Introduction

Language Arts, Photography, Commercial Design

The 60's
In the sixties, American culture made great changes.  This was the decade of youth as 79 million  children from the post-war baby boom became teenagers and young adults.  The movement away from the conservative fifties continued and eventually resulted in evolutionary ways of thinking and real changes in the cultural fabric of American life.  No longer content to be images of the generation ahead of them, young people wanted change.  The changes affected education, values, lifestyles, laws, and entertainment.  This was also one of the first "visual" generations.  Newspapers, magazines and television made its way into the majority of homes.

Pre-Conference

Objectives
Students will gain an insight to the culture and times of the 1960s.

Students will make comparisons of local newspapers

Learning Standards
Art:  1,2,3,4
Social Studies:  1,5
Language Arts:  1,2,3,4

Students need to have a brief history of the time and events of the sixties.  Give the students some examples of facts about the decade showing the differences in salaries, population, unemployment, life expectancy, etc ...  Copy some significant front pages from 1960's newspapers for students to see.

Discuss with the students why the choice of lead photo that goes "above the fold" is such an important decision.  Who makes the decision?
What are the general rules of ethics and subject matter?  Spend two weeks prior to the distance learning session looking at the four local newspapers, comparing front-page photos and articles, concentrating on pieces that were above the fold.  Keep track of the lead photos used, how many were of the same event, how many different choices made, circulation size of paper, demographics of readers.