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Mark Smith
08
Project
Summary
Mark D. Smith
8th grade social studies
Hornell Junior/Senior High School
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Project overview
The Great
Depression and Dustbowl 1929-1940
This project was to allow students to research
for themselves different aspects of the Great Depression. At the
same time I taught an overview of some of the more important aspects
of the time.
Each student would research and write a paper
on a specific part of the depression. When finished they would be
put into groups each person representing a different aspect. From
these groups students would create a news report using one of the
three main forms of communication of the time; Film, Radio, or
Newspaper.
The choices
to research:
Economic: This is the study of how
goods were produced, how money was spent, and how people obtained
the goods they needed.
Technological: This is the study of the
inventions of this time period and how they affected everyday life.
Entertainment: This is the study of
what people did for fun.
Social: This is the study of everyday
people and what they did. It is a collection of information that
would be considered the “norm.”
Political: This is the study of how the
government reacted or changed during the Great Depression.
Possible
Media Choices:
Newspaper:
This group will create the front page of a
newspaper. This paper should look as professional as possible. This
means that each story will be typed and photos will be used. There
must be a headline. There will be no blank space. If you need to
fill in small spaces of the front page, you may create ads specific
to the time.
Radio:
The Radio project required that they record on
the computer, up to five minutes of a news broadcast.
They must write a script before you record
with assigned parts for each member of your group.
The news broadcast must have one story from
each of the subjects.
This recording was to be made available to the
rest of the class on the Hornell High School Website.
Newsreel project:
The newsreel required them to come up with a
five to ten minute film performed by students or adults playing the
roles.
This recording was to be made available to the
rest of the class on the Hornell High School Website.
Process/ Time Line:
Day 1: Students will be introduced to
the project and given handouts. Students should pick the top three
subjects they would want to research.
Day 2: Library- Students will be review
research methods
Day 3: Library- Beginning in-depth
research. Students will begin researching their subjects in the
1930’s and begin a bibliography.
Day 4: Library- At this time you should
have your outline and research done and should begin your paper.
Day 5: Classroom- Rough drafts are due
for peer evaluation.
Weekend 1: This weekend it is advisable
that you work on your final draft. The public Library has a large
number of resources for you to use and would be a good place.
Day 6: Library: This is the last day
that you will be in the library.
Day 7: In class: Final papers are
due and groups will be made by the end of the period. The lesson
will be on the great depression. Review of the causes of the great
depression and the failures of the Hoover administration. The
election of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the first programs he
introduced.
Day 8: Teacher meets with group to
discuss progress and answer questions.
Day9: In Class notes on government
reform and power point presentation on the depression. Review of the
three “R’s” of the government “Recovery, Relief,
and Reform
Day 10: Assessment of project by
teacher and groups with Class work on the Depression.
Weekend 2: This weekend you should to
meet with your group and finalize your projects. The library is a
good place.
Day 11: Review of the Dust bowl and its
effects on the Midwest farmer, migration, and the cultural
diffusion.
Final projects are going to be due
Thursday, March 27: In class Review of projects. We will take
time to look at news papers, listen to radio broadcasts, and Watch
some of the news reels.
Reflection:
I began this project with great hopes. The
amount of material that I provided the students outlined
expectations aided them greatly and their research was good. I do
need to augment some of the information that I give them to aid them
in their research. We succeeded in keeping to the time line and they
seemed motivated to do well. Students also found great subjects to
look up. I was impressed by those students who did research of the
authors of the time and analyzed how their writing reflected the
hardships of the depression. There were also a number of students
who discussed the importance of movies, the dustbowl, the Empire
State Building, as well as the inability of the government to help
people in the pre-new deal days.
One of the greatest disappointments that
happened at this time was that I found that most of my students had
a hard time writing the essays. This became such a challenge to them
that I was forced to cancel the media part of the project in favor
of allowing them to re-write their essays.
Plan for
next year:
1)
Need to make sure that students have a better grasp of essay writing
before we begin. I have already spoken to the English department on
cross curricular teaching for this purpose.
2)
Need to have create a set of key search words for each broad concept
3)
Need to add the concept of art to entertainment (Photo’s could be
social?)
4)
Need to make sure that all students have passwords for computer
access before we start.
5)
Consider cops and robbers for a subject.
Mark
Smith 07-08 Reflection in Word
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