Maureen Hamilton-Pugliese

EDU 521.01
8th Grade Global Studies, Causes of the Great Depression
Social Studies

Professor Moroney
December 16, 2015

Instructional Objective
After participating in a class discussion on the causes of the Great Depression and copying notes
on important facts and vocabulary on the topic, students will move into cooperative learning
groups and will watch a film and be able to answer an interactive quiz based on video, answering
at least five out of the six questions correctly.
Key Concepts:
Overproduction, bank failures, drought, WWI debt, bankruptcy, Stock Market crash
Standards and Indicators
D2.Geo.4.6-8. Explain how cultural patterns and economic decisions influence environments and
the daily lives of people in both nearby and distant places
D2.His.16-8. Analyze connections among events and developments in broader historical contexts
D2.His.2.6-8. Classify series of historical events and developments as examples of change and/or
continuity
D2.His.14.6-8. Explain multiple causes and effects of events and developments in the past.
Motivation
As students enter the classroom, they will see 10 different photos from the Great Depression in a
slide show format on the SMART Board. The slide show will run through three times. Students
will sit quietly in their desks while they watch slide show.
Materials
SMART technology, SMART notebook, ten photos of the Great Depression, PowerPoint notes,
Word Wall, YouTube Video
Strategies
Do Now Art Gallery activity, Convergent Questioning, Cooperative Learning, Divergent
Questioning, Direct Instruction, Homework, Lecture, Multimedia, Socratic Questioning, StudentCentered Instruction, Cooperative Learning, SMART Notebook activity, Ticket Out, Visual Aides
Adaptations

Adaptations are made according to the individuals in the classroom who have IEPs. For student
with a hearing disability the teacher will wear an FM Listening System to transmit voice to the
students hearing device.
Differentiation of Instruction
Each cooperative learning group will be organized by the teacher so that there is a mixture of
abilities in each group.
Developmental Procedures
During the beginning of class, students will discuss photos that are presented to them as they
enter the room. The photos are of different subjects from the Great Depression. The teacher will
ask the class what they see in the photos.

From your homework reading assignment and prior knowledge, what are these photos
of?
o The Great Depression.

The class will discuss each of the 10 photos in the slideshow. Examples of photos:
Photo # 1: Run on banks

What do you see in this photo? What are people waiting on line at the bank to do?
When the last time was you, or your parents, went to a bank?

Photo #2: Migrant Mother

Where are these people living?

How old do you think this woman is?
o 32, had 7 children
Why do you think she looks so strained?
What do you think a typical day is like for her?
What do you think a typical day is like today for a 32 year old?

Photo # 3: Overproduction

Photo #4: Crash of the Stock Market

When did this happen?

How did this happen?
Could this happen again?

What caused overproduction?

When the class finishes discussing the photos the teacher will direct the students to take out their
notebooks as they will be copying down important notes. The notes will list and give a brief
description of six causes of the Great Depression, which includes important period vocabulary.
These terms will also be posted on a Word Wall in the classroom. The notes will be presented in
a SMART Notebook format. While presenting the notes and vocabulary, the teacher will ask for
class participation. The students will be called on to answer questions that will advance the notes.
As each new term is presented to the class, the teacher will reveal the next line of notes.

Again, from prior knowledge and the homework reading, who can help me define and/or
explain these terms as they are related to The Great Depression?
(Beginning of notes)
Our first term-overproduction. What do you think this means?
o Overproduction: the supply of manufactured goods exceeds the demand
Next, bank failures?
o bank failures occurred when investors defaulted on their loans
o default: when borrowers fail to pay bank loans back
Cause # 3: A lack of international trade
Why?
o Many European countries were in debt because of WWI
Cause # 4: Drought & dust storms in the West
Why?
o Lack of rain
o New farming equipment
Soil was loosened and dry
When winds came in, it caused dust storms
Cause # 5 Bankruptcy:
Who can tell me what bankruptcy is?
o financial failure caused by an individuals or a companys failure to pay debts
Lastly, Cause # 6: the Crash of the Stock Market
When did this occur?
o October 29, 1929
How and Why?
o Investors rushed to sell stocks before prices dropped too low
o Everyone was trying to sell, therefore no one was buying
o Millions lost money because they could not sell their stocks
(End of Notes)
After copying the notes, students will watch a short film about the causes of the Great
Depression in SMART Notebook.
After watching the film, in cooperative groups made by the teacher, the students will take a short
quiz in SMART Notebook based on the notes and the film.

When the groups complete the quiz in SMART Notebook, the class will review the questions and
the correct answers. Then for the remainder of the class period, the teacher will ask students at
random different questions from the days lesson to review what the class had been taught and
what they learned in class. This would be the students ticket-out for the period. Once a student
was asked a question, whether they answered correctly or not, he or she would be dismissed from
class. The class would work together to answer these questions.
Assessment
During this lesson, there will be many opportunities for the teacher to assess the students
learning. While presenting notes to the class, the teacher will pose many questions to the class to
fill in these notes. Students will use prior knowledge to discuss the photos that are presented to
them. Students will work together to successfully take the short quiz in SMART Notebook. At
the end of the period, the teacher will be able to assess how effective the lesson by how
accurately the students answered the questions on the SMART Notebook quiz. The student
brochures that will be created for homework will also be used for assessment.
Independent Practice
Following the days lesson students are given an assignment to do individually on their own time
that will be due in three days. Students are to use their textbooks, the class website, the lesson
and film from the day to create a brochure in Microsoft Word on the six causes of the Great
Depression that they have learned about. Each brochure should include the six causes discussed
in class, relevant vocabulary, and photos and/or graphs. On the day this assignment is due,
students will present their work to their cooperative learning groups and they will discuss all of
the students work within their groups. The teacher will walk around the room and observe all of
the groups. The teacher will collect this assignment after the students present them to their group.
See attached rubric.
Academic Intervention
For students who have difficulty with this lesson, I will be available for extra help on Mondays,
Wednesday and Fridays from 3:15 to 4 P.M.
Academic Enrichment
Students will write an essay discussing whether or not they feel that the Great Depression could
have been prevented. Students must provide details and evidence to support their ideas.

References
College, M. (2011, April 19). Molloy college lesson plan format. Retrieved from
http://molloy.edu/Documents/Education Division/Lesson Plan Format September 19, 2012.pdf
Davidson, J., & Stoff, M. (2007). America. History of our nation. Boston, MA: Pearson.
New York State Education Department (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/ssrg.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV4l5w0ZpcY

Causes of the Great

Depression Brochure Rubric
Teacher Name: Mrs. Hamilton-Pugliese
Student Name:
CATEGORY

________________________________________
4

Writing - Organization

Each section in the

brochure has a clear
beginning, middle, and
end.

Almost all sections of the

brochure have a clear
beginning, middle and
end.

Most sections of the

brochure have a clear
beginning, middle and
end.

Less than half of the sections of

the brochure have a clear
beginning, middle and end.

Writing - Grammar

There are no grammatical There are no grammatical

mistakes in the brochure. mistakes in the brochure
after feedback from an
adult.

There are 1-2

grammatical mistakes in
the brochure even after
feedback from an adult.

There are several grammatical

mistakes in the brochure even
after feedback from an adult.

Spelling & Proofreading

No spelling errors remain

after one person other
than the typist reads and
corrects the brochure.

No more than 1 spelling

error remains after one
person other than the
typist reads and corrects
the brochure.

No more than 3 spelling

errors remain after one
person other than the
typist reads and corrects
the brochure.

Several spelling errors in the

brochure.

Writing - Vocabulary

The authors correctly use

several new words and
define words unfamiliar to
the reader.

The authors correctly use

a few new words and
define words unfamiliar to
the reader.

The authors try to use

The authors do not incorporate
some new vocabulary, but new vocabulary.
may use 1-2 words
incorrectly.

Writing - Mechanics

Capitalization and
punctuation are correct
throughout the brochure.

Capitalization and
punctuation are correct
throughout the brochure
after feedback from an
adult.

There are 1-2

capitalization and/or
punctuation errors in the
brochure even after
feedback from an adult.

Content - Accuracy

All facts in the brochure

are accurate.

99-90% of the facts in the 89-80% of the facts in the Fewer than 80% of the facts in
brochure are accurate.
brochure are accurate.
the brochure are accurate.

Attractiveness &
Organization

The brochure has

exceptionally attractive
formatting and wellorganized information.

The brochure has

attractive formatting and
well-organized
information.

The brochure has wellorganized information.

The brochure\'s formatting and

organization of material are
confusing to the reader.

Sources

Careful and accurate

records are kept to
document the source of
95-100% of the facts and
graphics in the brochure.

Careful and accurate

records are kept to
document the source of
94-85% of the facts and
graphics in the brochure.

Careful and accurate

records are kept to
document the source of
84-75% of the facts and
graphics in the brochure.

Sources are not documented

accurately or are not kept on
many facts and graphics.

Knowledge Gained

All students in the group

can accurately answer all
questions related to facts
in the brochure and to
technical processes used
to create the brochure.

All students in the group

can accurately answer
most questions related to
facts in the brochure and
to technical processes
used to create the
brochure.

Most students in the

group can accurately
answer most questions
related to facts in the
brochure and to technical
processes used to create
the brochure.

Several students in the group

appear to have little knowledge
about the facts or technical
processes used in the brochure.

Graphics/Pictures

Graphics go well with the Graphics go well with the

text and there is a good
text, but there are so
mix of text and graphics. many that they distract
from the text.

There are several capitalization

or punctuation errors in the
brochure even after feedback
from an adult.

Graphics go well with the Graphics do not go with the

text, but there are too few accompanying text or appear to
and the brochure
be randomly chosen.
seems \"text-heavy\".