Students will complete a close reading of Ted Kooser’s poem, Abandoned Farmhouse.  Students will use their knowledge about the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl to determine the setting and characters in the poem. After analyzing the author’s style, use of figurative language, and structure of the poem, students will write an ORIGINAL POEM in the spirit of Abandoned Farmhouse by using the same syntax.  Using the original poem and a template as a guide, students will compose a poem that reveals who they are through the voice of important objects in their homes.

This curriculum unit of three lessons covers the critical problems for United States foreign policy posed by the outbreak of the wars of the French Revolution. Was the U.S. alliance with France still in effect? Did America's young economy require the maintenance of close ties with Britain? Ultimately, President Washington decided on a position of neutrality. This official position would last until the outbreak of war in 1812. Neutrality proved to be difficult to maintain, however, particularly in light of the fact that both Britain and France consistently interfered with American affairs.

In this activity students read two letters (one from Hoover, one from FDR) to determine different political beliefs that guided the presidents in their responses to the Great Depression.

In this activity students learn about the goals of the Civilian Conservation Corps and the opportunities it provided for young men. Students create poster presentations about different aspects of the CCC by combining photographs and quotes from primary sources. Students will need poster-making supplies (including poster board or paper, markers, scissors, and glue/markers).

This collection uses primary sources to explore John Steinbeck's novel, The Grapes of Wrath. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

Reviewing the causes and then examining some of the hardships, impacts, of the Great Depression during Herbert Hoover's presidency. Then preview Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal,which will be the next area of focus.

Students learn more about Faulkner's life and the culture of the South while exploring the use of multiple voices in narration.

Uncover the sources of Twain's comic genius in American traditions of dialect humor and literary satire.

What is the most compelling evidence explaining why the U.S. entered World War I? After completing the lessons in this unit, students will be able to: Take a stand on a hypothesis for U.S. entry into World War I, supported by specific evidence.

In "The Sound and The Fury," Faulkner's presentation of time is unique and complex, as the Quentin chapter symbolically opens with a description of Quentin's watch, which was given to him by his father.

How were party politics reflected in the campaign of 1828? What were the positions of the fledgling Democratic Party and its opposition?

This collection uses primary sources to explore the New Deal. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

This collection uses primary sources to explore social realism in American art. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

Within U.S. History II, I encoutnered two issuesOne: how to assist students in developing connections between past events and today's world.Two, how to present hsitorical content to studnets while teaching another specific disipline.So, I developed a graphic organizer for each decade of the 20th Century that fosucses on not necessarily  "dry" historical content, but instead on more culturally impacting events on American lives, using videos from www.history.com.  Students were provided with the graphic organizer packet and the video segment was loaded onto the library computer, (so that I could be working with students in U.S. History I at the same time in another location).Students would review the video segment, usually not focusing on a specifiic historical eventcovered in class, but more about American culture during the time period being reviewed, such as (in)famous individuals, physical items such as toys used in the time period/decade, news events and occurrences such as sporting activities, etcStudents would then need to analyze an audio/visual lesson on a partiuclar subject, but also to formulate a connection between that subject and the world today.

Even though the 1920s were “roaring” in many respects, from an economic standpoint it became clear that serious problems threatened the nation’s economy. Important industries were in trouble and overproduction plagued the agricultural sector. As the decade came to a close, the slipping economy would soon crash, thus ending a decade of innovation, cultural advances, and individual prosperity.