"You're bound to get idears if you go thinkin' about stuff." Readers are asked to think about what they see as the important turning points in The Grapes of Wrath. Groups are then asked to think about what scenes could be eliminated if...

A perfect companion for anyone reading The Grapes of Wrath, this 20-page packet instructs and directs readers' attention to all the key elements in John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize winning novel. The questions for Chapter one direct...

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...

Introduce readers to Mildred Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry with a lesson that sets the context for the novel. Class members research the bigotry in Mississippi during the Great Depression and identify examples in the story of how...

How do writers use the interaction between elements like characterization and setting to create meaning? Readers of "A Worn Path" create a series of comic book-style graphics of Eudora Welty's short story and reflect on how Welty uses...

"And this you can know—fear the time when Manself will not suffer and die for a concept, for this one quality is man, distinctive in the universe." What is The Grapes of Wrath all about? Class members are asked to identify what they...

What's with that turtle anyway? In session six of a ten-part unit study of The Grapes of Wrath, class members examine three major symbols that appear in the novel: Route 66, the American West, and the Biblical allusions in the title of...

Class groups adopt a character in The Grapes of Wrath and examine how the character has changed or failed to change by the time the Joad family reaches California. Individuals then examine either Tom and Casy or Ma and Rosasharn and, in...

John Ford’s 1940 film The Grapes of Wrath and photos from the 1930s provide learners with an opportunity to examine the effects of the Great Depression on rural life and farm families. Using a provided list, groups investigate primary...

Follow banking through the 1920s. An era that truly went from boom to bust, the stock market lost over 30% of its value. By 1933, the economy was still failing, and Roosevelt needed more money to pay for his large-budgeted plans. How did...

Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother" and other images set the stage for a PowerPoint about the Great Depression. Whether used as background for Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, or as part of a historical study, the presentation would...

Truly understanding a story means understanding its setting and historical background. This guide, prepared for To Kill a Mockingbird, encourages your class to explore the Great Depression, Hoovervilles, and the Scottsboro trials....

Use this presentation to discuss the causes and effects of The Dust Bowl, or to establish a historical context for the book, The Grapes of Wrath. Found here are images, eye-witness quotes, and some ideas as to the causes and effects of...

If your class is reading the historical fiction novel, Out of the Dust, then you are in luck. Here are a few slides that will help you provide historical context for the book, as well as define main characters, setting, symbolism, and...

A timeline can provide learners with a better grasp on events that occurred prior to, and after a major time period. Take a look at a simple timeline used to describe the causes and effects of the Dust Bowl. The slide show contains...

Before my class delves into a historical fiction novel, I like to set the stage with historical background information and context. You can do just that with a presentation perfect for the novel, Of Mice and Men. The causes and effects...

“Anyone who thinks small towns are friendlier than big cities lives in a big city.” Mary Alice, the fifteen-year-old narrator of A Year Down Yonder, is forced to leave Chicago and spend a year with her Grandma Dowdel in a small rural...

What was life like during the Great Depression (1929-early 1940’s)? How did the experience of white Americans compare to that of black Americans? Learners tackle these and other questions in a unit that focuses on the Great Depression...

Examine everyday life during the Great Depression, as well as the effects if the Depression on American population, society, and economy. Learners write who, what, where, when, and why summaries of a person who relocated to California...

Eleventh graders examine the Dust Bowl in American History.  In this US History lesson, 11th graders read a transcript on the Dust Bowl.  Students analyze a video on the Dust Bowl. 

Images and well-organized text will help you deliver a great lecture on The Great Depression and life in the 1930s. The crash of the stock market, the Dust Bowl, unemployment, and mass migration west are all depicted through...

Every picture really does tell a story. Start the day by reading select passages from Children of the Orphan Train and discussing your listeners' initial feelings. Then, pair a KWL with a YouTube video (attached here). Then, using these...

Quiz your students on various topics related to the Roaring 20's, The Great Depression, and WWII. They'll ace any test after viewing this slide show. Tip: Turn this quiz into a game, see which side of the class is ready for the test.

Students explore The New Deal. In this cross curriculum fine arts and U.S. history lesson, students work in groups to sort and discuss photographs and artwork from the 20th century representing Franklin D. Roosevelt and The New Deal....