1920s Characters

1920’s Characters

The 1920s, or the Roaring ‘20s, as that decade is often called, was full of interesting characters. In this assignment, you will be selecting a segment of 1920s life and learning about the different people that influenced, created and became famous for their role in this part of our country’s past. In most cases you will be researching actual individuals, but in some cases it would make sense to also describe the "poster image" for a stereotype (a gangster or flapper, for example) as well as some specific examples.

Please select from the following 1920s themes:

(if you wish to do another, see your teacher FIRST)

The Jazz Age
Prohibition/Gangsters
The Harlem Renaissance
K.K.K.
The Scopes Trial
Sports
New Transportation

After selecting a theme, develop a one or two paragraph summary that defines and explains the importance of that theme to history and today. Feel free to use research to make this a powerful opening to your project!

Next, create a list of at least FIVE influential characters related to the theme. It is OK to have more, but not less.

For each character you need to develop a "sketch." A character sketch includes just a little of their stats (when and where born, married, kids, age at death, etc.) and a lot more about their actions, personality, antics, claim to fame, etc.

Your sketches do NOT need to be in essay format — you could do bulleted lists, character maps, graphic organizers, photo collages, etc. Your goal is to accurately communicate why the character stands out in the history of the 1920s.

This project lends itself nicely to a PowerPoint slide show or website. It is also perfectly acceptable to turn it in as a packet of printed pages. Have fun; pretend you are introducing us to some of your family’s craziest relatives. Let these characters jump off the page and tell their stories!!

All projects MUST include a properly formatted MLA Works Cited page. Considering the type of research you will be doing, it is expected that you will be accessing many sources and you need to properly credit each of them. Make your Works Cited as you go — it will be easier!

Grading

As you research and begin to put this project together, refer to this rubric to help you plan for the grade you would like to earn.

A	This project allows the historical characters a moment of glory — they shine in their presentation. The project reflects attention to details in content and presentation. The Works Cited page is perfect in format and shows scholarly research.
B	In addition to meeting the assignment requirements, this project includes some clever touches: creative presentation or rare information that shows extra research. The student created a quality project that does bring life to historical characters. The Works Cited page has only minor errors and demonstrates sound research.
C	All requirements defined above are met. The Works Cited page may have some formatting errors or show a lack of valid research sources.