Richey/English 10
Name: _____________________ P: ____
Depression Era
Information Treasure Hunt
Directions: Go to the websites below and answer the accompanying questions about The Great Depression.
Please do a thoughtful job.
Go to the website http://museumca.org/picturethis/3_1.html
1. Read the paragraph that begins, “When the U.S. stock market crashed in October 1929…”
a. In your own words, explain the “downward spiral” that occurred after “The Great Crash” of 1929.
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Go to the website http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade30.html
1. Scroll down the page; then list the titles of the different sections found on this webpage.
a. Historic events
f. ___________________
b. ___________________
g, ___________________
c. ___________________
h. ___________________
d. ___________________
i. ___________________
e. ___________________
j. ___________________
2. Find the box that shows “FACTS about this decade.”
a. How much was…
i. a quart of milk?___________
iii. an average salary? ___________
ii. a loaf of bread?___________
b. What is “lynching”? ___________________________________
c. What does the final fact (about the number of lynchings) tell you about society in the 1930s?
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3. What are some of the key words used to describe the United States during the Great Depression? (See the
“Historic Events” section)
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4. What did people do for fun during the Great Depression?
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5. Go to the “Literature” section.
a. Click on the link for the poet Ogden Nash, and click on the poem, “Everybody Tells Me Everything.”
What is the main theme of this poem?
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6. What amazing technology was revealed at the New York World’s Fair in 1939?
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7. What was Einstein’s advice in the letter he wrote to President Roosevelt in 1939? Does this information
surprise you? Do you agree with his advice? Explain your answer
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8. Why are the 1930s often referred to as “Hollywood’s Golden Age”?
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a. Which of the movie stars listed have you heard of before?
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Go the website http://library.thinkquest.org/12111/mculley.html
1. Read the interview, and answer the following questions:
a. Briefly describe this woman’s heritage.
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b. What were housing and living conditions like for African Americans in this town?
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c. What sort of work were African American women allowed to do at this time?
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d. Summarize what you know and what you can infer about the interviewee.
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Go the website http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/depression/photoessay.htm
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Spend 5-10 minutes looking at this photo-essay of the Great Depression. Look closely at the pictures, and read the
captions. Please remember to be respectful while looking at these pictures. These were real people suffering
through brutal times.
How would you describe the people you see in these pictures? What do you think life was like for them? (Your
observations must be more sophisticated than “They look dirty. Life for them was hard.”) Give this question some
serious thought before answering.
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HOMEWORK: OFFLINE OBSERVATIONS
(Use today’s research to help you answer the following questions.)
The book we will be reading, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, takes place in Alabama during the Great
Depression. Knowing what you do about this era, what sorts of conflicts might you expect our protagonists to face?
What are some possible themes you might find in a book written about the Great Depression?
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If you finish early, you may QUIETLY:
*Explore southern Alabama on Google Earth.
*Search the Internet for more information about any idea from today’s info search that intrigued you.
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