Post-war American popular culture
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can assess the changes in American popular culture during the post-war period.
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.
Teacher tip
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.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
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?
Q3.What was the American Dream?
Q4.Who introduced the Fair Deal?
Q5.Which statement is most accurate?
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
Assessment exit quiz
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?
Q3.Who became a famous Rock and Roll artist in post-war America?
Q4.How much did the average US teenager spend per week by 1957?
Q5.Which factor contributed to declining cinema audiences in the 1940s and 1960s?
Q6.Whichh statement is most accurate?
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: Post-war American popular culture, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: Post-war American popular culture, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the America 1920–1973, Opportunity and inequality unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.