The Best of Times (1920-1924)
INTRODUCTION TO THE AIMS TEACHING MODULE (ATM)
Rationale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Organization and Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
INTRODUCING THE BEST OF TIMES (1920-1924)
Themes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
PREPARATION FOR VIEWING
Introduction to the Program
Introduction to Vocabulary .
Discussion Ideas . . . . . . . .
Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jump Right In . . . . . . . . .
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.13
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.13
.14
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.15
.18
.19
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.22
.23
.24
.25
.26
AFTER VIEWING THE PROGRAM
Suggested Activities . . . . . .
Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . .
Checking Comprehension . .
Sports Figures of the Day . .
Harding’s Presidency . . . . .
Peoples’s Lives in the 1920’s
Hollywood . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Radio and the Telegraph
The Treaty of Versailles . . . .
Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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SECTION 1
SECTION 2
SECTION 3
SECTION 4
ADDITIONAL AIMS MULTIMEDIA PROGRAMS . . . . . . . . . .29
ANSWER KEYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
1
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia
All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted without written permission of AIMS
Multimedia with these exceptions: Persons or schools purchasing this AIMS Teaching Module may reproduce
consumable ATM pages, identified in Section 4, for student or classroom use.
AIMS Multimedia is a leading producer and distributor of educational programs serving schools and libraries for
nearly 40 years. AIMS draws upon the most up-to-date knowledge, existing and emerging technologies, and all of
the instructional and pedagogical resources available to develop and distribute educational programs
in film, videocassette, laserdisc, CD-ROM and CD-i formats.
Persons or schools interested in obtaining additional copies of this AIMS Teaching Module, please contact:
AIMS Multimedia
1-800-FOR-AIMS
1-800-367-2467
2
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia
Congratulations!
You have chosen a learning program
that will actively motivate your students
AND provide you with easily accessible
and easily manageable instructional
guidelines designed to make your
teaching role efficient and rewarding.
The AIMS Teaching Module provides
you with a video program keyed to your
classroom curriculum, instructions and
guidelines for use, plus a comprehensive teaching program containing a
wide range of activities and ideas for
interaction between all content areas.
Our authors, educators, and consultants
have written and reviewed the AIMS
Teaching Modules to align with the
Educate America Act: Goals 2000.
This ATM, with its clear definition of
manageability, both in the classroom
and beyond, allows you to tailor specific activities to meet all of your classroom needs.
3
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia
RATIONALE
In today’s classrooms, educational pedagogy is often founded on Benjamin S.
Bloom’s “Six Levels of Cognitive
Complexity.” The practical application
of Bloom’s Taxonomy is to evaluate students’ thinking skills on these levels,
from the simple to the complex:
Knowledge (rote memory skills),
Comprehension (the ability to relate or
retell), Application (the ability to apply
knowledge outside its origin), Analysis
(relating and differentiating parts of a
whole), Synthesis (relating parts to a
whole), and Evaluation (making a judgment or formulating an opinion).
The AIMS Teaching Module is designed
to facilitate these intellectual capabilities, AND to integrate classroom experiences and assimilation of learning
with the students’ life experiences, realities, and expectations. AIMS’ learner
verification studies prove that our AIMS
Teaching Modules help students to
absorb, retain, and to demonstrate ability to use new knowledge in their world.
Our educational materials are written
and designed for today’s classroom,
which incorporates a wide range of
intellectual, cultural, physical, and emotional diversities.
4
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia
ORGANIZATION AND
MANAGEMENT
To facilitate ease in classroom manageability, the AIMS Teaching Module is
organized in four sections. You are
reading Section 1, Introduction to the
Aims Teaching Module (ATM).
SECTION 2,
INTRODUCING THIS ATM
will give you the specific information
you need to integrate the program into
your classroom curriculum.
SECTION 3,
PREPARATION FOR VIEWING
provides suggestions and strategies for
motivation, language preparedness,
readiness, and focus prior to viewing
the program with your students.
SECTION 4,
AFTER VIEWING THE PROGRAM
provides suggestions for additional
activities plus an assortment of consumable assessment and extended activities,
designed to broaden comprehension of
the topic and to make connections to
other curriculum content areas.
5
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia
FEATURES
INTRODUCING EACH ATM
SECTION 2
Your AIMS Teaching Module is
designed to accompany a video program written and produced by some of
the world’s most credible and creative
writers and producers of educational
programming. To facilitate diversity and
flexibility in your classroom, your AIMS
Teaching Module features these components:
Themes
The Major Theme tells how this AIMS
Teaching Module is keyed into the curriculum. Related Themes offer suggestions for interaction with other
curriculum content areas, enabling
teachers to use the teaching module to
incorporate the topic into a variety of
learning areas.
Overview
The Overview provides a synopsis of
content covered in the video program.
Its purpose is to give you a summary of
the subject matter and to enhance your
introductory preparation.
Objectives
The ATM learning objectives provide
guidelines for teachers to assess what
learners can be expected to gain from
each program. After completion of the
AIMS Teaching Module, your students
will be able to demonstrate dynamic
and applied comprehension of the
topic.
6
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia
PREPARATION FOR VIEWING
Discussion Ideas
SECTION 3
In preparation for viewing the video
program, the AIMS Teaching Module
offers activity and/or discussion
ideas that you may use in any order
or combination.
Introduction To The Program
Introduction to the Program is
designed to enable students to recall
or relate prior knowledge about the
topic and to prepare them for what
they are about to learn.
AFTER VIEWING THE PROGRAM
SECTION 4
Discussion Ideas are designed to help
you assess students’ prior knowledge
about the topic and to give students a
preview of what they will learn.
Active discussion stimulates interest in
a subject and can motivate even the
most reluctant learner. Listening, as
well as speaking, is active participation. Encourage your students to participate at the rate they feel
comfortable. Model sharing personal
experiences when applicable, and
model listening to students’ ideas and
opinions.
After your students have viewed the
program, you may introduce any or
all of these activities to interact with
other curriculum content areas, provide reinforcement, assess comprehension skills, or provide hands-on
and in-depth extended study of the
topic.
Introduction To Vocabulary
Focus
Introduction to Vocabulary is a
review of language used in the program: words, phrases, usage. This
vocabulary introduction is designed to
ensure that all learners, including limited English proficiency learners, will
have full understanding of the language usage in the content of the program.
Help learners set a purpose for
watching the program with Focus,
designed to give students a focal
point for comprehension continuity.
Jump Right In
Jump Right In provides abbreviated
instructions for quick management of
the program.
7
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia
SUGGESTED
ACTIVITIES
The Suggested Activities offer ideas
for activities you can direct in the
classroom or have your students complete independently, in pairs, or in
small work groups after they have
viewed the program. To accommodate your range of classroom needs,
the activities are organized into skills
categories. Their labels will tell you
how to identify each activity and help
you correlate it into your classroom
curriculum. To help you schedule your
classroom lesson time, the AIMS
hourglass gives you an estimate of the
time each activity should require.
Some of the activities fall into these
categories:
Meeting Individual
Needs
These activities are designed to aid in
classroom continuity. Reluctant learners and learners acquiring English
will benefit from these activities
geared to enhance comprehension of
language in order to fully grasp content meaning.
M A TH
Curriculum
Connections
Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking activities are
designed to stimulate learners’ own
opinions and ideas. These activities
require students to use the thinking
process to discern fact from opinion,
consider their own problems and formulate possible solutions, draw conclusions, discuss cause and effect, or
combine what they already know
with what they have learned to make
inferences.
Cultural Diversity
Each AIMS Teaching Module has an
activity called Cultural Awareness,
Cultural Diversity, or Cultural
Exchange that encourages students to
share their backgrounds, cultures,
heritage, or knowledge of other countries, customs, and language.
Hands On
These are experimental or tactile
activities that relate directly to the
material taught in the program.Your
students will have opportunities to
make discoveries and formulate ideas
on their own, based on what they
learn in this unit.
Writing
Many of the suggested activities are
intended to integrate the content of
the ATM program into other content
areas of the classroom curriculum.
These cross-connections turn the
classroom teaching experience into a
whole learning experience.
Every AIMS Teaching Module will
contain an activity designed for students to use the writing process to
express their ideas about what they
have learned. The writing activity
may also help them to make the connection between what they are learning in this unit and how it applies to
other content areas.
8
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia
In The Newsroom
Each AIMS Teaching Module contains
a newsroom activity designed to help
students make the relationship
between what they learn in the classroom and how it applies in their
world. The purpose of In The
Newsroom is to actively involve each
class member in a whole learning
experience. Each student will have an
opportunity to perform all of the tasks
involved in production: writing,
researching, producing, directing,
and interviewing as they create their
own classroom news program.
Extended Activities
These activities provide opportunities
for students to work separately or
together to conduct further research,
explore answers to their own questions, or apply what they have
learned to other media or content
areas.
Link to the World
These activities offer ideas for connecting learners’ classroom activities
to their community and the rest of the
world.
Culminating Activity
To wrap up the unit, AIMS Teaching
Modules offer suggestions for ways to
reinforce what students have learned
and how they can use their new
knowledge to enhance their world
view.
VOCABULARY
Every ATM contains an activity that
reinforces the meaning and usage of
the vocabulary words introduced in
the program content. Students will
either read or find the definition of
each vocabulary word, then use the
word in a written sentence.
CHECKING
COMPREHENSION
Checking Comprehension is designed
to help you evaluate how well your
students understand, retain, and
recall the information presented in the
AIMS Teaching Module. Depending
on your students’ needs, you may
direct this activity to the whole group
yourself, or you may want to have
students work on the activity page
independently, in pairs, or in small
groups. Students can verify their written answers through discussion or by
viewing the video a second time. If
you choose, you can reproduce the
answers from your Answer Key or
write the answer choices in a Word
Bank for students to use. Students can
use this completed activity as a study
guide to prepare for the test.
CONSUMABLE
ACTIVITIES
The AIMS Teaching Module provides
a selection of consumable activities,
designed to specifically reinforce the
content of this learning unit.
Whenever applicable, they are
arranged in order from low to high
difficulty level, to allow a seamless
facilitation of the learning process.
You may choose to have students take
these activities home or to work on
them in the classroom independently,
in pairs or in small groups.
TEST
The AIMS Teaching Module Test permits you to assess students’ understanding of what they have learned.
The test is formatted in one of several
standard test formats to give your
students a range of experiences in
test-taking techniques. Be sure to
read, or remind students to read, the
directions carefully and to read each
answer choice before making a
selection. Use the Answer Key to
check their answers.
CHECKING
VOCABULARY
The Checking Vocabulary activity
provides the opportunity for students
to assess their knowledge of new
vocabulary with this word game or
puzzle. The format of this vocabulary
activity allows students to use the
related words and phrases in a different context.
9
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia
ADDITIONAL
AIMS MULTIMEDIA
PROGRAMS
After you have completed this AIMS
Teaching Module you may be interested
in more of the programs that AIMS
offers. This list includes several related
AIMS programs.
ADDITIONAL READING
SUGGESTIONS
AIMS offers a carefully researched list of
other resources that you and your students may find rewarding.
ANSWER KEY
Reproduces tests and work pages with
answers marked.
10
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia
The Best of Times (1920-1924)
THEMES
The most important theme of The
American Diary: The Best of Times
(1920-1924) is the interaction of
people with their environment to create change. The business of moviemaking boomed, the first commercial
radio broadcast told the results of the
1920 presidential election, the world
of work was becoming mechanized
through the use of assembly lines,
TNT was used to move mountains,
new dams were built, and companies
drilled for oil.
Additional themes include
the physical change of land (gold
prospectors used picks and TNT to
move mountains of sandstone, oil
companies drilled for oil, and dams
harnessed rivers in the west), regions
of the world (Harding died while on a
trip home from Alaska, and the Treaty
of Versailles imposed an oppressive
peace on Germany), causes and
effects of change (the end of the First
World War led to a postwar economic slump; the election of Harding
led to one of the most corrupt governments ever elected), and conflicts
and resolutions (the 1920 presidential campaign was the first in which
women could vote; the campaign pitted Warren Harding, a small-town
man people trusted, against James
Cox, a newspaper publisher from
Ohio).
OVERVIEW
By the 1920s, people had leisure time
and sought diversion. World War I
was over, and people wanted to
enjoy themselves. The business of
movie-making
boomed.
D.W.
Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas
Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Rudolf
Valentino, Clara Bow, the Keystone
Cops, Fatty Arbuckle, and John
Barrymore brought people to the
movie theaters in droves.
Radio broadcasts began to
enter people’s homes, but the World
Series results were still sent out by
telegraph to a flashing scoreboard in
Times Square, where thousands of
people gathered to watch.
In the 1920s, the world of
work was becoming mechanized:
heavy machinery replaced manpower and assembly lines proliferated. In rural America, however,
manual labor was still the rule: in the
south workers harvested cotton and
tobacco by hand, while in the west
prospectors grubbed for gold.
Harnessing nature was a
high priority. TNT moved mountains,
dams provided both power and
water in the west, and companies
drilled for oil.
A popular Massachusetts
governor, Calvin Coolidge, was
refreshing to many Americans.
Meanwhile, an athletic young man,
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was struck
by polio.
But 1920 was also an election year. The economy was beginning to falter. Women could vote for
the first time. The Republican
Convention deadlocked. Finally they
chose Senator Warren G. Harding, a
newspaper publisher from Ohio who
the public trusted. His running mate:
Calvin Coolidge.
The Democrats fielded James
M. Cox, also a newspaper publisher
from Ohio.
Harding was elected, and
immediately rumors of corruption surfaced. His Attorney General and
Secretary of the Interior were convicted in the Teapot Dome scandal.
Harding was said to have fathered an
illegitimate child while in office. His
appointee to the Veteran’s Bureau
went to prison for fraud. But although
Harding presided over one of the
most corrupt administrations in history, scandal never reached him. In
1923, Harding died suddenly returning home from Alaska. Calvin
Coolidge became president.
What was ahead for
America? The Treaty of Versailles had
imposed a harsh and oppressive
peace on Germany and laid the
groundwork for another war. The
postwar economic slump had emptied the bank accounts of millions of
Americans. There was corruption in
high places and suffering on farms.
Even though the movie industry made
the 1920s seem like the best of times,
in reality, many people struggled.
OBJECTIVES
A
To describe what people of the
day did for entertainment
A To explain the methods used to
disseminate information to the
masses in the early 1920s
A To discuss what life was like for
workers of the day.
11
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
Use this page for your individual notes about planning and/or effective ways to manage this
AIMS Teaching Module in your classroom.
Our AIMS Multimedia Educational Department welcomes your observations and comments.
Please feel free to address your correspondence to:
AIMS Multimedia
Editorial Department
9710 DeSoto Avenue
Chatsworth, California 91311-4409
12
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
INTRODUCTION TO
THE PROGRAM
DISCUSSION IDEAS
FOCUS
To prepare students for The American
Diary: The Best of Times (19201924), ask students to think about
what life in the United States might
have been like just after World War I.
Ask: When did World War I occur?
How do you think you would feel if a
war had just ended? What do you
think you would want to do? What do
you imagine life was like for the average person just after World War I?
List the following names on the chalkboard: D.W. Griffith, Charlie
Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary
Pickford, Eric von Stroheim, Rudolf
Valentino, Agnes Ayres, Clara Bow,
Mack Sennett, the Keystone Cops,
Fatty Arbuckle, John Barrymore,
Burleigh Grimes, Thomas Griffith,
Vince Richards. Explain that there
were all important entertainment figures of the 1920s: actors, directors,
baseball players, tennis stars.
Although the names of our entertainers today are different, how does this
period seem similar to today? How
does it seem different?
Before viewing the program, have
students jot down several questions
they have about life in the United
States in the 1920s. Ask: What do
you think life was like for workers?
What was mass communication like?
transportation? entertainment? What
kind of work did most people do?
What events of the day affected people’s lives? What were people’s hopes
and dreams? Encourage students to
answer their questions based on what
they learn in The American Diary:
The Best of Times (1920-1924).
INTRODUCTION TO
VOCABULARY
To ensure that all students understand
the vocabulary used in The American
Diary: The Best of Times (19201924), write the following words on
the board: minstrel, vaudeville,
extravaganza, swashbuckling, telegraph, assembly line, manufacturing,
productivity, manual labor, prospectors, TNT, communism, socialism,
polio, corruption, Teapot Dome,
Treaty of Versailles. Have students use
dictionaries or history textbooks to
create one- or two-sentence explanations for these terms. After students
finish viewing the program, have
them explain what each of these
terms has to do with the United States
in the 1920s.
Then list the following names on the
board: Warren G. Harding, Calvin
Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt,
James M. Cox. Explain that these
men were all political leaders of the
period. Invite students to think about
whether they think more Americans
of the time followed the careers of the
politicians or of the entertainers and
why.
If, after viewing the program, students have additional questions
about this period of American history
or their questions were not answered,
help them find the answers to their
questions. Encourage them to share
their findings with the class.
Encourage students to keep these
names in mind as they view the program. They may want to copy the list
of names and jot down brief notes
about what each person did as they
view the program.
13
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
JUMP RIGHT IN
HOW TO USE THE
THE BEST OF TIMES (1920-1924) AIMS TEACHING MODULE
Preparation
A
A
Read The Best of Times (19201924) Themes, Overview, and
Objectives to become familiar
with program content and expectations.
Viewing THE BEST OF TIMES (1920-
After Viewing THE BEST OF TIMES
1924)
(1920-1924)
A
Set up viewing monitor so that all
students have a clear view.
A
A
Depending on your classroom
size and learning range, you may
choose to have students view The
Best of Times (1920-1924)
together or in small groups.
Use Preparation for Viewing
suggestions to introduce the topic
to students.
A
Some students may benefit from
viewing the video more than one
time.
Select Suggested Activities that
integrate into your classroom curriculum. If applicable, gather
materials or resources.
A Choose the best way for students
to work on each activity. Some
activities work best for the whole
group. Other activities are
designed for students to work
independently, in pairs, or in
small groups. Whenever possible,
encourage students to share their
work with the rest of the group.
A Duplicate the appropriate number
of
Vocabulary,
Checking
Comprehension, and consumable
activity pages for your students.
A You may choose to have students
take consumable activities home,
or complete them in the classroom, independently, or in
groups.
A Administer the Test to assess students’ comprehension of what
they have learned, and to provide
them with practice in test-taking
procedures.
A Use the Culminating Activity
as a forum for students to display,
summarize, extend, or share
what they have learned with each
other, the rest of the school, or a
local community organization.
14
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
Cultural Awareness
The 1920 election was the first presidential election in which women could vote. Invite interested students to find out how men and women of the day felt about giving women the right
to vote. Students may want to examine newspaper editorials from 1920 to find out how people on both sides of the issue felt and why.
45 Minutes
Meeting Individual Needs
Encourage students to diagram one of Henry Ford’s assembly lines in his automobile plant.
Ask: What made the assembly line so efficient? What did each worker do?
30 Minutes
Writing
Have students imagine what someone who worked on an assembly line during the 1920s
might have felt about the job. Ask: Even though the job was tedious and boring, why did the
worker continue? What were economic conditions of the period like? How did wages for
assembly line workers at Henry Ford’s plant compare with the wages of other workers? Have
students write an essay from this person’s point of view telling what he or she feels about life
on an assembly line.
30 Minutes
Hands-on Activity
Have students create a map of the United States that shows the events discussed in this program. Have students show where Henry Ford’s assembly lines were, where workers harvested
cotton and tobacco, where miners prospected for gold, where the movie industry boomed,
where Calvin Coolidge was governor, and so on.
30 Minutes
Critical Thinking
Have students think about the presidency of Warren G. Harding . Ask: Do presidential scandals ever occur today? Do presidential appointees ever go to jail? Is the role of the media in
the 1920s the same as it is today? How is Harding’s presidency similar to and different from
the presidency today?
20 Minutes
15
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
Connection to Health
H EA LT H
In 1920, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was stricken with polio. Invite interested students to find out
more about polio. What causes it? Why was it such a problem in the 1920s? What did people do when epidemics occurred? Why isn’t polio a large concern today?
45 Minutes
Connection to Literature
LIT ER AT UR
Have students read an essay or biography about of one of the people discussed in this program, either an entertainer or a politician. Then have students explain to the class what problems this person encountered in his or her life, how he or she overcame them, and what some
of his or her greatest accomplishments were. Why is this person still remembered today?
E
45 Minutes
Connection to Sports
Invite interested students to conduct research about one of the sports stars or sports teams mentioned in this program, such as the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Cleveland Indians, Burleigh Grimes,
Thomas Griffith, Vince Richards, or Karl Kozeluh. Have students consider the following questions: Why were these people or teams so popular and successful? Do you think they would be
as successful today? Why or why not? How are sports different today from the 1920s?
PH YS IC AL
N
ED UC AT
IO
120 Minutes
Connection to Science
In 1920, America’s first commercial radio signal was sent out by station KDKA. It broadcast
the presidential election returns. Invite interested students to find out more about how radios
work and how radio signals are broadcast to homes. Ask: What does a person need to have
in order to receive radio signals? How are radio signals converted into sounds we understand?
SC IE N CE
30 Minutes
Link to the World
During this period Hollywood film-making blossomed. Even today American movies are seen
around the world. Invite interested students to investigate which type of American movies are
popular in other nations, and why. What other nations make movies? Where are these movies
popular? Are foreign movies popular in the United States? Why or why not?
16
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
45 Minutes
Extended Activity
Invite students to watch a film starring or directed by one of the Hollywood entertainers mentioned in this program: D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Eric
von Stroheim, Rudolf Valentino, Agnes Ayres, Clara Bow, Mack Sennett, Fatty Arbuckle, or
John Barrymore. Then have students briefly explain the plot of the film and how it is different
from and similar to movies today.
2-3 Days
In the Newsroom
Have students, in small groups, prepare a documentary about one aspect of this period of
American history (such as working on an assembly line, harvesting cotton or tobacco,
prospecting for gold, Warren G. Harding’s presidency, the Hollywood film industry, the popularity of sports, or how radio changed people’s lives). Students may need to create maps or
diagrams to enhance their documentary. Group members will need to work together to conduct research, write, narrate, and present their documentary.
60 Minutes
Culminating Activity
Arrange the class into six groups. Assign each group one of the following topics: the lives of
workers on an assembly line, harvesting cotton or tobacco, and prospecting for gold; Warren
G. Harding’s presidency; Calvin Coolidge’s political career; the Hollywood film industry; the
popularity of sports; or how radio changed people’s lives. Have each group summarize what
they learned about their topic from this program. They may want to conduct some additional
research. Then let each group outline the most important facts about their topic and present
their summaries to the class. Visual aids may be necessary to explain some topics.
60 Minutes
17
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
Name
VOCABULARY
The terms below are from The American Diary: The Best of Times (1920-1924). On a seperate sheet
of paper use each term in a sentence that shows you understand what it has to do with the United
States during this period.
1.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
2.
assembly line
3.
TNT
4.
radio
5.
telegraph
6.
Calvin Coolidge
7.
Warren G. Harding
8.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
9.
Teapot Dome
10.
Versailles Treaty
18
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
Name
CHECKING COMPREHENSION
Use what you learned from The American Diary: The Best of Times (1920-1924) to complete each
sentence below with a word or words from the word bank that make sense.
1.
____________________ starred in a series of swashbuckling Arabian adventures, including The Sheik.
2.
One of the most terrifying movies of the time was John Barrymore’s ____________________, which tells the story
of a scientist who brashly tampers with nature to produce a monster.
3.
Station KDKA in 1920 sent out America’s first commercial ____________________ to inform Americans of the
results of the presidential election campaign.
4.
But it was by ____________________ that Americans found out about the action in the World Series almost as
it happened.
5.
The 1920 presidential election was the first in which women ____________________.
6.
Henry Ford perfected the ____________________ to produce automobiles quickly and uniformly.
7.
In 1920 ____________________ was stricken with polio.
8.
____________________ was elected president in 1920 and presided over one of the most corrupt administra
tions in the nation’s history.
9.
A shady oil-lease deal led to the sensational ____________________ scandal, which cost the nation millions of
dollars in lost revenues.
10.
In August 1923, on his way back home from Alaska, President Harding suddenly ____________________.
WORD LIST
Rudolf valentino
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Warren G. Harding
Teapot Dome
died
voted
telegraph
assembly line
radio broadcast
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
19
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
Name
SPORTS FIGURES OF THE DAY
The people listed below are featured in The American Diary: The Best of Times (1920-1924). Tell
who each person or team was and why people were interested in them. You may want to conduct
some additional research to find out more about each person or team.
Brooklyn Dodgers
Cleveland Indians
Burleigh Grimes
Thomas Griffith
Vince Richards
Karl Kozeluh
20
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
Name
HARDING’S PRESIDENCY
President Harding was a popular president who remained unscathed even though his administration
was plagued by scandal. On a seperate sheet of paper explain the significance to the presidency of
Warren G. Harding of each of the terms listed below.
Attorney General
Secretary of the Interior
Teapot Dome
booze and poker
hearth and home
illegitimate child
appointee to the Veteran’s Bureau
August 1923 flying home from Alaska
the Treaty of Versailles
postwar economic slump
21
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
Name
PEOPLE’S LIVES IN THE 1920S.
Investigate the lives many people in the 1920s lived. You may want to investigate conditions on
assembly lines, as a laborer harvesting cotton or tobacco, as a gold prospector in the west, or as a
woman who has just achieved the right to vote. Put yourself in the place of one of these people, and
then write about what your daily life is like, how you feel about daily events, and what happens to
you.
22
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
Name
HOLLYWOOD
Below are listed some films or people associated with the movie industry during this period of
American history. Conduct research to find out more about each a person or film. Write what you
discover on a separate piece of paper.
D.W. Griffith
Charlie Chaplin
Douglas Fairbanks
Mary Pickford
Eric Von Stroheim
Rudolf Valentino
Agnes Ayres
The Sheik
Clara Bow
Mack Sennett
Keystone Cops
Fatty Arbuckle
John Barrymore
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
23
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
Name
THE RADIO AND THE TELEGRAPH
Conduct research to find out more about the history of the radio and the telegraph. In the space
below, tell how and why telegraphs were first used, when the radio was invented, and how the use
of radios changed the way Americans lived. Before radios brought entertainment directly into
people’s homes, what did people do for entertainment?
Telegraph
Radio
24
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
Name
THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES
The Treaty of Versailles, agreed to at the end of World War I, imposed a harsh and oppressive peace
upon Germany and laid the groundwork for still another war. Conduct research to find out more
about the Treaty of Versailles. Take on stance of one side of this issue: The Treaty of Versailles caused
World War II. Then stage a debate on the topic.
List reasons to support your position below.
· ______________________________________________________________________________
· ______________________________________________________________________________
· ______________________________________________________________________________
List the points you think your opponent will make.
· ______________________________________________________________________________
· ______________________________________________________________________________
· ______________________________________________________________________________
·List arguments to counter your opponent’s points.
· ______________________________________________________________________________
· ______________________________________________________________________________
· ______________________________________________________________________________
Now stage your debate.
How is the world today different from the world in 1920? Do nations today impose harsh trade embargoes or terms on
other nations? Could these terms lead to conflict? Explain.
25
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
Name
TEST
Circle the best answer.
1.
This person was one of the founders of United Artists.
A
B
C
D
E
2.
This swashbuckling entertainer starred in many Arabian adventure movies.
A
B
C
D
E
3.
Agnes Ayres
Clara Bow
Mary Pickford
Margaret Hill McCarter
Eleanor Roosevelt
For the first time, the presidential election returns of 1920 were broadcast live by
A
B
C
D
E
5.
Rudolf Valentino
Douglas Fairbanks
Charlie Chaplin
Fatty Arbuckle
John Barrymore
This woman was the female sex symbol of the era.
A
B
C
D
E
4.
D. W. Griffith
Charlie Chaplin
Douglas Fairbanks
Mary Pickford
All of the above.
television
telegraph
radio
satellite
movie theaters
Both in the office and in the factory, the highest goal was productivity. This was evidenced by
the use of
A
B
C
D
E
26
assembly lines
heavy machinery that replaced manual laborers
modern factories
All of the above.
None of the above.
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
Name
6. Big companies moved rock by using
A
B
C
D
E
workers with pick axes.
manual laborers.
TNT.
automobiles.
None of the above.
7. One of the ways Americans harnessed natural resources was by
A
B
C
D
E
building dams to provide power and water.
drilling for oil to keep machinery working.
moving mountains of rock with TNT.
All of the above.
None of the above.
8. Calvin Coolidge was
A
B
C
D
E
from an urban background.
a governor of Massachusetts.
stricken with polio.
responsible for the Teapot Dome scandal.
None of the above.
9. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
A
B
C
D
E
hobnobbed with the rich.
was stricken with polio.
spoke of the threat of communism.
All of the above.
None of the above.
10. This man was elected president of the United States in 1920:
A
B
C
D
E
Calvin Coolidge
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Warren G. Harding
Woodrow Wilson
27
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
Name
11. This Democratic challenger to Warren Harding for the presidency was a newspaper publisher
from Ohio, just like Harding.
A
B
C
D
E
James M. Cox
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Calvin Coolidge
Woodrow Wilson
12. This was an oil-lease scandal under Harding’s administration that cost the United States
millions of dollars in lost revenues.
A
B
C
D
E
Veteran’s Bureau scandal
Versailles Treaty
Teapot Dome
Keystone
None of the above.
13. Harding’s appointee to the Veteran’s Bureau
A
B
C
D
E
ran for president in 1924.
went to prison for fraud.
died in office.
was Calvin Coolidge.
None of the above.
14. In August 1923, while flying back home from Alaska, Harding
A
B
C
D
E
resigned from office.
was in a plane crash.
was stricken with polio.
suddenly died.
appointed the first woman to his cabinet.
15. This man became president after Harding.
A
B
C
D
E
Calvin Coolidge
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Warren G. Harding
Woodrow Wilson
28
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
ADDITIONAL AIMS MULTIMEDIA PROGRAMS
You and your students might also enjoy these other AIMS Multimedia programs:
29
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
ANSWER KEY for page 18
VOCABULARY
The terms below are from The American Diary: The Best of Times (1920-1924). On a seperate sheet
of paper use each term in a sentence that shows you understand what it has to do with the United
States during this period.
1.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
2.
assembly line
3.
TNT
4.
radio
5.
telegraph
6.
Calvin Coolidge
7.
Warren G. Harding
8.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
9.
Teapot Dome
10.
Versailles Treaty
ANSWERS WILL VARY
30
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
ANSWER KEY for page 19
CHECKING COMPREHENSION
Use what you learned from The American Diary: The Best of Times (1920-1924) to complete each
sentence below with a word or words from the word bank that make sense.
1.
Rudolph Valentino starred in a series of swashbuckling Arabian adventures, including The Sheik.
2.
One of the most terrifying movies of the time was John Barrymore’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, which tells the story
of a scientist who brashly tampers with nature to produce a monster.
3.
Station KDKA in 1920 sent out America’s first commercial radio broadcast to inform Americans of the
results of the presidential election campaign.
4.
But it was by telegraph that Americans found out about the action in the World Series almost as it happened.
5.
The 1920 presidential election was the first in which women voted.
6.
Henry Ford perfected the assembly line to produce automobiles quickly and uniformly.
7.
In 1920 Franklin Delano Roosevelt was stricken with polio.
8.
Warren G. Harding was elected president in 1920 and presided over one of the most corrupt administra
tions in the nation’s history.
9.
A shady oil-lease deal led to the sensational Teapot Dome scandal, which cost the nation millions of dollars
in lost revenues.
10.
In August 1923, on his way back home from Alaska, President Harding suddenly died.
WORD LIST
Rudolf valentino
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Warren G. Harding
Teapot Dome
died
voted
telegraph
assembly line
radio broadcast
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
31
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
ANSWER KEY for page 20
SPORTS FIGURES OF THE DAY
The people listed below are featured in The American Diary: The Best of Times (1920-1924). Tell
who each person or team was and why people were interested in them. You may want to conduct
some additional research to find out more about each person or team.
Brooklyn Dodgers
National League team involved in the 1920 World Series
Cleveland Indians
American League winners of the 1920 World Series
Burleigh Grimes
pitcher for the Dodgers
Thomas Griffith
player for the Dodgers
Vince Richards
one of the first tennis professionals
Karl Kozeluh
world champion tennis player who played against American Vince Richards
32
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
ANSWER KEY for page 21
HARDING’S PRESIDENCY
President Harding was a popular president who remained unscathed even though his administration
was plagued by scandal. On a seperate sheet of paper explain the significance to the presidency of
Warren G. Harding of each of the terms listed below.
Attorney General
His Attorney General was convicted in the Teapot Dome scandal.
Secretary of the Interior
His Secretary of the Interior was also convicted in the Teapot Dome scandal.
Teapot Dome
A sensational oil-lease scandal that cost the nation millions in lost revenues.
booze and poker
perhaps Harding’s true interests
hearth and home
Harding portrayed the image of a family man who loved hearth and home.
illegitimate child
Harding was rumored to have fathered an illegitimate child during his presidency.
appointee to the Veteran’s Bureau
His appointee to the Veteran’s Bureau was sent to prison for fraud.
August 1923 flying home from Alaska
Harding died suddenly in August 1923 while flying home from Alaska.
The Treaty of Versailles
One of the most grievous mistakes America and her allies made after World War I.
The treaty imposed a harsh peace upon Germany, which laid the groundwork for World War II.
postwar economic slump
A postwar economic slump emptied the bank accounts of many Americans.
33
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
ANSWER KEY for page 22
PEOPLE’S LIVES IN THE 1920S.
Investigate the lives many people in the 1920s lived. You may want to investigate conditions on
assembly lines, as a laborer harvesting cotton or tobacco, as a gold prospector in the west, or as a
woman who has just achieved the right to vote. Put yourself in the place of one of these people, and
then write about what your daily life is like, how you feel about daily events, and what happens to
you.
Essays will vary but should include information presented in this program
34
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
ANSWER KEY for page 23
HOLLYWOOD
Below are listed some films or people associated with the movie industry during this period of
American history. Conduct research to find out more about each a person or film. Write what you
discover on a separate piece of paper.
Answers will vary depending on what student research uncovers
D.W. Griffith
Charlie Chaplin
Douglas Fairbanks
Mary Pickford
Eric Von Stroheim
Rudolf Valentino
Agnes Ayres
The Sheik
Clara Bow
Mack Sennett
Keystone Cops
Fatty Arbuckle
John Barrymore
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
35
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
ANSWER KEY for page 24
THE RADIO AND THE TELEGRAPH
Conduct research to find out more about the history of the radio and the telegraph. In the space
below, tell how and why telegraphs were first used, when the radio was invented, and how the use
of radios changed the way Americans lived. Before radios brought entertainment directly into
people’s homes, what did people do for entertainment?
Telegraph
ANSWERS WILL VARY
Radio
36
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
ANSWER KEY for page 25
THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES
The Treaty of Versailles, agreed to at the end of World War I, imposed a harsh and oppressive peace
upon Germany and laid the groundwork for still another war. Conduct research to find out more
about the Treaty of Versailles. Take on stance of one side of this issue: The Treaty of Versailles caused
World War II. Then stage a debate on the topic.
List reasons to support your position below.
· ______________________________________________________________________________
·ARGUMENTS WILL VARY, BUT SHOULD BE SUPPORTED BY VALID REASONING
· ______________________________________________________________________________
List the points you think your opponent will make.
· ______________________________________________________________________________
· ______________________________________________________________________________
· ______________________________________________________________________________
·List arguments to counter your opponent’s points.
· ______________________________________________________________________________
· ______________________________________________________________________________
· ______________________________________________________________________________
Now stage your debate.
How is the world today different from the world in 1920? Do nations today impose harsh trade embargoes or terms on
other nations? Could these terms lead to conflict? Explain.
37
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
ANSWER KEY for page 26
TEST
Circle the best answer.
1.
This person was one of the founders of United Artists.
A
B
C
D
E
2.
This swashbuckling entertainer starred in many Arabian adventure movies.
A
B
C
D
E
3.
Agnes Ayres
Clara Bow
Mary Pickford
Margaret Hill McCarter
Eleanor Roosevelt
For the first time, the presidential election returns of 1920 were broadcast live by
A
B
C
D
E
5.
Rudolf Valentino
Douglas Fairbanks
Charlie Chaplin
Fatty Arbuckle
John Barrymore
This woman was the female sex symbol of the era.
A
B
C
D
E
4.
D. W. Griffith
Charlie Chaplin
Douglas Fairbanks
Mary Pickford
All of the above.
television
telegraph
radio
satellite
movie theaters
Both in the office and in the factory, the highest goal was productivity. This was evidenced by
the use of
A
B
C
D
E
38
assembly lines
heavy machinery that replaced manual laborers
modern factories
All of the above.
None of the above.
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
ANSWER KEY for page 27
6. Big companies moved rock by using
A
B
C
D
E
workers with pick axes.
manual laborers.
TNT.
automobiles.
None of the above.
7. One of the ways Americans harnessed natural resources was by
A
B
C
D
E
building dams to provide power and water.
drilling for oil to keep machinery working.
moving mountains of rock with TNT.
All of the above.
None of the above.
8. Calvin Coolidge was
A
B
C
D
E
from an urban background.
a governor of Massachusetts.
stricken with polio.
responsible for the Teapot Dome scandal.
None of the above.
9. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
A
B
C
D
E
hobnobbed with the rich.
was stricken with polio.
spoke of the threat of communism.
All of the above.
None of the above.
10. This man was elected president of the United States in 1920:
A
B
C
D
E
Calvin Coolidge
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Warren G. Harding
Woodrow Wilson
39
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)
ANSWER KEY for page 28
11. This Democratic challenger to Warren Harding for the presidency was a newspaper publisher
from Ohio, just like Harding.
A
B
C
D
E
James M. Cox
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Calvin Coolidge
Woodrow Wilson
12. This was an oil-lease scandal under Harding’s administration that cost the United States
millions of dollars in lost revenues.
A
B
C
D
E
Veteran’s Bureau scandal
Versailles Treaty
Teapot Dome
Keystone
None of the above.
13. Harding’s appointee to the Veteran’s Bureau
A
B
C
D
E
ran for president in 1924.
went to prison for fraud.
died in office.
was Calvin Coolidge.
None of the above.
14. In August 1923, while flying back home from Alaska, Harding
A
B
C
D
E
resigned from office.
was in a plane crash.
was stricken with polio.
suddenly died.
appointed the first woman to his cabinet.
15. This man became president after Harding.
A
B
C
D
E
Calvin Coolidge
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Warren G. Harding
Woodrow Wilson
© Copyright 2000 AIMS Multimedia The Best of Times (1920-1924)