Cultural Revolution of the 60s—(madness, music, magic as youth acquires a voice within the consumer market)

by Jacqueline Dukes                                                                                                   

Purpose:

6th Grade Language Arts lesson created to enhance “Embracing Our Heritage” which is an 8 week unit within the common core standards.  Students are challenged to consider how encountering new people within new places impacts all involved.  The unit focus provides one component of integration of various disciplines within Language Arts under the new common core standards.

Assumptions:

1. Ohio public school students have not studied American History in which the beginning of the nation until present day has been surveyed.
2. The students have studied Ohio and the western hemisphere during grades 4-5.
3. In order to provide scaffolding for ongoing and future social studies classes some effort needs to be given to pulling together fragments and pieces from past American History experiences so students can develop a viable process for further investigation of culture and country based studies

Objectives:

1. Students recognize important information in provided text
2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions
3. Integrate visual information (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).

Timing:  150-200 minutes required to complete the two lessons.  Should students decide to conduct a survey, it would take  longer to generate the data sheet and collect the information.

Evaluation Activity 1: At the end of this lesson students will be able to discuss the analogy

Evaluation Activity 2: Students create a viable list and are able to justify recommendations

“During the 60s Peter Max was to art as the Beatles were to Music.”

Activity: Working in pairs one student will acquire information about the Beatles while the partner will gather information about Peter Max.  Together they will complete a Venn diagram which will enable students to recognize significance of each phenomenon— icons of a particular era and unique personalities that have been influenced, plus are influential though encounters with others.  This reinforces an ongoing premise that will be explored throughout the 8 week unit. As groups meet, they are forever changed. Discoveries are shared and reinvented over time. New technologies provide opportunities for indirect exposure.

Material:   visuals and music from 60s era—collage of Maxx’s work, clothing and accessories from licensed products—Peter Max, Beatles photo, collage of album/movie memorabilia, photos of items from OSU collection. ( Matisse dress is the most appropriate inclusion from the materials shown.)

From Fashion2Fiber collection:

*Paper space shuttle dress
*Advertisement for paper dresses
*Pucci dress
*Paco Rabanne plastic and ring dress
*Yves Saint Laurent-Piet Modrian dress
*Plaid mod dress with matching legging/shoes

From online:  Vintage Peter Max clothing images

Activity 2 Extension—Data collection and writing activity

Introduction:
Share culture collection with class—use projection device of envelope containing visuals while music montage plays in the background.

Assign extension task:
Frequently historians collect important items to represent a period of time, an event, or culture. The music and visuals presented during activity one represent a collection of images and music associated with the counterculture of the 1960s. For future studies about 2014-15 teens, list three items you would choose to inform others about today‘s youth.

Brainstorm before beginning the task.

For consideration:

1.  Is this a recommendation you can make alone, or would you like to consult with peers?
2.  Whether you work alone or gather information from peers, how will you determine what is important?  Source of information?

Once choices are made support each recommendation with data to justify the items on the list.

Data sharing;

1. At table groups  share recommendation
2. Make group list of items
3. Report out for line graph on chart paper, white board, etc.
4. Analyze the results for range and outlier choices
5. Ask volunteers to  make statements of patterns
6. Invite students to consider whether or not future enquiries using key word searches will yield the same results 50 years from now.  The main consideration is whether or not the recommended items will best represent this time with this population. Discuss whether or not any students within table groups were influenced to reconsider personal recommendation while sharing list with peers.

Download this lesson plan (pdf).