New
New
Year 11
AQA
Post-war American popular culture
I can assess the changes in American popular culture during the post-war period.
New
New
Year 11
AQA
Post-war American popular culture
I can assess the changes in American popular culture during the post-war period.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Televisions became widely available and popular.
- A new 'teenage' identity developed in the 1940s and 1950s.
- Rock and Roll became a popular form of music.
- Advertisers and the entertainment industry targeted teenage audiences.
Keywords
Popular culture - popular culture is the types of entertainments enjoyed by ordinary people in a country
Broadcast - a broadcast is to send out a TV or radio programme
Generation - all the people in a society or family who are approximately the same age are called a generation
Common misconception
All older Americans were opposed to teenage culture in the 1940s and 1950s.
Adults working in advertising as well as some in the entertainment industry were happy to target teenage audiences.
After reading the Frank Sinatra quote in section D of the additional material, get students to discuss what may have influenced Sinatra to have such a negative opinion on Rock and Roll. Push students to consider how teenage tastes and preference for Rock and Roll would affect artists like Sinatra.
Teacher tip
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Write the missing word: is a situation in which some groups in a society have more advantages than others.
Q2.
How did average family incomes change between 1945 and 1954 in the USA?
Only white family incomes rose.
Only non-white family incomes rose.
White family nor non-white family incomes rose.
Q3.
What was the American Dream?
idea of racial equality in the USA
name of President Truman's economic policies
Q4.
Who introduced the Fair Deal?
President Hoover
President Roosevelt
Q5.
Which statement is most accurate?
TV prices rose after WW2, so few were owned.
TV prices fell after WW2, but remained high so few were owned.
Q6.
Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Write the missing word: The types of entertainments enjoyed by ordinary people in a country are known as popular .
Q2.
Before the 1940s, when did most Americans leave school?
Between the ages of 15 and 16
Aged 17 or over
Q3.
Who became a famous Rock and Roll artist in post-war America?
Frank Sinatra
James Dean
Marilyn Monroe
Q4.
How much did the average US teenager spend per week by 1957?
$0-5
$5-10
$15-20
Q5.
Which factor contributed to declining cinema audiences in the 1940s and 1960s?
cost of tickets
emergence of teenagers
Q6.
Whichh statement is most accurate?
All adults criticised teenage culture.
Almost all adults approved of teenage culture.
Additional material
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