If all of the elements of this lesson plan are employed, students will develop the following powers, skills, and understanding:
- 1
Students will research and report on the social concerns of the 1920s, including race relations and the state of the labor movement.
- 2
Students will learn about the popular culture of the 1920s, such as the advent of radio and the style of advertisements of the time.
- 3
Students will learn about the American Realism style of writing, and how Sinclair Lewis factors into that school.
- 4
Students will discuss relevant social anxieties today that are present in the book, such as conformity, materialism, religion, and the pursuit of a fulfilling life.
