Teacher Resources for Instructional Planning


Grade 6, Social Studies Std 10: Identify major social and cultural changes in the United States from 1945 to 1960.

Lesson Plans: The Little Transistor That Could: In 1947, the transistor was developed In this lesson, students will look at some of the constraints that affected the development of the transistor and will examine the wide-ranging effect of a single innovation. Advertising in the 1950's Although this WebQuest lesson was originally designed for high school, teachers may modify it to fit the middle school curriculum. The purpose of this activity is to compel students to ask meaningful questions about the past, including "What values, beliefs, symbols, and stereotypes were important to people of the past?" and "What types of questions should you ask to discover the implicit meanings in a historical document?" The GI Bill In this lesson, students will explain the social and economic impacts of the GI Bill. Also, they will be able to use this knowledge to write a comparison of postwar society and today's society that describes the GI Bill's social and economic impacts. The Murder of Emmett Till: Teacher's Guide Provided by PBS, this lesson plan is centered around the murder of Emmett Till. Students are also asked to discuss segregation, violence, and the Great Migration. This lesson plan is broken into four parts. Eisenhower: The Contentious 1950s In this lesson, students will become aware that the United States faced several significant domestic and international problems in the 1950s. students will then describe how the conflicting opinions that the population and politicians had on these issues. Jackie Steals Home In this lesson students draw on their previous studies of American history and culture as they analyze primary sources from Jackie Robinson and Other Baseball Highlights, 1860s-1960s in American Memory. A close reading of two documents relating to Jackie Robinson's breaking of the racial barrier in professional baseball leads to a deeper exploration of racism in the United States, both in and out of sports. McCarthyism and 1950s Lesson Plan This outline of the 1950s explores many different aspects of the 1950s. Teachers may want to use this as a guide for ideas. Fifties/Sixties Musical Playwriting Workshop In this lesson from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum students read or listen to samples of music from different time periods in order to interpret the meanings (Note: music cannot be directly downloaded at this site). Celebrate the Century: Search the Web for U.S. History of the 1950s In this WebQuest activity from Education World, students use the Internet to answer ten (10) scavenger hunt type questions about the 1950s. These questions range from pop culture to politics. The Struggle Against Segregation In this students will learn about the history of segregation in America, recognize the challenges and prejudice that many African Americans faced in the 1950s, and appreciate how the Little Rock Nine influenced the future of education for many African Americans.

Resources: The 1950s: Cars Consumers, and the Cold War This site allows users to take a trip back in time to the "fabulous fifties." American Memory A gateway to rich primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States. The site offers more than 7 million digital items from more than 100 historical collections. Digital History This site provides links to American history web sites by period and provide historical overviews, readings, primary source documents, maps, cartoons, teaching resources, and audio-visual resources. MLK Page This site was produced by students at Western Michigan University. The main feature is an interactive timeline (1954-1960). The additional resources on presidents Truman and Eisenhower are by the POTUS (Presidents of the United States) website. Harry S. Truman (1945-53) Dwight David Eisenhower (1953-61) American Cultural History 1950-1959 Kingwood College Library examines the trends of the 1950s American Cultural History 1960-1969 Kingwood College Library examines the trends of the 1960s The Recognition of the State of Israel Truman Presidential Library and Museum examine the Recognition of the State of Isreal. The Truman Presidential Library and Museum All things President Truman Desegregation of the Armed Forces A timeline of the Desegregation of the Armed Fores Dwight David Eisenhower Quick facts about President Eisenhower from the POTUS website Eisenhower's Farewell Address This site recites the farewell address that President Eisenhower made on January 17, 1961 LBJ Library and Museum All things Lyndon B. Johnson
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