

8:05 AM

Whose vision of the good life should young people follow?

• A Historical Investigation for 10th and 11th Grade ESL US History Students

Overview

In this three week unit, students will investigate the 1920s and 1930s to discover whose advice young people should follow. I n the 1920s and 30s, young people were bombarded with messages about how they should conduct themselves in order to be a
good person. Flappers said that the good life was having a good time, wearing the right clothes and drinking the right drinks . Prohibitionists said it was working hard, raising a family and avoiding alcohol. The KKK said it was clinging to "tradition al values"
and maintaining racial purity while the NAACP fought for integration. Much like the present day, it was a confusing and excit ing time to be a young adult. In this unit students will be introduced to the major social movements of the 1920s and study t he
consequences of those movements in the 1930s. In this way, students will learn how to determine the validity of an advisor's suggestions while studying an important period in US history. Class periods will include skits, small group projects and lect ures.
Students will also develop their confidence and skill at communicating in English through whole class discussions, reflective writing and presentations to the class. These activities will help students prepare for the final assessment, which asks them to
complete 10 short answer questions at the upper levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. Under my tutelage, this class has begun writing m ore and more because there are no ESL classes after US History. This means that these students must be prepared for
mainstream classes by the end of this semester.

This set of lessons was designed for ESL students at Huron High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The majority of students are i n 10th or 11th grade, but several seniors are taking the class. Roughly half of the students speak Chinese (most are exchange students) and the other half
largely speak Spanish. Students responded very well to an earlier mini unit I'd designed around the question, "How should we fight for our civil rights?" which surveyed the history of civil rights activism from the early 20th Century to the 1960s. Th e most popular lessons were
those which flipped back and forth between the past and the present, noting the many parallels between the events of the past and the current day. This lesson takes a similar approach to studying the 1920s and 30s, a period that often feels disconnect ed from the home lives
of students in the 21st Century. By focusing on the advice different members of society send young people, I hoped to develop students' historical empathy and their understanding that history is not merely a collection of stories, but a way of unders tanding important social
phenomena. They are in our class to learn a way of thinking that will help them reach their dreams. In the first run of this unit, students responded positively to the content and showed the ability to connect the problems of the 1920s and 1930s to m odern issues teenagers
face.

Students in this class vary greatly in terms of English language proficiency, ranging from barely conversant to proficient. S tudents are used to working collaboratively to translate, decode and deconstruct texts and I have kept this structure for thi s unit. They are also very
interested in using Web 2.0 technology during class time, something that I have included in this unit both to enhance discipl inary thinking and to provide students with an opportunity to build up the 21st Century skills valued by employers and univer sities.

Enduring Understanding

There are many people and groups who tell young people how to be a good person. Some of these advisors are more reliable than others and we can find out who to trust based on the consequences of their previous advice.

Objectives

By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Compare and contrast the social mores of flappers to that of their conservative suffragette mothers (MI USHG 7.1.1, 6.3.1, 6. 3.2).
2. Evaluate the worldviews presented by the major social movements in "modern" and "traditional" America based on their personal values and the consequences of those movements' suggestions (MI USHG 7.1.1, 7.1.2, 7.1.3, 6.3.2)
3. Evaluate the responses of Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt to the Depression using the core democratic values (MI SS P3.1, P3.2, MI USHG 7.1.2, 7.1.3, 6.3.1)
4. Describe the causes of the Great Depression including irresponsible use of consumer credit, stock speculation and overproduct ion (MI USHG 7.1.2, MI SS K1.7, K1.9).
5. Analyze advertisements to understand their underlying assumptions about what constitutes appropriate behavior, including the idea that the latest gadget will make you happy and popular (MI USHG 7.1.2, MI SS P1.1, P1.2, P1.3)
6. Create representations of historical phenomena, including changes in the social expectations placed on women and the developm ent of a consumer society, using posters and online videos which include images and music (MI USHG 6.1.5, 6.3.3, 8.3.3, MI
SS P2.3)

Key Concepts

1. Values: A set of tightly held beliefs developed over the course of one's life through interactions with others including one' s parents and friends, as well as members of their community. Many of the major disputes between groups in the 1920s were bas ed
on differences in values. The very things that "modern" groups like the flappers celebrated were the things traditional group s like the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and the KKK feared. It is important that students understand that
differences in opinion often come from differences in values.
2. New Deal: A collection of laws passed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1930s to stop cheating in business and provide jobs during the Great Depression. In this class, we will be emphasizing the CCC, WPA and SEC as examples of the New Deal
programs.
3. Prohibition: The process of making the sale, consumption and manufacture of alcohol illegal. The issue of Prohibition was one of the flashpoints in the cultural conflicts of the 1920s, pitting conservative groups like the WCTU and YMCA against progres sive
progressive groups like the Lost Generation and flappers, who viewed such legal interference into personal behavior as overly restrictive. The issues was also entwined with the issue of immigration. Many Prohibitionists viewed the "new immigrants,"
who came from the Catholic countries of Southern and Eastern Europe, as irresponsible drinkers who took jobs from good (ie. P rotestant) Americans.
4. Flapper: A young woman who drank, smoked and went to speakeasies. Although relatively few people lived a life that included a ll of these elements, aspects of their lifestyle were adopted by many people in the 1920s. In many ways, the devil -may-care
attitude of flappers encouraged the consumer debt and speculation which helped cause the Great Depression.
5. Hooverville: A collection of shacks in which unemployed, homeless Americans lived during the Great Depression. They were name d after President Herbert Hoover, who many blamed for reacting too slowly during the early days of the Depression.
6. Speakeasy: A secret club in which patrons listened to jazz music and drank illegal alcohol.
7. Rugged Individualism: An ideology espoused by Herbert Hoover which emphasized volunteerism, hard work and adherence to middle class Protestant values like thrift. Hoover believed that the answer to the problems of the Great Depression would
come from a return to the simple pioneer values which made America great.
8. Racial pride vs. racism: Racial pride is the belief that people of your race have contributed valuable things to world histor y and that it is healthy to celebrate the people from which you came. Racism is the belief that people like you are inherentl y better
than other types of people. In the 1920s, groups like the KKK and UNIA represented racist ideologies whereas the Harlem Renai ssance and the NAACP represented African Americans' pride in their racial background.
9. Stock market: A special type of market in which people are able to buy certificates which confer ownership of a company. Thes e certificates are only valuable as long as people believe that they are. In the 1920s, many people moved their savings into the
stock market in order to make "easy money." When stock prices fell in the 1930s, many Americans found themselves without the savings needed to survive a period of unemployment.
10. Credit Cards: Cards which allow the holder to borrow money from others to pay for goods and services. If the money borrowed i s not paid back, the lender charges interest which can rapidly increase a person's debt. During the 1920s, many people
accrued credit card debt assuming they could pay it back later. In the 1930s, many Americans lost their homes and other perso nal possessions to banks who'd lent them money.
11. Model T Ford: An automobile created by the Ford Motor Company which was known for its durability, low cost and popularity. It was produced using an assembly line and widely advertised. The Model T is an example both of the dramatic technological
changes which occurred during the 1920s and also the rise of a consumer culture which emphasized owning the right goods.

Assessment
The summative assessment for this unit asks students to write 10 short answers and answer 17 multiple choice questions. The test includes far more short answer responses than usual. This was done to prepare students for their future mainstream classes. I have consulted
many of my colleagues in the department and have discovered that students will need to be able to write quickly and accuratel y if they are to succeed in their classes. Many of the students, particularly those from China, have mentioned a desire to at tend American colleges
when they graduate from Huron. If they are to be ready, students will have to practice through quick writes, reflective journals and graphic organizers. As I am primarily concerned at this stage with their ability to write an in -class essay (as is common in English language arts
social studies courses), the emphasis is not on the length of students' responses but rather the ability to quickly write a r esponse that, if not yet grammatically perfect, makes sense to a native speaker. I am providing large amounts of feedback on all writing assignments with
the ultimate goal of improving students' writing. Sometimes, I work to correct spelling and grammar, but often my comments p ush students to write explanations that go beyond "yes" and "no" to explain why they feel as they do.

There are two major performance assessments during the unit. The first asks groups of three students to create a poster which explains the impact of flappers using images of Victorian era women, flappers and modern actresses/singers Taylor Swift and Victoria Justice. This
task tests the ability of students to construct narratives from primary source documents. This is akin to the document -based question (DBQ) often done by Advanced Placement students as a way of introducing historical inquiry. Students did excep tionally well on the task,
producing narratives that included such topics as the influence of advertising and peers, changes in social mores and the ide a of modernity. The different narratives created by each student using the same images allowed me to emphasize the way in whi ch historians craft a
narrative. The students then had to present their poster in front of the class in informal English.

The other major performance assessment involves students finding 1920s advertisements online and then turning them into an online video presentation using animoto.com. This group activity tested the ability of students to tell a historical narrative using images and
provided them with an opportunity to demonstrate familiarity with Web 2.0 technologies. Students were placed in groups so as to allow students less proficient with technology to get assistance from others. The associated oral presentation also tests the ability of students to
summarize information and present it in informal English. Students responded that this was one of their favorite activities a nd that they were interested in doing it again. They also said that they could think of other uses of Animoto that they could integrate into their everyday
lives. Using Animoto allows me to scaffold students' performance on an admittedly complex task: researching, creating and pre senting their own historical interpretation in front of a room of peers. These skills will be valuable both during future cla sses and in the world of
business, which places a premium on excellent oral presentation skills.

Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat

2/27/2011 2/28/2011 3/1/2011 3/2/2011 3/3/2011 3/4/2011 3/5/20
• Ken hands back ACT • Introduction • No class (testing) • Student 11
tests to the 1920s create
• Technology (lecture) "Influence
and History of
reading Flappers"
assigned posters as
a group
3/6/2011 3/7/2011 3/8/2011 3/9/2011 3/10/2011 3/11/2011 3/12/2
011
Week's Big Question: Students' Using laptop cart, Garvey, Harlem Groups of 3 students Students
Who should young Flappers Poster students will explore Renaissance independently research will present
people listen to when Presentations the idea of 1920s advertisements their videos
times are good? (20 minutes Prohibition. Ken and Taylor using search engines before the
total) Debate as and databases like Ad class using
Students will look at Garvey and Access (Duke a digital
Using an online Prohibition artifacts DuBois University) and Ad projector
radio station , for 10 minutes at Classix.
listen to jazz http://ehistory.osu.e Issues will be: -Every
from 1920s du/osu/mmh/clash/ -Are all whites Using Animoto.com, the student
default.htm racist? preselected student must speak
While listening, -Which is more groups will produce during the
students fill out Students create their important, online videos using the presentatio
"listening guide" own anti-drinking work or rights? images they found n
for participation posters that MUST -Should African during their research. -Every
points use the ideas of Americans <animoto.com> student
Prohibitionists and move to Africa? must listen
Homework: appropriate pictures Ads advising people to to the other
Read 1 page from online (20) Goal: spend now, pay later group's

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 Read 1 page from online (20) Goal: spend now, pay later group's
handout on Understand introduces idea of presentatio
Prohibition and In-class, Students difference credit cards. n and take
answer 3 will type half a page between racial notes
questions on the question, pride (Langston Ads from Ford
Due 3/8/2011 "Who gave young Hughes and introduce idea of
for 10 points people better NAACP) and automobile as a major
advice, flappers or racism (Garvey) consumer good during
their mothers?" the 1920s

Due end of hour for

20 points (10 for Homework: Read 1
poster and 10 for page handout on cars
write-up) and Ford's assembly
line. Answer 2 questions
on handout
3/13/2011 3/14/2011 3/15/2011 3/16/2011 3/17/2011 3/18/2011 3/19/2
Week's Big Question: • FDR and the Radical 011`
Who should young Meltdown: The Finish watching New Deal • Ken and Taylor debate approaches
people listen to during Big Crash PBS's The Crash of as Hoover and FDR to Reform
a depression? 1929 Groups of • Issues will be: -Huey
Watch PBS's The three - Importance of relief to Long's
Extra Credit Crash of 1929 students read the poor "Barbecue
Opportunity (American handouts on - Will rugged Speech"
Experience) the SEC, WPA individualism solve (3:49 clip)
Hoover's Ideas Today: Online via and CCC. the problems of the http://www
Volunteerism http://video.pbs. Great Depression? .youtube.co
org/video/13084 Groups • Students write m/watch?
Using a graphic 36568/# develop and paragraph in-class v=hphgHi6F
organizer and the perform skits about which D8k&NR=1
internet, students Film introduces which explain candidate young -Danny
research and write idea of stock these people should listen Glover
down organizations speculation and concepts to to and why. reads
that fight for justice at buying on the class. Langston
the school, local and margin. Hughes'
college level. The notes 1934 Ballad
Students will students take of
Due Friday for an take notes like in a graphic Roosevelt
additional homework they did with organizer are http://www
grade "Up from the photocopied .youtube.co
Bottoms" and m/watch?
distributed to v=HADGKw
Homework: their _wa5E
Read 2 page classmates.
overview of the HAND OUT
Great Depression REVIEW
SHEET

3/20/11 3/21/2011 3/22/2011 3/23/2011 3/24/2011

Review Day
-Answer any and Unit Test Ken Resumes Return exam grades to
all questions -17 multiple choice Lead Teaching students and discuss
about review -10 short answer of 3rd Hour test
sheet questions Upfront Magazine if
discussion takes less
than whole hour

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