Chapter 4 Lesson Plan: The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963
Grade Level:
Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
Subject:
Math,Social Studies
Lesson Duration:
60 Minutes
Essential Question
How important is clothing to you?
Objective
In this activity, students will consider what it was like to shop for
clothing for a family of five in 1963. They will consult wage reports and historical
clothing store catalogs to determine a budget and shopping list for a family like the
Watsons.
Background
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Apparel and Services" accounted for
2.6% of the average consumer’s spending in 2021. This is a significant drop from 1960-
61, when clothing accounted for 10.4% of a family’s spending. Clothing-particularly,
winter gear-plays an important role in Chapter 4. Kenny takes great pride in being
the only student in his class to own real leather gloves, describing the care and
planning Momma puts into purchasing gloves for her family and how replacing them
isn’t so easy. In this activity, students will consider what it was like to shop for
clothing for a family of five in 1963. They will consult wage reports and historical
clothing store catalogs to determine a budget and shopping list for a family like the
Watsons.
Note: Like catalogs today, those in the 1960s were family-friendly by design. And like
catalogs today, they 1960s contained advertisements for undergarments. None of the
images in these catalogs are particularly scandalous, but some show school-age girls,
and the ads are gendered in a very mid-century way.
Preparation
Gather materials:
* Tablets or other devices with internet access
* Clothing budget worksheet (provided)
* Digitized department store catalogs from 1962/1963:
** Sears: https://christmas.musetechnical.com/ShowCatalog/1962-Sears-Fall-Winter-Catalog
** JC Penney: https://christmas.musetechnical.com/ShowCatalog/1963-JCPenney-Fall-Winter-Catalog
** Montgomery Ward: https://christmas.musetechnical.com/ShowCatalog/1962-Montgomery-Ward-Christmas-Book
* Calculators
* Access to The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index Inflation Calculator: https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm
Materials
1963 Automotive Wage Report Chart
Download 1963 Automotive Wage Report Chart
Download Worksheet: Budgeting for the Watsons' Wardrobe
Procedure
Warm Up Activity: Have students brainstorm a list of all the different types of
clothing they own or would like to own, and then discuss which items are essential
and which are optional.
1. Briefly explain that shopping for clothing has changed significantly since 1963: Not only are there more options in terms of where and what to purchase, but clothes cost substantially less than they did when Kenny was a kid. In 2021, 2.6% of consumer spending went towards clothes. In the early 1960s, that number was 10.4%, or quadruple the share of spending.
2. Divide the class into groups of 3-4 and tell them they’re responsible for shopping for winter clothes for a family of five in 1963. Lead the class in estimating the Watsons’ household income, using the 1963 automotive wage report. (Assume Mr. Watson is an assembler, the most common occupation, and works a 40-hour work week for 52 weeks: $2.73 x 40 x 52=$5,678.40)
3. Distribute the corresponding worksheet for calculating a clothing budget for five. Lead the class in completing the worksheet.
4. Provide them with links to the 1962/1963 catalogs. and ask them to “shop" for a family of five like the Watsons. They will screenshot and list items of clothing they would purchase as Mrs. Watson. Have them consider the following: How much money would you allocate for winter clothes? What would you purchase? Why? How could you ensure the wardrobe lasts beyond one season or one family member?
5. Have groups share their shopping lists with the class.
6. Ask students to use the Consumer Price Index Inflation Calculator to determine the equivalent of their 1963 clothes budget in today’s dollars. Ask how they could dress a family of five today with that money?
To shorten this activity: Display the budgeting worksheet and walk students through
the calculations, and/or consider assigning the reflection exercise for homework.
To lengthen this activity: Have students complete the budgeting worksheet
individually or in their groups and review the answers as a class.
2 / 2
81%
Contact Information
Email us about this lesson plan
Tags: civil rights history lesson civil rights lesson plans math math lesson plan birmingham civil rights national monument christopher paul curtis the watsons go to birmingham
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service