Curated OER
Bonus March
Students explore Great Depression using collection of primary sources in the archives of the General Douglas MacArthur Memorial, focusing on the Bonus Army march on Washington D.C. in June 1932.
Curated OER
Mobility and Migration: Where Do I Come From?
Students investigate the different types of migration that took place during the Great Depression. They compare data to determine if there are significant generational differences in migration patterns.
Curated OER
Learning Experience Module
Eighth graders examine the effects of the Great Depression on women and children. Students write to President Roosevelt or Eleanor Roosevelt to suggest remedies to their problems.
Curated OER
Out of the Dust
Seventh graders read a book of poems called "Out of the Dust". In groups, they research the Dust Bowl and how it affected people living through the Great Depression. Using the text, they identify the theme and key turning points and...
Curated OER
FDR's New Deal
Students explore the facets of the New Deal. In this Great Depression lesson plan, students research the New Deal and then create radio broadcasts that explain the New Deal to the American public.
Curated OER
New Deal
In this Great Depression instructional activity, students read articles about the effects of the New Deal. Students then respond to 20 short answer questions.
Curated OER
New York Girls Ask the President for a CCC of Their Own
In this primary source analysis worksheet, students analyze a letter from young women in want of CCC jobs of their own during Great Depression. Students respond to 3 short answer questions about the letter to Roosevelt.
Curated OER
Depression
Young scholars work together to develop a survey to ask people who lived during the Great Depression. Using the information from the survey, they write an essay or a poem describing why it was bad for one of their family members to lose...
Curated OER
The Depression Domino in "Byway" Arkansas
Students examine the effects of the Great Depression on the town of Byway, Arkansas. They read text, participate in a simulation of living in Byway during the Great Depression, and create a list showing how occupations were affected like...
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...
Federal Reserve Bank
What Do People Say?
After reading a series of fictitious letters that represent actual events during the time period, young historians craft a small town newsletter to explain the causes of the Great Depression.
PBS
Myth of the West: Lonely But Free I’ll Be Found
Tumbling tumbleweeds! Scholars work with video clips, primary and secondary documents, and song lyrics to uncover life in the Old West. They examine song's lyrics to uncover myths told in the 1930s about life in the Wild West.
Curated OER
Bud, Not Buddy
Fifth graders read the book Bud, Not Buddy and participate in activities that generate understanding of the Great Depression. In this realistic fiction lesson plan, 5th graders read about a boy who grew up during this time. Students...
West Jefferson High School
The Novel — Honor
For classes tackling To Kill a Mockingbird, this lesson plan sets readers up for discussions or essay writing with questions and prompts. The prompts encourage individuals to explore beyond the novel itself, looking at photographs from...
Curated OER
The Great Depression Essay
Learners explore the events that led to the stock market crash,the concerns of the Depression, and the effects of the New Deal programs on the American people and the American economy.
Curated OER
Legacy of the Dust Bowl: Dust Storm Media 1930s
Some learners might not realize that the term dust bowl was not figurative. Show the reality of 1930s America with eight primary source photographs. Slides depict images of dust storms or their aftermath.
Federal Reserve Bank
Turn Your Radio On
After listening to and analyzing a series of FDR's Fireside Chats, groups create their own recordings, and using New Deal programs, address a current economic condition.
Curated OER
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Learners view examples of Depression era images and relate them to chapters from Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In this Maya Angelou lesson, students discuss chapters 8 and 9 from the text and define setting. Learners...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Unemployment and the Future of Jobs in America
Unemployment: The job of the future. The resource, designed for high school scholars, explains unemployment rates, recessions, and job trends that are impacting employment in the United States. Academics explore potential careers of the...
PBS
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History—Snapshot Lessons
The Roosevelt family was one of the most influential and prominent political forces in the 20th century, leaving behind a wide-ranging legacy of conservation, progressivism, and economic growth. Learn more about President Theodore...
Curated OER
Oral History of World War II
Students research how citizens from the United States respond to the onset, duration and aftermath of World War II. They view clips from the movie "Swing Shift" and discuss the roles of civilians, minorities and military personnel. They...
Curated OER
The Social Security Act
Students 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
A Midwestern Runaway Remembers the CCC (with text supports)
In this Civilian Conservation Corps worksheet, students read a narrative from a member of the corps and then respond to 3 short answer questions based on the narrative.
Center for History Education
African Americans and the Democratic Party
Why did African American voters switch from the Republican Party to the Democratic party during the Depression Era? That is the question young historians attempt to answer as they study primary source documents from the period. The focus...