Here's a great resource packet to use with a study of The Grapes of Wrath. Individuals select historic photos from the Library of Congress's American Memory Collection and create a photo report album to represent a scene from John...

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...

John Ford's 1940 film version of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is the subject of a 23-question activity designed to accompany a viewing of the film. The questions not only focus viewers on events, but also ask them to make...

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...

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...

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...

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...

“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...

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...

Use a KWL chart and discussion to explore the concept behind loans with interest based on percentage rates. Learners examine different types of interest, the history of interest loans and calculate the costs of a loan over a ten-year...

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. 

Through this series of terrific lesson plans, pupils learn about the extent of poverty in the state of Arkansas during the Great Depression. They read documents from the period which describe how hard times were, view an online photo...

Fifth through eighth graders engage in a lesson in which they study working class people during the Great Depression. They work to develop an understanding of the economic developments in Arkansas during the 1930's. Learners access...

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.

In this online interactive history worksheet, students respond to 7 short answer and essay questions about the Great Depression. Students may check some of their answers on the interactive worksheet.

Students create a book about The Great Depression in West Virginia.  In this West Virginia history lesson, students visit the West Virginia State Museum, answer questions about West Virginia history, and create a book entitled...

Students explore the Great Depression. In this research skills lesson, students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary sources. Students write their own WPA interviews after they have examined...

Fifth graders explore life during the Great Depression. In this  Great Depression lesson, 5th graders gain an understanding of what life was like during the Great Depression. Students draw conditions that families lived in and construct...