40th Anniversary of Woodstock
Lessons can help students understand the significance of Woodstock, the 1960's, and the history of the times.
By Debra Karr
August marks the 40th anniversary of the legendary rock festival Woodstock which took place in upstate New York in 1969. As political, cultural and social turbulence took place within mainstream America during the 1960's, music reflected that unrest, and fueled many popular symbols, phrases, and gestures that remain a part of culture today. The peace sign (two fingers or the circle with the chicken foot), tie-dyed clothing, and long hair all stemmed from the 1960's counterculture.
Contemporary American history is something that brings forth interesting topics of discussion and social issues that continue to be a part of students' lives. Music Festivals, war, feminism, divorce and marriage, and baby boomers make excellent components for lessons about the 1960's because it is during this era that the definition of "mainstream" started to change and new attitudes, laws, and accepted modes of behaving began to take on new meaning.
The next series of lessons gives students activities and projects that will help them understand historical and social shifts that took place during the 1960's in America. Through analyzing song lyrics, researching changes in laws, investigating shifts in attitudes, and exploring historical events and the ramifications those events had on society, these lessons will broaden students' understanding of why the music and culture of Woodstock has had such a profound impact. Start out any lesson with a warm-up. You can begin by doing a brainstorming with your class. Ask them to write down any words or phrases that come to mind when they hear "Woodstock" (the festival- not the little yellow bird).
This lesson gives students the opportunity to write a research paper when given the question:"What cultural and social changes occurred in the US during the 1960's?" They are asked to view a picture from the 1969 Woodstock Festival and to interpret how the photograph reflects the social unrest during this time period. With activity sheets, timelines, and a graphic organizer, the teacher is prepared for guiding students into thought provoking writing activities that center around 1960's American culture. Because this lesson and topic is so broad, I would recommend focusing on just one aspect of the social change that took place during this time. For example, take "civil rights movement" or "Vietnam War" and find a song that speaks to one of these issues and have students analyze the lyrics and make connections between the song and what was going on in the country.
In this lesson students analyze the lyrics to the song "Feel Like I'm Fixin to Die Rag", a song that satirizes recruiting efforts for the Vietnam War. Students discuss and answer a series of questions pertaining to the song's connection to the Vietnam War. This is good lesson for teaching satire. Why not incorporate some tie-die techniques too? Maybe conduct a research project on tie-die. Have students search the web, and find the most interesting pattern that they can write about.
Free Speech During Times of War
"Should journalists be allowed to report on all that they see during a war?" This essential question and others are discussed during this lesson that intertwines history with writing, giving examples of events where journalists were questioned. As students read newspaper articles with sections blacked out and declassified government documents they investigate and explore the area of censorship and utilize critical thinking skills when confronted with scenarios and situations that question free speech. The real world examples that are used in this lesson are thought provoking, engaging, and practical. I would also introduce the Internet as a topic of discussion for the free speech issue because it adds another layer of complexity to an already complex issue.
60's Personalities and Issues- Do They Withstand the Test of Time?
In the second part of this lesson, students interview personalities from the 1960's. By analyzing songs from this era, they discover whether or not the meaning in the song still remains the same even today. Major movements like Civil Rights, the Counterculture, and Anti-Vietnam Protests are studied as students research specific events and incidents that made history during these periods. This is a great historical lesson. I think comparing what is going on in today's world with what happened during the 1960's through a compare/contrast essay or even a research paper may be beneficial so students can make correlations between time periods.
