Curated OER
Conserving Pennsylvania Resources: New Deal Programs
Students analyze the impact of the New Deal programs in Pennsylvania. In this Great Depression lesson plan, students examine the New Deal programs and their legacies in Pennsylvania. They relate these programs to the preservation of...
Curated OER
Grapes of Wrath as a Primary Source
Eighth graders consider the plight of migrant farmers during the Great Depression. For this historical perspectives lesson, 8th graders watch the film based on Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and then discuss the conditions the...
Curated OER
New York Girls Ask the President for a CCC of Their Own
For this primary source analysis worksheet, students analyze a letter from young women in want of CCC jobs of their own during Great Depression. Students respond to 3 short answer questions about the letter to Roosevelt.
Curated OER
What Was it like to Live During the Depression?
Fourth graders research a variety of sources to discover information about how the depression effect people in Michigan. They follow a research outline while working in small groups. They design a presentation that describes live during...
Federal Reserve Bank
What Do People Say?
After reading a series of fictitious letters that represent actual events during the time period, young historians craft a small town newsletter to explain the causes of the Great Depression.
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.
Penguin Books
An Educator's Guide to Al Capone Does My Shirts
It's hard to imagine that life on Alcatraz could be dull. A series of intriguing lessons take readers through the novel Al Capone Does my Shirts. Pre-reading questions introduce the text and a range of suggestions, from comic strips to...
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.
California Historical Society
Understanding California
Here is a beautiful handout through which learners can explore the history of California, from the earliest Europeans to visit the Golden State up through its experiences during the Great Depression and position in the modern...
New York State Education Department
US History and Government Examination: June 2011
Those who lived during the Great Depression could clearly draw a line between the roaring 1920s and the desolation of the following decade. Class members examine these two periods and compare them using an essay question prompt and...
PBS
Master of the Airwaves: How FDR Used Radio to Ease the Public’s Fears
The political and economic climate during the 1930's was uncertain and tumultuous. But Americans' minds and hearts were eased with the reassuring words of their president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and addresses over the radio. High...
Curated OER
The Photographs of Dorothea Lange
Learners research social-documentary photography using Dorothea Lange’s documentary projects. In this photography analysis lesson, students analyze examples of photographs by Dorothea Lange and research one or more of Dorothea...
Curated OER
Nothing to Fear
Sixth graders read from the book, "Nothing to Fear," and discuss living in New York during the Great Depression. They write entries and summaries in their learning logs to share with the class. They work in groups to create a database...
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
STRIKE!!!
Students 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.
Humanities Texas
A President's Vision: Franklin D. Roosevelt
This poster goes well beyond any traditional worksheet in allowing learners to analyze a variety of primary source documents related to the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Curated OER
Immigration and Migration Today and During the Great Depression
Students conduct oral history interviews and research primary resources to explain changes in immigration and migration over time.
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...
Curated OER
Hoover Responds to the Great Depression
Eleventh graders investigate the historical period of the Great Depression. The fall of the United States economy is defined by students and they describe the growing discontent by the year of 1931.
Curated OER
The Search for Shangri-La
What is your idea of paradise? Middle and high schoolers share their visions of paradise on earth in this instructional activity, in which they view a video segment about Shangri-La. Your high schoolers can discuss and then write about...
NPR
This Isn't Right: A History of Women in Industry
Women were in the workplace long before Rosie the Riveter pushed up her sleeve. Learn about the working options available to women during the Industrial Revolution, the Progressive Era, and the Great Depression with a lesson that...
Curated OER
Desperation: The Great Depression
High schoolers examined the feelings of hopelessness that can result from losing
their income, much like one-third of Americans experienced during the Depression in a small group instructional activity of a mock household. Students...
Curated OER
Understanding the Depression Through Projects
Students study the Depression Era, and create a project based on their research.
Curated OER
The Works Progress Administration and the New Deal
Young scholars research the Depression Era and how it contributed to the formation of the Works Progress Administration. After research, they create a skit to illustrate life during the Depression and the role of the Works Progress...