Curated OER
Off to Work We Go!
Young scholars create a book about The Great Depression in West Virginia. For this West Virginia history lesson, students visit the West Virginia State Museum, answer questions about West Virginia history, and create a book entitled...
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Connection to the Past
Students learn basic interviewing and biography writing skills. They first identify a senior citizen in their community who remembers the Great Depression.
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The Three R's: Relief, Recovery and Reform through the New Deal Programs
Students explore how the United States recovered from the Great Depression. In this history instructional activity, students research a chosen program that was implemented by Franklin D. Roosevelt, then create an informational brochure...
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Out of the Dust: Visions of Dust Bowl History Lesson Overview
Students complete activities with the book Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. In this literature lesson, students read this story and view the Dust Bowl history from the eyes of a child. They discover the Great Depression and life in the...
Historical Thinking Matters
Social Security: 1 Day Lesson
Should the United States provide relief for those who are unemployed? Trace this question back to the Great Depression with your young historians, who will engage in careful reading of historical documents and classroom discussion to...
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Immigration and Identity
Students will analyze four historical events: The Annexation of U.S. Southwest, The Mexican Revolution, The Great Depression, and World War II. They determine how each event affected immigration to the U.S. from Mexico and Central...
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Massachusetts Oral History Project on the Great Depression
Eleventh graders conduct interviews with a relative or a family friend who lived in Massachusetts during the Depression. They write an essay based on the interview that shows an intimate portrayal of how the lives of the individuals who...
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The Great Depression
Young scholars examine the time period of the Great Depression. In groups, they discover how the Works Progress Administration helped many workers during this time. Using the internet, they research how the government focused on the...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
A Cry for Help in Alabama - 1934
What should be the role of the federal government during an economic crisis? That is the question at the center of this introduction to a study of the New Deal. Class members examine letters to the state government asking for help,...
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Surviving the Depression- 1930-1939 Lesson 3: Solutions to the Depression
Students evaluate the components of the New Deal and role of nonprofit organizations the relief and rebuilding efforts of the Great Depression. They write letters to the organization that they are researching.
Historical Thinking Matters
Social Security: 5 Day Lesson
Did the New Deal fundamentally shift the role of the American government in the economy? Your class members will examine the interpretations of various historians in answering this question, and use a variety of primary and secondary...
Curated OER
New Deal Programs: Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Students research New Deal programs. In this Great Depression lesson, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of the effects of the depression and how WPA programs and other New Deal programs impacted people's...
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Conserving Pennsylvania Resources: New Deal Programs
Young scholars analyze the impact of the New Deal programs in Pennsylvania. In this Great Depression lesson, students examine the New Deal programs and their legacies in Pennsylvania. They relate these programs to the preservation of...
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Having Fun with Primary Sources
Students analyze primary sources to determine the effects of the Great Depression on American society. They evaluate how government expanded during this time period because of New Deal legislation.
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Enduring Legacies of the New Deal
Students investigate U.S. history by listening to an economics lecture. In this U.S. government lesson, students research the "New Deal" which happened after the Great Depression. Students identify movies, books and music from the...
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Corporate Governance
Examine the role of the Securities Exchange Commission. Upper graders watch a short Bill Moyers video, analyze a political cartoon, complete a graphic organizer on the SEC, and develop SEC reform strategies to rebuild investor confidence.
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The Great Depression Essay
Learners 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.
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New Deal Agencies
High schoolers identify examples of government intervention during crisis. In this New Deal lesson, students play a game to place descriptions and names to abbreviations of New Deal Agencies. High schoolers interview a person who lived...
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The Social Security Act
Students 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.
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Oral History of World War II
Students research how citizens from the United States respond to the onset, duration and aftermath of World War II. They view clips from the movie "Swing Shift" and discuss the roles of civilians, minorities and military personnel. They...
Learning for Justice
The Color of Law: Creating Racially Segregated Communities
It is pointed, powerful, and painful! The first of three lessons about laws and practices that support inequality looks at how government policies created and reinforced segregated communities. Young social scientists read excerpts from...
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Emerging Democracies in Eastern Europe and Russia: How Are They Doing?
Students consider the success of democracies in Eastern Europe. In this government systems lesson, students research the implementation of democratic practices and rule in the countries of Eastern Europe following the Cold War. Students...
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Breadline
Young scholars 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.
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 descriptions...