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Decades

Subjects

• Arts & Humanities
  --Language Arts
  --Dance, Music
  --Visual Arts
• Social Studies
  --History
  ----U.S. History

Grade

• 3-5
• 6-8
• 9-12

Brief Description

Teams of students present dramatizations, information about a decade of the 20th Century.

Objectives

Students

• work cooperatively.
• work creatively to produce dramatizations and other "displays" of information about their assigned decade.
• include in their presentations information about a range of events and ideas for the decade, including information about history, people, places, culture, technology

Keywords

century, decades, 20th century

Materials Needed

• a wide variety of available resources

Lesson Plan

After end-of-year tests are over and final grades are determined, why not introduce a project that will focus students on learning just for fun? For this "Decades" project, teams of students are assigned a decade in the 20th century. Their job is to learn about the people, places, events, and things that represent that decade. Challenge students to get creative as their group creates a 10-minute presentation about their assigned decade. Their presentations might take many formats, including displays, dramatizations, poems, interviews (real or created) that provide information about events and ideas of the decade, including information about history, people, places, culture, technology

Assessment

If this activity is used as an end-of-year project, assessment is not essential. Assessment might be very informal; for example, each student might share/write 1) what s/he liked best about each presentation and 2) one critique of each presentation.

Lesson Plan Source

Education World

Submitted By

Gary Hopkins

National Standards

FINE ARTS: Theatre
GRADES K - 4
NA-T.K-4.1 Script Writing by Planning and Recording Improvisations Based on Personal Experience and Heritage, Imagination, Literature, and History
NA-T.K-4.2 Acting By Assuming Roles and Interacting In Improvisations
NA-T.K-4.4 Directing By Planning Classroom Dramatizations
NA-T.K-4.5 Researching By Finding Information to Support Classroom Dramatizations
GRADES 5 - 8
NA-T.5-8.1 Script Writing by Planning and Recording Improvisations Based on Personal Experience and Heritage, Imagination, Literature, and History
NA-T.5-8.2 Acting By Assuming Roles and Interacting In Improvisations
NA-T.5-8.4 Directing By Planning Classroom Dramatizations
NA-T.5-8.5 Researching By Finding Information to Support Classroom Dramatizations
GRADES 9 - 12
NA-T.9-12.1 Script Writing by Planning and Recording Improvisations Based on Personal Experience and Heritage, Imagination, Literature, and History
NA-T.9-12.2 Acting By Assuming Roles and Interacting In Improvisations
NA-T.9-12.4 Directing By Planning Classroom Dramatizations
NA-T.9-12.5 Researching By Finding Information to Support Classroom Dramatizations

FINE ARTS: Visual Arts
GRADES K - 4
NA-VA.K-4.3 Choosing and Evaluating A Range of Subject Matter, Symbols, and Ideas
NA-VA.K-4.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines
GRADES 5 - 8
NA-VA.5-8.3 Choosing and Evaluating A Range of Subject Matter, Symbols, and Ideas
NA-VA.5-8.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines
GRADES 9 - 12
NA-VA.9-12.3 Choosing and Evaluating A Range of Subject Matter, Symbols, and Ideas
NA-VA.9-12.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines

LANGUAGE ARTS: English
GRADES K - 12
NL-ENG.K-12.4 Communication Skills
NL-ENG.K-12.5 Communication Strategies
NL-ENG.K-12.8 Developing Research Skills
NL-ENG.K-12.12 Applying Language Skills

SOCIAL SCIENCES: U.S. History
GRADES 5 - 12
NSS-USH.5-12.7 Era 7: The Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930)
NSS-USH.5-12.8 Era 8: The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945)
NSS-USH.5-12.9 Era 9: Postwar United States (1945 to early 1970s)
NSS-USH.5-12.10 Era 10: Contemporary United States (1968 to the Present)

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