Interrelated Unit

continued.

Suggested Activities

Possible Resources

The Arts in Saskatchewan

Design a project in which students may work individually, in pairs or in small groups to research the arts in Saskatchewan in the 1920s. If possible, have students interview people in the community who are familiar with these times. Encourage students to include information about dance and music halls, playhouses, architecture, social dances of the times, community and touring theatre companies, local artists, movies, live performances, arts teachers, etc. Encourage comparison of what they uncover about the 1920s with what they see, hear and know about the arts in their own time and place.

Community history books from across the province.

Oxford Companion to the Canadian Theatre
The History of Prairie Theatre
Moon Magic: Gail Grant and the 1920s Dance in Regina

Suggested Activities

Possible Resources

Drama
The formation of the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool in the 1920s would prove to have a major influence on the development of rural Saskatchewan and the strong identity that Saskatchewanians have as citizens of a province whose economy has rested on the success of its farming families. Read Paper Wheat and view the video by the same name. Discuss the ability that dramatic artists have to comment upon the past and to recreate history so that contemporary audiences have a first-hand glimpse of it.

Paper Wheat: The Book
Paper Wheat (video)

The Chautauqua was a travelling show that crossed the Canadian prairie during the twenties. Its musical numbers, inspirational lectures, plays, and magic and puppet shows were the only live entertainment available to many rural residents of Western Canada. Structure a drama which begins with a meeting; the town council of a small prairie town interviews a Chautauqua girl who has been sent to acquaint them with details about this season's Chautauqua. This drama, carefully planned and executed by an experienced class, could well result in the development of a Chautauqua-like collective creation that could incorporate objectives and activities from all four strands and result in a performance for the whole community.

Chautauqua in Canada

Suggested Activities

Possible Resources

Visual Art

Research the "boomtown" fronts used on buildings in the twenties. Discuss their purpose. Look at the book Historic Architecture of Saskatchewan and others in your library for examples of the impressive designs. Have students draw pictures of their own homes or buildings where they like to visit; for example, downtown store, movie theatre, dance hall, restaurant, etc. Redesign the buildings for more of an impression of elegance or stability.

Historic Architecture of Saskatchewan

Fashion on the prairies was not as the history books describe fashion in cultural centres like Paris or New York. Find examples in the local history books in the community and compare them to fashions in magazines of the times.

Books on life on the prairies in
the 1920s

On the prairies, many of the clothes were made by hand and repaired many times. Underwear was made from flour and sugar sacks, while in fashionable circles underwear was made to match the exterior wear. On the prairies men wore denim overalls for working, which they usually purchased. The cost for a pair was one dollar and the price of grain was $.84 a bushel. (If the price of wheat had gone up like denim the wheat would be worth over twenty dollars a bushel.) Discuss the relative value of objects and why some things remain inexpensive while the cost of others is prohibitive. Find two similar works of art, one by a famous artist and one by a relatively unknown artist. Compare the art works and discuss reasons why one work is considered more valuable than the other.

Posters, slides, pictures, etc. of art works

Suggested Activities

Possible Resources

Dance

During the 1920s, the federal Department of Indian Affairs still banned all Aboriginal dances that had any spiritual purpose or perpetuated any ancient traditions or values. It was thought that such traditions hindered attempts to convert Aboriginal peoples to a more Eurocentric life style. Interview knowledgeable dancers as to how the banning affected the Aboriginal peoples of today. For example, pow wow and social dances grew out of the banning. Research the banning in archival documents, such as the 1884 Indian Act and other documents located in the Saskatchewan Archives.

The Drumming Hill Collection

Compare what was going on in Saskatchewan to other parts of the world. Did Saskatchewan feel the effects of dance fads from other parts of the world? How did vaudeville, chautauqua and film influence dance in Saskatchewan? What influences the popular dances of today?

Moon Magic

Suggested Activities

Possible Resources

Music
Research the "hit parade" of the 1920s. Ask community members and librarians for recordings of the popular songs of this decade. Students may find that they are familiar with some of these songs. "Sweet Georgia Brown", for example, is used as a theme song by the Harlem Globetrotters. Students could sing these songs as part of the Chautauqua drama.
Research could also be conducted about the instrumental groups in Saskatchewan during this decade. Dance bands, community bands/orchestras and individual performers popular in the community, province or country could be re-discovered. The Regina Symphony Orchestra was performing during the 1920s. This group is noted as the longest running orchestra in Canada. How was it formed? What factors have contributed to its success?

The Optional Interrelated Unit Continues

Suggested Activities	Possible Resources
The Arts in Saskatchewan Design a project in which students may work individually, in pairs or in small groups to research the arts in Saskatchewan in the 1920s. If possible, have students interview people in the community who are familiar with these times. Encourage students to include information about dance and music halls, playhouses, architecture, social dances of the times, community and touring theatre companies, local artists, movies, live performances, arts teachers, etc. Encourage comparison of what they uncover about the 1920s with what they see, hear and know about the arts in their own time and place.	Community history books from across the province. Oxford Companion to the Canadian Theatre The History of Prairie Theatre Moon Magic: Gail Grant and the 1920s Dance in Regina
Suggested Activities	Possible Resources
Drama The formation of the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool in the 1920s would prove to have a major influence on the development of rural Saskatchewan and the strong identity that Saskatchewanians have as citizens of a province whose economy has rested on the success of its farming families. Read Paper Wheat and view the video by the same name. Discuss the ability that dramatic artists have to comment upon the past and to recreate history so that contemporary audiences have a first-hand glimpse of it.	Paper Wheat: The Book Paper Wheat (video)
The Chautauqua was a travelling show that crossed the Canadian prairie during the twenties. Its musical numbers, inspirational lectures, plays, and magic and puppet shows were the only live entertainment available to many rural residents of Western Canada. Structure a drama which begins with a meeting; the town council of a small prairie town interviews a Chautauqua girl who has been sent to acquaint them with details about this season's Chautauqua. This drama, carefully planned and executed by an experienced class, could well result in the development of a Chautauqua-like collective creation that could incorporate objectives and activities from all four strands and result in a performance for the whole community.	Chautauqua in Canada
Suggested Activities	Possible Resources
Visual Art
Research the "boomtown" fronts used on buildings in the twenties. Discuss their purpose. Look at the book Historic Architecture of Saskatchewan and others in your library for examples of the impressive designs. Have students draw pictures of their own homes or buildings where they like to visit; for example, downtown store, movie theatre, dance hall, restaurant, etc. Redesign the buildings for more of an impression of elegance or stability.	Historic Architecture of Saskatchewan
Fashion on the prairies was not as the history books describe fashion in cultural centres like Paris or New York. Find examples in the local history books in the community and compare them to fashions in magazines of the times.	Books on life on the prairies in the 1920s
On the prairies, many of the clothes were made by hand and repaired many times. Underwear was made from flour and sugar sacks, while in fashionable circles underwear was made to match the exterior wear. On the prairies men wore denim overalls for working, which they usually purchased. The cost for a pair was one dollar and the price of grain was $.84 a bushel. (If the price of wheat had gone up like denim the wheat would be worth over twenty dollars a bushel.) Discuss the relative value of objects and why some things remain inexpensive while the cost of others is prohibitive. Find two similar works of art, one by a famous artist and one by a relatively unknown artist. Compare the art works and discuss reasons why one work is considered more valuable than the other.	Posters, slides, pictures, etc. of art works
Suggested Activities	Possible Resources
Dance
During the 1920s, the federal Department of Indian Affairs still banned all Aboriginal dances that had any spiritual purpose or perpetuated any ancient traditions or values. It was thought that such traditions hindered attempts to convert Aboriginal peoples to a more Eurocentric life style. Interview knowledgeable dancers as to how the banning affected the Aboriginal peoples of today. For example, pow wow and social dances grew out of the banning. Research the banning in archival documents, such as the 1884 Indian Act and other documents located in the Saskatchewan Archives.	The Drumming Hill Collection
Compare what was going on in Saskatchewan to other parts of the world. Did Saskatchewan feel the effects of dance fads from other parts of the world? How did vaudeville, chautauqua and film influence dance in Saskatchewan? What influences the popular dances of today?	Moon Magic
Suggested Activities	Possible Resources
Music Research the "hit parade" of the 1920s. Ask community members and librarians for recordings of the popular songs of this decade. Students may find that they are familiar with some of these songs. "Sweet Georgia Brown", for example, is used as a theme song by the Harlem Globetrotters. Students could sing these songs as part of the Chautauqua drama. Research could also be conducted about the instrumental groups in Saskatchewan during this decade. Dance bands, community bands/orchestras and individual performers popular in the community, province or country could be re-discovered. The Regina Symphony Orchestra was performing during the 1920s. This group is noted as the longest running orchestra in Canada. How was it formed? What factors have contributed to its success?