ReadWriteThink
Designing Museum Exhibits for The Grapes of Wrath: A Multigenre Project
Challenge readers of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath to create a museum exhibit that uses artifacts to focus on one issue raised by the award winning story of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and the Joads.
Penguin Books
A Teacher’s Guide to the Penguin Edition of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath
The dry Oklahoma landscape in America's Dust Bowl sent many farmers in search of the promised land. A teacher's guide to John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath discusses the characters' desire for a better home along with other themes...
Curated OER
Figurin Somepin 'Bout the Great Depression
Students create a scrapbook based on their research of the lives of migrants in California during the Great Depression.
Eastland FFA
Grapes of Wrath Movie Questions
John Ford's 1940 film version of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is the subject of a 23-question worksheet designed to accompany a viewing of the film. The questions not only focus viewers on events, but also ask them to make...
Captioned Media
Creating Dramatic Monologues from The Grapes of Wrath
Set in Oklahoma in the 1930s, The Grapes of Wrath presents a powerful view of life during the Great Depression. An insightful lesson plan takes a closer look at the characters in John Steinbeck's classic novel, combining the...
Curated OER
Introduction to a Unit on the 1930's Depression in America
Students view and discuss photographic images of the Dust Bowl by Dorothea Lange. They discuss who Dorothea Lange was and why she took the pictures, the conservational factors that contributed to the Dust Bowl and migrant workers and the...
The Big Read
The Grapes of Wrath - Discussion & Writing Activities
Add a great resource to your collection of The Grapes of Wrath curriculum materials. A thorough packet contains loads of useful suggestions, whether you use the novel as an anchor text, as a reading circle...
Agriculture in the Classroom
Growing a Nation (1930-1949): From Defeat to Victory, Lesson 2
Using primary source materials including radio broadcasts, films, and interview transcripts, history students gain a better understanding of the Dust Bowl, relief efforts for farmers, and the nation's agricultural past. It includes...
Curated OER
Woody Guthrie: Ain't Got No Home
Students examine the music of Woody Guthrie and how the political and economic climate influenced his work. They read and discuss online articles, define key vocabulary words, take a Political Orientation Survey, and write a position...
Curated OER
Desperation: The Great Depression
High schoolers examined the feelings of hopelessness that can result from losing
their income, much like one-third of Americans experienced during the Depression in a small group lesson of a mock household. Students create a household...
Curated OER
The Photographs of Dorothea Lange
Students research social-documentary photography using Dorothea Lange’s documentary projects. In this photography analysis lesson, students analyze examples of photographs by Dorothea Lange and research one or more of Dorothea...
Curated OER
The Great Depression and the Arts
Students engage in a dialogue about the Depression, the impact of the New
Deal, the role of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the survival of Democracy, and the
resiliency of the American spirit.
Annenberg Foundation
Migrant Struggle
The American Dream is a goal that many pursue, but is it truly attainable for all people? An in-depth lesson explores the plight of migrants in twentieth-century America. The resource includes a video and author biographies and...
Curated OER
Jackie Steals Home
Students read articles relating to Jackie Robinson's breaking of the racial barrier in professional baseball. This leads to a deeper exploration of racism in the United States. They use a variety of worksheets imbedded in this plan to...
Curated OER
Remembering World War II
Students read about America's participation in World War II. They study images, timelines, and other primary source documents.
Curated OER
Social Security
Students investigate the inception of Social Security benefits provided by the Government. In this Social Security instructional activity, students debate whether or not people should be entitled to receive money from the...
Calisphere: University of California Libraries
University of California: Calisphere: Great Depression: Dust Bowl Migration
Primary source photos showing the devastation of the Dust Bowl and refugee migration to California.
The History Cat
The History Cat: The Great American Dust Bowl
Describes the causes and the events of the Great American Dust Bowl, when farmland was destroyed through misguided practices, famine set in, and dust storms drove people to desperation.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Text Sets: The Great Depression
This is a collection of 12 Grade-Leveled texts (3-11) on the topic The Great Depression. On October 29, 1929, the Roaring Twenties ended with the crash of the American stock market, initiating The Great Depression. The world struggled to...
University of Washington
University of Washington in Seattle: The Great Depression in Washington State
This website provides a large collection of resources, many of them primary resources, for studying about the impact of the Great Depression on Washington State.
Library of Congress
Loc: The Great Depression and the 1990s
This site includes a unit about the Great Depression. Learners will create a creative writing based on Dorothea Lange's 1936 "Migrant Mother" photograph. They will also write a position paper on the United States' current welfare issue....
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Dust Bowl Exodus: How Drought and the Depression Took Their Toll
Activity-based resource on the social and economic conditions of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. Students select from a list of comprehensive reference material to research the times and then choose a 1930s artist on which to report....
Library of Congress
Loc: Lesson Plans: The Great Depression
Students will gain a strong understanding of the Great Depression with these lesson plans for a variety of academic levels. Topics include literature, government and migration.
Other
The Great Depression
Excellent resource for finding PowerPoint presentations on the Great Depression, New Deal, and FDR to use in your classroom. Also, provides games for students and teacher lesson plans.