| My Journal: You are to imagine
that you are a teenager in one of the decades from 1900-2000 (1900-1909,
1910-1919, etc.). Write four journal entries about your decade. Write one entry
that discusses some aspect of the following ideas. Several suggestions are
given, but you can focus on just one aspect if you want. Try to be creative and
write in first person. Each entry should be about 400-500 words.
 | Entry #1: World events. What is going on in the world around you?
What are the major political and/or economic concerns of the nation and the
world? What's happening in sports news? What disasters or victories are
occurring? For example, you might talk about an article you read in the
newspaper or about something you just heard on the radio (be sure the radio
has been invented!) or you might relate a conversation you overheard between
your parents. Give us the facts, but give us emotion, too. |
| Entry #2: Trends and technologies. What is happening in the world
of consumerism, that is, new goods and technologies? Write about the
fashions of your decade or about that new car that you have been wanting.
What kinds of gadgets do you see advertised or in the windows at your local
general/department store? I you or one of your parents suddenly received an
inheritance from a favorite uncle, what would you buy? |
| Entry #3: Art and culture. Imagine that you've taken a trip to New
York or some other large city that has museums, art galleries, music halls,
and theatres. Write about a painting you saw, a play or motion picture you
attended, a band you heard perform. Describe both your personal reactions to
the experience and specific details about the work. |
| Entry #4: Your community. Describe your home, your family, or your
school during this time period. What kind of job does your father have? In
what part of the country are you living? If you are a teenager, are you in
school or have you had to get a job? Describe aspects of living that a
person living during this time might experience, and if you want, take
another identity from your own. For example, pretend that you are a Jewish
teenager living in New York and that your family has just learned that
relatives in Poland have been taken to a work camp. |
Be sure you date the entries, and make sure that the events mentioned are
consistent with the date of the entry. Also be sure that the journal has a cover
design.
       
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