Tuesday, November 8, 2011

The Roaring Twenties Unit Study

Did you ever watch the Charlie Chaplin movies when you were young? I don't know if you felt the same way I did:

1. Wow this is old.
2. There's no talking.

Netflix had The Gold Rush featuring Charlie Chaplin (1925) in their instant play section so I surprised the kids with this gem. Imagine their confusion when they realized the man did not talk! At first they weren't pleased with this at all. But as I sat at my desk in the next room the mood changed about 5 minutes in--there were great big belly-roars! This was the Chaplin I remembered growing up and now my kids were enjoying it the same way I did.

Movies like these are an excellent segue-way into learning about an era in history. Here are some ideas to get you started:

-Review Charlie Chaplin's biography
-For elementary children: biography
-Chronology: Famous Clowns
-Learn about the Roaring Twenties
-The 19th Amendment--what was it?
-Watch Disney's first Mickey Mouse talking film (1928)
           

-Learn the history of the Unknown Soldier. When was it? Why was it an important part of history in the 20s?
-When, where, and why did the Miss America pageants begin?
-What did John Baird invent?
-How about the history of the Spirit of St. Louis?
-Listen to 1920s Big Band Music 
-Learn some 1920s slang
-Do the Charleston! La dee da dee dum.. What's the Name of That Song?
           
-Make the food for a themed dinner.
-Learn the cultural history of 1920s life. How is it the same with modern day? How is it different?
-Learn about the Farm Life.
-"Life" magazine covers--what did they say about the times?
-Learn about King Tut!
-What was Black Thursday and what era did it kick off?
-Investigate facts and fads about the decade. Did you know the peanut butter and jelly sandwich became popular in 1922?

Make:
-A sparkly flapper headband
-Cloche Hat
-All about yo-yos
-PVC pipe crafts
-Make paper airplanes Best Blogger Tips
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1 comment:

Maddy said...

We watched over the holidays - a great hit. Many years ago I had to make a flapper dress for a party - a sparkly headband will be quite a sight.