Chicago in between World War I and World War II and despite the Depression, was a growing city with the Century of Progress Exhibition (1933-34) and construction of various notable landmarks like Merchandise Mart. The continuous growth of immigrants from eastern and southern Europe and the Great Migration added to the diversity and tensions between ethnic neighborhoods. Chicago was becoming notable for gangsters like Al Capone and jazz music. Then World War II came... Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher  This historical fiction novel about a young teenage girl named Ruby living in Chicago will capture your attention as she struggles to help her mother make enough money to pay the rent and comes across tempting yet difficult decisions about jobs, boys, and family. There are many interesting topics that arise in this novel pertaining to life and culture in Chicago before and during World War II. Ruby's narrative will bring you into her life story and into the lives of other Chicago residents during this time. Topics to Explore but not limited to: Chicago 1930-1945
A Digital Story About... Once you have read Ten Cents a Dance you will be asked to pick a topic from the book and begin a preliminary search leading into a more in-depth search for your final project, a digital story. Before learning more about the digital story though you will be required to find out as much as you can about your topic and relate it back to Ruby's life. You will create a digital story that may be a part of or parallels Ruby's life in Chicago. Why use this pathfinder? Although Google can be a place to start, this pathfinder will quickly guide or springboard your search rather than have you mucking around the many results you can get from Google. Many of the websites and resources in this pathfinder are supported by professional organizations. Sometimes it is difficult to find primary resources as well and there are a number of photographs, sound recordings and more that can be found in this pathfinder related to the history of Chicago. Here you will see the various standards that will be addressed for your inquiry project. You will notice that historical events do not happen in isolation and neither do the standards addressed. For your information the general standards include US History and English Literature. As you narrow your topic you may overlap with music, art, science and technology. Created by Erin Wilson, May 27, 2009 |