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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Depression and Everyday Life

For Teachers 11th
Examine everyday life during the Great Depression, as well as the effects if the Depression on American population, society, and economy. Learners write who, what, where, when, and why summaries of a person who relocated to California...
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Activity
Curated OER

The Great Depression and New Deal

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Elementary pupils are introduced to the Great Depression as a critical period of hardship in United States history. They engage in collaborative assignments researching the Dust Bowl, the New Deal, US presidents, and presidential libraries.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Read All About It! California History of the 30s and 40s

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Explore the Great Depression! Discover the challenges people experienced during the time period. Learners investigate photographs from the Dust Bowl and WWII era and create a story line about the photographs, writing a newspaper article...
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Worksheet
Real World Learning Objects

The Grapes of Wrath - Using Historic Photos as Literary Symbols

For Students 9th - 12th
Here's a great resource packet to use with a study of The Grapes of Wrath. Individuals select historic photos from the Library of Congress's American Memory Collection and create a photo report album to represent a scene from John...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Grapes of Wrath: Voices from the Great Depression

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research the Great Depression. In this Great Depression lesson, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of the plight of migrant farm workers during the Great Depression as they read Steinbeck's The...
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

The Crash, the Dust, and the New Deal

For Teachers 7th
Students explore the Great Depression. In this American history lesson, students examine primary sources in order to research the Stock Market Crash of 1929, the Dust Bowl, and the Neal Deal. Students study the impact on these events on...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How the Great Depression Affected California and C¿¿sar E. Ch¿¿vez

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine the effect of the Great Depression on California. After reading a summary, they discover how the depression and Dust Bowl led to the immigration of great numbers of farm workers into California. They also...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dirty Thirties: The Dust Bowl

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the events and reactions surrounding the Dust Bowl crisis during the 1930's. They discuss how the events of the Great Depression affected America's democracy and how it transformed America.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Dust Bowl

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders develop an understanding of the Dust Bowl. In this 1930's America lesson, 11th graders respond to questions regarding the songs and literature about the era. The primary sources should be gathered by the instructor.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Depression

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders study the aspects of the Great Depression.  In this American History activity, 11th graders will analyze the causes and effects of the Depression on American Society. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Dust Bowl and the Ogallala Aquifer

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students research the characteristics of the Great Plains as an agricultural area. They examine farming techniques from the past and how those farming techniques are used today. They investigate the present uses of the Ogallala Aquifer.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Visions in the Dust: A Child's Perspective of the Dust Bowl

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine primary source material of the Depression to correlate the fictional text "Out of the Dust" with actual visual, auditory, and manuscript accounts as found in the American Memory collections.
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

John Steinbeck’s "The Grapes of Wrath": The Inner Chapters

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Here’s a must-have resource for anyone using The Grapes of Wrath. Everything from guiding questions to background information, from photographs to documentary films, from activities to assessments is included in a richly detailed packet...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Out of the Dust

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders read a book of poems called "Out of the Dust". In groups, they research the Dust Bowl and how it affected people living through the Great Depression. Using the text, they identify the theme and key turning points and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Migrant Workers Through the Lens of Dorothea Lange

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students explore the lives of migrant workers during the Great Depression. In this Great Depression lesson, students examine photographs and song lyrics to gain an understanding of the conditions for people living in the era. Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Reality of Life in the 1930s

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students examine the life style of the 1930's using art, music, the Internet and interviews as resources. They complete worksheets including a Venn diagram comparing two pieces of artwork. They determine what life during the Great...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

WWI and Twenties & Thirties

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students study economics and timelines of events to understand changes in America.  For this Twenties and Thirties lesson, students navigate Internet sites to research famous reformers.  Students recognize the economic changes through...
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Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Designing Museum Exhibits for The Grapes of Wrath: A Multigenre Project

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
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.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Arkansas and the Dust Bowl

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students access and use the Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information, American Memory collection and Todd and Sonkin collection for research. They develop research skills and strategies, such as key word searches to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Impact of the Dust Bowl as Shown Through Photography

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders examine and discuss photographs and paintings of the Dust Bowl era. They write a journal entry describing what it would be like if they stepped into one of the photographs, and create a Powerpoint presentation on the Dust...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Impact of the Great Depression on Texas

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders examine and discuss photographs taken during the Great Depression and the impact of the Great Depression on the U.S. They write research reports and create a mural depicting the lives of rural and urban families in the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Figurin Somepin 'Bout the Great Depression

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students create a scrapbook based on their research of the lives of migrants in California during the Great Depression.
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Activity
Curated OER

A Multi-Media Approach to Teaching The Grapes of Wrath

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Integrate history, math, and art into a study of The Grapes of Wrath with a series of activities that ask learners to investigate the social, political, economic, and environmental factors at play during the 1930s. Designed to be used...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Grapes of Wrath as a Primary Source

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders consider the plight of migrant farmers during the Great Depression. In this historical perspectives lesson plan, 8th graders watch the film based on Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and then discuss the conditions the...