The Great Depression Debate

Description:
The purpose of this lesson is for students to evaluate potential solutions to problems posed by the Great Depression.
The students already know the issues but the warm up will review the most important four. These issues are
overproduction of goods, high levels of unemployment, homelessness/poverty and the unequal distribution of wealth.
The students will look at three potential solutions, and discuss in groups which solution is the best. At the end of it all,
students will pick the solution they find to be the best overall and then take notes on a lecture that is meant to explain
the groups that supported these solutions (Republicans/Democrats/Radicals) and how these ideas formed the basis for
the New Deal.
ENDURING UNDERSTANDING
Ideological responses to issues in society influence policies that are enacted to deal with those issues.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
What were the three ideological perspectives on solving the Great Depression, and how were these perspectives
reflected in U.S. government policies on the Great Depression?
GUIDING QUESTIONS
What solutions did the Republicans support for the Great Depression?
What solutions did Liberals support during the Great Depression?
What solutions did Radicals support during the Great Depression?
How did the New Deal borrow elements from each of these solutions?
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Sticky Notes
Powerpoint/Whiteboard
Great Depression Debate Handout
Piece of Notebook Paper
TEKS/SE
(16) Economics. The student understands significant economic developments between World War I and World War II.
The student is expected to: (D) compare the New Deal policies and its opponents' approaches to resolving the
economic effects of the Great Depression.
CLARIFICATION/SPECIFICATION
Prior to the New Deal beginning and Democrats taking over the government, there were multiple ideas on how to deal
with the issue. Prior to this, the Republicans were in control, and their policies mostly focused on allowing the economy
to correct itself, encouraging people to “pull themselves up by the bootstraps” (Rugged Individualism) and opposed any
government interference or direct relief outside of limited spending on public works. The Liberal approach was to have
a more hands-on government influence and correct the economy from the top down by increasing taxes to provide
direct relief for the poor, creating administrations to oversee farms and regulating business. The radical approach was to
have government take control of business and agriculture, and seize all the wealth and property in the country and
redistribute it equally. In the end, aspects of all of these policies influenced the New Deal. Understanding these
influences helps understand the origin of the New Deal Policies.
LESSON OBJECTIVES
Students will evaluate the different approaches to fixing the New Deal (Conservative, Democrat and Radical) and be
able to argue the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches. Students will explain how the New Deal
borrowed from each of these different approaches.

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LESSON
ENGAGEMENT TIME: 5 Minutes
Objective: ​Students will review the issues of the Great Depression, and practice evaluating and arguing by
picking a single issue that they found to be the most significant.
Strategy: Discussion, kinesthetic learning
Actions of Teacher Actions of Students
● Draw 4 circles on the Whiteboard, one for ● Students will read the 4 issues.
each issue. ● Students will write on their sticky note which
● Project the Warm Up issue they think is the most important, and a
● Ask the students to read the 4 issues reason explaining why they feel this way.
● Pass out Sticky Notes ● Students will take their sticky note and put it
● Instruct students to select an issue and write in the circle that corresponds to their selected
which issue they think is most important and issue.
why on the sticky note ● Students will volunteer to share their
● Instruct students to place their sticky notes in responses with the class
the corresponding circle when they are done.
● Call on certain students (volunteers) to
explain their answer in their reasoning.
EXPLORATION TIME: 35 Minutes
Objective: ​Students will read and explain various issues during the Great Depression, and three potential
solutions posed to these issues. Students will do this by reading about the 4 issues of the great depression and
THREE solutions proposed to each issue. Students will then discuss as a group what solution they think is
best and explain to the class why they picked this. After the activity, students will use a T-chart to look at the
stances of each position.
Strategy: Graphic Organizer, T-Chart
Actions of Teacher Actions of Students
● Instruct students to get into groups of three ● Pick a group of three and decide who is the
and decide who will be the heart, triangle and heart or triangle or diamond.
the diamond. ● Whoever’s shape is selected will get the topic
● For each topic, the teacher will pick one of sheet.
these shapes to get the topic sheet. ● Students will volunteer to read the reading
● The teacher will then ask for volunteers to out loud.
read the current topic outloud. ● Students will listen to the potential solutions
● After the topic has been read, the teacher will ● Students will take 3-5 minutes to discuss
read out the three potential solutions, which solution is the best, and they will
clarifying any confusion students might have. explain their choice is reasoning on their
● The teacher will call on the groups to share worksheet. They must come to a consensus for
their choice. The teacher will select a shape their answer.
that will share the groups response. ● Each group will share their choice. The
● For the next activity, the teacher will instruct ● After the groups share their choice, students
students to draw a t-chart. will individually write their own personal
● The teacher will go through the lecture on the preference in the small box on the worksheet.
three ideological stances.
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EXPLANATION TIME: 10 Minutes
Objective: ​The explanation time will have two purposes. First, after the debate activity and going through
each topic, students will explain which solution they identify as being the best. After knowing the actual
people/groups who supported those ideas, students will be given the option of changing their stance and
explaining why.
Strategies: Discussion, Graphic Organizer
Actions of Teacher
● Draw 3 circles on the whiteboard for each
solution (A, B and C)
● Pass out Sticky notes
● Project the question and instructions
● Count up sticky notes after they’re all on the
board and determine the winning idea.
● After the names for each of the positions has
been introduced, ask students two questions
● 1: Knowing the stances behind the solutions,
would you change your answer?
● The teacher will count up the sticky notes and
announce the winner.
● 2: Would it be more helpful if you didn’t have
to pick only one solution?
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● This process will be repeated for the other 3
topics.
● Students will then draw a T-Chart and label it
“Republican/Conservative,
Democrat/Liberal, Radical/Socialist.”
● Students will listen to the lecture, and write
down the important stances each group takes.
Actions of Students
● Students will be given a sticky note.
● They will write on the sticky note their
preferred solution and give a reasoning as to
why they think it's the best solution.
● They will take their sticky note and put it in
the corresponding circle.
● For the first question, students will consider
whether or not they would change their
answer. If they do, they will move their sticky
note.
● Students will discuss as a class whether or not
it is appropriate to only stick with one
solution or if it would work better if multiple
solutions were allowed or if parts from each
solution were used.
ELABORATE - MODIFICATION/DIFFERENTIATION STRATEGIES
​ tudents will evaluate the different approaches to fixing the New Deal (Conservative, Democrat and
Objective: S
Radical) and be able to argue the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches.
10 Minutes
After all 4 topics have been gone through, students will not write their final choice for an overall solution on
a sticky note. Rather, the instructor will pick 3 sides of the room to represent A, B and C. Students will be
given 30 seconds to think about what solution they support the most, and then they will go to the side of the
room that they agree with the most. Students will then be asked verbally why they picked the side they
picked, and why they feel that that selection is the best for dealing with the issues of the Great Depression.
Students will then be given the names and stances behind the different solutions, and be asked if they would
like to change their response and move. After this has happened, students will be asked to answer two
questions: One, if they changed their original response, why did they change it? Second, do they feel it is
efficient to only be able to pick one solution to all the problems, or if it would be easier if they were allowed
to pick parts of different solutions depending on what issue was actually being addressed.

EVALUATION

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