Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: The Great Gatsby: Primary Sources From the Roaring Twenties

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In order to appreciate historical fiction, students need to understand the factual context and recognize how popular culture reflects the values, mores, and events of the time period. Since a newspaper records significant events and...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Understanding Different Views on Death

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Examine how people come to understand and deal with death in their own ways, and examine the importance of expressing emotions and values surrounding the issue. Analyze how death is portrayed in the media and popular culture.
Website
PBS

Pbs: The Sixties: The Years That Shaped a Generation

For Students 9th - 10th
Online companion to a PBS documentary that tells the story of America during the 1960s includes a timeline of newsworthy events from the decade and a series of thematic vignettes that addresses the war in Vietnam, sixties pop culture,...
Website
Other

The Sam Shepard Website

For Students 9th - 10th
Shepard website put together by Bucknell University professor. Provides valuable links to Shepard & pop culture, music, biographies, films & published works.
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Flower Power

For Students 5th - 8th
An interesting look at the counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s and what influence it had on popular culture.
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: You Decide: The Roaring Twenties?

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about prohibition, prosperity, the role of the automobile and popular culture to decide if the 1920s were a roar or a big yawn. How would you describe the 1920s?
Handout
Other

Kirkus Media: Judith Viorst

For Students 3rd - 5th
An interview with Judith Viorst where she talks about her children's book Lulu Walks the Dogs. She describes how she created the character Lulu and her admiration of her illustrator, Lane Smith. She also talks about the impact her book...
Website
Other

Center for Media Literacy: The Power of Images

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Web-article that looks at images and their power to persuade. Several myths are explored and their relationship to the images in popular culture are discussed.
Graphic
New York Times

New York Times: Batman's Evolution

For Students 9th - 10th
Audio slideshow explains differences in Batman characterizations that have evolved over time as the superhero, first created in 1939, moved across media formats from print, to television, to film. An interesting overview of a favorite...
Website
NBC

Nbc News: u.s. News

For Students 9th - 10th
Find the latest U.S. news stories, photos, and videos. Read breaking headlines covering politics, economics, pop culture, and more.
Article
International Literacy Association

International Literacy Association: How to Help Students Interpret Digital Texts

For Teachers 9th - 10th
How can we help students to move beyond summary and toward interpretation? A combination of digital popular culture modeling, heuristics, and choice - along with digital composition - can initiate that process. Interpretation combines...
Article
A&E Television

History.com: Was There Really a "Red Telephone" Hotline During the Cold War?

For Students 9th - 10th
During the height of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union established a direct communications link to allow their leaders to contact one another in the event of a nuclear crisis or other emergency. This Washington-Moscow...
Website
Google

Google Trends

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore trends and visual displays in what people are searching for on Google.
Handout
Other

English Made in Brazil: Proverbios (Proverbs)

For Students 9th - 10th
A list of common proverbs and popular sayings in English and Portuguese.
Website
Other

Electoral Reform Society

For Students 9th - 10th
This British website is home to a not-for-profit group promoting alternative democratic voting systems. Students studying representative government can examine if Canada's current First-Past-the-Post system best suits Canada's changing...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Recreation Yesterday and Today

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Primary texts from the 1920s and 1930s launch an exploration of entertainment and recreation popular during that time in America's history. Learners will research rural and nationwide experiences from this time and, in turn, make...