Voices of the Great Depression

Culminating Assessment:

Students will research the experiences of individuals affected by economic hardships and the government programs designed to assist them. Students will create a newspaper with articles reporting on their research into the economic depression and will write about New Deal programs created to address the needs of these individuals. Once the articles have been compiled and read, the class will compare and contrast some speech excerpts made by Herbert Hoover with Roosevelt’s direct communication to the American people through a Fireside Chat and reflect upon the differences in policy embodied in those statements.

Students will be assessed on their selection and presentation of photographs depicting events and themes of this time period, on the content and efficacy of communication in their newspaper articles, and as to the historical accuracy of their work. Students will self-assess through the use of journals in which they reflect upon the research difficulties they encountered, the content of theirs’ and others’ news articles, and their understanding of the significance of the Great Depression and the New Deal in relation to their previous studies of American History.