ALEX Learning Activity

  

That's a Wrap About the Great Depression!

A Learning Activity is a strategy a teacher chooses to actively engage students in learning a concept or skill using a digital tool/resource.

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  This learning activity provided by:  
Author: Heather Harden
System:Dothan City
School:Dothan City Board Of Education
  General Activity Information  
Activity ID: 2943
Title:
That's a Wrap About the Great Depression!
Digital Tool/Resource:
The Great Depression Article by Ducksters
Web Address – URL:
Overview:

Students will wrap up their lessons on the Great Depression by working in collaborative groups to write the gist of an article on this topic. The students will take a short quiz provided by ducksters.com. The quiz will include information from the article as well as information they have learned throughout the lessons about the Great Depression, the Stock Market, and the negative effects they had on the general population. The students will create a Google Slides presentation about what they have learned as a summative activity.

This resource was created in partnership with Dothan City Schools.
  Associated Standards and Objectives  
Content Standard(s):
Social Studies
SS2010 (2010)
Grade: 6
United States Studies: The Industrial Revolution to the Present
5 ) Explain causes and effects of the Great Depression on the people of the United States.

Examples: economic failure, loss of farms, rising unemployment, building of Hoovervilles

•  Identifying patterns of migration during the Great Depression
•  Locating on a map the area of the United States known as the Dust Bowl
•  Describing the importance of the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt as President of the United States, including the New Deal alphabet agencies
•  Locating on a map the river systems utilized by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) (Alabama)
Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, Geography, History, Civics and Government
Course Title: United States Studies: The Industrial Revolution to the Present
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Explain the cause and effects of the Great Depression on the people of the United States.
  • Identify patterns of migration.
  • Locate on a map the area known as the Dust Bowl, as well as the river systems utilized by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
  • Describe the importance of the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
  • Compare and contrast the policies of Harding, Hoover, and Roosevelt.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • depression
  • economic failure
  • Hoovervilles
  • migration
  • Dust Bowl
  • New Deal
  • Tennessee Valley Authority
  • river systems
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • What caused the Great Depression and the effect it had on the people of the United States.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Examine cause and effect to see relationships between people, places, ideas, and events.
  • Use map skills to locate places of historical significance.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • There were many causes and effects of the Great Depression on the people of the U.S.
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SS.AAS.6.5- Define economic depression; identify the general factors of the Great Depression including stock market crash of 1929, Dust Bowl, Hoovervilles, and FDR.
SS.AAS.6.5a - Describe the purpose of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and its location.
Learning Objectives:

The students will demonstrate their learning about the Great Depression, including the causes and effects, by completing a quiz with at least 90% accuracy.

The students will be able to create an informative, accurate, and organized Google Slides presentation about the causes and effects of the Great Depression.
  Strategies, Preparations and Variations  
Phase:
After/Explain/Elaborate
Activity:

The teacher will model how to write a GIST of an article in 20 words or less by using the article provided by ducksters.com. Before the students work independently on writing their GISTs, the teacher will review basic procedures. Here are some procedures for conducting a successful 20-word GIST:  Remind students that the purpose is to write the main idea or "GIST" of the article in 20 words or less. The 20 words should create sentences instead of just words and phrases. The teacher will model the process for the students by writing 20 empty blanks on the board. S(he) will read the opening paragraph and "Before the Crash" aloud. Next, s(he) should think aloud as information is added to the blanks. Pause for questions from the students. Next, partner students together to practice this strategy with the section "The Crash" and "After the Crash." If the students master writing GIST statements, they can work with a partner or group independently to complete a 20-word GIST for the rest of the article. If the teacher can tell more modeling is needed, s(he) will work with that particular group(s) before allowing them to work on their own. The summaries developed will be shared with the class and then posted around the room. Note:  An alternative is to challenge the class in a competition to see who can write a GIST in 20 words or less instead of exactly 20 words.

The students will be given dry-erase boards, dry-erase markers, and an eraser. The teacher will present the quiz from ducksters.com on the interactive whiteboard (Click the "quiz" link under Activities). The quiz is based on the information that was provided in the article. The students will answer the questions on the quiz by writing their answers on the dry-erase board and holding it up for the teacher to view. The teacher will choose the answer that is most written by the students. For example, if most students write the letter "A", then the teacher would choose "A" on the quiz. The students are allowed to stand up and move around the room as needed during the quiz to read the different gist summaries. If the students succeed with 90% accuracy on the quiz, the teacher may move on to the next activity. If the students score lower, the teacher needs to go back and reteach the areas of weakness.

The students will work individually to create a Google Slides or PowerPoint presentation explaining what they have learned about the Great Depression and its causes and effects. The slide show presentation is required to have at least five slides. The students should include a title slide that states their first and last name, at least three slides with information and a works cited slide. Students may use information from the article from ducksters.com, the ReadWorks article, videos, and the graphic organizer from the before activity to gather information for their presentation. The teacher can challenge students who finish early to include more than three informative slides. The presentations will be turned in to the teacher for review. If there is time, some students may present their work to the class.
Assessment Strategies:

The ducksters.com quiz will be given and evaluated to determine mastery of the material. The class must earn 90% accuracy or reteaching will occur.

The teacher will assess the students' slide show presentations to be sure they include all the necessary requirements as well as accurate information.
Advanced Preparation:

The teacher needs to meet with a small group of high-end/advanced learners he/she thinks will be able to create an advanced slide show presentation to teach them how to do backgrounds, transitions, add videos, add hyperlinks, etc.
Variation Tips (optional):

Intervention: Accommodations could include simpler slides provided in the presentation. The teacher could also provide the websites for the student to use to complete the presentation.

Extension: Advanced students should include backgrounds and transitions in the slide show presentation. They could also be required to include a certain number of pictures to go along with their information, more informative slides, add videos, and provide hyperlinks.
Notes or Recommendations (optional):

The teacher needs to assess how comfortable his/her class is with making slide show presentations. If this is a new skill, it will need to be taught before the students are given the assignment.  

Links to Related Activities: 

Before Activity-Challenged Children of the 1930s

During Activity-The Scoop on the 1930's
  Keywords and Search Tags  
Keywords and Search Tags: children of the 1930s, Dust Bowl, economic crisis, economic failure, Great Depression, Hoovervilles, poverty, Stock Market Crash