TEACHING AMERICAN HISTORY 3
LESSON PLAN
TEACHERs: Karen Cadena-Quintero & Tina Walker
SUBJECT: U. S. History & English
TITLE OF LESSON: The Great Depression
STANDARD: 11.6
Students analyze the major political, social, economic, technological, and cultural
developments of the 1920s.
OBJECTIVES: Students will:
1. Summarize the critical problems threatening the American economy in the late 1920s.
2. Describe the causes of the stock market crash and Great Depression
3. Explain how the Great Depression affected the economy in the United States and throughout the
World.
MATERIAL NEEDED:
PRIMARY SOURCE:
www.shmoop.com
Great Depression
Literature excerpts
Humanities: art
Religion: sermons by Father Coughlin
MAPS:
www.History.com
Maps of the great depression – Interactive – photos, maps, etc.
SPONGE ACTIVITY:
HISTORY FROM VISUALS
Interpreting the Photograph: Students will examine the photo on pages 462-463 in the text and identify details of the
photo that tell what is going on. I will ask students how they think the people in the photo might have felt at the
moment the picture was taken.
www.History.com
DVD: The Great Depression - The Great Shake-up – Examine the changes that swept the shaken nation during the
first year of the Great Depression, from the landslife victory of FDR in 1932, to the California migrations of Dust Bowl
farmers.
Page 2 of 2: The Great Depression
ANTICIPATORY SET ;
1. What groups of people will be most hurt by the economic crash?
2. What can you do to find a paying job?
3. What can employed and impoverished people do to help improve each other?
CONTENT DELIVERY:
1. Focus and Motivate:
Ask students what would happen if they spent more money than they actually had. Follow
up by asking them to consider what happens when many people and businesses are in that
situation.
2. Instruct: Scaffold the objectives and vocabulary into manageable “chunks”. Using inquiry
skills, ask open-ended questions. Have the questions on the “eno” board. Students will use
Cornell note taking format to respond to each questions as the teacher lead the discussion.
3. Differentiating Instructions: Have students make a “T”chart and analyze the cause and
effect of the Great Depression.
ACTIVITY;
1. Students will receive a “guided reading” handout and work in groups of 3 – 4 to complete
the activity.
STUDENT ASSESSMENT;
1. A blank guided reading will be projected on the Eno board. Each group will be required to
share information with other class mates by filling in the correct responses to the guided
reading handout on the board.
2. Teacher will ask – Are the responses correct? If not, correct the incorrect ones by crossing
out, not deleting and then writing the correct answer. After this activity has been completed,
the teacher will share via discussion the correct responses – elaborating on other appropriate
responses.
CLOSURE ;
1. Lesson objective will be reviewed.
2. Students will reflect on and/or summarize their learning for the day.
3. Section quiz (5 – 10 questions) will be given in order to document of progress before the
chapter test.