Activity
Curated OER

Great Depression and New Deal

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
The five activities outlined in this resource packet engage class members in projects that ask them to research the causes and the effects, both national and local, of the Great Depression and the New Deal policies of FDR.
Activity
Curated OER

Life During the Great Depression An Oral History Project

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Although our connections to those who personally witnessed the Holocaust are dwindling, this lesson focuses on conducting an interview and getting some primary source material. There is a list of resources your high schoolers can...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

To the North: A Black Family Leaves Arkansas to Find Work in Michigan

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Upper elementary and middle school scholars study the economic factors that caused so many Arkansans to migrate to different parts of the country looking for work. Use this history lesson plan to help your charges gain a better...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Depression in North Carolina: Experiences of the People

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars explore the Great Depression. In this research skills instructional activity, students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary sources. Young scholars write their own WPA interviews...
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...
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...
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. In 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
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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cultural Environment during the Great Depression

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders research American culture of the Great Depression. In this role-playing lesson, groups of students develop "talking points" for their assigned topic and condense them into a Powerpoint or Hyper Studio presentation.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Technology and the Great Depression

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students examine how technology affected the Great Depression era. They view a video, conduct Internet research, and write articles for a class technology magazine.
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...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Master of the Airwaves: How FDR Used Radio to Ease the Public’s Fears

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Depression: A Study Guide Through Song

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students take a closer look at the political and social outlook during the Great Depression. In this Great Depression instructional activity, students analyze selected songs from the time period. Students use the provided lyric...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Immigration/Migration: Today and During the Great Depression

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders compare experiences of their families to those living through the Great Depression using famiy interviews, photographs, films and document from the Library of Congress.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Depression and the 1990s

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine government-funded programs. In this government lesson, students research legislation from the Depressions era as well as current legislation regarding government-funded programs. High schoolers evaluate the current...
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 plan, students examine photographs and song lyrics to gain an understanding of the conditions for people living in the era....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding the Great Depression Through Film

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders consider the role that government should play in economics. In this Great Depression instructional activity, 11th graders watch the film Cinderella Man and then complete a packet of worksheets to help them analyze...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Depression and the New Deal

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars examine New Deal legislation. In this Great Depression lesson, students read the listed materials in order to gain insight into what American citizens thought about New Deal legislation when it was passed.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Family Life During the Great Depression

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students practice the skill of photo analysis. In this Great Depression lesson plan, students analyze photographs from the era and write fictitious diary entries based on the images. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Depression - FDR and the New Deal

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students consider the role that government should play in economics. In this Great Depression lesson, students analyze New Deal legislation to develop an informed opinion about the public programs and then present their findings to their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Worth a Thousand Words: Depression-Era Photographs

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students view images of New Deal programs to see its successes. They work in groups to create captions for the images and suggest captions that might indicate different meanings.
Lesson Plan
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National First Ladies' Library

Eleanor Roosevelt: Economics, Discovery and Daily Life

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Examine the causes and effects of the Great Depression and the role of Eleanor Roosevelt during the era. Pupils take an inventory of their home for wants and needs, and conduct online research on The Great Depression. They then convert...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Public Works in the Great Depression in Arkansas

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students examine different public works that were initiated during the Great Depression and still exist in Arkansas today. Students discover the impact of the Depression period on their community and the effect it still has on people's...
Unit Plan
Penguin Books

An Educator's Guide to Al Capone Does My Shirts

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
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...