Introduction
After WWI many Americans were glad for things to get back to normal. The years following WWI became known as the “Roaring Twenties.” There were many technological advances such as the radio, refrigerators, and electric stoves. Americans flocked to the nearest retail stores to purchase these items. Many people couldn’t afford to buy the items outright, but instead opted to use the new installment purchase option. Women could now store their dairy items in the refrigerator and bake delicious cakes and cookies in their new electric stoves. Children were able to sit by the radio to listen to their favorite comedy or adventure stories. Many people started to invest their money into the stock market in hopes of making it rich. If you didn’t have the money to invest, you could always use the installment option. Pay a portion upfront and borrow the rest. This system seemed to be working until the stock market crashed and many Americans lost everything in 1929. This time of great loss and desperation became known as the Great Depression. This Web Quest will give you a glimpse into the lives of Americans during this trying time.
Task
You will complete several activities to help you understand the Great Depression. The skill that will be highlighted in this WebQuest is reading comprehension. You will read information from a variety of sources, and you will use that information to help you create several final products. You will view this time period from a variety of perspectives. You will be given 5 tasks in which you will research and complete the following activities.
Task 1 Herbert Hoover
- Read and answer a prompt about Herbert Hoover's actions relating to the Great Depression.
Task 2 Hoovervilles and Hooverisms
- You will create a visual essay of Hoovervilles and give descriptions of each image.
- You will research Hooverisms to find their meanings.
- You will write a short story about life in a Hooverville using the Hooverisms to make your story more authentic.
Task 3 Food During the Great Depression
- Research soup kitchens during the Great Depression (Al Capone)
- Read an excerpt from Kids During the Great Depression by Lisa Wroble
- Research Great Depression Recipes
- Choose two recipes from the link provided and create a short story about a mother who has to stretch those recipes to make them feed her familly.
- Email roughdraft to a classmate for peer editing
- Make all necessary changes and email to teacher for final grade
Task 4 Hoboes
- Read Letters From the Boxcar Boys and Girls, from the book Riding the Rails, Teenagers on the Move During the Great Depression by Errol Lincoln Uys
- Watch a clip from a documentary about hoboes
- Create a hobo journal-at least 10 days worth of journal entries (minimum 1 paragraph per entry)
- Use Map Fling to show the route that the hobo from the story traveled
Task 5 The Roosevelt's Mail
- Read letters that were sent to Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt
- Keep tally marks for items requested in the letters
- Create an Excel spreadsheet with the information from the tally sheet
- Create a line graph using the information from the tally sheet
- Create a pie graph using the information from the tally sheet
- Choose one letter and write a reply as if you were Eleanor Roosevelt
Task 6 Web Quest Reflection
Use Microsoft Word to create a reflection about each task found in the Web Quest.
The reflection of each task should include the following;
- Brief summary of content of each task.
- Did you think that the links were helpful?
- Did you think that the task was engaging?
- Did you learn something new about the topic?
- What specifically did you like about each task?
- What specifically did you not like about each task?
- How could the task be changed to make it better?
Process
Task 1 Herbert Hoover
https://www.biography.com/people/herbert-hoover-9343371
Part 1-Read the information from the above link to learn more about Herbert Hoover.
https://hoover.archives.gov/exhibits/Hooverstory/gallery06/index.htmlpP
Part 2-Read the section titled "A Day of Reckoning" from the link above.
Part 3-Writing Prompt
According to “A Day of Reckoning” Hoover refused to accept the "natural" economic cycle in which a market crash was followed by cuts in business investment, production and wages. In what ways did Hoover try to stop the “natural” economic cycle? Use a minimum of 4 examples from the text in your writing. Use Microsoft Word to create your response. You will email your response to jamie.sparks@k12.wv.us
Task 2 Hoovervilles and Hooverisms
Hooverville definition https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hooverville
Hooverism definition https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hooverism
Assignment
Part 1-Use the following links to create a visual essay of Hoovervilles. You must use at least 10 images with a brief description of each Hooverville. You may use images of single homes/families or those with multiple homes/families. In the description you must include the location of that specific home/homes. You will create a Power Point Presentation to display all of your Hoovervilles with descriptions. You will present this Power Point to the class.
http://depts.washington.edu/depress/hooverville.shtml
http://www.thinglink.com/scene/521362990570668032
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/20th-hoovervilles.html
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattles-hoovervilles-were-depression-era-homeless-camps/
Part 2-Use the Internet to find the meanings of the following Hooverisms. You will also find an additional 3 Hooverisms that are not listed. You will add all of the Hooverisms along with their meanings on the Power Point Presentation with the Hoovervilles.
1. Hoover hogs-_______________________________________________________
2. Hoover blankets-____________________________________________________
3. Hoover leather-_____________________________________________________
4. Hoover flag-_______________________________________________________
5. _______________________________________--
6. _______________________________________--
7. _______________________________________--
Part 3-Write a short story about living in a Hooverville. You must use one of the images from your research as your inspiration. You will incorporate all of the Hooverisms above to make your story sound and feel more realistic for the time period. You will type your story as a Word document and email to jamie.sparks@k12.wv.us
Task 3 Food during the Great Depression
For many Americans, food was scarce during the Great Depression. Many were forced to stand in long lines at soup kitchens in hopes that they could feed their children. If you were lucky you got through the line before they ran out or before they added water to the soup to stretch it.
Part 1-Go the the link below to find out more about soup kitchens during the Great Depression
https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/al-capones-soup-kitchen-great-depression-chicago-1931/
Part 2-Read pg. 13 "Food" from the book Kids During the Great Depression by Lisa A. Wroble. Use the link below. Keep this information in mind as you will use it in Part 3.
Part 3-Use the link below to explore a variety of recipes that were common during the Great Depression. Read the ingredients and directions for each recipe listed. You will choose two of the recipes in which you will incorporate into a story. You will take on the role of the mother of a family of 5 during the Great Depression. You will only have the ingredients to make two of the recipes. You will need to stretch the meals in order to feed your family for the entire week. Your story must include the hardships that a mother faced during the Great Depression. It is up to the mother to make sure that her children have food to eat. Remember often times mothers and fathers would skip meals in order for their children to have enough food. Your story must include the following information;
https://www.littlethings.com/depression-era-recipes/
1. Names of all 5 family members
2. Where does the family live? City and State? Hooverville?
3. What is/was the occupation of the father?
4. What ingredients can the mother find/grow to create the two recipes?
5. What two recipes does the mother cook for her family?
6. How does the mother stretch the meals to ensure that her family has enough food to eat?
7. What is the mother's mood in the story? Happy, sad, worried, determined, angry, etc.
8. How do the children respond to the meals that the mother has prepared?
9. What is the mothers response to the children's reactions to the meals?
Use Microsoft Word to create a rough draft of the story. Email your story to your designated partner for a peer review. Use the highlight tool to add any suggestions or any changes that you believe are needed. As always use appropriate spelling, indention, capitalization, and punctuation.
Task 4 Hoboes
Part 1-Go to the site below to find the meaning of the term hobo.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hobo
Part 2-Go to the link below to read Letters From the Boxcar Boys and Girls, from the book Riding the Rails, Teenagers on the Move During the Great Depression by Errol Lincoln Uys
http://erroluys.com/letter2.html
Use the following link to watch a portion of a documentary that accompanies the book Riding the Rails.
http://ridingtherails-themovie.com/
Part 3-You will assume the role of a hobo. You will be either a teenage boy or girl that has left their home in search of a job, food, or family. You will use the experiences from the Letters From the Boxcar Boys and Girls as inspiration. You will highlight the route that you would have taken on your travels as a hobo around the United States. You will use the Map Fling link below to pin all of your locations. You must show at least 3 stops on your way from your initial destination to your final destination. You will create a daily journal to detail your journey. You will use the appropriate dates that correlate with the Great Depression. You will write a minimum of 10 journal entries. All journal entries must be at least one paragraph. Some examples of journal topics are;
1. Why you decided to leave home?
2. This will be your starting point. Describe your home and where you are from including city and state.
3. Who did you meet along the way?
4. What did you eat? Where did you sleep?
5. What kind of danger did you encounter?
6. Was life better or worse now that you were away from home?
7. Did you miss hom? Family?
8. Did you ever think of going back home?
9. You must list/describe all three of the stops that are marked on your map.
10. Do you regret the decisions that you have made thus far?
When you go to Map Fling you type in the city and state of the location that you wish to pin. You then click on the map and it will add that location. You will click on the box to add a description of that location. You will label each stop as follows;
1. Home
2. Stop number 1
3. Stop number 2
4. Stop number 3
5. Final Destination
You can add more pins if you like, but they are not required.
Task 5 The Roosevelt's Mail
Herbert Hoover's term as the 31st President of the United States has now ended. Franklin Delano Roosevelt found himself no longer the Governor of New York, but now as the Commander in Chief of the United States of America. Destitute Americans looked upon President Roosevelt as a much needed change. President Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor found themselves trying to find ways to help struggling Americans. Eleanor Roosevelt was a First Lady unlike any that had come before her. She was active in supporting her husband by giving speeches and working hard for women's rights and racial inequality. Many Americans thought of the Roosevelts as friends, and often asked favors of them. The Roosevelts received hundreds of thousands of letters each year by desperate men, women, and children. The following link has a variety of letters written to the Roosevelts by children asking for a variety of items.
Part 1-Visit the link below. You will read all of the letters listed. Make a list and keep a tally of the item or items that each letter is requesting.
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/active_learning/explorations/children_depression/help_president.cfm
Part 2-You will use the tally information to create a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. You will use the information to create a line graph and a pie chart. You will write a brief summary to describe the information that is found in the line graph and pie chart.
Part 3-Imagine that you are Eleanor Roosevelt and you can only help one of the children that sent a letter. Which child would you choose to help and why? Write a letter back to the child explaining how you plan to help them. You will share the original letter that you chose with the class along with your response as Eleanor Roosevelt.
Task 6 Web Quest Reflection
Use Microsoft Word to create a reflection about each task found in the Web Quest.
The reflection of each task should include the following;
- Summary of each task
- Did you think that the links were helpful?
- Did you think that the task was engaging?
- Did you learn something new about the topic?
- What specifically did you like about each task?
- What specifically did you not like about each task?
- How could the task be changed to make it better?
Evaluation
Students will be evaluated on each task that is listed on the Process tab. Students will follow the checklist for each task. Students will be evaluated on the final product of each task. Students will submit their work via email for grading. Students will also complete a Web Quest reflection. Students will be emailed the checklists for each task.
Conclusion
There was nothing great about the Great Depression. People lost their posessions and the ability to feed and clothe their families. Americans are very resourceful and found a way to make it through some of the toughest times that this country has ever faced. The Great Depression touched every person from every walk of life. Men searched for jobs in hopes to earn enough money to feed their children and keep a roof over their heads. Women scrimped and saved and stretched every meal as far as she could, while often times doing without so her children could eat. Desperate children wrote letters to the Roosevelts begging for items such as winter coats, old soiled dresses, and money for a sibling to go to the hospital.
Credits
https://www.biography.com/people/herbert-hoover-9343371
https://hoover.archives.gov/exhibits/Hooverstory/gallery06/index.html
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hooverville
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hooverism
http://depts.washington.edu/depress/hooverville.shtml
http://www.thinglink.com/scene/521362990570668032
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/20th-hoovervilles.html
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattles-hoovervilles-were-depression-era-homeless-camps/
https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/al-capones-soup-kitchen-great-depression-chicago-1931/
https://www.littlethings.com/depression-era-recipes/
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hobo
http://erroluys.com/letter2.html
http://ridingtherails-themovie.com/
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/active_learning/explorations/children_depression/help_president.cfm
Teacher Page
My name is Jamie Sparks and I am a 6th grade Social Studies teacher at Logan Middle School. I am a second year teacher, and I love my job! I am excited about this Web Quest and look forward to sharing it with my students.