1920s MINI-INQUIRY PROJECT
OBJECTIVE:
You and a small group of peers will RESEARCH a specific aspect of the 1920s and then use
the research to deliver an informed presentation to the class.
GROUPS:
4-5 people
TOPICS:
Women in the 1920s
-right to vote, women’s fashion, flappers, famous female contributors to the decade, the
changing role of women
Inventions in the 1920s
-washing machine, vacuum cleaner, electric refrigerator, radio, movie theaters,
automobile, penicillin, the effects of these inventions on society and culture
The Jazz Age
-jazz music, dancing, famous musicians, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith
Prohibition
-legality, purpose, speakeasies, bootleggers, Al Capone, amendments, mafia
Great Migration
-African Americans, purpose of the movement, blues music, jazz, famous contributors
and activists
Harlem Renaissance
-literary movement, poetry, authors, Booker T. Washington, Langston Hughes, Claude
McKay, Zora Neale Hurston
Discrimination
-Red Summer of 1919, Ku Klux Klan in the North, National Origins Act of 1924, court
cases
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:






What was your topic?
Who were the important people involved, and what did they do?
What was the impact of your topic/person on society and culture in the 1920s?
What groups of people were most impacted in the 1920s?
Are there long-term effects (good or bad) on society today as a result of this?
Any other questions your research can answer
FINAL PRODUCT WILL INCLUDE:
-Individual research notes
-Individual bibliography of sources you used to gather research
-Group presentation with visuals and/or artifacts (PowerPoint, poem, video clip, poster, etc. GET
CREATIVE!)
GRADING:
-The final product will receive grades in the assessment category for BOTH Research/Reasoning
and Speaking/Listening.
TASKS & ASSIGNMENT DEADLINES:
1) WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY, 9/18-9/19 (30min.)—In the computer lab, spend time with your group
researching the basic facts about your topic.
2) WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY, 9/18-9/19 (50min.)—With your group, decide which aspect of your
topic you will focus on, and spend the remaining time researching your specific aspect of the
topic.
3) WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY, 9/18-9/22 (3Omin. each day at home)—Individually continue researching
your individual topic and take notes.
4) DUE ON MONDAY, 9/23—Turn in your research notes to Mrs. Boehm for review.
5) TUESDAY, 9/24—Look at the recommendations from Mrs. Boehm, and continue your research.
6) WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY, 9/25-26—Time to work in the computer lab with your group to
organize your presentation, create visuals, and practice.
7) MONDAY, 9/30—Group presentations of research to the class.