Curated OER
1950’s American Culture: Television, Fashion, and Music
Sixth graders investigate the impact of popular culture on Americans. In this 1950's America instructional activity, 6th graders view television clips, listen to audio clips, and look over fashion photographs from the decade....
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...
Curated OER
Levittown, Automobiles, and Cultures of the 1950's
Young scholars investigate the impact of the automobile on Americans. In this 1950's America lesson, students listen to audio clips, read about Levittown, and explore the Interstate Highway Act from the decade. Young scholars then...
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...
Curated OER
Rock n' Rollin in the '50s
Students explore the culture of the United States in the 1950's. In this history lesson plan, students research culture in the 1950's, with a focus on fashion, music, television, automobiles, etc., then work in groups to create a...
Curated OER
American Economics after WWII
Young scholars analyze the American culture after WWII. Through a variety of activities, students gain an understanding of ecomonics and prosperity in the US following WWII.
Stanford University
Women in the 1950s
Students learn about suburban communities in the 1950s. In this women studies lesson, students watch a Power Point presentation about suburban communities in the 1950s. Students look at images from the 1950s and discuss what...
Curated OER
Social Life in the 1950's and Domestic Politics and Policy
Eleventh graders examine the cultural mood and politics of the 1950's in the United States. They read a section of their text and take notes, view a clip of the movie "Pleasantville" and discuss societal roles in the 1950's, and listen...
Curated OER
On the Air
Students explore the issue of race in television since the 1950's, focusing specifically on African-American entertainers. After researching important issues, events, and television personalities of specific decades, students create TV...
Curated OER
American Pop Icons
Young scholars analyze art and decide if the images are an attempt to celebrate or criticize American Popular Culture of the fifties and sixties and discuss how successful "Pop Art" mirrored society. Students also discuss the difference...
Curated OER
Corner of the Carpet
High schoolers examine the socioeconomic conditions in Montgomery, Alabama in the late 1950's including the poverty and living condition of the blacks during this time by watching a documentary. They determine how these living conditions...
Curated OER
1950's Popular Culture
Students gain a basic understanding of Capitalism and Communism, the ideologies that fueled the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Curated OER
Joe DiMaggio: The Way it Was
Students explore how "Joltin' Joe DiMaggio" remains one of America's most beloved sports heroes and a cultural icon of the twentieth century. In 1941 Joe DiMaggio set a major league record that still stands; he safely hit in 56...
Curated OER
A New Twist on Race Relations
Learners analyze the impact of American Bandstand on race relations. In this race relations instructional activity, students use the music and dance show American Bandstand to learn about race relations. Learners categorize pivotal...
Curated OER
Minorities in Mainstream American Society
So many people fought for Civil Rights in the United States. Read about the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and discuss what the act guarantees. Then pass out a slew of magazines and encourage them to observe how often minorities appear in...
Curated OER
Breaking Barriers
Students investigate racism in the 20th century by exploring U.S. History. In this Civil Rights instructional activity, students review the history of slavery, the Civil War and the fight for equality in the mid 1900's. Students complete...
Google Cultural Institute
Google Cultural Institute: Favorite Technologies of the 1950s
Photographic essay recalls some of the best technological advances of the 1950s in cooking, personal hygiene, radio, laundry, television, transportation, and more.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: Popular Culture and Mass Media in the 1950s
In the 1950s, financial prosperity allowed young Americans to participate in a shared culture of rock and roll music, movies, and television.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Open Course Ware: Understanding Television
A course from MIT on the cultural history of television. Includes readings, assignments, exams, and videos of lectures.
![Southwestern Academy: The 1950s: The Search for Consensus and Conformity [Pdf] Website](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Southwestern Academy: The 1950s: The Search for Consensus and Conformity [Pdf] Website")
Other
Southwestern Academy: The 1950s: The Search for Consensus and Conformity [Pdf]
A good review of the culture of the 1950s including a look at big business at the time, the affluent society, and the beginnings of youthful rebellion.
Wessels Living History Farm
Living History Farm: Television During the 1950s and 60s
Read a history of television in the 1950s and 1960s to see how it became such a cultural icon. Find out about the many genres of television that were broadcast during that time.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Land of Television
The advent of increased television programming helped create a national popular culture. Read about the many kinds of television programs offered in the 1950s.
SparkNotes
Spark Notes: Social Trends of the 1950s
Spark Notes gives a brief overview of the 1950s from consumerism and conformity to poverty to youthful rebellion. A good review of this important decade in American history.
Duke University
Duke University Libraries: Digital Collections: Ad Views
A record of the times as well as of vintage brands, AdViews provides access to commercials created during the postwar period, 1950s through 1980s.