Children Of The Great Depression

Orbis Pictus Award

" We lost most of our savings
at a local bank that went under.
We still had our house,
 and we were eating,
which was more than could be said
 for some of our friends.
But that was about all,
 and I guess the thought that
 he wouldn't be able to buy enough coal
to get us through the winter was just
 too much for my father to take...
Things would get worse for us later on,
and for a couple of years we were in really bad shape,
but for me the low point of the depression
 will always be the sight of my father that day,
 crying in the coal bin."

Children of the Great Depression is: Informative, contains photographs from the time, Strong Summary of the Depression, Anecdotal, and Authentic

Children Of The Great Depression

Written by Russell Freedman

Published by Clarion Books

Reading Level:

Lexile:1170L

Grade Level(s): 5-9

Suggested Delivery: Read Aloud*, Guided Reading, Independent

Summary:

During the Great Depression the life of the average child dramatically changed.  Many families lost their homes, jobs, and the ability to put a warm meal on the table. While some children were impacted less by the depression everyone was affected by it in some way. Many families became homeless and poor children were dressed in rags.  Every child had a different experience, some took to the railroads to look for work, some stopped attending school to bring extra income into their homes, and many lived in Hoovervilles with their families. The Depression was a very difficult time for many children- this book shows some photographs that let the reader see into the world of a child living in the Depression.  There are also many anecdotal accounts of childrens' experiences in the Depression. This is a great book to gain insight into the life of a child during this major economic depression.

Electronic Resources for Educators:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/newyork//laic/episode6/topic1/e6_topic1.html

This website explains many of the key ideas and vocabulary within the book such as hoovervilles, breadlines, and the economic collapse. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtUjpUW09qc

This is a great video to build schema for your students before they read Children of the Great Depression.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZz7mwvmm7A

This short video features photographs from the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.

Teaching Suggestions:

Key Vocabulary:

Great Depression-http://www.history.com/topics/great-depression

Soup Kitchen-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soupkitchen

Economy-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/economy

Economic Depression-http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/economic+depression

Loan-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loan

Unemployment-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unemployment

Malnutrition-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malnutrition

Hooverville-http://www.history.com/topics/hoovervilles

Okies-http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/okie

Comprehension Activities for the Classroom Teacher:

Before Reading Activity-Padlet- 
http://padlet.com/wall/u75lf6ujoxae
You will need access to computers to participate in this activity.  Use this padlet to find out what your students know about the Great Depression.  After students respond to the padlet, ask them about their answers.  Then show the following video that will explain the Great Depression to your students so that they will understand what they are reading.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtUjpUW09qc


During Reading Activity-Jigsaw Activity-
I would read the book aloud to your students.  Assign your students to a heterogeneous home group and then divide your students into expert groups. The expert groups should each focus on one aspect of the book and get a very thorough idea of their topic. They will then go back to their home group and teach them about their topic.  If you read a chapter a day then the students that are assigned to that chapter will work with each other to deepen their understanding of the chapter. For example: Assign five children to one home group and each student in the group will be assigned to a different chapter.  After you read the chapter to the class, the group of students assigned to the chapter will look through the chapter again and research more about the topic and then they will share their findings with their home group.

Post Reading Activity-Popcorn Review-
This is a strategy where a the entire class holds a discussion by saying statements one person at a time about the book.  Students can add comments on to the statement and the students correct incorrect statements. This is a strategy that encourages reflection and critical thinking. My hope for this activity is that students will grapple with all the key information included in the book and demonstrate an understanding of children's experience in the Great Depression.

Writing Activity-Why do you believe that it is important to learn about the experience of the children who lived in the Great Depression? What did you learn about their experience from reading Children of the Great Depression?