Lesson Plan Guide

Teacher Candidate:

Austin Maness

Date:

10/1/14

Grade and Topic:

11th Grade U.S. History

Length of Lesson:1 Class of 55 min

Mentor Teacher:

Mrs. Marla Phillips

School: University of Memphis IDT 7061

LESSON OBJECTIVE:
Students should come away with a working knowledge of the different struggles that plagued the
citizens of the United States throughout the course of one of the roughest economic portions of U.S.
History.

Students will participate in discussions and turn in their assignment on time.

STANDARDS ADDRESSED:
This lesson addresses standard US.47 for the state of Tennessee Education Department.

The ISTE Standard addressed is Creativity and innovation. Specifically the ability to create original work to show
personal expression.

PROCEDURES AND TIMELINE:

What would have been the most difficult aspect of the Great Depression for you to handle as an
individual?
The assignment will be to pick three struggles that individuals faced during the great depression write
one paragraph on each of these struggles and find one image which you feel represents the struggle and
your stance on that struggle well.
ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE:
The assessment will be the student project which requires the student to pick three struggles faced
during the great depression, write a paragraph a piece on the struggles and find an image that
appropriately fits the listed struggles.
Example of Student Product Attached
Austin Maness
U.S. History

10/1/14
Great Depression Project

1. Shortage of Capital- The Great Depression ultimately occurred because nervous individuals trying to withdraw all
money from a slowly failing bank system. This rush on the banks caused banks to deny people claims to their
money. The panic that ensued sent the countries economy into a downward spiral. The loss of capital crashed the
countrys economy in a way that couldnt have been imagined to that point. Capital became harder to obtain and
less valuable when it was obtained. This huge economic swing affected the country so badly that only the bare
necessities to survival were affordable to families. Money became so difficult to acquire and so highly valued that
some adults even resorted to selling their children.

a.
2. Shortage of Jobs- The Great Depression not only devalued the money that people had saved but also made it
much more difficult to come by. The shortage of money forced many businesses small and large to shut down
leaving hundreds of thousands of individuals out of work. With the rising costs of nearly every purchasable item
people needed more money than ever, however businesses that didnt shut down were hard-pressed to stay open
and pay the remaining employees they had left, much less add new workers. With capital running dangerously
low and people losing their jobs left and right, it was an all-time high for unemployment percentages in the U.S.
These percentages at one point reached nearly 25%. With almost a quarter of the adult population unemployed the
effects were increasingly severe and felt nationwide.

a.
3. Shortage of Food- I mentioned earlier that the lack of capital trimmed down individuals spending to the bare
minimum needed to survive. One of the bare minimums of survival of course is nourishment. Farmers and food
producers likely saw the Great Depression as an opportunity to cash in on the rising cost of food and make a
significant amount of money. However two factors prevented this from happening. The first of these two factors
relates back to the lack of capital. In order to maximize profits, many farmers took out loans to grow their
business during this time, however many of the farmers couldnt afford to pay back the loans and faced stiff
enough punishment for this which lead to the foreclosure of some farms and the lack of highly productive farms
in general. The other factor was sheer bad luck honestly. It just so happens that during this time a natural
phenomenon titled the dust bowl sent a cloud of dust and dirt across the nation which severely hampered the
efforts of farmers to provide for the growing demand of food. These factors made food itself a rare commodity
which many people who couldnt find a job and therefore couldnt make money had no chance of being able to
afford the sky rocketing prices of food.

a.