Music and Art of the Great Depression

Lesson on Context: Where in the Unit does this lesson fit?

The lesson falls during the last week of a two week unit on the Great Depression.

What did students learn about this topic before this lesson?

Students have learned about the events leading up to the Great Depression in the 1920's and have constructed their own timelines of the events of the depression. They have learned about the stock market by listening to a guest speaker and have played a stock market stimulation game. Students have also learned about the New Deal and have constructed a collage depicting the New Deal's programs.

What will the student learn about this topic after this lesson?

Students will further explore the effects of the Great Depression on Americans and will look at how the depression affected different ethnic groups in the United States and throughout the world.

Overalll Unit Goals

·

1.Discuss and reflect upon music from the Great Depression era.

2.List characteristics of photographs taken during the Great Depression era.

3.Create a Bandolier Bag similar to a bag produced by Native Americans during the Great Depression era.

Objective

Assessment

Adaptation / Diverse Learners

1. By viewing photographs, students will be able to identify and discuss the attitudes of Americans during the Great Depression.

1. Students will create journal entries of subjects in Great Depression era photographs.

1. If a student has trouble with writing, he/she may verbally describe what the subject of the photograph may be thinking or feeling.

2. Students will be able to analyze and describe the effects of the Great Depression.

2. When students break into small groups to discuss photographs, the teacher will walk around to make sure each group member is discussing the photograph's relevance to the Great Depression era.

2. If a student has limited knowledge of English, he/she may demonstrate knowledge of the Great Depression by drawing a picture of a person living in the depression era.

K-12 Standards: (State / Local)

State Standards: United States History Grades 4-8: World History:

I. A World at War, 1930s-1945

The student will understand and analyze the economic, social, and political transition of the United States before, during and after World War II

1. Students will examine causes and analyze the effects of the Great Depression and the impact of the New Deal.

Key Vocabulary: (Consider ELLs.)

depression, The Great Depression, recession, economy, Dust Bowl, New Deal

* "Student will be able to. . ." SWBAT

Materials:

Powerpoint slide of "Helping a New-Comer" Photograph

Laminated photographs from depression era.

Lined paper

Pen and/or pencil

Classroom Environment: (room arrangement, location of materials, lighting, sound, etc.)

Desks should be pushed together so that students can work together. Students may also sit on floor or wherever they are comfortable.

II. LESSON FORMAT/INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURE

Anticipatory Set: Time needed? 10 minutes

(NOTE: What brief task will focus student attention and prepare them to think critically? Remember PAR - Prior knowledge/Previous learning; Active cognitive and physical student engagement; and Relevant to the lesson.)

· Project the photograph Helping a New-Comer (see photograph below).

· Allow several minutes for the students to look at photograph.

· Use the information from the website http://newdeal.feri.org/ron/ron11.htm to inform students about the historical context of the photograph.

· Begin the class discussion by asking students what they see. Make notes about their observations on the chalkboard or on a chart.

· Ask, "What seems to be the mood of the photograph?" Encourage students to determine whether the photograph seems to be emotionally neutral, upbeat, or somehow troubling or depressing. Ask for reasons for their assessments.

· Next, explain that Rondal Partridge is a documentary photographer , and that he selected this particular photograph out of many to be part of his series about youth during the era of the American Depression. This series may be considered a photographic essay.

Lesson Sequence: Time needed? 25 minutes

(NOTE: Plan for clear and to-the-point directions, transitions, and specific, guided questions in detaiil.)

List Steps In Order

· Break students into pairs or groups of three or four (students may work independently, although working in a group for this activity will promote good discussion of depression era photographs and will help students develop better communication and analytical skills).

· Show power point slides of famous depression era photographs. Have students discuss the following:

1. Where did your eye go first? Then where? And after that? Discuss why this happened.

2. Would you describe the picture as simple or busy? How does this affect the journey your eye took in question 1?

3. Look harder at the photograph. List some of the details you might not have noticed at first. Include information about people, places and things and nature, including the climate or the weather.

4. What do you think is going on with the subjects of the photograph? How are they being influenced by events of the Great Depression?

5. Keeping all these things in mind, if you had to write a caption which expressed in one or two sentences what this picture is about, what would you say?

6. In your opinion, why did the photographer want you to see this picture?

· Have one student from each group draw a depression photograph from a box. When each group has their photo, have each group of students analyze their photograph and then write a journal entry written from the perspective of the photograph's subject. The journal entry should be at least two paragraphs long.

Contingency Plan: (I'm losing them!. . .OR. . .I finished in a third of the time I have to fill, etc. . . What do I have ready for another approach?. . .OR. . . I'm all done! What do you want me to do now, Teacher?)

Have students analyze Great Depression photographs from the following books and write captions and journal entries to accompany the photographs:

o Davis, Keith. The Photographs of Dorothea Lange. Kansas City, Missouri: Hallmark/Abrams, 1995.

o Frank, Robert. The Americans. New York: Grove Press, 1959.

o Glubok, Shirley. The Art of Photography. New York: Macmillan, 1977.

o Sandler, Martin W. The Story of American Photography. Boston: Little, Brown, 1979.

o Turner, Robyn M. Dorothea Lange. Boston: Little, Brown, 1994.

Closure: Time needed? ____15 minutes (NOTE: How do I conclude the lesson by bringing it full circle back to the objective/s and involve the students in doing so?)

Have each group present their journal entries to the rest of the class. Once each group is finished presenting, have a brief discussion on how the photographs have influenced them and the way they view the Great Depression.