Introduction
The North Carolina Essential Standard for Eighth Grade Social Studies states,
“Students in eighth grade will continue to build on the fourth and fifth grade introductions to North Carolina and the United States by embarking on a more rigorous study of the historical foundations and democratic principles that continue to shape our state and nation. Students will begin with a review of the major ideas and events preceding the foundation of North Carolina and the United States. The main focus of the course will be the critical events, personalities, issues, and developments in the state and nation from the Revolutionary Era to contemporary times. Inherent in this study is an analysis of the relationship of geography, events and people to the political, economic, technological, and cultural developments that shaped our existence in North Carolina and the United States over time. Although the major focus is state and national history, efforts should also be made to include a study of local history.”
While students study the Depression Era, teachers may connect North Carolinian history during this time period by means of examining southern states as a whole, or as a region, during the Depression Era and determining common struggles for Southerners.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? may be used in an 8th grade social studies class as a resource to demonstrate Depression Era social, political, and economical conditions particularly in the southern United States.
Social Studies Activity #1:
Meeting Essential Standards:
8th grade Social Studies Essential Standard: “Economics & Financial Literacy”
8.E.1: Understand the economic activities of North Carolina and the United States.
Clarifying Objectives:
8.E.1.2 Use economic indicators (e.g. GDP, inflation and unemployment) to evaluate the growth and stability of the economy of North Carolina and the United States.
8.E.1.3 Explain how quality of life is impacted by personal financial choices (e.g. credit, savings,
investing, borrowing and giving).
Relating the Essential Standard to the movie:
In 1937, Ulysses Everett McGill, Pete Hogwallop, and Delmar O'Donnell escape from a chain gang at Parchman Farm and set out to retrieve the $1.2 million in treasure that Everett claims to have stolen from an armored car and buried before his incarceration.
Students should watch clip time : 4:40 - 9:09 Ch 2 on DVD to be introduced to the three characters and the adventure they set out on for the $1.2 million. This clip demonstrates the personalities of McGill, Hogwallop, and O’Donnell as they are before retrieving the treasure. Students should be asked to take note of their living conditions and personality traits that may be a result of their socio-economic status. There will be questions to address these issues later in the lesson.
Using http://www.measuringworth.com/ppowerus/ students can put into perspective how much 1.2 million in 1937 is in relation to today’s monetary value.
Students should be provided an introductory worksheet which includes the plot description listed above, the website listed above, and a brief explanation of what they will be researching. Students should be instructed to use 1937 as the “Initial Year”, 1,200,000.00 as the “Initial Amount”, and set the “Desired Year” to 2010, as that is as current as the website will allow for. Example provided below:
After selecting the “calculate” button, students should be asked the following basic questions and Higher Order questions in the introductory worksheet:
Retrieving Facts:
1. The “Purchasing Power Calculator” states _____________________ is the relative value (or of the same worth) as 1.2 million in 1937.
2. What is a commodity? Provide an example.
3. What is income? Provide an example.
4. What is wealth? Provide an example.
5. What is a project? Provide an example.
Higher Order:
1. MeasuringWorth says the answer provided by the “Purchasing Power Calculator” may not be the best. How should a person go about finding a more appropriate answer? What should be used to determine a more exact answer?
2. Is 1.2 million, the way it is being used in the movie, a commodity, an income or wealth, or a project? Why?
3. After reading “Explaining the Measures of Worth,” please list the two factors “measures of worth” depend on.
4. Reflect on the clip from O Brother, Where Art Thou? and how the main characters live their lives in the film. How might the quality of the characters’ lives change if the 1.2 million is recovered?
5. Based on the personalities and actions of the characters’ within the clip, what aspects of the characters’ lives might stay the same despite the larger amount of money to influence their behavior? Can any conclusions of how they will spend, invest, or save their money be made?
Relating the activity to the Essential Standard:
To meet Essential Standard 8.E.1, the introductory activity will provide an understanding of monetary relevance/worth of 1.2 million in 1937 and its comparison in 2010. The activity will give students an opportunity to read and learn about types of economic activities, including economic indicators, and use the characters from O Brother, Where Art Thou? to consider financial behaviors hypothetically. To meet Clarifying Objective 8.E.1.2, students will be introduced to “indicators” and “subjects”. The questions to be answered on the introductory sheet will provide knowledge to be built upon in further studies of economic studies and how to determine the answers to questions involving economics. To meet Clarifying Objective 8.E.1.3, students are asked hypothetical questions and made to consider how 1.2 million may change the lives of the characters from O Brother, Where Art Thou? and what aspects of their lives may stay the same based on their personalities and actions. Students are asked to consider if the characters’ personalities or actions can help infer how they would spend, invest or save their money.
Social Studies Activity #2:
Meeting Essential Standards:
8th grade Social Studies Essential Standard: “History”
8.H.3 Understand the factors that contribute to change and continuity in North Carolina and the United States.
Clarifying Objectives:
8.H.3.2 Explain how changes brought about by technology and other innovations affected individuals and groups in North Carolina and the United States (e.g. advancements in transportation, communication networks and business practices).
8.H.3.3 Explain how individuals and groups have influenced economic, political and social change in North Carolina and the United States.
8th grade Social Studies Essential Standard: “Culture”
8.C.1 Understand how different cultures influenced North Carolina and the United States.
Clarifying Objectives:
8.C.1.2 Summarize the origin of beliefs, practices, and traditions that represent various groups within North Carolina and the United States (e.g. Moravians, Scots-Irish, Highland Scots, Latinos, Hmong, Africans, and American Indians)
8.C.1.3 Summarize the contributions of particular groups to the development of North Carolina and the United States (e.g. women, religious groups, and ethnic sectors such as American Indians, African Americans, and European immigrants).
Relating the Essential Standard to the movie:
In O Brother, Where Art Thou, the three main characters Ulysses Everett McGill, Pete Hogwallop, and Delmar O'Donnell record the song “Man of Constant Sorrow” under the name “Soggy Bottom Boys”. Students will observe this song in the clip start/stop times 1:19:32-1:32:45.
Below are the lyrics to the song Man of Constant Sorrow. Teachers should provide the lyrics to students, after dividing them into small groups, and ask them to listen to the song (playing the clip) as they read along with the lyrics and highlight words they believe are sung with a southern dialect. Afterward, students should use group discussion to come to a consensus on what words were sung with a southern dialect.
Furthermore, students should answer the following questions:
1. In your own words, describe folk music. What are some attributes of Southern folk music? Are there particular instruments or musical patterns used to make a distinct local or regional sound?
2. Has southern music, particularly folk or soul music like “Man of Constant Sorrow” influenced social change in North Carolina? If so, how? How has it influenced changed across the United States?
3. After observing the recording studio in the movie clip, can you give examples of how changes brought about by technology, like the recording studio, affected individuals and groups in North Carolina and the United States?
4. Can you provide other examples of music or genres of music which came from Southern culture? What particular groups influenced this music? Are there traditions or beliefs that are frequently displayed in the lyrics or in the sound of the music?
5. How has music like the song “Man of Constant Sorrow” influenced modern southern culture? How has it influenced American culture?
Teachers, after giving the groups ample time to answer these questions, be sure to draw attention to other forms of southern music like blues, bluegrass, country, soul, etc. Focus on summarizing the influence of particular groups on southern culture and review the words found to be sung in dialect.
Lyrics:
(In constant sorrow through his days)
I am a man of constant sorrow
I've seen trouble all my day.
I bid farewell to old Kentucky
The place where I was born and raised.
(The place where he was born and raised)
For six long years I've been in trouble
No pleasures here on earth I found
For in this world I'm bound to ramble
I have no friends to help me now.
[chorus] He has no friends to help him now
It's fare thee well my old lover
I never expect to see you again
For I'm bound to ride that northern railroad
Perhaps I'll die upon this train.
[chorus] Perhaps he'll die upon this train.
You can bury me in some deep valley
For many years where I may lay
Then you may learn to love another
While I am sleeping in my grave.
[chorus] While he is sleeping in his grave.
Maybe your friends think I'm just a stranger
My face you'll never see no more.
But there is one promise that is given
I'll meet you on God's golden shore.
[chorus] He'll meet you on God's golden shore.
Relating the activity to the Essential Standard:
The activity at hand will provide students the opportunity to observe history and culture of the Southern region through the song “A Man of Constant Sorrow” from O Brother, Where Art Thou? To meet Essential Standard 8.H.3, students will observe and contemplate how technological changes and groups in history have influenced North Carolina and the United States as we know it. The questions 1-5 address the clarifying objectives 8.H.3.2 and 8.H.3.3. Essential Standard 8.C.1 is addressed under the 8.H.3 standard; however, it will be further reinforced into the curriculum as clarifying objectives 8.C.1.2 and 8.C.1.3 are addressed in questions 1- 5.
Social Studies Activity #3:
Meeting Essential Standards:
8th grade Social Studies Essential Standard: “History”
8.H.3 Understand the factors that contribute to change and continuity in North Carolina and the United States.
Clarifying Objectives:
8.H.3.2 Explain how changes brought about by technology and other innovations affected
individuals and groups in North Carolina and the United States (e.g. advancements in transportation, communication networks and business practices).
8.H.3.4 Compare historical and contemporary issues to understand continuity and change in the development of North Carolina and the United States.
Relating the Essential Standard to the movie:
In the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou, the three main characters Ulysses Everett McGill, Pete Hogwallop, and Delmar O'Donnell come across a radio station run by a blind man and record the song “Man of Constant Sorrow” under the name “Soggy Bottom Boys”.
Teachers should provide the excerpt below from eNotes as a short instruction on the use of radio technology during the Depression Era. Afterward, two clips from O Brother, Where Art Thou should be played. The first clip will be the three main characters recording the song (23:35 - 26:49) and the second will exemplify the Soggy Bottom Boys’ popularity from their song spreading to become a radio hit (1:19:32-1:32:45.)
Students should then be divided into groups to reflect on comparisons between the use of radio technology during the Depression Era and in our modern society. Students should be asked to focus on providing particular examples of how the use of radio technology from the movie. The groups’ comparisons should be displayed in compare and contrast form on large sheets of paper so that they may share their findings later with the class and present their lists large enough for the class to read.
8th grade Social Studies Essential Standard: “History”
8.H.3 Understand the factors that contribute to change and continuity in North Carolina and the United States.
Clarifying Objectives:
8.H.3.2 Explain how changes brought about by technology and other innovations affected
individuals and groups in North Carolina and the United States (e.g. advancements in transportation, communication networks and business practices).
8.H.3.4 Compare historical and contemporary issues to understand continuity and change in the development of North Carolina and the United States.
Relating the Essential Standard to the movie:
In the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou, the three main characters Ulysses Everett McGill, Pete Hogwallop, and Delmar O'Donnell come across a radio station run by a blind man and record the song “Man of Constant Sorrow” under the name “Soggy Bottom Boys”.
Teachers should provide the excerpt below from eNotes as a short instruction on the use of radio technology during the Depression Era. Afterward, two clips from O Brother, Where Art Thou should be played. The first clip will be the three main characters recording the song (23:35 - 26:49) and the second will exemplify the Soggy Bottom Boys’ popularity from their song spreading to become a radio hit (1:19:32-1:32:45.)
Students should then be divided into groups to reflect on comparisons between the use of radio technology during the Depression Era and in our modern society. Students should be asked to focus on providing particular examples of how the use of radio technology from the movie. The groups’ comparisons should be displayed in compare and contrast form on large sheets of paper so that they may share their findings later with the class and present their lists large enough for the class to read.
The following questions would help stimulate students and would be great questions to put on the board for students to reflect on during the clips:
1. Does radio technology play a major role in advancing an artist’s or band’s popularity, like the Soggy Bottom Boys, more, less or the same as it had in the Depression Era?
2. What other forms of media may bands have used to promote themselves during the Depression Era? What forms are used today?
3. How has radio technology progressed between 1937, when the movie takes place, to present day?
The Broadcast Center.
The 1930s were truly the golden age of radio. Radio had been a nationwide phenomenon during the 1920s, broadcasting jazz; it was a fixture of the 1940s, connecting the home front to the war; but during the Depression era of the 1930s radio was something more than an entertainment or communications medium. It was a source of solace, of relief from everyday troubles; a means of escaping hardship, if only for a few minutes. It also embodied the political tensions of the decade. President Franklin D. Roosevelt reassured the nation by radio during his "fireside chats"; H. V. Kaltenborn's broadcasts from Munich in 1938 focused the nation's anxieties on Europe. During the 1930s radio was at the center of American culture.
"The Golden Age of Radio." American Decades. Ed. Vincent Tompkins. Vol. 4. Gale Cengage, 2000. eNotes.com. 25 Feb, 2013 http://www.enotes.com/1930-media-american-decades/
Relating the activity to the Essential Standard:
The activity at hand will provide students an opportunity to compare and contrast, using history in accordance to Essential Standard 8.H.3, forms of media. It will allow students a chance to critically think and consider how the use of radio technology affected North Carolinians and those across the United States in the Depression Era and how it has changed over time – meeting clarifying objective 8.H.3.2. Furthermore, by comparing and contrasting in groups how the use of radio technology is alike and differs between the Depression Era and present day students will be putting to use the skills needed to address clarifying objective 8.H.3.4.
