The Great Depression WebQuest

Introduction

                    

Picture it!  You live in a nice home.  You eat three good meals every single day.  You get to enjoy treats like ice cream sometimes.  You're warm and comfortable.  You are fond of sitting by the fire listening to the radio with the rest of your family.  Dad goes to work every day, and mom stays home to take care of you and your brothers and sisters. They make sure you have everything you need.  Life is easy...

Then all of a sudden your world is turned upside down!  Life as you knew it disappears.  Your dad loses his job, and getting three meals a day becomes a challenge.  You begin having to wait in line for food.  Your family loses the house you grew up in.  

Why did this happen to you?  What are you going to do?

Task

     

You will research the Great Depression by traveling through various websites and visiting different people and places.  Along your way, you will be collecting information to help you complete a worksheet.  At the end of your journey, you will be reflecting what you learned.

While on your quest, be thinking about the Essential Question:  

How did the Great Depression affect the American people?

Process

               

Image result for great depression pictures      Image result for great depression pictures

You are about to begin your quest!  Put yourself back to to the year 1929.  Visualize the time and who you would be.  

Now you will explore the Great Depression.  Follow the steps in this process in order to complete your journey.  

1.  Let's discover when the Depression began.  Go to the timeline at: www.softschools.com/timelines/great_depression/timeline_13 and use it to answer the first question on your worksheet. 

2.  Did the Depression affect everyone in the same way?  Go to the article at:  www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/snprelief1.htm and search for the answer to question 2 on your worksheet.  Be sure to explain using details from the article.

3.  As a family during the Depression who has lost their home, one of your options might be to join the many people that rode the rails.  Go to:  www.erroluys.com/RidingtheRails.html  Read the article and enjoy the pictures of the hoboes.  The third question on your worksheet asks you to describe what it would be like to be a hobo.  Write a paragraph imagining yourself as a hobo.  Where would you go?  How would you get there?  What would you eat?  Where would you sleep?

4.  Along your trip, you stop at a Hooverville.  Watch the video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bzUYMbjWEk and use the information from the video to create a picture of a shanty for number 4 on your worksheet.

5.  Next you are going to listen to real life people who lived during the Depression.  They will share their stories.  There are 3 different people with 3 different stories.  They each have a unique perspective.  Listen carefully and jot down 3 important things you connect with from each story.  Visit websites:  www.storycorps.org/listen/james-bost-and-his-son-doug, www.storycorps.org/listen/lillian-howell-and-her-son-thomas, and www.storycorps.org/listen/virginia-fairbrother-and-laurel-kaae.

6.  Finally, you will reflect on the essential question.  How did the Great Depression affect the American people?  Be sure to stop and think about everything you have learned on your journey.  Write a 3 paragraph paper reflecting your thoughts and feelings.  

For additional information you may choose to also visit:  www.ushistory.org/us/48e.asp,

 www.allabouthistory.org/life-during-the-great-depression.htm, 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ersloRmOwzI.

 

Evaluation

      

You will be evaluated on a point system from the WebQuest Worksheet.

#1 = 5 points

#2 = 10 points

#3 = 20 points

#4 = 10 points

#5 = 5 points for each person   Total = 15 points

#6 = 40 points

The grand total = 100 points

Points will be earned for accurate, complete, neat work.

Conclusion

The Great Depression had a dramatic impact on the people and their way of living.  Many Americans were forced into drastic changes of lifestyle because of their economic situation.  On your journey through this webquest, you met different people from this era by reading articles, watching videos, and listening to survivors.  You imagined yourself as a hobo.  You learned how the Depression affected the people.

Credits