Fifth Grade Social Studies

1. Fifth Grade Social Studies Looking at Unit 6 Ups and Downs: World War I, the Jazz Age, and the Great Depression Marlo Mong February 3, 2009

2. How do I know what concepts to teach? • Use your curriculum map! • Remember, unit one lists all the concepts used throughout the year • Every piece of content from the GPS is listed under a relevant concept • These are suggestions – make them work for your class! • Keep up with it all using a concept wall. • Students should be beginning to see some patterns emerging from their study of history so far.

3. The Jazz Age and the Harlem Renaissance • Think about the influence of music and the changing role of women during the Jazz Age. • Moving away for the Victorian Era rules of society • Jazz was a new and different sound showcasing the talents of African-American musicians • With the passage of the 19th amendment, women were experiencing a new found freedom • Flappers, shorter hair and skirts • New energy and attitude of the youth • Dance! Dance! Dance! • Harlem Renaissance: African-American literature and art contributions being celebrated outside of their community • The Great Migration-mass movement from the south to the north for job opportunities • Better education and employment is creating a political and social voice for the community

4. Framework Support Students will select one of the following figures: Louis Armstrong, Langston Hughes, Babe Ruth, Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, Duke Ellington, Margaret Mitchell, or Jesse Owens. Using online biography websites or picture book biographies, students will research the person they selected addressing the specific contribution listed in the standard and the impact they had on America. Students should write a letter to the editors of TIME magazine nominating the individual they researched for Person of the Year. Students will include the year that would be most appropriate. Within the letter, students must convince the editors that this individual has had a tremendous and lasting impact on American society.

5. World War I • The “Great War” started before US involvement (1914-1918) • America adopted a stance of neutrality during the early years of the war. • The sinking of the Lusitania was not the direct strike that caused the United States to join WWI. • German submarines became more and more aggressive attacking civilian ships as well as merchant ships thus provoking US involvement.

6. Framework Support http://www.pbs.org/lostliners/lusitania.html Students should research the events leading up to and following the sinking of the Lusitania using print and online resources (see resource list below for suggested links). Explain that the United States had to make the difficult decision whether to enter World War I or remain neutral after this attack. Students will break into groups of 8 students and these students will then separate into two teams to debate the issue of entering the war. One team will take the side of remaining neutral and the other will take the side of entering the war. Each team will need to review the available materials to find information that supports their side in the debate. Students should then use the “Debate Outline” attached below to prepare their debate. This debate format and schedule are simplified for elementary students; however, teachers may choose to differentiate this lesson for advanced students by providing additional instruction in the format of debates which would include rebuttal statements and closing statements.

7. The Great Depression • Starting in September of 1929, the market experienced extreme up and down days and many people “panic” sold their stocks. A “run” on the banks caused many to shut down and investors would loose all their money. • President Herbert Hoover believed in a laissez-faire, or “hands off” approach by government and did not want to intervene too much in the economy. He eventually created government programs which required one of the largest tax increases in US history. In the end, Hoover’s plan was not very successful. • The droughts of the 1930’s, especially in the Great Plains, are considered some of the worst droughts in history. Farmers were using more farmland not always suitable for farming to keep up with the expense of new technology and crop varieties. Already facing economic hardship because of the Depression, farmers, banks, and businesses suffered even more. • The main features of the New Deal were direct relief, economic recovery, and financial reform, known as the “3 Rs.” • Relief was immediate help. The Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) was a work relief program for men to help reduce unemployment. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was the largest New Deal agency. It provided millions of people with jobs and redistribute food, clothing, and housing. White collar workers such as artists, writers, and journalists were helped by this program as well. • Recovery included many programs that would restore the “economic health” of the US. The Emergency Banking Act helped reopen banks under the supervision of the Treasury Department. • Reform was intended to fix some of the problems that initially caused the Great Depression. The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federal corporation that provided economic development in the Tennessee Valley, an area that was severely impacted by the Great Depression. An important goal of the TVA was to modernize the area’s society and economy.

8. Soup Kitchens During the Great Depression preceding the passage of the Social Security Act, "soup kitchens" provided the only meals some unemployed Americans had. This particular soup kitchen was sponsored by the Chicago gangster Al Capone. Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)

9. Margaret Mitchell • How did her contributions add to the culture of the 1920s? • Significant location • Atlanta, Georgia • Created a myth and romanticized the Civil War • Think about the stereotypes of Mammy and Prissy • Character Traits • Journalist for Atlanta Journal Sunday Magazine • Took about a decade to complete Gone With the Wind • Very popular book in spite of the Great Depression • Over 1 million copies sold in first 6 months of publication • Pulitzer Prize winning story

10. Framework Support • After learning about the work of the CCC, WPA, and TVA, students should select a photograph of people working for one of these organizations (link provided in resource section below) and create a picture postcard using the photograph. The student will take on the role of a young man employed by the organization and write a letter home to his family describing the work he is doing. The letter might include an explanation of the project he is part of, his coworkers, his wages, his living conditions, etc. http://newdeal.feri.org/library/default.cfm

11. Remember! These are only suggested resources. Make sure to preview these sites before sharing them with your students. You know your students better than I do! Resources! • http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/jb/jazz • America’s Story from the Library of Congress; after reading the story, scroll down to find stories about Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald • http://www.si.edu/ajazzh/armstron.htm • Exhibit from the Smithsonian-see the images that were part of the Jazz Age • http://www.trailend.org/dow-jazzage.htm • The Trail End State Historic Site from Wyoming-discusses the Jazz Age through the lens of flappers, music, and dance • http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/ • Links to different topics related to WWI; history of the war shared by the United Kingdom • http://history-world.org/wilson.htm • Main focus is the life of President Woodrow Wilson. Scroll past his life to the section that discusses his life in the White House and there is information on America’s neutrality and then engagement in WWI. • http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/dustbowl/index.html • From PBS, maps, timeline, and other information about the Dust Bowl. An article is included about the Great Depression.

12. Resources for Integration View from the Air Reeve Lindbergh Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated The Legend of the Curse of the Bambino Dan Shaughnessy Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group Jesse Owens Fastest Man Alive Carole Boston Weatherford Publisher: Walker & Company Love to Langston Tony Medina Publisher: Lee & Low Books, Inc. Ellington Was Not a Street NtozakeShange Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group If I Only Had a Horn RoxaneOrgill Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Trade & Reference Publishers We’ll Race You, Henry Barbara Mitchell Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group When Willard Met Babe Ruth Donald Hall Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books