PBS
Myth of the West: Lonely But Free I’ll Be Found
Tumbling tumbleweeds! Scholars work with video clips, primary and secondary documents, and song lyrics to uncover life in the Old West. They examine song's lyrics to uncover myths told in the 1930s about life in the Wild West.
West Jefferson High School
The Novel — Honor
For classes tackling To Kill a Mockingbird, this lesson plan sets readers up for discussions or essay writing with questions and prompts. The prompts encourage individuals to explore beyond the novel itself, looking at...
Curated OER
The Great Depression Essay
Students explore the events that led to the stock market crash,the concerns of the Depression, and the effects of the New Deal programs on the American people and the American economy.
Curated OER
Legacy of the Dust Bowl: Dust Storm Media 1930s
Some learners might not realize that the term dust bowl was not figurative. Show the reality of 1930s America with eight primary source photographs. Slides depict images of dust storms or their aftermath.
Federal Reserve Bank
Turn Your Radio On
After listening to and analyzing a series of FDR's Fireside Chats, groups create their own recordings, and using New Deal programs, address a current economic condition.
Curated OER
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Students view examples of Depression era images and relate them to chapters from Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In this Maya Angelou lesson, students discuss chapters 8 and 9 from the text and define setting. Students...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Unemployment and the Future of Jobs in America
Unemployment: The job of the future. The resource, designed for high school scholars, explains unemployment rates, recessions, and job trends that are impacting employment in the United States. Academics explore potential careers of the...
PBS
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History—Snapshot Lessons
The Roosevelt family was one of the most influential and prominent political forces in the 20th century, leaving behind a wide-ranging legacy of conservation, progressivism, and economic growth. Learn more about President Theodore...
Curated OER
A Midwestern Runaway Remembers the CCC (with text supports)
In this Civilian Conservation Corps activity, students read a narrative from a member of the corps and then respond to 3 short answer questions based on the narrative.
Curated OER
The Social Security Act
High schoolers examine the Social Security Act of 1935. In this U.S. history lesson, students research primary sources in order to prepare for a mock debate of the act prior to it becoming legislation.
Center for History Education
African Americans and the Democratic Party
Why did African American voters switch from the Republican Party to the Democratic party during the Depression Era? That is the question young historians attempt to answer as they study primary source documents from the period. The focus...
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...
Curated OER
Surviving the Depression-1930-1939 Lesson 2: Life During the Depression- Stories
Students interview individuals who lived during the Great Depression era to investigate the economic hardship that was experienced. They determine the motivations of philanthropic Americans who shared and gave during this era after...
Curated OER
The Outrage of Ordinary Men: Pennsylvania's Role in the Great Railroad Strike of 1877
Students study the events that surround the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. In this historical lesson students work in groups to analyze documents, determine the facts and present a summary of their findings to the class.
Curated OER
Breadline
Students examine the breadlines during the Great Depression. They view a short video about different country's responses to mass unemployment. They interview family members if possible who lived during the Depression.
Curated OER
A Helping Hand
High schoolers compare and contrast living standards of the Great Depression era with those of today. They define the role of a civic organization in a community. They discuss the importance of seasonal work upon the economic status of a...
Curated OER
STRIKE!!!
Pupils discuss the fears and needs of workers in Alabama during The Great Depression. They investigate racial and gender issues of the era. They study the issues of a labor strike.
Curated OER
Exploring Facets of life in the 1930s presented in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men
Ninth graders research various aspects of The Great Depression. They select a topic related to this information. Students gather five sources on their topic and select the most important information. They present information using a...
Curated OER
Economic Forces
Students explore the economic forces of scarcity and choice. They examine how these forces affect the management of personal financial resources, shape consumer decisions, and the economic well-being of society. Students research stock...
Digital Public Library of America
Teaching Guide: Exploring To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, considered by many to be a seminal piece of American literature, contains many complex literary themes that carry through United States history. Use a series of discussion questions and classroom...
Curated OER
Immigration and Migration Today and During the Great Depression
High schoolers conduct oral history interviews and research primary resources to explain changes in immigration and migration over time.
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...
Spark Notes
The Interwar Years (1919-1938): Review Test
For this online interactive history quiz worksheet, students respond to 50 multiple choice questions about the Interwar Years of 1919-1938. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
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...