TeachRock

Materials Needed:

1. Students need a device with access to the internet.

Preparation:

1. Display each page of Gallery Walk – Part 2 New Deal Songs throughout the classroom.
2. Distribute electronically Handout – New Deal Primary Sources to each student.

Motivational Activity:

1. Display Image 1, FDIC and ask students:
   • Have you ever seen this placard or statement before? If so, where?
   • What do you think it means?
   • Why do you think the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was created?
2. Display Image 2, Check Stub and ask students:
   • If you have a job, have you ever seen Social Security Tax on your paystubs? 
   • Have you ever heard anyone talk about Social Security? What did they say?
   • Do you know what Social Security Tax is? What is its purpose?
   • Why do you think the Social Security Tax was created?
3. Explain to students that both of these government programs come from The New Deal enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression. Ask students:
   • Thinking about what you know about the causes and problems of the Great Depression, why do you think these two programs were created during this period?
   • What other causes and problems of the Great Depression might The New Deal address? (Answers might include unemployment, the stock market, homelessness, and other things discussed in a previous lesson about the causes and problems of the Great Depression.)

Procedure:

PART 1: NEW DEAL PROGRAMS

1. Display Image 3, 1932 Presidential Election Map and inform students that President Herbert Hoover was running for re-election for a second term against Franklin D. Roosevelt. Ask students:
   • Based on the Electoral Map of 1932, what can we assume about how Americans were feeling about the Great Depression by 1932?
2. Inform students that President Roosevelt was elected in 1932 due in part to his campaign promise of a “new deal” to recover from the Great Depression. New Deal programs were nicknamed “Alphabet Soup Agencies” and referred to by their initials, like the FDIC.
3. Divide students into groups of five and distribute Handout – New Deal Songs to each group. Display Image 4, Question Formulation Technique Directions and instruct student groups to complete Step 1 and Step 2 of the QFT directions. After an allotted amount of time, display and instruct student groups to complete Step 3 of the QFT directions.
4. Continuing in the same groups, display Image 5, Primary Source Analysis Directions and distribute electronically Handout – New Deal Primary Sources to each student (it may be helpful for students to open two of these documents on their devices: one to write answers into and one to use to navigate the links).  Instruct student groups through the Primary Source Analysis steps and then ask students:
   • Based on the primary sources you analyzed, what was the purpose of the New Deal programs?
   • What issues were these programs trying to solve?
   • Do any of your prioritized questions remain unanswered? How could you find out more?
   • Why do you think musicians wrote songs about these New Deal programs?
5. Display Image 6, US Growth Rate, GDP and Employment, 1930-1950. Ask students:
   • What conclusions can we draw about the New Deal programs based on the graph?
   • What points on the graph do you have questions about? What might explain those points?

PART 2: REACTIONS TO THE NEW DEAL AND ITS LEGACY

1. Distribute Handout – Part 2 New Deal Songs Analysis and instruct students to circle the room and answer  the questions as they view the lyrics on the Gallery Walk – Part 2 New Deal Songs. Then, ask students:
   • How are the lyrics different in tone, mood, and message from the songs you looked at in the previous activity on New Deal programs?
   • What is one line from the lyrics that tells you it is different?
   • What issues with New Deal programs are the lyrics bringing to light?
2. Explain to students that these songs shed light on some people’s grievances with New Deal programs, but other critics of the New Deal had larger issues with the programs at the constitutional level. Display Image 7, Definitions and discuss terms with students.
3. Display Image 8, FDR Cartoon and discuss questions with students.
4. Explain to students that critics of the New Deal argued the constitutionality of New Deal programs and that argument played out in the Supreme Court. Ask students:
   • What is the role of the Supreme Court? (decide the constitutionality of laws)
5. Divide students into groups of three and distribute one copy of the Handout – Supreme Court Cases to each group.  Ask students to choose one of the cases to be responsible for so that all three cases are covered in each group.  Instruct students to complete their case summary and question individually and then display Image 9, Supreme Court Case Analysis to guide student discussion in their group.
6. Ask students to share their summaries of the court cases with the class until all of the court cases are covered. Then, ask students:
   • Based on the Supreme Court cases you examined, how did the New Deal programs change the role of the federal government?
   • Do you think New Deal critics were correct in saying that New Deal programs gave the federal government too much power? Why or why not?
   • Do you think it is the responsibility of the government to provide for its people during times of crisis? Why or why not?

Summary Activity:

1. Display Image 10, The Radio and discuss the significance of the radio.
2. Distribute Handout – Create a Radio Broadcast and instruct students to follow the directions to outline their own radio broadcast to advertise a New Deal project in their city or town. (Optional: teacher can demonstrate how to use livingnewdeal.org to class)

Extension Activities:

1. Explore more on the livingnewdeal.org website. Consider:
   • What is one thing on the website that you want to know more about?
   • How would you find out more?
2. Read this article about President Roosevelt’s life with polio.
3. View more of the WPA posters on the Library of Congress website here. Consider:
   • What more have you learned about the WPA?
   • Which posters are your favorite, why?
4. Read this article about the status of Social Security in 2024. Consider:
   • What is the situation with Social Security Benefits in 2024?
5. Explore more about the Federal Theatre Project under the WPA with “The Play That Electrified Harlem”.
6. Read about Zora Neale Hurston and the Federal Writers Project under the WPA here. 
7. Listen to radio broadcasts with music sponsored by the WPA’s Federal Music Project here.

Gallery Walk – Part 2 New Deal Songs Handout – Create a Radio Broadcast Handout – New Deal Primary Sources Handout – New Deal Songs Handout – Part 2 New Deal Songs Analysis Handout – Supreme Court Cases

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Social Studies Standards

History

• D2.His.1.9-12. Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.
• D2.His.2.9-12. Analyze change and continuity in historical eras.
• D2.His.4.9-12. Analyze complex and interacting factors that influenced the perspectives of people during different historical eras.
• D2.His.12.9-12. Use questions generated about multiple historical sources to pursue further inquiry and investigate additional sources.
• D2.His.14.9-12. Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects of events in the past.
• D2.His.15.9-12. Distinguish between long-term causes and triggering events in developing a historical argument.
• D2.His.16.9-12. Integrate evidence from multiple relevant historical sources and interpretations into a reasoned argument about the past.

California History–Social Science Content Standards

11.6 Students analyze the different explanations for the Great Depression and how the New Deal fundamentally changed the role of the federal government.

• 4. Analyze the effects of and the controversies arising from New Deal economic policies and the expanded role of the federal government in society and the economy since the 1930s (e.g., Works Progress Administration, Social Security, National Labor Relations Board, farm programs, regional development policies, and energy development projects such as the Tennessee Valley Authority, California Central Valley Project, and Bonneville Dam).

District of Columbia Social Studies Standards

US2.42 Evaluate the domestic response to the Great Depression, including the election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, assessing the impact of and resistance to New Deal programming, including its impact on the economy and different groups of Americans.

Massachusetts History and Social Science Framework Standards

Topic 2. Modernity in the United States: ideologies and economies [USII.T2]

4. Using primary sources such as campaign literature, news articles/analyses, editorials, and radio/newsreel coverage, analyze the important policies, institutions, trends, and personalities of the Depression era (e.g., Presidents Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Frances Perkins, Huey Long, Charles Coughlin, Charles Lindbergh). Students may research and complete a case study on any one of the following policies, institutions, or trends: a. the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, b. the Securities and Exchange Commission, c. the Tennessee Valley Authority, d. the Social Security Act, e. the National Labor Relations Act, f. the Works Progress Administration, g. the Fair Labor Standards Act, h. the American Federation of Labor,  i. the Congress of Industrial Organizations, j. the American Communist Party, k. the America First movement and anti-Semitism in the United States

5. Evaluate the effectiveness of the New Deal programs enacted during the 1930s and the societal responses to those programs.

Connecticut Primary and Secondary Social Studies Framework

US-4. The 1920s, Great Depression, and New Deal

• US.Eco.3.a. Analyze the ways in which government incentives and personal motivation influenced production and distribution under New Deal policies (e.g., Agricultural Adjustment Act, Tennesee Valley Authority Act, Civilian Conservation Corps, Federal Housing Administration).
• US.Eco.6.a. Explain potential approaches to stabilize markets in response to the Great Depression (e.g., plans by Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Huey Long, and the American Communist Party).
• US.Eco.8.a. Describe the possible consequences, both intended and unintended, of government policies to address social and economic problems during the Great Depression (e.g., role of the Federal government, banking practices, inequitable access to benefits, migration, environmental impacts, social safety net).

New Jersey Student Learning Standards – Social Studies

Era 10. The Great Depression and World War II: The New Deal (1929–1945)

• 6.1.12.CivicsPR.10.a: Analyze how the Supreme Court has interpreted the Constitution to define and expand individual rights and use evidence to document the long-term impact of these decisions on the protection of civil and human rights.
•  6.1.12.CivicsPR.10.b: Assess the effectiveness of governmental policies enacted during the New Deal period in protecting the welfare of individuals (i.e., FDIC, NLRB, and Social Security).
• 6.1.12.EconNE.10.a: Evaluate the effectiveness of economic regulations and standards established during this time period in combating the Great Depression.
•  6.1.12.HistoryCA.10.a: Explain how Franklin Roosevelt and other key individuals, including minorities and women, shaped the core ideologies and policies of the New Deal (i.e., Mary McLeod Bethune, Frances Perkins, and Eleanor Roosevelt).
•  6.1.12.HistoryCA.10.b: Use a variety of sources from multiple perspectives to determine the extent to which New Deal public works and arts programs impacted New Jersey, the nation, and the environment.

Social Studies – National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)

• Theme 2: Time, Continuity, and Change
• Theme 3: People, Places and Environments
• Theme 5: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
• Theme 6: Power, Authority, and Governance
• Theme 7: Production, Distribution, and Consumption
• Theme 10: Civic Ideals and Practices

Common Core State Standards

College and Career Readiness Reading Information Text Standards for Grades 9-12

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing for Grades 9-12

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening for Grades 9-12

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.5 Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.5 Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.