Who Did It?

The Real Cause of The Great Depression 1

Who Did It? The Real Cause of The Great Depression.

Jeanette K. Auberry

Arizona State University

Who Did It? The Real Cause of The Great Depression 2

Summary of Project

Within Rhodes Jr. High School, a large majority of the students come from low income

homes, making the school a Title I school. This project is needed for the students in order for

them to learn how recessions happen to countries and how they can be avoided. These children

now were born into a recession and some families still may not have recovered fully. If students

can fully understand who and what can cause a recession, they can be able to identify if and

when another one may be beginning in their lifetimes.

During the project, students will be participating in multiple project-based learning

activities. Students will be divided up into groups on their first day of the project, each group

being a different profession before The Great Depression (farmers, bankers, etc.). Each day

students will be given new information from primary and secondary sources to look through and

pick out evidence as to why they were not the cause of the depression and why another group

was the cause. Each day they collect their evidence, they will add to an on-going slideshow

presentation that they will later use to present their evidence that they have found.

The project impacts student learning in several ways. Through this project, students are

becoming educated on The Great Depression and all of the components of the time. The students

will also learn how to work collaboratively as they are working in groups with other students in

their class. Students are also learning how to conduct research using sources and finding relevant

evidence that they may use in an argument. This project also impacts their engagement in several

ways. Students are conducting their own research within the document given to them, they are

finding their own evidence and quotation to use for their arguments. They also are being engaged

through their presentations they are expected to be putting together as the project goes on. At the

end of the project, the students are expected to present their arguments in a debate format
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between all of the groups. The final day will consist of the group or groups that students believe

to be the cause of the depression to present to an Arizona State University Economics professor

and the principal of the school in order to get their beliefs and research out there.

Project Impact

The number of students that will be directly impacted by this project this year alone will

be one hundred and sixty students. In two or three years, over five hundred students at least will

be directly impacted by participating in this project. By gaining this knowledge now, students

will be able to identify elements of an incoming recession or signs of a recession throughout their

lives. This project impacts students learning in several ways. Students are taught the elements of

the depression that occurred in the 1930’s. With this information, students are able to identify

recessions present day or in the near future. Also, students are learning how to interact with their

peers and how to work in a group being that they are separated into groups on the first day.

Students are also learning how to develop an argument and present the argument using evidence

they gather from primary and secondary sources. Students are engaged each and every day

throughout the project. Each day, students assess new sources and review each source for

evidence and direct quotes. After they find their quotations, they are to add to their slideshow

presentation their new evidence to continue to build their argument.

This project impacts me as a teacher in several ways. While students are given their

documents, it allows for me to see what information students find useful in order to build their

argument, this also allows for me to see if students still need work on finding useful information.

It also allows for me to see how students from different economic backgrounds approach projects

involving the economy. This is also the same for other teachers within my team at the school.

After the project is over, their debate with their arguments and ideas will be presented in front of
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the other classes and teachers within the team. Other teachers are able to see how students do

with gathering relevant information and their ability to present an argument. This project can

also become a collaboration with the English department or English teacher. Before this project

begins in Social Studies, the English class can go over argumentative paragraphs or essays with

the students. That way, instead of utilizing slideshow presentations, students can write a

paragraph and/or essay displaying their argument.

Within the school, students will be able to show their teachers and classmates their ability

to understand things as serious as The Great Depression and recessions in general. Within their

classes, students will gain connections with other students they may not have had before by

working collaboratively. Within their community, present and future, students will be

understanding of recessions and while they may not be able to entirely prevent them on their

own, they are able to prepare themselves and others if one were to occur in their lifetime again.

Students also can present what they learned to their parents or families, or those who may not

fully understand how recessions or depressions happen.