National Endowment for the Humanities
A Raisin in the Sun: Whose "American Dream"?
How does Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun factor into a discussion of the American dream? High schoolers define the American dream and recognize the historical setting of the play. Additionally, they identify...
Curated OER
The 1950s:
Teens will get a kick out of this presentation, which provides a glimpse of the consumerism and rising pop culture of 1950's America. They will especially appreciate the discussion of "Teen culture" including the music of Elvis, the...
Annenberg Foundation
Becoming Visible
The television and interstate highways both came of age in 1950s America. Scholars use film, text, and discussion to explore how these and other cultural icons shaped the literature of the time. Pupils also create a family history...
Mississippi Whole School Initiative
Dream Big...With Your Eyes Wide Open
For many people, Barack Obama's presidency was the next step in Martin Luther King, Jr's dream of America's future. Explore the dreams of Americans past and present, as well as the young Americans in your class, with a set of activities...
Curated OER
Wings, Chrome, and Tailfins: Automobiles of the 1950s
Students study the automobile industry. In this cultural history instructional activity, students explore 1950s America as they view a teacher-created PowerPoint presentation regarding the 1950s. Students research how the automobile...
Albert Shanker Institute
The March on Washington Logistics Then and Now
I have a dream ... that all pupils will be able to organize a march of their own after learning about how Bayard Rustin organized the 1963 March on Washington for civil rights. Young reformers work collaboratively examining informational...
Curated OER
Civil Rights Leaders
Tenth graders investigate three American leaders from the Civil Rights Movement while they examine the early 1960's and the topic of racial equality. They listen to music from the era, read speeches, and look at images of Martin Luther...
Curated OER
20th Century Civil Disobedience
Young scholars write from varying perspectives in the American South about the civil rights movements in the 1950s. In this civics lesson, students view video clips and take notes. Young scholars discuss the film and listen to a lecture...
Curated OER
Say It Loud!: A Celebration Of Black Music In America - Lesson 2
Students identify general business terms such as entrepreneur, corporation, marketing, demographic, promotion and distribution. They identify many Black music industry leaders and their contributions.
Curated OER
Levittown, White Picket Paradise?
Students study the origins and happenings of Levittown, Pennsylvania. For this Pennsylvania history lesson plan, students use primary and secondary sources to research the beginnings of Levittown, PA. As a culminating activity, students...
Curated OER
Telecommunications: Vocabulary Skills
In this online interactive vocabulary skills worksheet, students answer 10 fill in the blank questions regarding telecommunications vocabulary. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
Curated OER
Martin Luther King, Jr.
In this comprehension worksheet, students read a selection about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and answer a set of 10 fill-in-the-blank comprehension questions.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Contemporary Drama: Act I: An American Dream
This is an introduction to Act I of "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry which focuses on "how the social, educational, and political climate of the 1950s affected African Americans' quest for 'The American Dream.'" It features...
OpenStax
Open Stax: Post War Prosperity and Cold War Fears 1945 1960: The American Dream
Looks at the policies of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, both at home and abroad. Also examines changing gender roles in the 1950s, and the impact of suburbanization on America.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Contemporary Literature: Contemporary Drama
This introduction to contemporary drama focuses on the elements or characteristics of drama and the theme of the American Dream. It features the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, which is set in the 1950s.
TES Global
Tes: West Side Story (1961) Film Guide
[Free Registration/Login Required] This is a film guide for the film West Side Story (1961), the musical adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, which is set in 1950s New York and incorporates themes around street crime,...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: Women in the 1950s
Learn about the myths and realities of women's lives during the 1950s.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: American Masters Collection: Lorraine Hansberry
This is a collection of eight video lessons about Lorraine Hansberry and her famous play "Raisin in the Sun."
Other
Paleofuture: The History of the Future: 42 Amazing High Tech Predictions From the 1950s and '60S
It's the 21st century, but sometimes it feels like our futuristic dreams are stuck in the 1950s and 60s. And there's actually a good reason for that. The period between 1958 and 1963 might be described as a Golden Age of American...
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Contemporary Drama: Introduction to a Raisin in the Sun
This lesson is an introduction to the play "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry, which is set in Chicago in the 1950s. It features links to two of Langston Hughes's poems that influenced the title of the play and a Lorraine...
A&E Television
History.com: Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a social activist and Baptist minister who played a key role in the American civil rights movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. King sought equality and human rights for African...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Lonne Elder Iii
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Lonne Elder III, an American playwright whose critically acclaimed masterwork, Ceremonies in Dark Old Men (1965, revised 1969), depicted the dreams, frustrations, and ultimate endurance of...