Poodle skirts and jukeboxes are icons of the '50s that you can discuss in class.
The '50s often bring to mind images of poodle skirts, radio shows, diners and catchy jingles, with a little social turmoil on the side. In the classroom, these images can be used to inspire fun themed lessons that can easily be extended to more in-depth activities for cross-curricular studies.
Bobby Soxer Day
Encourage students to wear their best imitation of '50s clothing to class by rifling through their closets for blouses, scarves, poodle skirts, saddle shoes, pedal pushers, white T-shirts, dark jeans and leather jackets. Encourage creativity. Saddle shoes can be made by painting white canvas shoes with black paint; pedal pushers can be made by rolling pant cuffs up. Teach a couple of dances from the era in class. You can use this activity to talk about the social roles during the era, such as men being breadwinners, as well as the styles that each gender was expected to wear.
Where My Family Was
Have students find out where their grandparents or other family members were in the '50s. Have them ask which major events or childhood activities the family members remember. Break the students into groups and have them compare their findings, then present them, explaining any notable details family members mentioned. Make a list of memories that students mention, marking each time an event is repeated. Use this activity as a supplement to a history or social studies lesson to give students a connection to the lesson.
Technology
Compare technology from the '50s and today using examples of older technology. Bring in as many older electronics as you can find, such a record player or turntable and some LPs, a dial radio and an old telephone. At the very least, show pictures of the older electronics and talk about how they were used. For example, families used to sit around and listen to the radio together. Talk about how things have changed in the past 60 years and ask students how they think the changes in technology have changed the culture.
Create a Jingle
Review recent lessons by having students create radio jingles relating to what you are studying in class. Let students listen to samples of old radio jingles, then talk about what makes them catchy (tune, rhyming, puns, topical references). Group students into sets of three and have them come up with jingles that cover recent lessons, such as a recent novel or an event in history. Finish off the lesson by having each group present its jingle to the class.
Dine it Up
Talk to the school cafeteria workers to see if you can serve your students their drinks or a snack at lunch while in costume (preferably as a diner waitress). Borrow a tray or cart and wait on the students, making sure they are enjoying their meal. Alternatively, you can invite student families and have students serve their families while wearing costumes. If your school will not allow students to serve full meals, have the students serve utensils or prepackaged portions of the meal.
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