A View of the Past

A View of
the Past
A look at the 1950s through the
lens of the View-Master

A Multidisciplinary WebQuest
by
Alan Engle

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion

Introduction

You and your school have been asked by William Gruber , inventor of the View-Master, to develop a new series of View-Mater reels entitled The Fabulous Fifties. There are to be three new reel titles in this series, People and Events of the 1950s, Sports and Entertainment of the 1950s, and Science and Technology of the 1950s.

So girls, slip on those poodle skirts and saddle shoes; and guys, grab your leather jackets and shades -- we are off to take a View of the Past.

Task

Each class is to create their own reel based on topics gathered from the Internet. Your class topics will provide insight into one of these three areas: People and Events, Sports and Entertainment, and Science and Technology. Will the viewers of your reel will be able to answer the question, "What was life like back in the Fifties?" The answer lies in your hands.

Process

Mr. Gruber has given you some guidelines to help in preparing your reels. These guidelines are not telling you how to do your reels, but rather hints of how the finished product should appear. The guidelines for all reels are:

Each student will select a slide topic from the alphabetical listing below. Please select a slide topic that would fit nicely into your grade's reel title. The assigned reel grade level titles are:

        3rd Grade: People and Events of the 1950s,
        4th Grade: Sports and Entertainment of the 1950s, and
        5th Grade: Science and Technology of the 1950s.
After selecting the topic, follow the directions of the View-Master Slide Coordinator on how to download and print a photograph of your topic. The topic summary sentence should be written in a similar style of past reels produced by View-Master. For example,

Shot Heard Throughout the Valley

Voted the greatest moment in Los Angeles sports history, Kirk Gibson's dramatic home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series is one of the most famous events in Dodgers and baseball lore.

Remember that the View-Master Slide Coordinator has very high standards and expects your neatest handwriting for your summary sentence.
Please turn into the View-Master Slide Coordinator your finished slide, ready for mounting onto your class reel.
If you have any questions of what is expected of you please look at the evaluation rubric.

A Steve Allen - T.V. American Bandstand - T.V. Astronauts - Science Able and Baker- Science Alaska Statehood - Event	B The Big Bopper - Music Brinks Robbery - Event Brown v. Board of Education - Event Burger King - Business Barbie - Invention BIC Ball Point Pen - Invention Bill Haley and His Comets - Entertainment Burma Shave - Business	C Cinderella - Movies Corvette - Automotive Crest Toothpaste - Invention Cat in the Hat - Literature Cold War - Events
D Dennis the Menace - Entertainment Dodgers - Sports Disneyland - Business Drive-Ins - Business The Day the Earth Stood Still - Movies DNA - Science James Dean - Entertainment	E Edsel - Automotive Explorer - Science Elvis - People Dwight Eisenhower - People	F Frisbee - Invention Alan Freed - People
G Arthur Godfrey - T.V Theodor Seuss Geisel - People	H Howdy Doody - T.V. Holiday Inn - Event Hula Hoop - Invention Buddy Holly - Music Hawaii Statehood - Event	I I Love Lucy - T.V.
J Jukeboxes - Entertainment	K Korean War - Event Kentucky Fried Chicken - Business Kidney Transplant - Medicine	L Laika - People (sorta') Little Rock Nine - Event Levittown - Business
M Mr. Potato Head - Toy Mickey Mantle - Sports McDonald's - Business Joseph McCarthy - People Microwave Oven - Invention Motown Records - Music Montgomery Bus Boycott - Event Microchip - Invention Mickey Mouse Club-T.V.	N NASA - Science	O Ozzie and Harriet - T.V. Open-heart Surgery - Medicine
P Polio Vaccine - Medicine Peanut M&Ms - Invention Play Doh - Invention Rosa Parks - People Pink- Fad Poodles - Fad Poodle Skirts - Fashion Pacemaker - Medicine Jackson Pollock - People Peanuts - Entertainment	Q Quiz Shows - T.V. Queen Elizabeth II - People	R Julius and Ethel Rosenberg - Event The Rifleman - T.V. Regency Transistor Radio - Invention
S Silly Putty - Invention Sputnik - Invention Saddle Shoes - Fashion Jonas Salk - People	T 3-D Movies - Invention T.V. Dinners - Invention Trolls - Toy Telephone Booth Cramming - Fad Tupperware - Invention	U UNIVAC 1 - Computers
V Ritchie Valens - Music Velcro - Invention View-Master - Invention	W West Side Story - Theater White-Out - Invention Wagon Train - T.V.	X Y Z Yankees - Sports Yahtzee - Invention Zorro - T.V.

Additional Fifties Resources:

http://dewey.chs.chico.k12.ca.us/decs5.htm

http://www.boomerweb.net/index.html

http://classicrock.about.com/cs/culture50s/index.htm

http://www.joesherlock.com/fifties.html

http://www.magnetplace.com/RETRO/

http://surfincat.www2.50megs.com/index.html

http://www.historychannel.com/

http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/fifties/ideals.html

http://www.rockinfifties.com/new_page_8.htm

http://www.esu3.k12.ne.us/districts/millard/centmidd/1950.html

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/fifties.htm

http://www.lkwdpl.org/lhs/fifties/

http://www.loti.com/page1.html

http://cvip.fresno.com/~jsh33/fift.html

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/tv50.htm

Evaluation

How well did you learn?

AREA	QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF	POINTS POSSIBLE
Participation	Did you follow all directions given? (10 pts.) Did you complete all activities on time? (10 pts.) Were you self-motivated? (10 pts.) Did you work cooperatively? (10 pts.) Were you a good listener?(10 pts.)	50
Slide	Did you choose an appropriate photograph for your slide? (10 pts.) Is your summary sentence clearly written and include the most import fact? (15 pts) Is your slide neat and colorful? (10 pts.) Did you make sure that everything is spelled correctly? (15 pts.)	50
	TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE	100

Conclusion

By the time you and your class have finished this quest you should have a good understanding of what life was like in America in the 1950s. Did you notice any similarities between then and now? This quest may have just put you in the mood for more study of the Fifties - or at least a strong urge to do the Bunny Hop and get a Poodle. Go ahead and take a look at another Fifties WebQuest, The Important Thing About the Fifties.