The following text is from the StLouisFed.org website, which hosts this curriculum:
The curriculum
begins with a message from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and an
introductory essay, "The Great Depression: An Overview," written by
David C. Wheelock, a research economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of
St. Louis and an expert on the Great Depression. The essay is
incorporated into many of the lessons, as students are asked to read
and refer to various sections of the essay.
Following the essay,
the curriculum includes six stand-alone lessons, allowing the teacher
to pick and choose the lessons most appropriate for his or her
students. Although each lesson is written to stand alone, the lessons
are sequenced for instruction so that a teacher can use the entire unit.
Lesson Format
Each lesson includes:
- a list of economic concepts taught in the lesson,
- the economics and history content standards and the social studies strands addressed in each lesson,
- learner objectives,
- estimated time required,
- a list of materials required,
- a detailed set of procedures,
- an assessment,
- blackline masters for visuals, and
- handouts for the teacher to copy and distribute.
Lesson Content
Full Curriculum
Lesson 1 – Measuring the Great Depression
This
lesson introduces tools—such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the
unemployment rate and the Consumer Price Index (CPI)—that are used to
measure the economy's health, through an analysis of simple bar charts
and graphs. Developing an understanding of these concepts is critical
to understanding the magnitude of the economic problems that took place
during the Great Depression.
Lesson 2 – What Do People Say?
There are many suggested causes for the Great
Depression. It is important for students to understand that occurrences
such as the stock market crash—and other events that affected
particular sectors of the economy—were important, but not significant
enough to cause the Great Depression. By reading fictitious letters
that reflect actual problems and people's concerns during the Great
Depression, students begin to identify with the people of that era and
to uncover the problems that people experienced during the Great
Depression.
Lesson 3 – What Really Caused the Great Depression?
Through
participation in two simulations, students determine that bank panics
and a shrinking money supply were the primary causes of the Great
Depression. Through an additional activity, they see how the many other
factors they have discussed, such as problems in the agricultural
sector and the stock market crash, exacerbated the situation.
Lesson 4 – Dealing with the Great Depression
Students
learn about programs initiated through the New Deal. By comparing and
categorizing New Deal programs, they recognize that the value of most
of these programs was their effects on the confidence that U.S.
citizens had in the economy. Students also identify the impact that
these programs had on the role of the U.S. government in the economy.
Lesson 5 – Turn Your Radio On
Students use
excerpts from Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "fireside chats" to identify
his plans for restoring the economy. They determine that using
available technology to communicate was important to FDR's effort to
restore consumer confidence.
Lesson 6 – Could It Happen Again?
Students learn about the roles and functions of the
Federal Reserve System. Through a simulation, they learn how the Fed
manages the money supply through open market operations. They identify
what central bankers have learned about implementing monetary policy as
a result of the Great Depression. Furthermore, they recognize the steps
the central bank has taken to respond effectively to financial crises
since that time.
National Standards Correlation
Each lesson in the Great Depression curriculum is
correlated with the National Standards in Economics, the National
Standards for History, and the National Council for the Social Studies
Strands, and these standards and strands are listed in the front
section of each lesson.
State Standards Correlations
The glossary of terms includes an alphabetical list of
economic terms used in the lessons, a definition of each term and a
reference to the lesson(s) in which the term is used.
Appendix
The appendix of the curriculum includes:
- a multiple choice pre- and post-test and answer key,
- an evaluation form,
- a reference list, and
- a list of resources such as newsreels, photos, books and web sites
Heres' your link to this free Great Depression curriculum: http://www.stlouisfed.org/greatdepression/curriculum.html#curriculum
~ FreelyEducate.com, high quality, free educational finds
