Curated OER
"Jazz is About Collaboration": Jim Crow Laws And Segregation
Students explore development of jazz music in the 1930s by forming imaginary jazz bands which tour several cities in Depression-era America. Jazz band members create imaginary identities for themselves, develop publicity for their tour,...
Curated OER
Was it a New Deal or a Raw Deal?
Young scholars investigate the facets of the New Deal. In this Great Depression instructional activity, students research primary documents to explore the pros and cons of the New Deal legislation. Young scholars respond to 1930's...
Curated OER
Streamlines and Breadlines
Students explore the Great Depression. In this Great Depression lesson, students research selected websites and analyze primary sources to conduct inquiries regarding the depression, northern migration, and urbanization. Students author...
Curated OER
Dirty Thirties: The Dust Bowl
Middle schoolers explore the events and reactions surrounding the Dust Bowl crisis during the 1930's. They discuss how the events of the Great Depression affected America's democracy and how it transformed America.
Curated OER
Going to the Promised Land (Dust Bowl Migration)
Students examine Dust Bowl migration. In this Great Depression activity, students research primary sources regarding migration issues in the United States during the Great Depression. Students discuss their research findings and...
Curated OER
Brother, Can you Spare a Dime?
Young scholars through song analysis and group discussion, identify the qualities representing the Great Depression. They study the Great Depression and how it affected people all over U.S. They analysis the lyrics to the song "Brother...
Curated OER
I Have a Story to Tell
Students use research information to create a story reflective of an individual of the Great Depression. Students use the RAFT (role, audience, format, topic) learning strategy to identify their role as the author, their audience, the...
Curated OER
New Deal Programs: Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
High schoolers research New Deal programs. In this Great Depression lesson plan, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of the effects of the depression and how WPA programs and other New Deal programs impacted...
Curated OER
Grapes of Wrath as a Primary Source
Eighth graders consider the plight of migrant farmers during the Great Depression. In this historical perspectives lesson, 8th graders watch the film based on Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and then discuss the conditions the characters...
Curated OER
The Great Depression: Eating on a Shoestring
Learners explore the realities of feeding a family on a very limited budget by comparing the cost of living in the 1930s to the cost of living today. Using primary documents and technology to make the comparison, they identify the impact...
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
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...
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
The Dust Bowl: Out of the Dust
Is your class going to read the novel, Out of the Dust? If so, you can prep them with a presentation that provides both images of the Dust Bowl and quotes from the book. Tip: Have learners use the images to compose descriptive...
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...
Curated OER
The New Deal
In this 1930s American history worksheet, students study the New Deal as they write 10 vocabulary terms that match 10 definitions, rewrite 4 false statements as true statements, and explain 2 historical themes regarding this time period...
Curated OER
The Social Security Act
Learners 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.
Curated OER
The Dust Bowl
Eleventh graders develop an understanding of the Dust Bowl. In this 1930's America lesson, 11th graders respond to questions regarding the songs and literature about the era. The primary sources should be gathered by the instructor.
Curated OER
Out of the Dust
Students examine 1930's America through literature. In this Dust Bowl lesson, students read Karen Hesse's Out of the Dust and set up vocabulary journals and question bookmarks to log their thoughts and impressions as they read the novel.
Digital Public Library of America
Teaching Guide: Exploring To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, considered by many to be a seminal piece of American literature, contains many complex literary themes that carry through United States history. Use a series of discussion questions and classroom...
Curated OER
Immigration and Migration Today and During the Great Depression
High schoolers conduct oral history interviews and research primary resources to explain changes in immigration and migration over time.
Curated OER
Debating the Depression
Twelfth graders discover how to debate important social issues in a civil manner. They explain the importance of knowledge in public discourse.
Curated OER
Introduction to a Unit on the 1930's Depression in America
High schoolers 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...
Curated OER
Exploring Roosevelt's New Deal Using Oral Histories from the Great Depression
Students examine the process of collecting life stories. They also look at the lives effected by The Great Depression to gain understanding of the controversial economic plan of Roosevelt.