“What a Year” project

Mass Media

Mrs. Laird

The objective of this project is two fold: you are going to produce a documentary after doing extensive research about the chosen year, and you will be demonstrating your camera and editing skills.

You are going to write a documentary about the year your group has been assigned. We are going to get the essence of what it was like to live in that time period. That means you will need to research no just the historical events but the culture as well.

Your documentary needs to tell the viewers what was going on in your year including fashion, music, and entertainment. We want to know what the clothing styles were, how people were getting around (transportation), and

what the economy was like. How much did a car cost? Or a house? Or a loaf of bread?

Of course you should include major historical events and take a look at the government. Who was president? What were people concerned with in Congress? What laws were passed?

You should also include science and technology. What advances were made in medicine? In communication?

The more information you can find, the better your documentary will be.

But, you will need to find pictures to go along with everything you include in your documentary. The more pictures you find, the easier your task will be. And there are many sources besides Google Images for pictures. Books, magazines, film strips, and pamphlets are very useful. Every line of your documentary needs a picture to accompany it. Black and white or color does not matter.

Recommended Steps

· Research your year and develop a familiarity with that time period.

· Divide the research in your group so you are not all finding duplicate information.

· Assign a different topic for each group member to research.

· Put information in your own words and keep it simple.

· As you find information, find pictures that go along with it.

· If you find pictures that are in research books or other materials that cannot be taken out of the library, write down the name of the book, the reference number and the page, number. On the day you are taping that portion of your documentary, you will be able to run to the library and “borrow” that picture for a few minutes.

· Work as a team and help each other. Save everything in a folder and let your teacher hold it for you.

· Do some work at home. Keep in touch with your team members.

· Keep a list of the materials that you use for research so you can do a bibliography to be handed in.

· Ask for help when you find a dead end.

Do a great job. You are going to be making a documentary that will be kept on our shelves as a resource for social studies teachers and students.