The Great Depression v. Today

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The Great Depression v. Today

• By Sara Kunkel

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Introduction

• Your town has decided to research the Great
  Depression Era to find out how it differs and is
  the same as life today. Because you work at the
  local newspaper you and your coworkers have been
  asked to complete this exciting task. Should you
  accept the task you could become rich and famous.
  No other newspaper has taken on such a
  responsibility. When completed everyone in the
  country will want to read your paper. So do you
  accept the challenge or not?

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Task

• The newspaper team will create a full length
  newspaper comparing life then and now. Each
  member of the team will be assigned to write
  certain stories. You will be graded on how you
  work together as a team, how you use your time
  individually, and the finished product. For
  every story written about the Depression Era one
  needs to be written about life today. Your paper
  should have an interesting title. It needs to
  have pictures, sales ads, editorials, interesting
  articles, and anything else you think that a full
  newspaper should have.

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Process

• Each group member will be responsible for a
  certain aspect of the paper.
• Not only will each of you have a certain job but
  each team member must write an article about life
  as a child growing up during the Depression Era
  and life as a child in todays world.
• As a group assign each member one of the
  following roles

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• Editor You are the person responsible for the
  whole paper. You have the final say before any
  article or sales ad is considered finished. Not
  only do you have the above responsibilities but
  you also have to write an editorial dealing with
  an issue from the Depression and an issue dealing
  with today.

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• Photographer You are in charge of all of the
  pictures that will be seen in the paper. You
  also must create the sales ads. There should be
  at least two ads. One containing items and
  prices from the Depression Era and one containing
  items and prices of today.

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• Two newspaper reporters The two of you will
  research stories to write. Each of you must
  write at least four stories. After writing the
  stories (with the help of your editor) you will
  need to ask the photographer if there are any
  pictures that could be used with the article.
  For every article written about the Depression
  Era one also needs to written about life today.

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• All team members are responsible for proofreading
  and making corrections to anything put in the
  paper. Remember that the editor does have the
  final say if there are any arguments.
• All articles need to be typed and then glued to
  the paper that will become your finished
  newspaper.
• All articles need to be at least two paragraphs
  long and each paragraph should have at least four
  sentences.
• Remember the more effort put into your paper the
  better it will be.

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Resources

• Many children during the Depression Era wrote
  letters to Mrs. Roosevelt asking for help. Use
  these letters to gain an understanding about life
  for a child during this time. You will also find
  out what farm life and school life were like
  during the Depression Era.

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• There are many photographs pertaining to the
  Depression Era that will give you a better
  understanding of what life was like.

• Compare prices from then and now to create sales
  ads for the newspaper.

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• You will research events that took place during
  the 1930s and write articles on these events.

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• Reporters, you will use current newspapers such
  as The Bismarck Tribune and USA Today to write
  articles about current events.

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Literature

• Read following books to gain better insight into
  the Depression Era
• 1. A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt
• By C. Coco De Young
• ISBN 0-385-32633-5
• Bud, Not Buddy
• By Christopher Paul Curtis
• ISBN 0-385-32306-9
• Christmas After All The Great Depression Diary
  of Minnie Swift,
• Indianapolis, Indiana, 1932
• By Kathryn Lasky
• ISBN 0-439-21943-4
• Roses Journal The Story of a Girl in the Great
  Depression
• By Marissa Moss
• ISBN 0-15-202423-9
• Tree of Hope
• By Amy Littlesugar
• ISBN 0-399-23300-8
• Goodbye Walter Malinski
• By Helen Recorvits

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Evaluation

• You will be graded on the finished newspaper
• You will also grade yourselves on how you worked
  with your group and individually

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Conclusion

• Congratulations, you and your team have
  successfully completed the newspaper you were
  asked to make. You are now famous around the
  country for your work and have become very rich
  in the process.

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Teacher Resources

• http//newdeal.feri.org/eleanor
• http//newdeal.feri.org/timeline/default.cfm
• http//newdeal.feri.org/library/default.cfm
• http//www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-15481_192
  68_20778-52530--,00.html
• http//www.lampstras.k12.pa.us/hschool/OralHistory
  2000/stories/farmlife.html
• http//www.bismarcktribune.com
• http//www.usatoday.com
• http//www.sos.state.mi.us/history/museum/explore/
  museums/hismus/1900-75/depression/index.html
• http//magpie/index.htm