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Unit Plan
John F. Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center: Migrant Workers Through the Lens of Dorothea Lange

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Using song lyrics and Dorothea Lange's photographs, students will explore the hardships migrant workers faced during the Great Depression.
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Primary
Curated OER

History Matters: Deaf and Unemployed in Dubuque

For Students 9th - 10th
Read this poignant interview, transcribed by a WPA worker, in which a deaf couple describes the hardships they encountered during the Great Depression, compounded because of their disability.
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Primary
University of Illinois

University of Illinois: Modern American Poetry: A Photo Essay on the Great Depression

For Students 9th - 10th
Series of annotated photographs that document the realities of Depression-era America.
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Lesson Plan
Other

Bringing History Home: The Great Depression

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
This 4th grade unit introduces basic concepts of the Great Depression of the 1930s, and to historical analysis processes. Following a trade book and video documentary overview of the 1920s and 1930s, students examine photos, letters,...
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Website
University of Washington

University of Washington: The Great Depression in Washington State

For Students 9th - 10th
This comprehensive and well-organized resource walks students through the Great Depression using concise summaries, pictures, and many primary source documents.
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Website
University of Washington

University of Washington: Economics and Poverty

For Students 9th - 10th
Each state felt the ramifications of the Great Depression in different ways. Learn how Washington dealt with the unemployed in their state and how the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) helped in...
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Website
University of Washington

University of Washington: Radicalism

For Students 9th - 10th
Students can study detailed histories, illustrated research reports, photographs, documents, and maps to explore the various forms of radicalism that surfaced during Washington's Great Depression.
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Lesson Plan
Other

University of California: Hard Times

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Lesson in which students analyze primary source photos and answer questions based on photos and informational text to learn about life during the Great Depression.
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Website
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: Riding the Rails

For Students 9th - 10th
Stories of homeless teenagers during the Great Depression who crisscrossed the country by illegally riding on trains. Click on the sidebar for information about the film "Riding the Rails" available from PBS, including a transcript of...
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Article
Texas State Historical Association

Texas State Historical Association: The Great Depression

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the economy and politics in Texas during the time of the Great Depression.
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Activity
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Constitutional Rights Foundation: Dust Bowl Exodus: How Drought and the Depression Took Their Toll

For Students 9th - 10th
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....
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Handout
Federal Bureau of Investigation

Fbi: Famous Cases and Criminals: Bonnie and Clyde

For Students 9th - 10th
A detailed account of the background, crimes and capture of famous criminals Clyde Champion Barrow and Bonnie Parker. Links to the FBI's archives featuring remarkable primary documents relating to the couple's misdeeds.
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Primary
Other

Ohio Department of Aging: War Era Story Project

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource provides first hand accounts and information about Ohio during the War Era and Great Depression.
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Unit Plan
Texas Education Agency

Texas Gateway: Evaluate Tone in Various Media for Audiences and Purposes

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This lesson will help you evaluate changes in formality and tone within printed texts written for specific audiences and purposes. It focuses on writing produced during the Great Depression. RL.9-10.4 Word choice, Tone
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eBook
OpenStax

Open Stax: The Great Depression 1929 1932: The Depths of the Great Depression

For Students 11th - 12th
Examines the challenges faced by the average American, by African Americans, and by farmers on the Great Plains during the Great Depression, and the government's response or lack thereof.
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Primary
University of Illinois

University of Illinois: Modern American Poetry: A Photo Dossier on Sharecropping

For Students 9th - 10th
Photographs from the 1930s of both black and white sharecroppers, with some accompanying explanation.
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Website
Wessels Living History Farm

Living History Farm: Farming in the 1930s

For Students 9th - 10th
During the hard economic times of the 1930s, farm families turned to low-cost entertainment such as barn dances. By listening to personal stories, discover what farm life was like during the Great Depression.
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Documenting America: Tenant Farmers

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource on America during the Great Depression contains photographs of tenant farmers and their communities during the 1930's, taken by photographer Arthur Rothstein. Also includes information on the time period.
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Primary
Library of Congress

Loc: Bound for Glory

For Students 9th - 10th
A fascinating look at American life from 1939 to 1943 through photographs. The buildings, cars, clothing, and stores are very different from today. This is an excellent way to get a feel for the turn of the decade -- from the Depression...
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Primary
California Digital Library

Calisphere: Great Depression

For Students 9th - 10th
A broad selection of photographs taken during the Great Depression can be found on this site by Calisphere. By clicking on individual images you'll find high quality photographs and image information.
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Primary
Curated OER

History Matters: A Woman Remembers Hoboes of the 1930s

For Students 9th - 10th
Audio and text version of interview with a woman recalling her experience helping hoboes during the 1930s.
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Primary
Curated OER

History Matters: Unemployed Councils of the 1930s

For Students 9th - 10th
This account by Communist activist Anna Taffler details her activities working with the Communist-led Unemployment Councils of the 1930s. These organizations worked in hundreds of local communities to demand jobs and better treatment...
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Primary
Curated OER

History Matters: The Great Depression in Iowa

For Students 9th - 10th
From a book, The Great Depression, by David Shannon, you can read an interview administered by the Works Progress Administration detailing the struggle of an Iowa family through the trying times of the Great Depression.
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Primary
Curated OER

History Matters: Donners Recall the Great Depression

For Students 9th - 10th
This description of a family in Dubuque, Iowa was part of a 1935 WPA sponsored project devoted to documenting the experiences of people during the Depression. From the book, The Great Depression, by David Shannon.