Question/Problem 1: In what ways were people's lives affected by the Depression?
Description of lesson/activity
1. describe the economic problems of the 1930s, such as unemployment, business failures, and bank closures.
2. describe such manifestations of the Depression as Hoovervilles and the crisis of the Bonus Army and relate them to economic problems.
3. describe how the Depression affected individuals through job loss, hunger, and the breakup of families.
4. conduct a first-person interview.
2. Teachers should have students read the handout, "The Grapes of Wrath Reading," as an introduction to how the Depression affected the lives of individuals. The excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath describes a Hooverville in California. The Joad family, the main characters in the book, have just arrived there. As they prepare to eat, starving children in the camp come hoping to receive some food.
3. Students in small groups should analyze photographs of the Depression era. Photographs may be found in resources listed below or other available resources. They might include scenes of bread lines, Hoovervilles, soup kitchens, or other recognizable Depression scenes. This will help students visualize information they will collect during their interview (see below, #4).
4. Students should create a fictional story based on the scenes and the characters shown in the Depression photographs. The story may be assessed on creativity and historical accuracy. This story will be presented by each group to the class.
5. Students should interview people who lived through the Depression, using the worksheet "Remembering the Depression." The teacher may wish to supply alternative readings for students who find it impossible to conduct an interview.
6. Students may volunteer to share their interview with the class. They should be required to hand in a written summary of the interview.
7. As an enrichment activity to the photographs, the students could view parts or all of the movie, "The Grapes of Wrath."
1. Allen, Frederick Lewis. Since Yesterday. New York: Harper, 1940.
2. Goldston, Robert. The Great Depression: The United States in the Thirties. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1968.
3. McElvaine, Robert S. The Great Depression in America 1929 - 1941. New York: MacMillan, 1984.
4. The American Heritage History of the 20's and 30's. New York: American Heritage Publishing Co., Inc., 1970.
5. Unstead, R.J. The Thirties an Illustrated History in Color 1930 - 1939. London: MacDonald and Company, 1974.
6. "The Grapes of Wrath," CBS Fox Video, 1984.
7. Teachers may order a set of Depression photographs from: Documentary Photo Aids, P.O. Box 956, Mt. Dora, FL 32757.
Resource 1: The Grapes of Wrath Reading
Resource 2: Remembering the Depression