Introduction
You are a kid living during the Great Depression. With this WebQuest, you will explore and answer questions to describe a day-in-the-life of a child living during the Great Depression.
Throughout the WebQuest, you will explore the following essential questions:
- How did the Great Depression affect people in their everyday lives?
- How did the Stock Market Crash mark the beginning of the Great Depression?
- How did the Great Depression affect the economy?
Task
To complete this assignment, you will need to access the links to read information about the Great Depression. You will use these links to answer questions using complete sentences.
After you answer all of the questions, you will need to write a letter with the following prompt: You are a child in the Great Depression. You are writing a letter to the people of the past (before 1929), warning them about what is to come.
The questions in the WebQuest will aid you with this letter. You will read your letter to a group of students.
Process
Use the following links to answer the questions in a Google Docs or on a piece of paper:
Link 1: https://www.ducksters.com/history/us_1900s/timeline_of_the_great_depression.php
Explore this link and read through the BOLD headlines.
1. What event marked the start of the Great Depression?
2. Describe the events that followed the first New Deal.
Link 2: https://www.ducksters.com/history/us_1900s/great_depression.php
3. What president was blamed for the Great Depression?
4. What were Hoovervilles?
5. What president was elected in 1933?
Link 3: https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Dust-Bowl/574642
6. How did WWI contribute to the Dust Bowl?
Link 4: https://www.ducksters.com/history/us_1900s/dust_bowl.php
7. Which states were part of the Dust Bowl?
8. What were giant dust storms called?
Link 5: https://www.ducksters.com/history/us_1900s/daily_life_farm_during_the_great_depression.php
9. What was life like on farms?
10. What did kids do for fun?
Link 6: https://www.ducksters.com/history/us_1900s/daily_life_city_during_the_great_depression.php
11. What is a soup kitchen?
12. Did the kids attend schools?
After answering the questions, complete the following prompt in a separate Google Doc:
You are a child in the Great Depression. You are writing a letter to the people of the past (before 1929), warning them about what is to come. Consider: What is the current year? Where do you live (city or farm)? How has the Dust Bowl affected you (has it happened yet or are you living in the city?)? Who were the presidents involved? Where are your parents?
Evaluation
The following rubric will be used to grade your WebQuest questions and letter:
| Criteria | 4 Points | 3 Points | 1-2 Points | 0 Points |
| Questions | All questions are answered accurately with details. | Most questions are answered accurately and have some details. | Questions are sometimes answered accurately and almost no details were provided. | No answered questions. |
| Letter | Letter considers all of the following: date, age of the character, setting, major events, feelings of the character and the general public. | Letter considers most of the following: date, age of the character, setting, major events, feelings of the character and the general public. | Letter considers some of the following: date, age of the character, setting, major events, feelings of the character and the general public. | No letter submitted. |
| Grammar | The questions and letter have no grammatical errors. | The questions and letter have 1-3 grammatical errors. | The questions and letter have 4-5 grammatical errors. | The questions and letter have 5+ grammatical errors. |
| Format | All questions are answered in complete sentences. The letter is formatted with all of the parts: heading, greeting, body, closing, and signature. | Most questions are answered in complete sentences. The letter is formatted with most of the parts: heading, greeting, body, closing, and signature. | Some questions are answered in complete sentences. The letter is formatted with some of the parts: heading, greeting, body, closing, and signature. | No questions are answered in complete sentences. The letter is formatted with none of the parts considered: heading, greeting, body, closing, and signature. |
Total: ____/16
Conclusion
You have finished the Great Depression WebQuest! Congratulations!
To review:
Children in the Great Depression would have experienced life differently depending on the place and at the time they lived. Some children would have been required to work to help provide for their families. However, children of farmers would have probably been required to move because of the Dust Bowl. When considering the Great Depression, you must remember that not everyone was affected equally or lived through similar experiences.
Credits
https://www.flickr.com/photos/157979053@N04/43937359501/sizes/l/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/8191524030
https://historyforkids.org/the-wall-street-crash/
https://www.ducksters.com/history/us_1900s/timeline_of_the_great_depression.php
https://www.ducksters.com/history/us_1900s/great_depression.php
https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Dust-Bowl/574642
https://www.ducksters.com/history/us_1900s/dust_bowl.php
https://www.ducksters.com/history/us_1900s/daily_life_farm_during_the_great_depression.php
https://www.ducksters.com/history/us_1900s/daily_life_city_during_the_great_depression.php
Teacher Page
Standard:
5.2.CO Compare the cultural and economic impacts of the 1929 Stock Market Crash on the U. S. and South Carolina.