Prescribed Learning Outcomes
It is expected that students will:
D1 assess the causes of and responses to the Great Depression
A1 analyse primary and secondary sources (historical evidence) with reference to:
– reliability
– bias and point of view
– corroborating and conflicting evidence
• Provide students with a variety of primary
source documents, including images and
letters that illustrate the effects of the Great
Depression. Some examples may include
− letters to Herbert Hoover from desperate
families
− drought on the prairies
− breadlines or soup kitchens
• Ask students to jot down their impressions
based on the images and in response to focus
questions such as
- What do the images/documents show?
- What do they reveal about the time period
and how people lived? - How do the images demonstrate a change
from the previous time period?
• As a class, discuss student impressions,
focussing on how these images are different
from student perceptions of the “roaring ’20s.”
• In pairs, have students theorize what could
have caused such a dramatic shift from the
1920s to the situation portrayed in the primary
source documents. Discuss student suggestions
and explanations as a class.
Assessment Strategies
Have students write a journal entry from the
perspective of an individual living in the USA
during the Great Depression, based on their
impressions of the Great Depression images.
Students should demonstrate historical empathy
in their descriptions of individuals. Detailed
assessment of student journals can be made
using the Response Journal Criteria Guide
supplied at the end of the Classroom Model
section.
Canadian Resource
Developing Historical Empathy – Letters as Valuable Sources
(Unemployed workers sleeping in the bandstand at Queen's Park, Toronto, 1938)---->
