The 1940’s Come to Life!

A WebQuest for 11^th Grade U. S. History

Designed by

Kathleen Gilmore

Theodore Hasz

April Marshall

Daniel Spencer

Edgardo Vilas

Introduction

Ever wonder what life was really like in the past?  Not just what the history books tell us, but what about plain ordinary everyday life?  What would a newspaper in the 1940’s look like?  Well, not only will you find out, but you will write your own 1940’s newspaper to print and share with classmates and parents.

The Task

As a team you will:

• research life in the 1940’s using web pages provided, your text book and print sources available in the library
• find specific facts involving main events, sports, entertainment and economy in the above sources
• write, edit, print and share your example of a 1940’s newspaper using word processing and/or desktop publishing software

The Process

First you will be divided into teams of 5.  Each member of your team will be assigned one of the following jobs:

Where to find your information.

Your text book.

Print sources in the library.

The World Wide Web.

Due to the vastness of the Web these sites have been provided for you.

Evaluation

Describe to the learners how their performance will be evaluated. Specify whether there will be a common grade for group work vs. individual grades.

Conclusion

You have just worked very hard as a team to recreate a 1940’s newspaper.  In order to do this you had to research for information, evaluate the information, discriminate between important information and simply interesting information, use word processing and/or desktop publishing software and communicate effectively both as a team and as classmates.

If you would like to learn more about the 1940’s try:

ü      reading about some of the people you learned about in more detail and then writing a journal from their point of view.

ü      volunteering at a retirement home in your area, talk to some of the residents who lived through the 1940’s.  They would love to read your paper!

ü      researching fashion of the 1940’s and recreating a 1940’s outfit, you would be a big hit at this year’s costume party.

Standards

California State Standards

11.7 Students analyze America's participation in World War II.

1. Examine the origins of American involvement in the war, with an emphasis on the events that precipitated the attack on Pearl Harbor.
2. Explain U.S. and Allied wartime strategy, including the major battles of Midway, Normandy, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the Battle of the Bulge.
3. Identify the roles and sacrifices of individual American soldiers, as well as the unique contributions of the special fighting forces (e.g., the Tuskegee Airmen, the 442nd Regimental Combat team, the Navajo Code Talkers).
4. Analyze Roosevelt's foreign policy during World War II (e.g., Four Freedoms speech).
5. Discuss the constitutional issues and impact of events on the U.S. home front, including the internment of Japanese Americans (e.g., Fred Korematsu v. United States of America) and the restrictions on German and Italian resident aliens; the response of the administration to Hitler's atrocities against Jews and other groups; the roles of women in military production; and the roles and growing political demands of African Americans.
6. Describe major developments in aviation, weaponry, communication, and medicine and the war's impact on the location of American industry and use of resources.
7. Discuss the decision to drop atomic bombs and the consequences of the decision (Hiroshima and Nagasaki).
8. Analyze the effect of massive aid given to Western Europe under the Marshall Plan to rebuild itself after the war.                                                                             (History-Social Science Content Standards, 2002)

Washington State

The Essential Academic Learning Requirements

Grade 11

U. S. History

1. The student examines and understands major ideas, eras, themes, developments, turning points, chronology, and cause-effect relationships in United States, world, and Washington State history.

To meet this standard, the student will:

1.1 Understand and analyze historical time and chronology

1.1.3a Group events and individuals by broadly defined historical eras and use timelines to identify and explain patterns of historical continuity and change in a succession of related events; compare and contrast different cultural perceptions of time

1.1.3b Compare and evaluate competing historical narratives, analyze multiple perspectives, and challenge arguments of historical inevitability

1.2 Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping United States, world, and Washington State history

U.S. History 1.2.3 Identify and analyze major concepts, people, and events in 20th century U.S. history including:

· Emergence of America as a world power (1890-1918)
· Reform, prosperity, and depression
· World War II, the Cold War, and International Relations (1939-present)
· Post World War II domestic, political, social, and economic issues (1945-present)

World History 1.2.3 Identify and analyze major concepts, people, and events in world history from 1600 to the present including:

· Global expansion and encounter (1450-1770)
· Age of Revolution (1750-1914)
· Causes and consequences of WWI and WWII (1870-1989)
· Emergence and development of new nations (1945-present)
· Challenges to democracy and human rights (1900-present)

1.3 Examine the influence of culture on United States, world, and Washington State history

1.3.3 Examine and analyze how the contributions of various cultural groups influence society in the United States

2. The student understands the origin and impact of ideas and technological developments on history.

To meet this standard, the student will:

2.1 Compare and contrast ideas in different places, time periods, and cultures and examine the inter-relationships between ideas, changes, and conflict

2.1.3 Compare and analyze major ideas in different places, times, and cultures, and how those ideas have brought about continuity, change, or conflict

2.2 Understand how ideas and technological developments influence people, culture, and environment

2.2.3 Analyze how technological developments have changed people’s ideas about the natural world and evaluate their short and long-term consequences

                                                                                                        (OSPI, n. d.)

Credits & References

Template

WebQuest Templates (n. d.).  Retrieved July 27, 2003 from the WebQuest Page website at:   http://webquest.sdsu.edu/LessonTemplate.html              

Standards

Essential Academic Learning Requirements: Grade 11: History (n. d.).  Retrieved August 19, 2003 from the OSPI website at: http://www.k12.wa.us/curriculuminstruct/SocStudies/EALRs/History.asp

History-Social Science Content Standards for California Public Schools (2002). Retrieved on August 17, 2003, from California Department of Education website at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/standards/history/

Websites

 BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum the 1940s.  (n.d.)  Retrieved August 21, 2003 from the BC Sports Hall of Fame website at: http://www.bcsportshalloffame.com/docs/galleries/1940.html

Best movies of the 1940's (n. d.). Retrieved on August 21,  2003 from the Liberation Journal webpage at:  http://www.libertocracy.com/Transfer/Articles/culture/entertainment/movies/1940.htm

A Date in Time (2002).  Retrieved August 14, 2003 from the Ruby Lane Website at: http://www.rubylane.com/shops/adateintime/ilist/,cs=Historical:Newspapers,id=7.6.html

ebay.com (n. d.).  Retrieved August 14, 2003 from the ebay.com website at: http://www.ebay.com

Eyewitness: History Through the Eyes of Those Who Lived It (1997-2003).  Retrieved  on August 17, 2003, from the Ibis Communications, Inc website at:  http://www.ibiscom.com/w2frm.htm

Genova, T. (2001). Television history the first 75 years: what things cost in 1940. Retrieved August 20, 2003, from the Television History website at: http://www.tvhistory.tv/1940%20QF.htm.

GHS Web Design Team (2000).  Gideon historical photo gallery.  Retrieved August 14, 2003 from the Gideon High School website at: http://gideon.k12.mo.us/town/pgal.htm

Goodwin, S. (2003).  American History - Decade 1940 - 1949.  Retrieved on August 21, 2003 from the Kingwood College Library webpage at:  http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decade40.html

Glatzer, H. (2002). Life in 1940. Retrieved August 20, 2003, from the Too Dead To Swing: The Book website at: http://toodeadtoswing.com/1940.html.

Harper, J (2002).  Sport in the 1940s. Retrieved August 21, 2003 from the Texas Tech website at: http://www2.tltc.ttu.edu/Harper/3338Sports/Weblinks/1920-1950/1940s.htm.

MovieSite: history- 1940's (n. d.). Retrieved on August 21, 2003 from the Moviesite webpage at: http://www.moviesite.net/history/1940.htm

Mrs. Sunda's Gifted Resource Class (1999).  The 1940s: The decade of war.  Retrieved August 21, 2003 from the Kyrene de las Brisas Elementary website at: http://www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/brisas/sunda/decade/1940.htm.

Newspaper articles and picture collection (n. d.).  Retrieved August 14, 2003 from the Vine Street Orphanage website at: http://www.bonnyoaks.com/vine_street_indexpage.htm.

The old car manual project: 1940's newspaper ads (2003).  Retrieved August 21, 2003, from the TOCMP website at: http://tocmp.com/ads/1942.

Primary sources: Baseball and World War II (n. d.).  Retrieved August 21, 2003 from the Baseball Hall of Fame website at: http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/education/primary_sources/world_war_ii/.

Tempe neighborhood history (2003). Retrieved August 21, 2003 from the Tempe website at: http://tempe.gov/nhoods/boom.htm.

Thomas, P.W.  (2001). C 20th Sports Fashion Until 1960.  Retrieved August 21, 2003 from the Fashion Era website at: http://www.fashion-era.com/sports_fashion_until_1960.htm.

Web generation 1940's music, fads, entertainment, personalities, memories (2001). Retrieved on August 20, 2003 from the Web Generation webpage at: http://www.wgeneration.com/1940.html .

What You Need to Know About (2003).  Retrieved on August 17, 2003, from the About, Inc. website at:  http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bldrew.htm

1940-1949: World War and Cold War (n. d.). Retrieved August 17, 2003, from the Heroism website at:  http://www.heroism.org/class/1940/complete.htm

Last updated on August 15, 1999. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page