Have your students see themselves through the lens of an investigator, exploring a complex and important inquiry…. ‘What factors caused the Great Depression’? Students, or your class investigators, will examine a variety of context clues and information that will help them solve this question. Students will identify the causal clues along with its effects, and then create a ‘LOOP’ (web) diagram that will serve to demonstrate their understandings of how these underlying causes interconnect with one another. This unit will prompt your students to become active learners in their pursuit of solving the mystery.

*This unit will have students explore dynamics of the 1920's, Great Depression, and the New Deal.

In addition, there are 3 optional extension activities to choose from:

1. Comparing advertising from the 1920's to today, and filling out a Venn diagram.
2. Listening to FDR's first fire side chat, and answering comprehension questions.
3. New Deal Matching Game: Analyzing & matching New Deal programs with the problems they attempted to address.

Materials:

• Teacher Reference Guide

• Google Slide Presentation with engaging & informative video clips
• Guided Notes
• Loop Diagram (Web) Grading Rubrics
• New Deal Matching Game 

• Answer Key

Time Frame: 1.5- 2 weeks (1 hr class periods)

If you liked this lesson see other related lessons here:

• Child Labor: Comparing Industrial Era to Today
• Intro to Economics: Needs V. Wants
• Post Zombie Apocalypse: What Form of Government Would YOU Create?
• American Imperialism Interactive Notebook [UNIT]
• FDR & The New Deal Matching Game [Included in this resource] (FREEBIE)

The 1920's, The Great Depression, The New Deal