Now that we are beginning a new century, it seems like a good time to take a look at the last century. In this unit, we will use the Internet and three films, Grapes of Wrath, Rebel Without a Cause and American Graffiti, to explore and outline the last century in America.

Your mission for this session is to create a timeline, either individually or in small groups, of the last century in the United States of America. For each decade, you need to identify a major president, a major theme (such as the Great Depression) and rate the economic status (poor, fair, good, excellent).

Once this is completed, choose one decade to research more thoroughly. Each group or individual in the class should choose a different decade. These will be shared on the last day of class for this session so that everyone in the class benefits from the research. Below is a list of resources to get you started.

We will also be watching the three movies mentioned above in class. The questions for each movie can be found by following these links:

Grapes of Wrath

Rebel Without a Cause

The process is mostly up to you. The movies will be shown once in class. If you miss the day that one is shown, you should rent it from a local video store or check to see if it is available in our library to check out. Then answer the questions and turn them in.

The second part is to use the following links to research the history of our last century. This can be done individually or in small groups. Be sure to divide the labor evenly if you are working with others. The report for a group should be more extensive than one done by an individual.

By the end of this unit you should have:

1. Watched all three movies and answered four sets of questions.
2. Created a basic outline of each decade identifying a major theme and president and rating the economic status.
3. Written report of some interesting details for a specific decade that you choose.
4. Gained a better understanding of American history and its importance.