INTRODUCTION:
Exploring the era of the Great Depression, we will examine the thematic concepts of independence -vs- interdependence. We will do this by reading mentor text picture books, novels, and nonfiction texts which provide evidence to help us compare independence -vs- interdependence. We will use the following essential questions to drive our comparison of these 2 concepts.
Interdependence:
Independence:
Interdependence:
- What is interdependence?
- How does interdependence "work"? (What makes someone/something interdependent?
- What are the benefits and risks of interdependence?
Independence:
- What is independence?
- What makes someone/something independent?
- How is independence gained and lost?
- What are the benefits and risks of independence?
TASK:
You will randomly be assigned the role of a specific person experiencing the events of the Great Depression.
Based on the general character you are assigned, you will further explore, research, and develop the ROLE you play in your situation. Describe to us a more complete IDENTITY of who you are in this scenario.
Throughout your research and final project, you will take on the PERSPECTIVE of the person you are role-playing and re-live (or simulate) the Great Depression through their eyes and experiences.
Using the resources provided on this exploration site, you will research all aspects of life in the Great Depression, but will pay special attention to links and resources which apply specifically to the perspective of the person whose role you are playing.
In the end, you may choose any project you wish to present your character’s personal perspective and experiences living in the era of The Great Depression. You will then have to write a narrative expressing how your character experienced both independence and interdependence during this era, comparing and contrasting the two concepts.
Please see the evaluation rubric for guidelines and expectations for your project and narrative.
Based on the general character you are assigned, you will further explore, research, and develop the ROLE you play in your situation. Describe to us a more complete IDENTITY of who you are in this scenario.
Throughout your research and final project, you will take on the PERSPECTIVE of the person you are role-playing and re-live (or simulate) the Great Depression through their eyes and experiences.
Using the resources provided on this exploration site, you will research all aspects of life in the Great Depression, but will pay special attention to links and resources which apply specifically to the perspective of the person whose role you are playing.
In the end, you may choose any project you wish to present your character’s personal perspective and experiences living in the era of The Great Depression. You will then have to write a narrative expressing how your character experienced both independence and interdependence during this era, comparing and contrasting the two concepts.
Please see the evaluation rubric for guidelines and expectations for your project and narrative.
PROCESS:
Step 1: Begin this assignment by reading and reviewing the essential questions about independence and interdependence.
Step 2: Get your assigned identity.
Step 3: Research (using the links provided) what life would have been like for your general character during the Great Depression.
Step 4: Create a specific identity for your character. Complete the Role Evaluation Form.
Step 5: Continue researching life in the Great Depression using the perspective of your specific character. Imagine that you are this character and determine what every aspect of his or her life would be like.
Step 6: Select a final project or create your own idea for a final project. All final projects must be approved by your teacher.
Step 7: Create your final project based on your character’s identity and perspective. Your project must demonstrate that you are thinking like your character.
Step 8: Write a narrative explaining how your character experienced independence and interdependence throughout their experiences in the Great Depression.
Step 2: Get your assigned identity.
Step 3: Research (using the links provided) what life would have been like for your general character during the Great Depression.
Step 4: Create a specific identity for your character. Complete the Role Evaluation Form.
Step 5: Continue researching life in the Great Depression using the perspective of your specific character. Imagine that you are this character and determine what every aspect of his or her life would be like.
Step 6: Select a final project or create your own idea for a final project. All final projects must be approved by your teacher.
Step 7: Create your final project based on your character’s identity and perspective. Your project must demonstrate that you are thinking like your character.
Step 8: Write a narrative explaining how your character experienced independence and interdependence throughout their experiences in the Great Depression.
-GREAT DEPRESSION ROLES-
HARLEM JAZZ MUSICIAN:
You are a jazz musician living in Harlem. You left New Orleans on your 15th birthday and hitched your way up to New York. Within a week, you were playing your trombone in the studio during the day and at the Cotton Club five nights a week. In your first year in Harlem, you made making more money than your pappy did in his whole life cleaning dishes. Man, those were the days! Playing tunes with some of the best musicians in the world at the fanciest shin-digs this side of the Mississippi. But people didn’t feel much like dancing when the Depression swept across the country. Now it’s just you and your trombone, playing by the fire in an alley with some other down and out musicians.
HOMELESS CHILD:
You are a young child living on the outskirts of Cincinnati, Ohio. Your parents spend nights talking about the old days -- when there was so much food for dinner that they couldn’t eat it all and when a pair of pants ripped they just went to the general store and bought another pair. But the general store has been closed for years and even if it was still open, your family wouldn’t have enough money to buy anything. The bank took your farm three years ago, so you had to move out. You stayed with your neighbors for awhile, and then your cousins, and now you are staying in an abandoned library. You don’t mind because you have so many books to read, but you know that Mama and Papa are not happy. They are arguing all of the time about money. You’ve tried to get a job as a farm hand, but you’re still too small.
FACTORY WORKER:
You are a factory worker at the GM car plant in Flint, Michigan. You grew up in downtown Detroit and dreamed of pitching for the Tigers and playing alongside Ty Cobb, but an arm injury ended your career before it began. Lucky for you, Detroit, the Motor City, was in the middle of an economic boom when you graduated high school, and there was a good-paying factory job waiting for anyone that needed work. That all changed when the Great Depression hit Detroit. Automobile sales plummeted, and every factory laid off thousands of workers. You still have a job… for now. But wages are falling by the day, and the company is asking workers to work longer for less.
FARMER:
You are a member of a family living in Oklahoma in 1935. Your family has lived on this land for two generations. You love everything about living on a farm--raising animals, growing things with your hands, working with machines, and doing all the chores to keep your farm running and your family happy. Hard work is a part of your everyday life! Your family had a great deal of success throughout the 1920’s, and you even made the exciting step of purchasing your very first tractor. You had to take out a loan from the bank to pay for your new tractor, but you are confident that a few more years of good crops will make it easy to repay the loan. Then the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl hits…..
your crops are failing, the bank is demanding payment for your loan, and your family is running out of food!
your crops are failing, the bank is demanding payment for your loan, and your family is running out of food!
BANKER:
You are a successful, wealthy family living in Boston, Massachusetts. The head of your family works for the elite Bank of New England. You have lived a life of luxury. You have all the best clothing, shoes, multiple cars, an enormous mansion, a vacation home in Connecticut, a maid, and pretty much anything you ever wanted!! Then, on October 29, 1929, the impossible happened. The stock market crashed, and your family lost all of its savings. You survived the early years of the Great Depression by selling many of your treasured possessions. But the Depression has showed no signs of ending…..and you are about to sell your last valuable possession--your home.
HOMELESS ADULT:
You are a member of a family living in Chicago, Illinois. You have worked for the last several years as an employee at the Drake Hotel. You loved interacting with the guests, and helping them to have a memorable trip to the great city of Chicago. But when the Great Depression hit the United States, one of the first things to dramatically end was tourism. The hotel had to lay off almost all of its employees. You have been out of work for 3 years. In the beginning, you scraped by by working odd jobs around the city. But there was never enough work and the bills began to stack up, until eventually you lost your home. Your family is now homeless. You sleep in shelters and missions around Chicago, constantly looking for a safe place to call your own. You have very few possessions left--but you still have your family.
-RESEARCH RESOURCES-
GENERAL GREAT DEPRESSION RESOURCES:
-ROLE SPECIFIC RESOURCES-
FARMER: |
BANKER: |
FACTORY WORKER: |
YOUR MISSION: PROJECTS
-General Project Ideas-
-ROLE SPECIFIC PROJECTS-
FARMER:
HOMELESS ADULT:
|
BANKER:
HOMELESS CHILD:
|
FACTORY WORKER:
HARLEM ARTIST:
|
INVESTIGATIVE ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
USE THESE ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS TO DRIVE YOUR PERSPECTIVE ROLE PLAYING AND INVESTIGATION OF LIFE AS YOUR CHARACTER FROM THE GREAT DEPRESSION. BE PREPARED TO PROVIDE EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT YOUR ANSWERS/ARGUMENTS FOR EACH.
INTERdependence:
INdependence:
Perspective:
Identity:
- What is interdependence?
- How does interdependence "work"? (What makes someone/something interdependent?)
- What are the benefits and risks of interdependence?
INdependence:
- What is independence? What makes someone/something independent?
- How is independence gained and lost?
- What are the benefits and risks of independence?
Perspective:
- Why doesn't everyone agree?
- What shapes/influences perspective? (Why are there different perspectives?)
- When/why does perspective change?
- Why consider/think about different perspectives?
- Which/whose perspective is "right"--and how do I decide?/Is there a "right" perspective--and how do I decide?
Identity:
- How do people "see" themselves?
- What shapes identity?
- Is identity constant? (Does it change?)
-EVALUATION-
ROLE SIMULATION STUDENT REFLECTION FORM:
After researching and role-playing from the perspective of their designated character from the Great Depression, students will complete the following reflection form. This form integrates the investigative essential questions that our exploration is based upon, and students must sight evidence from their research resources to justify their claims.
PROJECT RUBRIC:
(coming soon)
INDEPENDENT/INTERDEPENDENT NARRATIVE RUBRIC:
(coming soon)