5E Student Lesson Planning Template

The Ups and Downs of the Great Depression in Texas Tina Melcher [email protected] 512.464.5632 Round Rock ISD http://tinamelcher.wikispaces.com/Texas+History Unit: The Great Depression 7th Grade Texas History Materials:  CD: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)  Engage: Life During the Great Depression in Texas Graphic Organizer  Explore: Column Notes  Explore: Causes of the Great Depression Graphic Organizer  Discovery Video Streaming  Computers (Computer Room or On Wheels)  Explain: Reflective Journal  Explain: Reflective Journal – Differentiated (Optional)  Evaluation: Mural Organizer  Evaluation: Mural Template  Evaluation: Rubric TEKS/SEs: 7(1) History. The student understands traditional historical points of reference in Texas history. The student is expected to: (A) identify the major eras in Texas history and describe their defining characteristics; 7(7) History. The student understands how individuals, events, and issues shaped the history of Texas during the 20th century. The student is expected to: (A) define the impact of "boom and bust" and trace the boom-and-bust cycle of leading Texas industries throughout the 20th century, including farming, oil and gas, cotton 7(9) Geography. The student understands the location and characteristics of places and regions of Texas. The student is expected to: (C) analyze the effects of physical and human factors such as climate, and weather on major events in Texas. 7(10) Geography. The student understands the effects of the interaction between humans and the environment in Texas during the 19th and 20th centuries. The student is expected to: (A) identify ways in which Texans have adapted to and modified the environment and analyze the consequences of the modifications 7(13) Economics. The student understands the interdependence of the Texas economy with the United States and the world. The student is expected to: (B) analyze the impact of economic phenomena within the free enterprise system such as supply and demand, profit, government regulation, and world competition on the economy of Texas; 7(18) Citizenship. The student understands the importance of effective leadership in a democratic society. The student is expected to: (B) analyze the contributions of Texas leaders such as Sam Rayburn. Lesson objective(s): The student will be able to describe the era of the Great Depression in Texas. ENGAGEMENT Objective: The student will understand the emotions that were felt during the Great Depression in Texas.

Set the stage for the emotions that existed during the Great Depression in Texas by playing music from that period. Suggested CD: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

 Organize each corner of the room with one of the following words or four other words that would describe the music below. This activity is to teach vocabulary to your students.

 Students should move to the corner that they believe describes the music the best from CD Oh Brother Where Art Thou 1 Despondent – Feeling or showing profound hopelessness, dejection, discouragement, or gloom Somber – Extremely serious or gloomy Morose – Showing irritation or Ill-humor Melancholy – An atmosphere of sorrow or sadness

 Once students decide on their corner, have them Turn and Talk for 1 minute about why they thought their vocabulary term best described the song.

 Pick a student from each group to read the vocabulary term and meaning and one or more students to explain why the word described that word.

 Ask students if these words are similar or different and explain their reasoning.

 When they are back at their desk, have them write a sentence(s) describing the mood during the Great Depression using the vocabulary term they chose.

 This will lead to examining a visual of this time period

 Once students return to their desk ask them to complete the Engage: Life During the Great Depression in Texas (Attached)

Differentiation strategies to meet diverse learner needs:  Model and discuss the meaning of the vocabulary words prior to the lesson to make sure students understand the meaning and can apply it. EXPLORATION Objective: The student will explain the causes of the Great Depression and how Texas recovered from them.

Have students read sections in their textbook about the growth of cotton, the oil and gas industry, and the events of the Great Depression using Explore: Column Notes (Attached) to gather information about this period of time.

Discovery Streaming Video - The Dust Bowl [06:40] Only play 3 minutes and 30 seconds of it.

Film Footage of the Dust Bowl Winds and drought ravaged Middle America from 1934 to 1940 forcing thousands to abandon their land and seek a better life somewhere else. This footage dramatically portrays their struggles. http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/himdustbowl.htm

Students will complete the Explore: Causes of the Great Depression Graphic Organizer (Attached) using the information they gathered from their textbooks.

Differentiation strategies to meet diverse learner needs:  Provide students a clear purpose and logistics (page numbers, paragraphs, etc.) about what must be read to complete the column notes.  Check notes and make sure students are gathering information correctly. If not, do a guided reading with students and have them revise Column Notes EXPLANATION Objective: The student will use photos and the information gathered to explain the Great Depression in Texas.

Organize students into pairs or individually.

Provide each students with a Explain: Reflective Journal (Attached) to complete. Students will reflect on the information they gathered about the Great Depression in Texas and the photos. They will then answer the question, “How do these photographs describe the era of the Great Depression?” and write their reflection in the box provided.

Differentiation strategies to meet diverse learner needs:  Provide students will the Explain: Reflective Journal – Differentiated (Attached) for students that need support

2 using Sentence Stems to write their reflection. ELABORATION Objective: The student will explain the different New Deal Programs that existed in Texas.

Have students research on these websites how New Deals have impacted Texas.

Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) Have students research this website to find out if there are any CCC parks near you. http://texascccparks.org/ Have students use and follow the directions about the Civilian Conservation Corp in Texas. Download the Travel Journal and have them complete it as they look through the website. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/historic_sites/ccc/new_deal_texas/index.html

Public Works Administration (PWA) http://www.texashousing.org/phdebate/past3.html

The Texas Post Office Murals – Explain to students the reason for the Post Office Murals project and have them complete the Elaborate – Post Office Mural Analysis (Attached) by analyzing four of the murals and completing the Venn Diagram. http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasArt/Texas-Post-Office-Murals.htm

The Texas Post Office Murals: Art for the People – Philip Parisi In post offices and federal buildings scattered around the state of Texas you may be greeted by a surprising sight: magnificent mural art on the lobby walls. In the midst of the Great Depression, a program was born that would not only give work to artists but also bring beauty and optimism to a people worn down by hardship and discouragement. This New Deal program commissioned competing artists to create post office murals – the people’s art - to celebrate the lives, history, hopes, and dreams of ordinary Americans. In Texas alone, artists produced 106 artworks (several now lost) for sixty-nine post offices and federal buildings around the state. Created by some of the most promising ( and now famous_ artists of the day, these murals sparkled with scenes of Texas history, folklore, heroes, common people, wildlife, and landscapes.

Murals were created from San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas to Big Spring, Baytown and Hamilton. The artists included Tom Lea, Jerry Bywaters, Peter Hurd, Otis Dozier, Alexandre Hogue and Xavier Gonzalez. The images showed people at work and featured industries specific to the region, often coupled with symbols of progress such as machinery and modern transportation. Murals depicted cowboys and stampedes, folk heroes from Sam Bass to Davy Crockett and revered Indian chief Quannah Parker, and community symbols such as Eastland’s lizard mascot, Ol’ Rip.

Differentiation strategies to meet diverse learner needs:  Give students more time to complete the online journals.  Have students read the websites by doing a Read and Say Something strategy – Have student “A” read a paragraph and student “B” follow along. Then have student “A” explain what they read. Student “B” will react to ideas, descriptions, images, and confusing terms or phrases. Then student “B” will read the next paragraph and continue with process. EVALUATION Objective: The student will describe the era of the Great Depression.

 Provide students with the Evaluation: Mural Organizer (Attached) to organize their thoughts prior to creating the mural.  Then have students transfer the information to the Evaluation: Mural Organizer (Attached) on the Evaluation: Mural Template (Attached).  Use the Evaluation: Rubric (Attached) to assess the mural.

Differentiation strategies to meet diverse learner needs:  Monitor and guide students as they complete their Evaluation: Mural Organizer before they create their Evaluation: Mural.