Mrs. Miano

American History

Emerson Middle School

Photograph from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

You come to this country all by yourself as a new immigrant, with dreams of health, wealth and happiness. Finally, you meet the man of your dreams. You take on the role of a housewife, caring for your four children while your husband goes out and supports the family financially. Life is great! You actually just gave birth to your first son. Suddenly, your life flips upside down when your husband dies of a sudden heart attack once he realizes that the stock market has crashed and he lost of the family’s savings. Now, all of a sudden you are left to support your family all on your own. You have no family in the country, no savings and there are no government services such as welfare, section 8, w.i.c., etc…. What are you going to do? How are you going to feed your children? Pay your bills? Keep your house? This was life for many individuals during the Great Depression. How would you feel going through this horrible crisis during the Great Depression? Who do you think is responsible for the problems in the nation at this time? What would you do to make people facing similar situations in our country at this time prevail and survive?

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

You will write a report based on the causes of the Great Depression and President FDR’s New Deal policy. You will also include a letter to President FDR identifying what you like about his New Deal policy and two suggestions of what you would have done differently.

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Photograph from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration

Step I: You will be assigned to a group of three. Using a variety of resources (Internet websites, your textbook, handouts, etc.), each group will research the topic of the Great Depression. Each Public Policy worksheet will be collected and graded as part of your final grade. You will record your research on the Public Policy worksheets (found at the following five links):

· Identify Problem

· Gather the Evidence

· Determine Causes

· Evaluate the Policy

· Do a Comparative Analysis

* Please note that each group will submit only one copy of the Public Policy worksheets.

Step 2: You will be assigned to work independently on your report.

* Please note: Each student is responsible for their own individual report and

letter to FDR.

Step 3: You will write a four page report based on the cause of the great depression and

President FDR’s New Deal policy.

* You must make reference to FDR’s three R’s (Relief, Reform & Recovery).

Step 4: You will also include a letter to President FDR identifying what you like about his

New Deal policy and two suggestions of what you would have done differently.

FYI – Your report and letter to the President will total 4 pages.

DUE DATE:

Photograph from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

Here are a list of resources that may be used along with other teacher approved resources that you may

find on your own.

http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/H/1994/ch9_p8.htm - The Great Depression

http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/H/1994/ch10_p1.htm - The New Deal

http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blyindexdepression.htm - Pictures

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rails/timeline/ - Pictures during the Great Depression

http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture18.html - The Great Depression

Photograph from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

Rubric 1: Collaborative Work Skills: Group Work

Rubric 2: The Great Depression Report

Collaborative Work Skills : Group Work

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Contributions	Has valid and insightful Contributes to group	Occasionally has valid and insightful contributions	Sometimes has valid and insightful contributions	Rarely has valid or insightful contributions
Working with Others	Maintained team work in group all of the time	Maintained team work in group most of the time	Maintained team work in the group some of the time	Maintained team work in the group rarely
Attitude	Positive attitude toward group and assignment constantly	Positive attitude toward group and assignment most of the time	Positive attitude toward the group and assignment some of the time	Positive attitude toward the group and the task rarely
Focus on the task	Maintained consistent focus on the given assignment	Maintained focus on the given assignment most of the time	Maintained focus on the assignment some of the time	Maintained focus on the assignment rarely
Preparedness	Always came with supplies and completed outside assignments	Usually came with supplies and usually completed outside assignments	Sometimes came with supplies and sometimes completed outside assignments	Rarely came with supplies and rarely completed outside assignments

The Great Depression Report

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Sources (Content)	All sources used for quotes and facts are credible and cited correctly.	All sources used for quotes and facts are credible and most are cited correctly.	Most sources used for quotes and facts are credible and cited correctly.	Many sources used for quotes and facts are less than credible (suspect) and/or are not cited correctly.
Accuracy of Facts (Content)	All supportive facts are reported accurately.	Almost all supportive facts are reported accurately.	Most supportive facts are reported accurately.	NO facts are reported OR most are inaccurately reported.
Focus on Topic (Content)	There is one clear, well-focused topic. Main idea stands out and is supported by detailed information.	Main idea is clear but the supporting information is general.	Main idea is somewhat clear but there is a need for more supporting information.	The main idea is not clear. There is a seemingly random collection of information.
Support for Topic (Content)	Relevant, telling, quality details give the reader important information that goes beyond the obvious or predictable.	Supporting details and information are relevant, but one key issue or portion of the storyline is unsupported.	Supporting details and information are relevant, but several key issues or portions of the storyline are unsupported.	Supporting details and information are typically unclear or not related to the topic.
Grammar & Spelling (Conventions)	Writer makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distracts the reader from the content.	Writer makes 1-2 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Writer makes 3-4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Writer makes more than 4 errors in grammar or spelling that distracts the reader from the content.
Adding Personality (Voice)	The writer seems to be writing from knowledge or experience. The author has taken the ideas and made them "his own."	The writer seems to be drawing on knowledge or experience, but there is some lack of ownership of the topic.	The writer relates some of his own knowledge or experience, but it adds nothing to the discussion of the topic.	The writer has not tried to transform the information in a personal way. The ideas and the way they are expressed seem to belong to someone else.

New York State ELA and Social Studies Standards

English Language Arts Performance Standards

E1c: Read and comprehend informational materials.

E2a: Produce a report of information.

Social Studies Standards

Standard 1: The History of the United States and New York

Standard 3: Geography

Standard 4: Economics

Photograph from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration

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On completing this assignment, you will have a better understanding of the Great Depression and how it affected Americans. You will also learn about some of the measures taken by the government to help address the problems brought on by the Depression.

Photograph from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.