The Task

Using the collection of website resources below, you will be able to learn about your life in the 1930s. With the information you discover, you will write a four paragraph informal letter to someone living in 2007. Each paragraph of your letter will focus on one particular aspect of your life. Below are the four required paragraph categories/topics:

Paragraph One: describe your home, neighbourhood and community in detail. Include specific and interesting information so that the reader of your letter can visualize your environment. Remember to be creative! If you're stuck, the interviews at the bottom of the Resource list might give you some ideas. Mentioning the Great Depression, the climate/weather would be a few things to possibly mention.

Paragraph Two: tell about your family and those around you. What types of activites do you enjoy as a family? What is your standard of living? How do your parents make a living?

Paragraph Three: tell about life in your small Maycomb-like town. What is school like? Are there extra-curricular activities? What kind of music do people listen to? What kind of community activities? Is religion "big"? Tell about popular fashions, music, radio programs, and other interesting facts.

Paragraph Four: describe what's going on in the world around you. What's happening in the nation politically and economically? Talk about race. How do people in your community interact with those of other races?

Remember, some of the paragraphs might end up "mixing" a little. The main thing is that you impart to your reader:

• racial issues, like Jim Crow laws
• major social/economic issues (like the Great Depression)
• the small town setting in Alabama and the South
• cultural aspects of daily life in 1930s