Progressive Era Public Service Announcement Video Project

Content Objectives:
1. To identify problems associated with the Gilded Age (1865 1900) in American
History
2. To analyze the goals and methods of the Progressive Movement in their attempts to
solve Gilded Age problems
21st Century Skills Objectives:
1. To develop creative and critical thinking skills
2. To practice accessing and analyzing information
3. To collaborate with others in order to solve a problem
A public service announcement (PSA) is a message disseminated by the media, without
charge, with the objective of raising awareness and changing public attitudes and behavior
toward a social issue.
Sample PSA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RUYkzJio24
Your task is to create a 3 minute PSA that will raise awareness in the United States about a
Progressive Era issue. Your PSA should educate viewers about the problem, explain the
actual solution(s) that Progressives supported, and make a connection to a similar current
issue.
Progressive Issues:
- Urban poverty
- Child labor
- General Working conditions
- Environmental Concerns
- Business corruption
- Racial violence
- Womens rights
- Food safety
Timeline: You will have 4 days in class to work on creating and recording your PSA. We will
present the videos in class, as a way to educate your classmates on the different issues.
After all PSAs have been presented, there will be a quiz on the Progressive Era.
Creating your PSA: You may record your video on any device youd like. We will provide
chromebooks for you to record on, but if youd rather use a personal laptop, ipad, tablet,
smartphone, or video camera - thats fine! We will also have one day in the lab so you can
use Movie Maker to edit your PSAs.
Turning in your PSA: Upload your PSA to youtube and then copy and paste the link into an
e-mail that you send to me.

Be sure to check the rubric so you earn all of your points!

Checklist/Instructions:
1. You will be assigned to a group of 3 4 people. Your group will randomly draw a topic
from the list provided. This way all of the topics will be covered in each class.
2. Once you have your topic, you will need to begin the research. Use the research
guide I give you to help get your research started. Divide up the research so that
everyone is contributing something to the research process. Everyone will be
required to meet with me individually at some point throughout the research
process to show me what he/she personally contributed to the groups
research.
3. Research should be finished within the first 2 3 workdays.
4. Develop a plan for the PSA try to be creative. Feel free to use simple props,
appropriate music, and/or various locations to make your PSA more effective and
engaging. You are also welcome to include others in your PSA, as long as the group
members are the ones who are doing the important presenting and explaining.
5. Film the PSA using a chromebook or device of your choice. Make sure that basic
components like volume and lighting work.
6. Upload your PSA to youtube and e-mail me the link.
Research Guide:
Urban Poverty: New York City, Jacob Riis, Chicago, Jane Addams, Hull House, Social
Gospel Movement, tenements (15.2)
Child Labor: Lewis Hines, Florence Kelley, National Child Labor Committee, Keating
Owens Act (17.1)
Working Conditions: Labor Unions, Knights of Labor, American Federation of Labor,
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, The Jungle, Upton Sinclair (14.3 and 17.1)
Environmental Concerns: Teddy Roosevelt, Yosemite National Park/National Parks in
general, John Muir, Newlands Act (17.3)
Business Corruption: Interstate Commerce Act, Interstate Commerce Commission, Elkins
Act, Sherman Anti-Trust Act, History of the Standard Oil Company, Ida Tarbell, (14.2 and
17.3)
Racial Violence: lynching, segregation/Plessy v. Ferguson, Ida B. Tarbell, Booker T.
Washington, W.E.B. DuBois (16.2 and 16.3)
Womens Rights: suffrage, Susan B. Anthony, 19th Amendment, National Womens
Suffrage Association, Carrie Chapman Catt (17.2 and 17.5)
Food Safety: The Jungle, Upton Sinclair, Teddy Roosevelt, Pure Food and Drug Act, Meat
Inspection Act (17.3)

5Excellent

4Adequate

3Average

2Below
average
Mostinformation
isnotaccurateand
PSAdesnot
adequately
educateothers

1Not
acceptable
Nothistorically
accurateordoes
noteducateothers
aboutyourissue

Historically
accurateand
thoroughly
educatesothers
aboutyourissue;
usesspecific
examples

Mostinformation
ishistorically
accurateand
adequately
educatesothers;
rightgeneralideas
butnospecific
examples
Adequately
explainssolutions
thatwereoffered
toremedyyour
issue;right
generalideas,but
nospecific
examples

Someinformation
isnothistorically
accurateorsome
important
informationis
missingfromPSA
Doesanaverage
jobexplaining
solutionsthat
wereofferedto
remedyyour
issue;some
informationwas
inaccurateor
incomplete
Makesarelevant,
butverygeneral
connectionto
societytoday

General
discussionof
solutionsbut
majorsolutions
werenotincluded
inPSA

Doesnotexplain
anysolutions

Makesan
irrelevant
connectionto
societytoday

Doesnotmake
anyattemptto
connecttosociety
today

Average
communication
skillsare
demonstrated

Belowaverage
communication
skillsare
demonstrated

PSAisunableto
beseen,heard,
understood

Adequateuseof
audio,images,
andvideofootage
toinformviewers
onyourissue

Averageuseof
audio,images,
andvideofootage
toinformviewers
onyourissue

Audio,images
andvideoarenot
used/demonstrate
d

PSAiscreative,
entertaining,and
engaging

Adequate

Ontaskand
workinghard
duringclass

Adequate

PSAhassome
creative,
entertaining,and
engaging
components
Ontaskand
workinghard
mostofthetime
duringclass

Belowaverage
useofaudio,
images,andvideo
footagetoinform
viewersonyour
issue
Belowaverage

Belowaverage

Notontaskand
workinghardfor
themajorityofthe
time

Doesanexcellent
jobofexplaining
accuratesolutions
thatwereoffered
toremedyyour
issue;uses
specificexamples
Makesan
excellentand
specificrelevant
connectionto
societytoday
Demonstrates
excellent
communication
skillsinyourPSA
voices
projected,looking
atthecamera,
engagingyour
audience
Excellentuseof
audio,images,
andvideofootage
toinformviewers
onyourissue

Makesan
adequate,but
specificrelevant
connectionto
societytoday
Adequate
communication
skillsare
demonstrated

PSAisnot
creative,
entertainingor
engaging

3minutes

12minutes

Lessthan1min.