Roosevelt and the Great Depression

F.D.R.’s Domestic Policy During the Great Depression

Planning this mini-unit

Roosevelt and the Great Depression is the third mini-unit of Unit 8: Boom and Bust. This mini-unit is taught after “President Hoover and the Great Depression” (second mini-unit in Unit 8: Boom and Bust) and before “American Neutrality” (First mini-unit of Unit 9: World War II). 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

Franklin Roosevelt and the Bonus Army
New Deal and the Alphabet Agencies
Father Charles Coughlin
The Social Security Act
Entertainment in the Great Depression

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.

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).

1. 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.
2. TEACHER TIP: Some teachers post Google Slides in their Google Classroom and digital note-taking guides for students to complete as homework.
3. 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.
1. 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:
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

Franklin Roosevelt
Dorothea Lange
Eleanor Roosevelt
Charles Coughlin
Huey Long

Key Terms

The 3Rs: Relief, Recovery, and Reform
The New Deal
First 100Days
Alphabet Agencies
Bank Holiday
Fireside Chats
The Wagner Act
The Bonus March 1933
21st Amendment
Court Packing
Recession of 1937
Deficit Spending

New Deal Agencies

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Farm Security Administration (FSA)
The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
Civil Works Administration (CWA)
Works Progress Administration (WPA)
Social Security Administration (SSA)
National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA)
National Recovery Administration (NRA)

1. How did Americans’ view of the role of the federal government change from 1928-1933?

2. By 1933, what problems persisted in the American economy that President Franklin Roosevelt needed to address? What was the most pressing issue, according to Roosevelt?

3. What was Roosevelt’s plan to solve the problems of the Great Depression?

4. Identify and evaluate the effectiveness of New Deal “Relief” agencies.

5. Identify and evaluate the effectiveness of New Deal “Recovery” agencies.

6. Identify and evaluate the effectiveness of New Deal “Reform” agencies.

7. How did the government fund New Deal programs? To what extent do you support those sources of funding?

8. How did workers’ rights and labor activism change during the Great Depression?

9. Who were the prominent critics of the New Deal, what were their arguments, and to what extent were they valid?

10. Compare the arguments in support of and against the New Deal.

Google Slides & Note Taking Guides

Click image for link to source

First page of print note taking guide

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:
1. The New Deal
2. The 3Rs: Relief, Recovery, Reform
3. First 100 Days
4. Bank Holiday
5. New Deal Agencies: FDIC, SEC, FSA, AAA, TVA, CCC, CWA, PWA, SPA, SSA, NLRB
6. Dorothea Lange
7. Paying for the New Deal: Deficit Spending
8. 21st Amendment
9. Recession of 1937
10. Wagner Act
11. Eleanor Roosevelt
12. Bonus March 1933
13. Charles Coughlin
14. Huey Long
15. Election of 1936
16. Cour Packing
17. Entertainment of the 1930sThis Google Slides reviews the how Franklin Roosevelt responded to the Great Depression through the New Deal

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

The New Deal

Bill of Rights Institute

The Role of Government According to the Founders and the Progressives

Bill of Rights Institute

FDR’s Fireside Chats and Identity

Bill of Rights Institute