Free 11th Grade U.S. History Google Apps
1950s Consumer Sears Catalog Simulation
By Sarah Austin
The year is 1956. You & your partner have taken advantage of new economic conditions & purchased a suburban home. Upon moving to the suburbs, you find you need to fill your home with clothes & furniture.
Use the Sears catalog provided to fill your home. The average monthly income in the USA in 1955 was $360. Let’s say you & your partner have been saving, and have a savings account of $600. The mortgage payment on your home is $60 per month, & let's say you use $40 per month for groceries. That leaves you with $500 to spend for the month!
Fill out the provided order sheet with the products you want to buy, and their prices. Do not spend more than $500, because then you will end up in debt! Beware–life events and circumstances happen, so adjust accordingly!
This Resource Includes:
- Teacher Reference Guide
- Google Slide Presentation
- Sears Catalog Student Handout
- Life Event Cards
- 1956 Sears Catalog (Printable & digital versions)
*If you would like to purchase the entire lesson CLICK BELOW!
1950s & 60s: Conformity or Rebellion (Counter-culture)?
If you liked this lesson see other related lessons & activities here:
- Protest Movements of the 1960's: E-Chapter Textbook Project
- César Chavez: Analyzing Primary Sources
- The Cold War and Vietnam
- Hot War Turns into the Cold War
FDR & The New Deal Matching Game
By Sarah Austin
Are you looking to engage your students in the study of FDR's New Deal? This New Deal Matching Game is the perfect way to get your students excited and engaged with history. The game provides slides to guide both the teacher and the student through note-taking, student discussions/debate, and the ‘New Deal Matching Game’.
Instructions: Organize into groups of 3-4 students. Each group will analyze 10 scenarios that will be presented in the next several slides. Fill out the T-chart addressing the following…
1. Which New Deal program(s) is the best match in addressing the problems associated with each scenario? Write in the letter of the card.
(*You will use each program only once).
2. Acronyms? Write in the abbreviation.
3. Which of the 3 R’s best applies to each of the scenarios; Relief, Recovery, or Reform? (Hint, scenario #3 is the only one that has two of the R’s)
If you would like to purchase the entire Unit, 'Mystery: What Caused the Great Depression'? (FDR Matching Game is included), click HERE.