1950s and 1960s Suburban America Classroom Activity Guide

Grade Range: 5-12
Resource Type(s): Primary Sources, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Date Posted: 1/22/2011

In these classroom activities, developed for the exhibition America on the Move, students will use visual, analytical, and interpretive skills to examine primary sources including a historical map and answer questions about them to learn more about the expansion of transportation systems and the impact on their own communities, city planning, the rise of suburban life, and culture in 1950s America. The activities provide opportunities for historical analysis, interpretation, evaluation, analyzing cause/effect relationships, understanding multiple points of view, performing original research, debating and persuasive writing and help students develop and strengthen map-reading skills, identify issues and problems in the past and connect the past to the present.