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Choose one or more of the projects below to make your own connections
to life in the 1920s. Each project can be completed by an individual student or by a small group.
Use images from the Internet and the article "Life on Four Wheels" to create
a multimedia presentation about early automobiles. Write short descriptions
to accompany each image. You may want to include the following in your descriptions:
- Years during which each car was manufactured and sold
- Specifications and special features of each car
- Historical details regarding each manufacturer
Write a script for a documentary film on the movie industry and movie culture
in the 1920s. You can start your research using information from the article
"The Silver Screen" and the movie Web sites listed on the "Links" page.
Your film script should address the following:
- After the release of The Jazz Singer, how quickly did "talkies" replace silent films? What factors slowed the adoption of the new format?
- What were the most popular types of films during the 1920s?
- What was the typical price of admission to a movie theater? Find an inflation calculator on the Internet and calculate the price in today's dollars.
Your script should include narration and descriptions of locations, sound, and visuals,
such as movie posters, portraits of film stars, and clips from old movies.
Read the article "Home Appliances" and use the Web sites listed on the "Links" page to learn about
labor-saving home appliances that gained popularity in the 1920s. Then write a short essay
exploring how the introduction of these appliances influenced the lives of women in the
United States and Europe. Your writing should express a strong opinion on which women's
lives were most affected and how. Take a clear position and support that position with
references to details about specific home appliances.
Read the article "Radio Craze." Then search the Internet for recordings
of 1920s radio broadcasts. Working with five or more students, create and
perform a mock 1920s radio show segment. Include the following in your show:
- An audio clip of a hit song (or your own live performance)
- A news report
- A celebrity interview
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