Understanding the Time Period: The 1930’s
Introduction:
Question:
Inquiry:
Discussion:
Before reading To Kill a Mockingbird it is important to understand the social context of the time
period. It was a time of racial tension, war, and financial struggle. Looking at the novel. Scout,
our narrator, shows a world far different than the world that we live in today. To truly
understand Scout’s point of view we must look at the history of the time period. In this lesson,
students will enter the time period by exploring a variety of documents highlighting various
issues that are important to understanding the 1930’s and address the question: What was the
social climate like in the South in the 1930’s?
1. Create a Google Document
2. Title: The South in the 1930’s
3. Name of all group members and Date
After Introduction, create 1 question of your own about life in the South in the 1930’s
1. Why? How? What? No who, when, or where questions.
2. 2-3 sentences for a complete answer
After Question, use the web-links below to find answers to your question and my question:
 http://www.ushistory.org
 http://www.pbs.org
 http://americanhistory.com
 http://www.history.com/topics/1930s
 http://find.galegroup.com/gic/infomark.do?&idigest=fb720fd31d9036c1ed2d1f3a05
00fcc2&type=retrieve&tabID=T001&prodId=GIC&docId=CX2831400031&source
=gale&userGroupName=itsbtrial&version=1.0
 http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug02/newyorker/race.html
After inquiry, research the following events/topics and discuss the importance of the
events/topics listed below:
1929 stock market
crash
The Great
Depression
Create:
Franklin Delano
Roosevelt and the
New Deal
Southern Religion
in the 1930’s
Ku Klux Klan
Jim Crow Laws
After the discussion, fill the following chart out based on what you learned about the topic.
Then pick ONE of the events/topics and CREATE a Google Slides presentation based on your
research.
 Write date, topic, and 1-3 short bullet point per category (2-5 words).
Date
(Month, Day,
Year)
Topic
What caused the event
to be created?
How were the people
affected by this
event?
Reflect:
After the create, answer the following question:


What was the social climate like in the South in the 1930’s?
Write 5-7 sentences