Overview

In this experience, students view a photo of a family during the Great Depression and pose questions about it. Then they read a brief overview of the Great Depression. Next they examine how the Great Depression affected Texas, and they evaluate the photo from scene 1 in light of what they learned. Finally they examine WPA projects in Texas.

If you have access to leveled readers about the Great Depression, assign them to the students in parallel to this experience.

Estimated duration: 35-45 minutes

Discovery Reading

A printable Discovery Reading is included in the student pack as a support for understanding the experience’s core content and concepts. This Discovery Reading is not necessary to complete the experience and serves as an optional support resource.

Vocabulary Words:

These vocabulary words are used in the experience or connect closely to the standards and content students examine. Students should understand these terms as they work through the experience.

Great Depression: a time in the 1930s when many banks and businesses failed, many people lost their jobs, and families in Texas and across the United States faced hard times.
stock market: a place where people buy and sell shares in companies; when stock prices crashed in 1929, it helped start the Great Depression.
wages: the money workers are paid for their jobs; during the Great Depression, many people had lower wages or no job at all.
deported: forced to leave a place or country by the government; during the Great Depression, some Mexican immigrants and Mexican American families were pressured or forced to leave.
New Deal: programs started by the United States government to help people during the Great Depression by creating jobs and offering support.
Work Progress Administration (WPA): a New Deal agency that gave jobs to unemployed people and built roads, schools, parks, and other projects in Texas.

Objectives

Describe the ways in which the Great Depression affected American workers.
Analyze the social and economic impact of the Great Depression in Texas.

Engage

In the early 1900s, the United States, including Texas, went through many changes. During the 1920s, new inventions like cars, movies, and radios changed daily life and entertainment. Jazz music and dancing also became popular. But these good times did not last. In this experience, you will learn about the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Objectives

Describe the ways in which the Great Depression affected American workers.
Analyze the social and economic impact of the Great Depression in Texas.

Look at the photograph, taken in 1939.

A mother and four children look sadly over the side of a pickup truck

Mexican family in Neches, Texas in 1939

In a single word, say how the photograph makes you feel.

Post your answer

Post a question that you have about the photograph.

After students respond to both prompts, have several students share the word they chose and explain what details in the photograph influenced that response. Then review the questions students posted and group similar questions together, such as questions about who the people are, where they are going, what conditions they are facing, and what the photograph suggests about life during the Great Depression.

Use the discussion to reinforce the difference between observation and inference. Students can directly observe details such as the people, their clothing, the vehicle, and their expressions, but they should be careful when assuming facts that the photograph alone does not prove, which is why asking follow up questions and considering what information is still needed is important. Explain that the image is a primary source and is historical evidence that can help us ask questions about how families experienced economic hardship during the Great Depression. If necessary, review why this is a primary source or prompt students to explain why it is.

Possible follow-up questions include:

What details in the photograph stand out to you most?
Which details helped shape the feeling word you chose?
What can we observe directly, and what are we only inferring?
What questions about the people in the photograph cannot be answered from the image alone?
What might this photograph suggest about the challenges some families faced during the Great Depression?
Why is it useful for historians to study photographs along with written sources?
How might this photograph connect to problems such as unemployment, migration, or lack of money?
What information would you want to learn next in order to better understand the people and situation shown in the photograph?

When everyone is ready to continue, unlock the next scene.

The Great Depression