The Great Depression: The Impact of Roosevelt’s New Deal Policies on the Economic
Conflicts of the United States
Objective: Students should learn about the impact of the Great Depression and the activities and
programs created by Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal policies. Students can use this assignment
to learn about the political system of the 1930s and interpret how Roosevelt’s programs affected
American History.
Georgia Performance Standards:
SS6H7A: Analyze the major conflicts following World War I: the Russian Revolution, the
Treaty of Versailles, the Great Depression, and Nazism.
ELA6R1A: Applies knowledge of common text structures including paragraphs, sentences,
glossaries, and indexes.
ELA6R1E: Follows instructions to complete or create a simple assignment.
ELA6RC2A: The student participates in discussions related to learning in all subject areas. The
student interprets knowledge from books in all subject areas.
ELA6LSV1B: The student participates in student-to-teacher, student-to-student, and group
interactions. The student asks appropriate questions.
ELA6LSV1I: Volunteers appropriate knowledge and provides answers when directly solicited
by the teacher.
ELA6LSV1K: Clarifies, illustrates, and analyzes a reaction when asked by the teacher.
AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner:
1.1.4 Find, interpret, and select appropriate sources to answer questions.
1.1.5 Assess information included in selected texts on the basis of validity and appropriateness
for needs and social context.
2.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to analyze and organize information.
3.2.3 Use teamwork by working appropriately with others.
3.3.1 Solicit perspectives while using information and collaborating with others.
3.3.3 Use knowledge and information skills to engage in debate around subjects or issues.
4.1.7 Use social networks and information tools to obtain and share information.
Students: 6th Grade Social Studies Students
Activity:
The students can use the websites, books, journal articles, and other internet tools on the Great
Depression Pathfinder to learn about Franklin Roosevelt’s political polices and the government
regulations engineered to create jobs and increase business income in the Great Depression.
Students will learn about the Works Project Administration, the FDIC, the Agricultural
Adjustment Administration, the Social Security Administration, and other programs that were
created by Franklin Roosevelt.
The teacher can divide the students into small groups and encourage the students to engage in a
debate. The students will interpret the impact of the New Deal programs. The teacher can
assign one group to promote the use of the New Deal policies in the 1930s, and the other team
will learn about the inefficiencies of the government programs.
Student Questions:
1. How did Roosevelt’s policies affect citizens? Did these New Deal policies create jobs?
2. How did the New Deal impact African Americans? Did Roosevelt’s provisions promote
equality?
3. What were the primary objectives of the Works Project Administration? Do you think that
Roosevelt’s strategy reduced the impact of the Great Depression?
4. How did Roosevelt’s policies impact the government’s interaction in local policies?
5. How did Roosevelt’s policies impact the authority of the President? How did the 22nd
Amendment affect these rights?
6. Did the New Deal policies improve education, the arts, and museums?