American Studies
Jazz Age Project
Overview:
In the aftermath of the first World War, the 1920s ushered in what is now often
referred to as the Jazz Age. With the economy in boom, the great migration in full
effect, and radios bringing music to millions of houses across America, the Jazz Age
was a period of change, excitement, innovation, and material consumption.
Students will study the Jazz Age from a variety of angles and through a broad
spectrum of sources. Students will listen to jazz music, watch documentary films,
study historical events, read The Great Gatsby and other literature of the time
period, examine advertisements, look at architecture, learn to dance, consider 1920s
fashion trends, and more.
Students will develop a broader and deeper understanding for this fascinating and
important time period. They will share this understanding with the Woodlawn
community in two primary ways:
1. Students will compose a 5 – 7 page research paper in the style of the Linking
Inkling (see Linking Inkling project overview), which focuses particular
aspects of the Jazz Age.
2. Students will create, organize, prepare for, promote, and manage a Jazz Age
party for the Woodlawn upper school.
Linking Inkling:
Students will work independently and with a faculty advisor to develop a particular
thematic focus for the paper. Students will then compile a diverse set of resources
for research, create a detailed outline, compose a rough draft, and revise the draft
into a final paper. This project will have a series of deadlines as outlined below:
Paper proposal: 3.18
Basic outline and resource overview: 3.21
Detailed outline: 3.28
Thesis paragraph draft: 3.28
Rough draft: 4.11
Final draft: 4.29
Jazz Age Party:
In order to plan and execute a Gatsby-style Jazz Age shindig, students will work in
small groups. Students will be placed into groups based on their stated preferences.
The groups are:
1: Dance Team: This group is expected to learn a variety of popular dances from the
Jazz Age. They will then create a short documentary and instructional video. The
dance team will present this video to the upper school during the 4/16 common
hour and use the common hour period to teach the dance moves. During the party,
the Dance Team will offer instruction, showcase their dance skills, and organize and
judge a dance contest.
2: Fashion Team: This group is expected to study the fashion trends of the Jazz Age.
They will create a digital presentation to share with the upper school during the
4/16 common hour. They will also create and share their own costumes and offer
advise to their peers as to how one might design a Jazz Age costume “on the cheap.”
The fashion team will also assist in decorating the evening party. At the party, the
fashion team will host a photo booth and award prizes for best costumes.
3: Lawn Party Team: This group will organize an afternoon lawn party at
Woodlawn. The party should be built around leisure sports and lawn games popular
during the 1920s. The team must organize the activities and provide instructions.
This team will create a website with information about the party and about each of
the events. In addition, these students will decorate the afternoon party and provide
drinks and snacks that are Jazz Age-appropriate.
4. Radio Team: This group will create a one-hour radio program to be broadcast
during the afternoon lawn party. The radio program will have music, song
introductions, news, advertisements, and more.
5: Evening Party Team: This group will organize an evening party at Woodlawn. The
party will be built around music, dancing, and socializing. The team must come up
with a design theme, in partnership with the Fashion Team. This group will be
responsible for creating the soundtrack for the party. They will also create an
informational slide to accompany each song that will be projected during the party.
This group will create invitations for the party to be distributed to the upper school
students and faculty.
Notes on procedure:
Each group will be responsible for creating and managing a team task list. As a
group you will determine what the tasks are, when they need to be completed, and
who will be responsible for what. Students will submit this plan to their teachers
and refer to it throughout the process in order to make sure that a. all tasks are
being fulfilled, and b. the workload is distributed evenly among the group members.
Each group member will offer a written reflection at the completion of the project
offering insight into the group dynamic and the effectiveness of the task list.
Assessment:
L.I. outline: 25 points
L.I. draft: 50 points
L.I. final: 100 points
Team products: 50 points
Team work: 25 points