Lesson Plans

Dear Olive: Communication Then and Now: A 9th - 10th grade lesson plan

Overview:

In the early 1910s, no American citizen owned a cell phone, a video game, or a computer. There were no such things as email, digital cameras, instant messaging, blogs, Flickr, MySpace, or Facebook. Instead, people communicated through other technology, such as handwritten letters and telegrams. In this lesson, students will identify the different means that Henty used to communicate with others in the 1910s and compare both those means and her language with the communication technology and language we use today.

Envelope with calling card and dinner schedule

Objectives

  • Reflecting on formal and informal English
  • Understanding language and style
  • Consideration of audience and purpose
  • Analysis of media
  • Identifying, analyzing, and applying language in historical methods of communication

Time Needed

One class period (plus additional time for writing at home)

Classroom Setup and Materials

  • Computer/Projector (class could take place in library or computer lab, if available)
  • Chalkboard
  • Paper
  • Pencils

Procedure

  1. Search or browse this scrapbook for the different means Olive Henty used to communicate with people.
    • What do you find?
    • How many different methods of communication do you find? (There should be at least four.)
  2. In pairs or small groups, make a list of the different methods of communication used in the early 1910s based on your examination of Henty's scrapbook.
    • What traits characterize each method?
    • What particular purpose does each method appear to serve? (Quick messages? More lengthy and thoughtful exchanges?)
    • Do language, formality, tone, or style vary with different technology? How so?
  3. Remaining in pairs or groups, make a list of the different means that you use to communicate with friends and family today.
    • Do you use different methods of communication for different purposes? Why? How does your language vary?
  4. Make a list of the ways today's means of communication differ from those in the 1910s and one for how they are similar.
    • Are we less formal? More formal? Is the content similar? Share your findings with the class.
  5. Over the course of the next three or four days, write a series of at least six emails to a partner in the class in the language, style, and tone that Olive Henty might have used to communicate with a friend at Simmons in 1914.
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