The Great Depression through Primary Sources

Author: Sarah White

Grade Level: 9–12

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Summary of Lesson

Students will use primary sources to learn about the Great Depression.

Focus Question

How did the Great Depression affect people's daily lives? How did individuals and the government respond to the crisis?

Database: Student Resources in Context, U.S. History in Context

Procedures:

Steps / Activities by Teacher

• Provide students with background information on the Great Depression. Explain that this event had far-reaching ramifications for the United States.
• Divide students into groups of three or four. These groups will conduct research and collaborate to write five statements about the Great Depression based on their research.
• Allow students time to access the Student Resources in Context database. Direct them to the Great Depression topic page. Also allow students time to access U.S. History in Context. Direct them to the Great Depression topic page.
• Students will locate a number of resources and then use them to write five statements about the Great Depression.
• Provide time for groups to present their statements to the class. As groups present, the other students should use the statements created by their peers to formulate additional questions about the Great Depression.
• Once all the presentations are complete, have the students share their questions in a class discussion. Allow students to try to answer each other's questions and provide answers when needed.

Steps/Activities by student(s):

• In the groups assigned by your teacher, access the Student Resources in Context and/or U.S. History in Context database.
• Locate the Great Depression topic page.
• Examine at least ten pictures using the Images link.
• Read at least three primary sources on the topic.
• As you examine these images and primary sources, think about how people's daily lives were affected by the Great Depression.
• Using the images and primary sources your group has gathered, write five statements about the Great Depression. Your group will then present these statements to the class.
• As other groups present their statements, use these statements to help you formulate additional questions about the Great Depression.
• In a class discussion, listen to the questions that other groups have come up with. Use your research to try to answer your peers' questions.

Outcome:

Students will get a basic overview of life and issues during the Great Depression.

Related Activities: This activity can be easily integrated with the activities suggested.

English

Students may be asked to use their primary sources to compose a diary entry from the perspective of a person living during the Great Depression.

Learning Expectation: Students will use their research skills to find articles about the Great Depression. They will then analyze these sources to produce statements about how the Great Depression affected people and the nation and formulate additional questions about the topic.

National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies

High School

II. Time, Continuity, and Change

Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the past and its legacy.

Learners will be able to:

• A. Formulate research questions to investigate topics in history, identify possible answers, and use historical methods of inquiry and literacy skills to select, organize, analyze, synthesize, and interpret sources, and present findings.
• B. Research and analyze past periods, events, and recurring issues, using a variety of primary sources (e.g., documents, letters, artifacts, and testimony), as well as secondary sources; validate and weigh evidence for claims, check the usefulness and degree of reliability of sources, and evaluate different interpretations to develop their own interpretation supported by the evidence.

Standard Source: NCSS 2010

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects:

Grades 11–12

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

• 7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, and in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
• 9. Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.

Standard Source: NGA Center and CCSSO, 2010

ISTE NETS for Students

2. Communication and Collaboration

Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:

• A.     interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
• D.    contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.

3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:

• B.    locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.
• C.    evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.

Standard Source: ISTE NETS for Students, 2007

Information Power; Information Literacy Standards:

• Standard 1: The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively.
• Standard 2: The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently.
• Standard 3: The student who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively.
• Standard 9: The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information.

Standard Source: American Library Association, 1998