Marion Butts Collection:
Growing Up In Dallas

Objectives: Students will gain an understanding of life in Dallas for young people from the 1940s-1970s. Students will be able to describe similarities and differences for youth in Dallas throughout this period in history.

Social Studies TEKS:

• TEK 7.21A Differentiate between, locate, and use primary and secondary sources such as computer software, databases, media and news services, biographies, interviews, and artifacts to acquire information about Texas.
• TEK 7.21D Identify points of view from the historical context surrounding an event and the frame of reference that influenced the participants.

Suggested Time:

Approximately 2-4 class periods (depending upon the depth of the projects)

Materials & Resources:

• Computers with internet access
• Sets of photos from the Marion Butts Collection (linked)

Student Project:

• Students will create a MySpace page as someone who was living during a specific decade between the 1940s-1970s.
• Modifying for resources: Have students create a MySpace profile on poster-board or butcher paper. Provide copies of photos from the collection for use in the profiles.
• Have the students present their projects to the class. Each student should create a timeline with notes on life in Dallas for each time period covered.

Discussion Questions:

• How is life from this time period different from life today?
• How was it similar to life today?

Extension Activities:

• Have students interact with one another on MySpace through the "Post a Comment" acting as a person from their designated time period.
• Modifying for resources: Post the posters around the classroom. Give students post-it notes to write comments to each other & stick in the "Comments: section of the poster.
• Have students blog about other issues during the time period (Ex: segregation, voting rights, major events [elections, assassinations, war], etc...)
• Modifying for resources: Have students write their blog on notebook paper and post it next to their profile in the classroom.