The Great Depression and the New Deal

Grade: 11th
Overall Goal: Students will be required to participate in creating an original presentation using
Scratch and the information they received pertaining to the Great Depression and the effects it
left on American society.

Standards Learning Objective Assessment

Indiana State Standard USH.4.5
Analyze the causes of the Great
Depression and explain how
they affected American society.
(Economics; Individuals,
Society, and Culture)
Indiana State Standard USH.4.8
Identify and explain the
significance of New Deal relief
programs. (Government)
Students will be able to analyze the Students will write a
cause of the Great Depression and brief, one-page
apply the information learned to reflection on the
create an original product. causes of the Great
Depression and the
Students will be able to explain how beneficial aspects of
the Great Depression affected the New Deal.
American society and people by
referencing the events that Students will take
happened. the Edpuzzle video
quiz provided to
Students will be able to identify the them in class to
different programs developed under assess the amount
the New Deal and how this relief of new and previous
impacted the American people. information they
have obtained
Students will be able to explain how throughout the
life would have been like if the New lesson.
Deal was not put into place.
Students will create
a final product
showcasing the
world they believe to
be without the
influence of the New
Deal.

Key Terms & Definitions:

Great Depression: a worldwide economic downturn; the most severe depression ever
experienced in the Western World, sparking fundamental changes in economic
institutions, macroeconomic policy, and economic theory.
 New Deal: group of government programs and policies established by FDR; set of
government programs intended to fix the depression and PREVENT future depressions
Relief programs: programs that gave help, usually money, to poor people in need
Recovery programs: programs to fix the economy in the short run and put people back to
work
Reform programs: programs to regulate the economy in the future and to prevent future
depressions
CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps): provided jobs at building parks, protecting forest
preserves, and helping with environmental challenges
AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Act): government has the power to raise farm prices by
setting production quotas and paying farmers to plant less food
Glass Steagall Act: barred commercial banks from buying and selling stocks
National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA): established the National Recovery
Administration
National Recovery Administration (NRA): government planners and business leaders
working together to coordinate industry standards for production, prices, and working
conditions
Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA): gave welfare payments to people who
were desperate
PWA (Public Works Administration): gave money to towns for construction and gave
jobs to skilled workers
CWA (Civil Works Administration): created manual labor jobs for millions of unemployed
workers
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA): provided Tennessee Valley with cheap, local
electricity and managed their natural resources
U.S. vs Butler: decided that the AAA was an unconstitutional exercise of power
Wagner Act: guaranteed workers the right to unionize - established the NLRB
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB): employers couldnt fire employees for being in
labor union
Congress of Industrial Organizations: set out to unionize entire industries
Social Security Act of 1935: federal insurance program that provided benefits and aid to
the unemployed, the disabled, poor families with children, and retired adults
Stock market: a stock exchange
Stock exchange: a market in which securities are bought and sold
Stocks: the capital raised by a business or corporation through the issue/subscription of
shares
Wall Street: a street in lower Manhattan where the original home of the New York Stock
Exchange was located, also the home of U.S. brokerages and investment banks
Black Tuesday: October 29, 1929. The day that the stock prices fell completely after
days of unstable trade shares
FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation): provided laws about banks and insured
that money you had in the bank would always be there
 SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission): watched the stock market to make sure
there wasnt any artificial inflation/people making money too quickly

Lesson Introduction (Hook, Grabber):

Day 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFu7us6bNSQ
Many students are fond of music and learn better when information is put to the tune of a song.
This song, Great Depression Rap by Smart Songs is catchy and informational. The facts
presented in the song are correct and easy to remember. By playing this song in the beginning of
the class, it will be easier to catch the attention of the class and get them interested in the
subject.

A short in-class discussion and analyzation of the lyrics will take place after the video is finished
playing to further thoughts and feelings about what the Great Depression was. Students will have
the time and opportunity to ask questions concerning the causes of the Great Depression and
what day to day life was like for Americans.

Students will be encouraged to think about the following factors during the discussion and when
working on future assignments:
- What different opportunities were there for men and women separately? Why were there
differences?
- What kind of solutions do you think could be included in FDRs First and Second New
Deal?
- If you were president instead of FDR, would you have let things go or would you have
intervened and taken control before everything got out of hand?
America was poor in the Great Depression And if you cant buy what you usually do
Millions without jobs in every profession Then the people who sell those things lose their
How will we eat was a daily question jobs too
What are all the lessons of the Great Depression? And then they cant buy, its like a domino effect
Before the Great Depression, everything seemed So there were hidden changes
great Though things seemed perfect
It was the Roaring 1920s, people liked to Before the Great Depression
celebrate People thought they had luck
A lotta food on their plate Thinking up ways they could make a quick buck
And there was money to make Theyd buy a stock and sell it
Factories were selling automobiles like hot cakes For more than they bought it for
Not to mention household appliances and radios Sure to make a profit, long as the stock would
Flashy things, the economy was based on those soar
But the problem was that if times got tough Seemed like such a great idea, everybody
People werent gonna buy luxuries and all that wanted in
stuff Even with no money, they started borrowing
Theyd ask the bank for a loan to the buy the
stock
But could not pay it back when the stock would
drop
Lots of people got in debt, had to sell all their
shares
When some start selling, everyone gets scared
Millions rushed to sell their stocks in a mass
In the fall of 29, the stock market crashed
October 24, 1929, Black Thursday
One of the countrys darkest times
The market did crash, stocks began to tumble
Many Americans faced financial trouble
Their savings washed away in a matter of days
Left with debt with no money to pay
And our governmentno, they didnt want to
panic
They knew there was a problem, but didnt
understand it
President Hoover tried to think of answers
He wanted to improve spending
What were the chances?
Businesses closed, banks dried up like wells
But Hoover thought things
Would take care of themselves
Millions of people were poverty stricken
Living within wood shacks and poor conditions
These makeshift camps sprouted up all around
Hoovervilles they often called these towns
A couple years passed, it was 1932
The presidential race began to ask who
Could lift this country up from its depression
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, no question
Made the first and second New Deal
Government projects, building bridges of steel
With the Works Progress Administration
Then World War II brought jobs to the nation

Lesson Main:
Day 2-3:
Students should come to class prepared to discuss difficult topics, such as poverty, and the
causes of the Great Depression. The key terms of the lesson will be discussed and analyzed so
the students understand their meaning whenever they are used in class. To fully introduce the
causes of the Great Depression, this video will be shown and then discussed as a class:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCQfMWAikyU

The students will explore the different causes of the Great Depression. They will go through
documents provided for them, such as (http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/fdr-first-inaug.htm
) FDRs 1st Inaugrual speech, and research documents of their own. Once they are done
exploring the different causes, the class will come together and discuss how they believe this
tragedy could have been avoided. As a class, the students will analyze the events of the Great
Depression and the imprint those events left on society.
Day 4-5:
Students should come to class prepared to discuss the New Deal and how it affected American
society. To familiarize the students will the material, they will first watch this video and then
discuss what was said and how they can use that information in later projects:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bMq9Ek6jnA
They will be able pick their groups that they are going to spend the rest of the time working with.
Each group will be given copies of pictures that were used to promote some of the different New
Deal programs. They will use the following questions to guide them through a thought provoking
discussion about the programs:
 - How are the pictures geared toward women? If they are geared that way at all?
- What kind of emotions are behind the images shown? Are they meant to be positive or
negative?
- Are the images inclusive to every kind of American citizen?
After the information of the day is presented, the students will time to begin creating their own
version of the Great Depression Rap. They will be able to use their phones or iPads to record and
add music if they would like to. The rap from the lesson introduction will be able for them to refer
back to for ideas and pointers on what information to include. They will have a basic rubric to
follow for the assignment but the majority of the project should be unique. There will be a chance
to present the rap to the class for extra credit points. ( Song Rubric )

Day 6-7:
Students will spend these last two days finishing up any discussions about the Great Depression
or the New Deal. This is also the time where they should ask any last minute questions they may
have before they begin working on their final project.

On this day they will be introduced to the Scratch game that will be a tool for them to use to
study some of the important parts of the Great Depression and New Deal.
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/181353596/#player
This game will quiz them in an interactive game. They will have free control over the order of the
questions they will be answering.

Day 8:
Students will be introduced to 2 Edpuzzle video quizzes that will allow them to test their
knowledge on the New Deal and the Great Depression. These quizzes will let them know, along
with the previous experience with the Scratch game, where they stand with the material and what
they should continue to study. This day will mainly be a study day where the students will ask
needed questions and brainstorm ideas for a possible project topic.
There will be a worksheet for the students who do not have questions and have already decided
on project topics. (Worksheet )

Lesson Ending:
Days 9-14:
On these days, the students will be introduced to their final project for the unit. They will have to
write a brief, one-page reflection on the causes of the Great Depression and the benefits of the
New Deal in their opinion. To go along with the reflection, they will be required to create an
original product that showcases their personal analysis of the Great Depression causes as well as
the New Deal relief programs.

The original product will need to be either a video or a handmade item that represents their
analysis. The handmade item could be a poster or a replica of an item someone could have used
to get by each day. The handmade item is an option for the students who enjoy a challenge. The
grading rubric will be equal for each type of product the students choose to create. This project
will be used to assess the amount of information the students have learned instead of having
them take a test.

As the unit comes to the end, the Great Depression timeline will also be ending. Throughout the
days spent studying, the students explored different parts of the Great Depression. On the last
days, 8 and 9, they will be going through the effects the Great Depression had and how it lasted,
essentially, up until the beginning of the United States involvement in World War II.

This section should describe how you plan on wrapping up your lesson, and bringing it to a close.
This could include a final, summative assessment as well.

Assessment Rubric:
25 pts. 18 pts. 8 pts.

Information Accuracy The information The information The information

presented in the presented is correct presented is incorrect
product is correct and with a few mistakes with a few correct
can be verified with and the majority of it points. Parts can be
the documents can be verified with verified with the
provided and the the documents provided documents
cited documents. provided and the although there are no
cited documents. extra cited
documents.

Analysis There is a clear The analysis is foggy There is no analysis

analysis of the but the overall points present. The product
information and it is are understandable. is just a
easy to understand summarization of the
the point being made. information found in
the documents.

Creativity The product is The product is The product contains

original and separate original with some identical sections as
from any other similarities to projects projects found
students work and found elsewhere but elsewhere.
can not be found contain independent
elsewhere. information.

Reflection It is one+ page(s) in It is one page in Less than one page in

length and contains length with examples length and does not
specific examples to to back up thoughts. have an examples.
back up thoughts. Could be more Lacking any kind of
detailed. details.
Resources / Artifacts:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFu7us6bNSQ Song for Lesson Introduction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCQfMWAikyU great depression
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bMq9Ek6jnA new deal
http://www.history.com/topics/great-depression FDR Inaugural speech
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/181353596/#player scratch interactive game

Differentiation:

This section should describe how you could to differentiate your lesson for learners with diverse
needs. Some ideas would be to offer differentiated solutions for English Language Learners,
students with mobility challenges, students on the autism spectrum, students with emotional or
behavioral challenges, students with auditory or visual impairments, gifted students, etc. You
should address

1. Differentiation for ability levels

High ability learners, low ability learners
For students who are considered high ability learners, group selections may be made in a way
that allows them to collaborate with low ability learners, or at least learners who have a greater
difficulty with the material. Collaborative learning is important, so group selections will be at the
students discretion with guidance from the instructor where needed.
2. Differentiation for demographics
Gender, race, culture, and/or sexual identity
Feeling safe and open to talking about sensitive topics is important for the classroom
environment. The cultural and racial implications that can be associated with the
Great Depression needs to be carefully navigated by the instructor. Students will have the choice
to choose their own groups but it is up to the instructor to finalize any group selections if it is
believed that a conflict or ignorant situation may arise.
3. Differentiation for languages
ESL, EFL, ENL
For students who are non-native English speakers, the instructor will offer accommodations with
online resources and supplements about the lesson plan. The reflection submitted by students
who have difficulty with the English language will be offered more help by the instructor, as well
as leniency with submission and grading where necessary. The student may submit via a
Learning Management System or on paper.
4. Differentiation for access & resources
Computers, Internet connection, and/or Wifi access
The internet needed materials will be shown in class (i.e., Crash Course videos, scratch game,
Edpuzzle video quizzes). Website links can be shared with the students who have Internet access
outside of school and paper copies of all documents will be provided to every student to ensure
that they receive them and have access to them.

Anticipated Difficulties:
A problem that may arose and result in tensions within the classroom is the discussions
concerning the poverty and poor conditions of the American people. Students can be cruel both
intentionally and unintentionally when joking around in the classroom. While looking at pictures
and listening to descriptions, some things may be said that cause conflict due to personal
offense. I plan on warning the students that any kind of microaggression/joke at someones
expense will not be tolerated. This is a sensitive subject and the students need to know that the
classroom is a safe place to discuss these kinds of things. NO ONE should feel threatened or self-
conscious to discuss the topics.

Another issue that may arise is political identity. The students are coming to the ages where you
usually start to find what you believe in, politically, and are very vocal about it. The students will
be advised that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and you do not have the right to make
them change their opinions. The presidential election during the Great Depression is a shift in
political party for the country and some students may feel the need to let the class know where
they stand. They will have the chance to let their opinions shine but they will not be able to tear
someone down for believing something different.