Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Personal Stories and Primary Sources

For Teachers 2nd - 8th Standards
Students will explore the value of personal stories and first-hand accounts when exploring history, in this case, the events of the early twentieth century, which included World War I and the Great Depression. Through this five-unit...
Activity
San Jose State University

San Jose St. University: The Center for Steinbeck Studies

For Students 9th - 10th
The Center for Steinbeck Studies provided biographical resources, a bibliography, and appraisals of novelist John Steinbeck life and work, which includes his Great Depression-era classics Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath.
Website
Digital History

Digital History: President Hoover

For Students 9th - 10th
President Herbert Hoover spent his life in public service, and was a very intelligent man, but he was not able to see the problems caused by the Great Depression. Read about his comments and presidential actions in dealing with this...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Esperanza Rising: Learning Not to Be Afraid to Start Over

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In this lesson students will explore some of the contrasts that Esperanza experiences when she suddenly is forced to leave the life of a wealthy landowner's daughter surrounded by servants to become a servant herself among an extended...
Primary
Library of Congress

Loc: Bound for Glory

For Students 9th - 10th
A fascinating look at American life from 1939 to 1943 through photographs. The buildings, cars, clothing, and stores are very different from today. This is an excellent way to get a feel for the turn of the decade -- from the Depression...
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Out of the Dust: Visions of Dust Bowl History

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Primary sources, in addition to Karen Hesse's award-winning historical fiction "Out of the Dust", guide students as they explore the the Dust Bowl and its effect on school life, community, family, and agriculture.
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: How Dorothea Lange and John Steinbeck Captured California

For Students 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about how photographer Dorothea Lange and author John Steinbeck portrayed life in California in the late 1930's. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in...
Graphic
University of Oregon

Mapping History: American History

For Students 9th - 10th
Interactive and animated maps and timelines of historical events and time periods in American history from pre-European times until post-World War II.
Activity
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Texas State Library and Archives Commission: Aftermath: African American Women and the Vote

For Students 9th - 10th
Though the suffrage movement failed to exclude African-American women, and many obstacles came in the way of their voting (e.g., poll taxes, literacy tests, etc.), "African-American women were not strangers to community activism." Learn...
Handout
Other

Lincoln City Libraries: Nebraska's Federal Writers Project

For Students 9th - 10th
Rudolph Umland's writing, correspondence, and scrapbooks offer revealing portraits of life in Depression era Nebraska, and a uniquely well-documented insider's view of the local literary community and the Nebraska Federal Writers' Project.
Graphic
University of Washington

University of Washington: Unemployed Citizens League Branches, Seattle

For Students 9th - 10th
The Unemployed Citizens League (UCL) was formed in Washington as a political organization for the unemployed that the government could not ignore. This google map shows the addresses for the branches of the UCL in Washington.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Out of the Dust: Visions of Dust Bowl History

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
The Dust Bowl experience is brought to life through historical photos and Karen Hesse's award-winning "Our of the Dust", a historical fiction depicting a child's life during this time in American history.
Website
New Deal Network

New Deal Network: Selected Works of Henry A. Wallace

For Students 9th - 10th
Henry A. Wallace was one of FDR's most trusted advisors. Find an essay about his life along with the transcripts of many speeches given during his time as a public figure.
Lesson Plan
University of Nebraska Omaha

Ec Ed Web: Virtual Economics Web Companion

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The Virtual Economics Web Companion for K-12 economics and social studies teachers was created by the National Council on Economic Education. A wide variety of educational materials and lesson plans can be accessed through this site....
Handout
Kansas Historical Society

Kansapedia: Alfred M. Landon

For Students 9th - 10th
One of the few progressive Republicans to hold state office during the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, Landon was tapped to run against him in 1936. Read about the life of this interesting Kansan both before and after his run for the...