Unit Plan
Via Sapientiae at DePaul University

The Great Depression of the 1930s

For Teachers 7th - 10th
A 10-lesson unit takes young historians through a study of The Great Depression and life in the 1930s. The crash of the stock market, the Dust Bowl, unemployment, and mass migration west are all addressed through the analysis of primary...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

You are the Curator: Building a Museum of the 1920s and 1930s

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students examine primary and secondary sources regarding 1920's and 1930's America. In this Webquest lesson, students explore sources regarding the American decades in order to create their own museum exhibits.
PPT
Curated OER

What Was Life Like During the 1920's?

For Teachers 11th
What a wonderful way to begin an exploration of the Great Depression. Using this colorful and interesting presentation, teachers can give students an overview of the life in the 1920's and 1930's. The pictures, quotes and poetry used in...
PPT
Curated OER

Legacy of the Dust Bowl: Dust Storm Media 1930s

For Teachers 7th - 12th
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. 
Lesson Plan
Facing History and Ourselves

Life for German Youth in the 1930s: Education, Propaganda, Conformity, and Obedience

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The German youth faced an onslaught of propaganda when they went to school, thanks to the Nazi regime led by Hitler during World War II. Pupils relate their education experiences to German youth by analyzing primary source readings,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Getting Down and Dirty: An Exploration of the 1930's

For Teachers K - 8th
Students complete an exploration of the 1930s. Using artwork and primary source documents, they compare, contrast and identify cause and effect relationships in the events of the decade. They discover how the events then affect people...
PPT
Curated OER

Agricultural Practices in Kansas: Comparing Agricultural Practices Before and After the Dust Storms of the 1930s

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Knowing about history is one thing, learning form it is another. Rather than just discuss the causes and effects of the Dust Bowl, this presentation discusses what we learned from the Dust Bowl. Presented are the types of agricultural...
Lesson Plan
Historical Thinking Matters

Social Security: 3 Day Lesson

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
What does social security reveal about the political and social culture of the 1930s? After beginning with a brief introductory video on the impact of the Great Depression and how various Americans, such as Huey Long and Francis...
Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

NAACP's Anti-Lynching Campaign in the 1930s

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the anti-lynching campaign sponsored by the NAACP in the 1930's. In this social justice lesson, students study the history of the anti-lynching campaign and determine why it was not successful. Students conduct research...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Economy of the 1920s v. The Economy of the 1930s

For Teachers 8th - 11th
In this U.S. economics of the 1920s and 1930s worksheet, students read a passage and then complete a graphic organizer comparing the credit, wages, employment, sales, stock market, and banks in the 2 decades.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music of the Great Depression

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders take a closer look at the music of the Great Depression. For this 1930's America lesson, 11th graders read and analyze the provided lyrics of 6 songs from the era. Students then compose their own lyrics for songs that...
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...
PPT
Curated OER

The Great Depression

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Any resource capable of serving two purposes is a good resource, in my opinion. Not only will learners be able to follow lecture and discuss the causes and effects of the Great Depression, they'll also use their critical thinking skills....
Lesson Plan
PBS

Myth of the West: Lonely But Free I’ll Be Found

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
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. 
PPT
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Curated OER

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Use this handy presentation to prepare your class before reading the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Segregation, the stock market, and the sociopolitical climate of the times is covered. This will really help build a...
PPT
Curated OER

Who Wants to be a Millionaire: Life Since 1930

For Teachers 6th - 8th
The King of Rock'n Roll, Twiggy, William Beveridge? Sounds like its time to review events occurring after 1930. Kids play this fun Millionaire-style game to review common knowledge British trivia. This game would be a fun challenge for...
Lesson Plan
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Center for History and New Media

Growing Up in a Segregated Society, 1880s–1930s

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What did segregation look like in the beginning of the 20th century? Middle and high schoolers view images of segregated areas, read passages by Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois, and come to conclusions about how the influence of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The South, the North and the Great Migration: Blues and Literature

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Here is a complex lesson plan that interweaves the history of the Jim Crow South and the Great Migration with the study of poetry, art, and blues music from the Harlem Renaissance. The plan helps young historians develop a deep...
PPT
Curated OER

The Great Depression: 1930s through WWII

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Here is an oddly formated presentation that does have some great information and neat ideas. It includes images and text describing the causes and effects of the Great Depression, FDR, Herbert Hoover, and Eleanor Roosevelt. It also...
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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

People in the Depression

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students discover what it was like to live in 1930's America. In this Great Depression lesson, students listen a guest speaker talk about his/her experience during the time period in American history. Students take notes on the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Great Depression: Entertainment

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students explore forms of entertainment during the Great Depression. In this 1930's America lesson, students consider what they do for fun today and compare to what Americans did for fun during the depression.
Lesson Plan
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Smithsonian Institution

Hidden Histories: Mexican Repatriation During the 1930s

For Teachers 8th - 11th Standards
Mexican Repatriation: the forgotten deportation of American citizens. The resource focuses on the deportation of Mexican American citizens during the Great Depression. Young historians read documents, complete a free-write, and fill out...
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

The Federal Theatre Project: Analyzing Conflict Among Relief, Art, and Politics in 1930s America

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
In the effort to soothe the suffering of the Great Depression, New Deal programs funded a variety of approaches - including a theater project that proved controversial! Using documents such as oral histories, as well as photographs of...

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