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Hoover and the Great Depression
Hoover’s Domestic Policy During the Great Depression
Planning this mini-unit
Hoover and the Great Depression is the second mini-unit of Unit 8: Boom and Bust. This mini-unit is taught after “The Roaring 1920s” (first mini-unit in Unit 8: Boom and Bust) and before “Roosevelt and the Great Depression” (last mini-unit of Unit 8: Boom and Bust). Click 
HERE to get a copy of my pacing guide.
Pacing
Teachers should plan three to five days to teach this unit on a traditional schedule with one-hour class periods. However, for those on a block schedule with 1 1/2 hour classes, teachers should plan for 2-3 days. An effective way to structure this unit includes:
Openers
- Fixing the Great Depression
- Hoover and the Great Depression
- The Depression and Farmers
- The Great Depression and Incomes
- Hoover and the Election of 1932
This FREE resource includes 5 openers to use in order to supplement this unit. Begin each class with an opener question. Opener questions can be found on this webpage as an image (see “opener questions” at the bottom of this webpage) or free on TpT (see link). Give students 3-5 minutes to complete the opener question and allow 5-10 minutes for class discussion. Instead of openers, teachers may use this as an end of class check for understanding.
see link). Give students 3-5 minutes to complete the opener question and allow 5-10 minutes for class discussion. Instead of openers, teachers may use this as an end of class check for understanding. 
Lessons
After the opener, begin the Google Slides lesson. Students can take notes on paper using the note-taking guide provided with the Google Slides lesson, or they may take notes digitally with the electronic version (also included with the Google Slides).
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- TEACHER TIP: I post a PDF version of the Google Slides to Google Classroom so that students can review their notes if they are absent. To do this, click “File, Download, PDF” on the Google Slide.
- TEACHER TIP: Some teachers post Google Slides in their Google Classroom and digital note-taking guides for students to complete as homework.
- TEACHER TIP: When pressed for time, I will edit the note-taking guides to include answers for some boxes or delete boxes and slides entirely. Teachers should feel free to modify the lesson to meet their students’ needs and individual learning targets.
- After teaching a concept, take a break from the lecture and show a quick review video to reinforce the concepts. Suggested videos to enhance the lesson are on this webpage.
- Mix up your unit by having the students complete the PROP (Point, Reason to lie or distort, Other sources, Public/private) analysis. For a free resource that reviews PROP, click HERE.
- TEACHER TIP: Group students together to complete this activity. This strategy sparks conversation and encourages critical analysis. Discussed as a class.
- Review additional suggested activities found on this webpage:
- FREE: Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt and the Great Depression from the Bill of Rights Institute.
- FREE: The Role of Government According to the Founders and the Progressives from the Bill of Rights Institute.
- FREE: How Economic Systems Work from the Bill of Rights Institute.
- FREE: Mexican Migration in the 1930s from the Stanford History Education Group
- FREE: The New Deal from Stanford History Education Group
- Print the Prove It activity included in the Google Slides lesson at the end of the unit. Students read statements and determine if they are true or false. If the statement is false, they correct it. This lesson encourages students to review their note-taking guides.
key terms to know
People to Know
- Herbert Hoover
- Franklin Roosevelt
Key Terms
- The Great Depression
- Stock
- Bull Market
- Bear Market
- Buying on Margin
- Laissez-Faire
- Tariff
- Interest Rates
- Hoovervilles
- Hoover Wagons
- Hoover Blankets
- Bonus March
- Election of 1932
Government Agencies
- Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC)
- Public Works Administration (PWA)
- Hoover Dam
Essential Questions
1. Describe the American economy during the election of 1928?
2. What factors contributed to the stock market crash of 1929?
3. Beyond the stock market crash, what were the signs of an unsound economy in the late 1920s?
4. What were the Hoover Administration’s solutions to the Great Depression? Evaluate the effectiveness of these solutions.
5. What was the Bonus March and how did it affect Hoover’s popularity?
6. Compare and contrast the policy platforms of Hoover and Roosevelt during the election of 1932.
29 Slides (editable) with graphic organizer note-taking guide and summative assessment worksheet. This Google Slides reviews the how Franklin Roosevelt responded to the Great Depression through the New Deal.
This Google Slides:
- Editable
- Has checks for understanding/thinking questions throughout the Google Slides
- Interesting and varied graphic design
- A variety of different sources to catch your students’ attention and engage them with the content: maps, charts, primary sources, quotes, newspapers, etc.
- Major Concepts Reviewed:
- Hoover before the crash
- Key terms: Great Depression, stocks, buying on margin
- How buying stocks works
- Buying stocks on margin
- The Bull and the Bear Markets: Prosperity of the 1920s and Black Tuesday
- Press reports on the crash
- Signs of an unsound economy: Farmers, credit, laissez-faire, banks
- Causes of the Great Depression graphic
- Unemployment and GDP
- Global unemployment
- Hoover’s solutions: Reconstruction Finance Corporation, laissez-faire, public works, interest rates and tariffs
- Decline in income
- Hooverville, Hoover Blankets and Hoover Wagons
- Bonus March
- Election of 1932
Note-Taking Guide with a Teacher’s Key:
- Works with Google Classroom (students can type in a document, or handwrite)
- Includes ideas on how to use this in your lesson
- Great for IEP, 504, EL students or students who need modifications
- Helps students be accountable for information during lecture
- Comes with print and digital notetaking guides.
Post-Notes Analysis Worksheet with a Teacher’s Key:
- Works with Google Classroom (students can type in a document or handwrite)
- Includes ideas on how to use this in your lesson
- Has a True/False checking for understanding
- Includes a document that connects to information from the slides.
- Comes with print and digital post-notes analysis guides.
- Students are asked to ” Prove It,” “Analyze It” “Personalize It” and “Explore Limitations.”
Helpful Videos for Your Students
Unit Activities
Click on the images below to access these suggested resources
Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt and the Great Depression
Bill of Rights Institute
The Role of Government According to the Founders and the Progressives
Bill of Rights Institute
How Economic Systems Work
Bill of Rights Institute
Mexican Migration
Stanford History Education Group
quick links
hey there
Thank you for stopping by Teacher Bistro. I created this place as a resource for educators who wanted a easy way to find resources. In my first ten years of teaching I can’t tell you how many hours I spent gathering lesson plans, video guides and lectures. Hopefully, you have added this site to your bookmarks, and this place can make teaching a little bit easier.