U J Centro de Estudios de Postgrado gradotauja.ujaen.es/bitstream/10953.1/2390/1/CASTILLO...
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Centro de Estudios de Postgrado Máster en Educación Secundaria UNIVERSIDAD DE JAÉN Centro de Estudios de Postgrado THE GREAT DEPRESSION Alumno/a: Castillo García, David Tutor/a: Paula García Ramírez Dpto.: Filología Inglesa
Transcript of U J Centro de Estudios de Postgrado gradotauja.ujaen.es/bitstream/10953.1/2390/1/CASTILLO...
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UNIVERSIDAD DE JAÉN Centro de Estudios de Postgrado
Trabajo Fin de Máster THE GREAT DEPRESSION
Alumno/a: Castillo García, David
Tutor/a: Paula García Ramírez
Dpto.: Filología Inglesa
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1. Summary ............................................................................................................................... 3
2. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 4
3. Theoretical Framework: ....................................................................................................... 5
3.1 Using CLIL in the classroom: .......................................................................................... 5
3.2. Socio-cultural approach ..................................................................................................... 9
3.3. A literary approach ........................................................................................................... 11
3.4. A journey throughout the writers of the period .............................................................. 12
3.5. The Great Depression in other media .............................................................................. 17
3.6. The end of the Great Depression ..................................................................................... 21
3.7. Similarities and differences between The Great Depression and the current economic
crisis: ........................................................................................................................................ 23
4. Teaching Approach ................................................................................................................. 25
4.1. Justification ...................................................................................................................... 25
4.2. Stage, cycle and educational level ................................................................................... 25
4.3. Didactic Unit ..................................................................................................................... 25
4.3.1. Learning objectives.................................................................................................... 25
4.3.3. Basic competences .................................................................................................... 27
4.3.4. Contents .................................................................................................................... 29
4.3.4.1. Interdisciplinary and cross curricular issues........................................................... 31
4.3.5. Timing ........................................................................................................................ 32
4.3.6. Methodology ............................................................................................................. 32
4.3.7. Attention to diversity and specific needs .................................................................. 33
4.3.8. Activities .................................................................................................................... 33
4.3.9. Materials and Resources: .......................................................................................... 33
4.3.10. Evaluation tools ....................................................................................................... 35
4.3.11. Evaluation criteria ................................................................................................... 35
5. Appendix ................................................................................................................................. 56
5.1. Legislation ........................................................................................................................ 56
6. Bibliography ............................................................................................................................ 57
6.1 For the epistemological framework .................................................................................. 57
6.2 For the Didactic unit .......................................................................................................... 59
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1. Summary
The reason for the study of the Great Depression during the development of this work
should extend to the search for knowledge on a black period in the history of the
United States, which began with the global stock market crash, the crash of 29.
The topic will deepen into the causes of this movement, its beginning and its influence,
economic, social and cultural, reflected in the literature by various authors, films,
music, etc.
It seeks to encourage the student’s interest when analyzing the different prominent
literary authors of this movement, promoting the enjoyment of literary reading, in this
case, especially American literature and encouraging the expansion of knowledge.
The teaching methodology is based on a CLIL program combining the study of history
with learning and improving the level of English of the students.
Keywords: Great Depression, American Literature, crash of ’29, economic, social,
cultural, CLIL.
El motivo del estudio de la Gran Depresión en esta unidad didáctica se debe a la
búsqueda de ampliar conocimientos sobre un periodo negro en la historia de los
Estados Unidos, el cual comenzó con el colapso mundial de la bolsa, el crack del 29.
La temática ahondará las causas de este movimiento, su inicio y su influencia, tanto
económica, como socioculturalmente, reflejado en la literatura de varios autores, en el
cine, en la música, etc.
Se busca fomentar el interés del alumno a la hora de estudiar a los diferentes autores
literarios destacados de este movimiento, promover el disfrute de la lectura literaria,
en este caso, muy especial la literatura norteamericana e incitar a la ampliación de
conocimientos.
La metodología de enseñanza se basará en un programa CLIL combinando el estudio
de la historia con el aprendizaje y mejora del nivel del inglés del alumnado.
Palabras clave: La Gran Depresión, Literatura Americana, crac del ’29, economía,
sociedad, cultura, CLIL.
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2. Introduction
Due to a recession by the 1929 stock market crash, that event generally marks the
beginning of the United States economy's collapse into the Great Depression, an
unprecedented period of high unemployment, low productivity, bankruptcy, farm
foreclosures, bank failures, and homelessness. In 1933 the value of all goods and
services produced in the U.S. was only 60 percent of 1929 values, the value of stocks
on the New York Stock Exchange was less than a fifth of its 1929 value, and the
unemployment rate had risen to almost 25 percent. While the numbers are startling,
they hardly convey the depth of hardship experienced by the average family.
The period of the Great Depression is one of the most analyzed epochs in American
history, which is unsurprising since much of the federal government's current role was
put in place during that period. Despite decades of historical and economic analysis,
there remains little consensus over the cause of the Depression. The historian Paul
Johnson calls the period "mysterious." Even ideologues, progressive or free market,
disagree amongst themselves. However, while disagreeing on the specifics, the
progressives generally agree the root cause was unregulated capitalism and the free
marketers generally agree the root cause was the Federal Reserve's mismanagement
of the money supply, the over-expansion of credit, and the regulations, such as wage
and price controls, enacted by Presidents Hoover and Roosevelt. Beyond left and right,
there are a number of other less ideologically committed theories, and most
economists, regardless of ideology, agree the Depression was a complex event caused
by some combination of these theories.
If there is one thing scholars agree on, it is that the Great Depression caused a
dramatic change in the role and perception of government in America. Through the
course of a decade, government quickly shifted from a laissez-faire, hands-off role in
the economy to a highly regulated, hands-on role. New Deal programs gave birth to
the welfare state, making the federal government much more responsible than ever
before for the well-being of the people. Whether this change was good or bad is at the
heart of the debate of The Great Depression.
This thesis is part of an interdisciplinary project, a joint action plan in which a history
lesson unfolds as students learn English as a foreign language.
I will start with a brief resume of what I’m going to talk about during my thesis: First,
I’m going to introduce a few key points about the use of CLIL for the development of
this didactic unit, definition and some characteristics this system has, especially, its
double aims, the learning of a subject and the learning of a foreign language, that’s the
interest of CLIL method.
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After that, it will be necessary to develop a socio-cultural approach of the period to be
studied, remarking the cause of The Great Depression, its consequences and some
economic policies developed during the crisis period. Then, we will introduce into the
world of literature with the brief study of some of the most important writers of The
Great Depression such as Steinbeck, Dos Passos or Hemingway, for example. Not only
literature was important, some other cultural manifestations took place with a greater
importance such as the radio, cinema, magazines and comic strips.
Finally, we will close with the end of The Great Depression and the similitudes and
differences between The Great Depression and nowadays economic crisis.
3. Theoretical Framework
3.1 Using CLIL in the classroom
CLIL is an acronym, and as such it tends to attract people’s attention. If we were to ask
the question ‘What is subject teaching?’ or ‘What is language teaching?’ we would
probably be expecting more than four short articles in response. But CLIL has been
bold enough to encapsulate itself within an acronym, implying that it is an approach, a
philosophy – an educational paradigm with frontiers that can be defined.
We can define CLIL by means of the following five maxims:
1. CLIL is a member of the curriculum club.
The first one it’s a very simple definition:
Students learn a new subject thanks to a foreign language;
CLIL is referred as a construction – as a member of the curricular club. However, it
could be uncontroversial because we do not know the extension or levels in
whichpupils ‘learn a subject’ by the use of a foreign language, and we are being left
unawared of any reasons for using CLIL.
2. CLIL has a dual focus.
Here we got a more detailed description:
CLIL is used in situations where subjects are taught through a foreign language
with two main objectives: first, namely the learning of content, and then, the
simultaneous learning of a foreign language.
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This highlights some of the educational intention inherent to the CLIL paradigm. By
means of CLIL, the student learns the subject content whilst at the same time is
learning a foreign language too. That’s called the ‘dual-focused’ objective, which
implies that CLIL has two aims.
3. CLIL buys us time.
CLIL provides exposure to the language and never requires extra time in the
curriculum.
This could be seen as a good reason to promote an approach with two objectives in
mind. First objective is clearly educational (students learn a subject content and a
foreign language) and the other one is administrative.
The problem lies in the difficulty in finding timetable spaces; so, CLIL promotes the
study of subjects in foreign languages, for instance, instead of studying Geography in
the majority language, and do it in a foreign language. This method is effective, so,
pupils learn the same subject concepts and skills, increasing the time they are in
contact with the foreign language – crucial consideration in the improvement of
attainment levels.
4. CLIL produces change – let’s notice it!
Let’s establish at a different type of definition on CLIL:
“…an approach to bilingual education in which both curriculum content (such as
science or geography) and English are taught together. It differs from simple English-
medium education in that the learner is not necessarily expected to have the English
proficiency required to cope with the subject before beginning study”. (Graddol, D.
2006)
A powerful element of CLIL is its role in the improvement of language skills, students
don’t need to have a high level of knowledge. Why don’t?
Teachers have to establish adjusts for their methodology; students must be
able to understand the content of that subject.
Teachers are responsible not only for the transmission of the content, assuming
that their audience understood, they also have to think of other processes
(group work, tasks, etc) which help to increase the student’s skills.
Textbooks have to reflect this maxim.
Students are learning a language more related to, the subject matter that they
are going to study.
CLIL is used both, for students with a higher level and students in a less
advanced level; there is no restriction about that.
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5. CLIL motivates
CLIL considers language just as a ‘vehicle’, not as an entity, the central component of
the CLIL content. This is a crucial observation, and it lies at the heart of the educational
and social change since the development of the Internet and the parallel growth in
globalization. English becomes an essential add-on to any curricular programme
around the world; it is a subject that pupils learn in order to acquire knowledge.
CLIL has dual focusaims;it entails perfectly this post-modern, utilitarian view of the
English language. Liberal educationalists may not agree with it, but for the time being
it is here to stay. In its defence, CLIL also seems to contribute to the buzz-concept of
our times – namely ‘motivation’. Teachers’ forums talk about it endlessly, as do the
blurbs on the back of scholastic textbooks and the opening lines of ministerial
declarations. Does CLIL install a necessity to learn? If this is true, then we need to know
exactly why. We can examine this in subsequent articles, but now, why should CLIL
motivate more than other conventional approaches? It could be because:
It gives reasons for learning and helps improving the foreign language level.
It focuses on and assesses the subject content, so the learner is not being
assessed on his/her mastery of the Past Simple (for example) but rather his/her
ability to use it in the appropriate places?
It produces in students the sensation of real achievement. They are dealing
with, and talking and writing about, complex material in the foreign language.
They are not being asked to discuss ‘vox-pop’ content as in standard language
learning textbooks (Pop Stars, Global Warming, My Favourite Auntie) – where
the content is used as a slave to illustrate a certain language structure – but
because the content is important in itself. In CLIL there is a chance that they are
being asked their opinions because the expression of opinions (for example) is
a key competence in the syllabus content.
The use of CLILhelps to use language appropriately at the same time we use language
to learn efficiently. We have to follow these principles:
1. Content is important, butthis is not just for acquiring knowledge and skills, students
have to create their own knowledge, it’s necessary for the understanding and
development of skills (adjusted learning).
2. Content is deeply relatedwith learning and thinking processes (cognition). Learners
create their own interpretation of the content, which is important for its linguistic
demands.
3. An analysis is completely necessary for thinking processes (cognition) for linguistic
demands.
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4. It is necessary to learn language; this is related to the learning context, learning
throughout language, we must reconstruct this content and relate it to cognitive
processes. Language must be transparent and accessible.
5. Interaction for learning context is essential to learn. Learning context acts thanks to
the medium of a foreign language.
6. Interculturality is fundamental to CLIL, located at the core of CLIL.
Retrieved from:
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3.2 Socio-cultural approach1
First World War affected some European regions while the economic crisis erupted at
the end and affected the entire planet questioning the capitalist system. It was
originated in the United States and it was spread worldwide.
BACKGROUND.
The First World War had placed the US in a privileged position in comparison to the
rest of the world, making it the biggest supplier of raw materials, food and industrial
products. Industrial growth was extraordinary, based on the theories of Taylor and
Ford on work organization and production. Conversely, agriculture did not have a
parallel growth; agricultural prices were much lower than the industry, so many
farmers sold their land cheaply and went to the cities. There were happy times of high
consumerism and the United States was seen as the “promised land”, a rich and
affluent society. This confidence made that much of the population bought shares of
industrial companies, being Wall Street the center of the global economy where
money came from all over the world. The world was not in the same situation that the
US economic boom, so, the country could not put all its industrial production. This
caused stocks to grow and, therefore, falling prices of accumulated products. Until the
end of 1929, the purchase of shares grew nearly 90%. Financial speculation to make
money quickly and the shares were overvalued. People came to borrow from banks to
buy on the stock market, since the benefits paid bank interest easily. He had spent a
prosperity based on industrial development to rely on speculation. In 1928 begin to be
felt symptoms of an economy in danger: the incomes do not allow further increase
consumption, stores are full of goods that can not be sold and increased layoffs.
Oblivious to this reality, the stock continues to grow. There is no relationship between
the value of a stock and the company status; the great demand from speculators made
the value of the shares continued rising.
THE CRASH OF NEW YORK.
On Thursday October 24, 1929 known as Black Thursday, there was the crack of the
New York Stock Exchange. Over 16,000,000 of securities trading at the low could not
find a buyer and this caused the ruin of thousands of investors, many of whom had
bought those titles with credits that can no longer afford. Many people panic and run
to try to withdraw money from their bank accounts. Banks are overwhelmed by bad
debt, stop new loans and no existing debt is refinanced. About 600 banks were broken.
1 The information found in this section has been retrieved from O’Callagham, 2012;; Clark, 2009; Zinn,
2003.
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HOME OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION.
The Crash of the ’29 opened a period of global economic reccesion that lasted during
thedecade of the '30s and had a strong impact on economic, social and political, this is
called The Great Depression. In the United States, the consumption was frozen,
increased stocks, investments were paralyzed and many companies broke.
Unemployment reached all social strata, prices of agricultural markets fell down and
farmers got ruined and sold their lands and emigrated. The workers were not able to
find any kind of job and this affected even to professionals and businessmen who got
ruined too. It is estimated to have reached 14 million unemployed. The crisis did not
stop on American soil;it was due to the dependence of the European economy had
with the United States economy, a country that was a major slump in world production
and generated great tensions in the labor market, so it became a good breeding
ground for ultranacionalismos and fascist authoritarianism.
SOLUTIONS: THE NEW DEAL.
In 1933 Roosevelt became President, whose main objective would be the rebuilding of
the country's economy. He developed a plan called New Deal based on the ideas of the
economist John Keynes; although he was in favor of liberalism, he proposed the
intervention of the state in certain situations. This plan was aimed at promoting
investments, credits and consumption, which would reduce unemployment. Aid to
banks and subsidies offered to farmers, increased wages and reduced working hours;
places were created in the Administration. Health care plans and a new pension
system are also designed.
CONSEQUENCES OF THE CRISIS.
The most visible consequence of the crisis of 29’ was probably the increasing
unemployment worldwide. Those who managed to save his job did with significant
wage cuts. The economic boom became poverty that swept the field and cities.
Increased mortality and population growth stopped. In the United States appeared
marginal nearby villages to cities made of sheet metal and cardboard Hoovervilles
were called (by President Hoover).
Dollar devalued, governments all over the world were taking protectionist measures
and international trade was reduced. The economic recovery was very slow and it did
not start until 1933, although the effects of the crisis extendeduntil the beginning of
World War II.
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3.3 A literary approach
During the 1920s the United States was able to rapid economic development and
great prosperity. It was a time of profound changes in the economy by the growth of
industries, technological advances, progress in aviation and automotive industry, the
growth of urban population, the development of mass culture, the arrival of the
unwritten media like radio and cinema and became a major market. This wave of
prosperity was reflected in literature; Scott Fitzgerald published "The Great Gatsby" in
1925, a story about the easy money that seemed to be everywhere. The arrival of the
crisis in 1929 began one of the most difficult periods in American history, and no
clutch, one of the most important literatures ever written.
Between 1900 and 1940 it took place in Europe modernism, avant-garde literary
movement influenced by the avant-garde experimentalism and was looking for a break
with Victorian heritage, realistic rendering and employed new literary techniques like
interior monologue. Many American writers moved to London or Paris, Fitzgerald, Dos
Passos, Hemingway, Faulkner and Steinbeck are part of a group known as the "Lost
Generation," a name given to Gertrude Stein who lived in Europe in the period since
the end of World War until the Great Depression. Some of them were directly involved
in the war, Dos Passos within the body of the Red Cross as an ambulance driver as the
same as Ernest Hemingway. William Faulkner and F. Scott Fitzgerald joined the
Canadian Air Force and the US military respectively.
It was at this time that the best American writers emerged, dedicated to leave a
written record of the life of the poor and the working class. Some disappointed by the
new way of life, capitalism, greed, speculation and the loss of traditional values, began
to literary essays and wrote about poverty, politics and society. They acquired a social
responsibility and attempted to define its work in political and social terms. At that
time the Communist Party appeared to many as the best option to make drastic
changes in its capitalist environment and that was how in 1932, about fifty intellectuals
formed The League of Professional Groups Foster and Ford, thinking that The crisis
demanded a revolution and published a brochure entitled "Culture and Crisis" support
the Communist candidate for president.
Not all writers were devoted to this type of literature, but it is worth insisting that
although the historical romance was already popular in the 20s, was also influenced
directly by the crisis. The success of these novels does not have to look very far [...] in a
period of confusion and uncertainty, was an avid market consolation of nostalgia and
sedative action.
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3.4 A journey throughout the writers of the period 2
John Steinbeck: Pulitzer Prize Nobel Prize in literature in 1940 and 1962. He is
considered the American writer with the greatest social commitment of this period. As
the same Hemingway and other writers did, he chose journalism and observation. He
leaned on own experiences, what it is shown in the realism of the characters and the
events narrated. California, his hometown, was used as the place of his stories, when it
became the destination for thousands of migrants, where he portrayed the suffering,
injustice, police abuses, inequality, etc. Steinbeck was a critic of capitalism and
defender of New Deal of Roosevelt, in his novels measures including the president, as
the FSA (Farm Security Administration), in The Grapes of Wrath.
John Steinbeck (1902-1968)
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2 Information retrieved from Byam 1989; Lenthal, 2007; Rohbard, 2008.
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Some books by John Steinbeck.
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Grapes of Wrath was written in 1939; it is considered as his masterpiece, and also
considered one of the most important, controversial and transgressive novels of the
decade, with a large social content. He was harshly attacked by his language and his
harshness, and defended by Eleanor Roosevelt. It was denounced in the Senate and in
the pulpits of the Midwest, reviled as a parody offended by Oklahomans and banned in
dozens of libraries. Tells the story of the Joads, a humble family like many others
suffered the Dust Bowl and the intervention of bankers, was forced to leave their land
and move to California. In a country of landowners, these migrants known as 'Okies'
were forced to live in poor conditions and were brutalized by the police.
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William Faulkner: Nobel Prize for Literature 1949 and twice Pulitzer Prize. He belonged
to a traditional Southern family, marked by memories of the Civil War, and the figure
of his grandfather, Col. William Clark Falkner. In their stories the south is always
present; it was almost an inexhaustible source of literary inspiration, always
incorporating issues such as decay, crime, cruelty and devastation. He is Known for its
innovative use of literary techniques such as interior monologue, the inclusion of
multiple narrators or points of view and jumps in time within the narrative. Their
influence is evident in the generation of South American writers of the late twentieth
century; GarcíaMárquez and Vargas Llosa allowed its influence on narrative.
His most important in this period novels are The Sound and the Fury (1929), Light in
August (1932) and Absalom, Absalom (1936). The Sound and the Fury is considered
among the hundred best books of all time. It is a work full of moving images, written
experimentally, narrated by four different voices, four brothers, including a mentally
handicapped, which make a direct presentation of his thoughts before they are
rational. Besides the stories revolve around facts related but are presented in a
nonlinear way, some separated by several years. It is the story of the decline of the
Compson family in an imaginary territory as Yoknapatwpha baptized by Faulkner; it is a
sign of the deterioration of traditional morality which is replaced by the isolation of
modernity.
William Faulkner (1897-1962)
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Ernest Hemingway won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and in 1954 won the Nobel Prize for
Literature. He lived violence and death first-hand as an ambulance driver during World
War I and he also was present during the Normandy landings and the liberation of
Paris. He had worked as a journalist for a newspaper in Kansas, which had a great
influence on his style, full of direct, short and harsh sentences. It is one of the most
influential writers of the twentieth century; important writers continued its tragic
elements and the representation of their own experiences in writing. Fighting the fear
that fills his stories and novels with an anxious tension is perhaps his most
characteristic theme, and his description of the lost moments of challenge and remains
its most authentic and lasting achievement.
Hemingway participated in the Spanish Civil War as a journalist and wrote this based
on For Whom the Bell Tolls. Described the violence and cruelty, presenting extreme
situations, it tells in great detail the places, feelings, people, smells. Feelings are always
present, describes the values, reactions and fears in the conflict. The story begins
when Robert Jordan, comes to the war with the Lincoln Brigade, as responsible for
destroying a strategic bridge, where he meets Mary, with whom he lives a love story.
Robert keeps his fighting spirit to the end and then dies as a hero, helping your friends
to escape. Here plasma which are recurring themes in his novels, the pursuit of truth
and reason and the struggle between good and evil.
Ernest Hemingway (1891-1961)
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John Dos Passos: Disillusioned with capitalism, he was part of the group of
intellectuals and writers, including Ernest Hemingway, who formed directly and
indirectly loyalties to the Communist Party. During the first half of the decade of the
30, it was the most recognized figure on the left, but eventually ended up breaking
with this ideology. His novels are sad; they attack the materialism of the United States
and show their dissatisfaction with society. He had a profound influence on several
generations of European and American novelists. Dos Passos was devoted to studying
the present through the past and was the most prominent historian among novelists of
the decade of depression.
In the last book of Trilogy USA published in 1936 speaks about money, that is what
everyone in the 1920s are looking for and many are, however, what is created is a
world out of control where the dignity of society is sacrificed. One of his most famous
stories is dedicated Sacco and Vanzetti, the two Italian immigrant anarchists who were
convicted of robbery and murder even though the arguments against them were
sufficient, many think it was his ideology that led to a trial and one unjust execution
coincided with the Red Scare. The case had a huge international impact and sparked
protests and strikes in cities around the world. Dos Passos was imprisoned for
protesting these killings
Edmund Wilson: During the 1920s, he had become a renowned literary critic and
thanks to him, many writers had come to be recognized in Europe. Wilson wrote
prolifically in almost all genres, including fiction, social criticism, nonfiction, memoir,
history and especially literature. With the collapse of the prosperous twenties, Wilson,
like many literary writers, began to ask questions about the social consciousness that
writers should take to suffering and what the real story of what was happening. Like
many intellectuals of his time he was convinced that communism was the key to a
better future, although he continued to be critical of the Communist Party.
In October 1930, he undertook a tour of the country as a reporter for the New
Republic, the articles produced were collected in a book called America loses nerve
(1932) about social problems in the United States occurred after the crash, which it is
still considered the best snapshot of the country in its most desperate hour. Shows
what depression mean in everyday life of Americans, in a chapter called, A bad day in
Brooklyn, describes three people who attempted suicide on the same day by the lack
of work. He speaks very violent episodes as a fight between communists’ protesters
and police in New York and the miners' strike in West Virginia.
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As George Packer says in his article Do not Look Down in The New Yorker, "More than
mere idealism or ideology, the intensity of feeling that was what moved some of the
country's leading writers to turn literature into a form of activism. They were social
pursuing the muse. Marxism and an awareness of class conflict gave them -a powerful
afflatus-, a ready dose of inspiration and a new language That Could Be Both gritty and
prophetic.” (Packer, G. 2013)
3.5 The Great Depression in other media
Cinema
The reaction of the film to the economic depression was generally what has been
called evasion. The film with the other media, enhanced mass consumption and great
entertainment market, producers promoted an environment in which citizens were
seeking a distraction from their problems. At the beginning of the decade, there were
very popular gangster movies including Public Enemy and Scarface, there were
humorous cinema with hit comedies as Modern Times by Charles Chaplin, in 1936, and
a fantasy and adventure tale with King Kong in 1933 and The Wizard of Ozin 1939, a
romantic historical novel and the famous Gone with the Windin 1939, and the first
animated film produced by Walt Disney Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs that was
made in this era.
They related to the industry success too, because they could not remain indifferent to
the climate of concern and uncertainty created by the crisis and unemployment
changes needed to be grantedfor the survival films were commercial successes, it had
begun the great mass entertainment market. The first film completed in completely
spoken color was released in 1929 and that same year, the Oscars were created. You
can also locate in this decade the beginning of the practice of selling popcorn; evidence
of those bad economic times which forced the owners of theaters to seek extra
resources. There are also those who say that happy endings of movies become
common to generate a climate of optimism. Well, a happy ending' negates all their
harsh experiences, having on the New Deal a note of optimism.
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The film also had another perspective that kept him tied to the realities of depression,
some films expressed the moral crisis of a country that lived in the prosperity of the
twenties, in the case of the adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath by John Ford in 1940,
social problems there became a form of entertainment. There were films loaded with
symbolism as seen in The Three Little Pigs; Walt Disney’s wolf represents the economic
crisis and wants to devour all the three little pigs who were ordinary citizens struggling
to survive, to take an example quite used. In conclusion, the choice of films did nothing
but contribute to that film became a real hobby;more than 75 million viewers flocked
to the movies every week in the United States in the thirties.
Modern Times is considered as an example of social criticism; the work mixes fiction
with reality to take it with some humor. Portrays the closed factories, strikes, clashes
with police, men who steal to feed their families, the man who would rather be in jail
where at least has food and protection. It is considered the last silent film, although it
is a mixture of silent and sound films, and that some effects such as music, sound
machines, etc. were used. This film is, as in the other arts, a reflection of the current
circumstances and Charles Chaplin had the ability to describe the realities of his time
and take them to the screen.
Radio
By the end of the 1930s, twenty-eight million households boasted at least one radio
set, with most tuned-in to a network or local station for an average of five hours a day.
Reaching over 80 per cent of the population, and far more Depression proof than the
movies, radio dominated America’s entertainment habits. Listening to the radio
became a source of distraction for millions of Americans so much that the 1930 is
often called the Golden Age of Radio. The stations had a bit of everything for all ages,
young and old. It was a way of finding out what was happening and a means of
propaganda and advertising. The audience doubled in the years of the Great
Depression and was used by Roosevelt as a way to approach the people, to
communicate its plans and explain his political vision.
Its talks beside the fireplace meant direct communication with citizens and soon
managed to be one of the most appreciated media, plus it allowed hiding the
symptoms of polio in that period. It can be considered a legacy of Roosevelt's approach
to the media, which was repeated with the next great communications tool, television.
This practice was later adopted by Reagan; to this day it is customary that the
19
President is directed to people in regular transmissions. At the same time, the
president's role had begun to change, it was essential to be a good speaker.
Magazine
Life magazine was first published in 1883 and in 1936 was bought by Henry Luce,
founder of Time, and acquired the rights to his name and turned it into a publication
with an emphasis in photojournalism dedicated to transmit images of spectacular
scenes and large personalities. When the first edition of Life appeared, America was in
the middle of the Great Depression and in Europe a climate of tension that made think
of a new world war could be possible, but its director ignored the whole situation and
the first cover was the image Fort Peck dam in Montana. The launch of Life magazine
in November 1936, devoted to using photography to represent news, politics and the
social world, also demonstrated the growing appetite for the photodocument,
boasting a weekly circulation of one million copies within just three months since its
launch.
Comic strips
The cultural production of this first part of the 30’s was escapist. It was the period of
emergence of heroes that could do everything; Superman, Dick Tracy and the Lone
Ranger are just a sampling of the need to escape from everyday reality through desire
the arrival of rescuers heroes. During the Great Depression, Americans found in comics
a distraction, cheap entertainment and could be done anywhere. Besides, heroes gave
them a new way of looking at the problems and the real world. Superman was first
published in 1933, followed by Batman, Captain America and many more.
Superman phenomenon reflects the challenges facing the US in the 1930’s; he was a
man who faced real life situations, giving readers another perspective on issues such as
corruption and social injustice. People began to look at their local leaders associating
with the superhero and comparing the New Deal with their struggle. Another
interesting development from this period was Wonder Woman, its creator was a
Harvard psychologist and inventor of the polygraph, he understood the power of
comic books in American culture and used as a means of disseminating their own view
of women.
20
Higher sales of a comic strip had been averaging around 200,000-400,000 copies per
issue, but if Superman had his own publication, each bimonthly number sold about
1,300,000 copies and these numbers do not even reflect the actual number because
comics readers in the 1930s and 40s were not kept as collectibles but is passed from
one another. Comic books were the release of this young generation of modern
television.
Photograph
The crisis was also cause for reflection and artistic creation. Photographers hired by
the Farm Security Administration, toured farms photographing rural poverty during the
years of the crisis and awakening the consciences of their fellow citizens. Since its
inception in the last decade of the nineteenth century, photojournalism was used by
the tabloids and magazines to broadcast stories were illustrated with stunning images,
especially in political conflicts or photographic documentary as did Jacob Riis in The
other half lives. The period between 1930 and 1950 is known as the Golden Age of
photojournalism.
President Roosevelt was commissioned to document photographically the
consequences of the Great Depression, and then from there get the authorities the
necessary funds. Roy Stryker directed to this group of photographers who for eight
years produced more than 270,000 photographs.
The extensive photographic material collected allowed giving a glimpse of the harsh
conditions in which most of the American rural population lived, especially in the
south. The success of the documentary work resided in the visual strength of a harsh
reality, based on a simple, direct and highly significant representation morally. Without
any technical manipulations, away from all pictorial content and non-denaturing any
instant, we were able to show the wretched America.
Dorothea Lange: Humanistic photographs of Lange on the terrible consequences of the
Great Depression made her one of the most important journalists of world
photojournalism. The Migrant Mother is a milestone in reportage photography, puts
society face to face with the suffering of others; their goal was to sensitize public
opinion of misery living in the streets. The photograph was published in the San
21
Francisco News for the first time to illustrate an article about the plight of agricultural
gatherers, later aired in newspapers across the country, generating a reaction to show
the consequences of poverty. The federal government sent immediately twenty
thousand pounds of food to California migrant workers.
3.6 The end of the Great Depression
What did finally end the Great Depression? That question may be the most important
in economic history. If we can answer it, we can better grasp what perpetuates
economic stagnation and what cures it.
The Great Depression was the worst economic crisis in U.S. history. From 1931 to 1940
unemployment was always in double digits. In April 1939, almost ten years after the
crisis began, more than one in five Americans still could not find work.
On the surface World War II seems to mark the end of the Great Depression. During
the war more than 12 million Americans were sent into the military, and a similar
number toiled in defense-related jobs. Those war jobs seemingly took care of the 17
million unemployed in 1939. Most historians have therefore cited the massive
spending during wartime as the event that ended the Great Depression.
Some economists—especially Robert Higgs—have wisely challenged that conclusion.
Let’s be blunt. If the recipe for economic recovery is putting tens of millions of people
in defense plants or military marches, then having them make or drop bombs on our
enemies overseas, the value of world peace is called into question. In truth, building
tanks and feeding soldiers—necessary as it was to winning the war—became a
crushing financial burden. We merely traded debt for unemployment. The expense of
funding World War II hiked the national debt from $49 billion in 1941 to almost $260
billion in 1945. In other words, the war had only postponed the issue of recovery.
Even President Roosevelt and his New Dealers sensed that war spending was not the
ultimate solution; they feared that the Great Depression—with more unemployment
than ever—would resume after Hitler and Hirohito surrendered. Yet Roosevelt’s team
was blindly wedded to the federal spending that (as I argue inNew Deal or Raw Deal?)
had perpetuated the Great Depression during the 1930s.
Roosevelt had halted many of his New Deal programs during the war—and he allowed
Congress to kill the Works Progress Administration, the CivilizanConservartorCorps, the
National Youth Administration, and others—because winning the war came first. In
1944, however, as it became apparent that the Allies would prevail, he and his New
Dealers prepared the country for his New Deal revival by promising a second bill of
rights. Included in the President’s package of new entitlements was the right to
22
adequate medical care, a decent home, and a useful and remunerative job. These
rights (unlike free speech and freedom of religion) imposed obligations on other
Americans to pay taxes for eyeglasses, decent houses, and useful jobs, but President
Roosevelt believed his second bill of rights was an advance in thinking from what the
Founders had conceived.
Roosevelt’s death in the last year of the war prevented him from unveiling his New
Deal revival. But President Harry Truman was on board for most of the new reforms. In
the months after the end of the war Truman gave major speeches showcasing a full
employment bill—with jobs and spending to be triggered if people failed to find work
in the private sector. He also endorsed a national health care program and a federal
housing program.
But 1946 was very different from 1933. In 1933 large Democratic majorities in
Congress and public support gave Roosevelt his New Deal, but stagnation and
unemployment persisted. By contrast, Truman had only a small Democratic majority—
and no majority at all if you subtract the more conservative southern Democrats. Plus,
the failure of Roosevelt’s New Deal left fewer Americans cheering for an encore.
In short the Republicans and southern Democrats refused to give Truman his New Deal
revival. Sometimes they emasculated his bills; other times they just killed them.
Senator Robert Taft of Ohio, one of the leaders of the Republican-southern Democrat
coalition, explained why he voted against much of the program: “The problem now is
to get production and employment. If we can get production, prices will come down by
themselves to the lowest point justified by increased costs. If we hold prices at a point
where no one can make a profit, there will be no expansion of existing industry and no
new industry in that field.” (Taft, R.)
Robert Wason, president of the National Association of Manufacturers, simply said,
“The problem of our domestic economy is the recovery of our freedom.” (Wason, R.)
Alfred Sloan, the chairman of General Motors, framed the question this way: “Is
American business in the future as in the past to be conducted as a competitive
system? He answered: “General Motors . . . will not participate voluntarily in what
stands out crystal clear at the end of the road—a regimented economy.” (Sloan, A)
Taft, Wason, and Sloan reflected the views of most congressmen, who proceeded to
squelch the New Deal revival. Instead they cut tax rates to encourage entrepreneurs to
create jobs for the returning veterans.
After many years of confiscatory taxes, businessmen desperately needed incentives to
expand. By 1945 the top marginal income tax rate was 94 percent on all income over
$200,000. We also had a high excess-profits tax that had absorbed more than one-
third of all corporate profits since 1943—and another corporate tax that reached as
high as 40 percent on other profits.
23
In 1945 and 1946 Congress repealed the excess-profits tax, cut the corporate tax to a
maximum 38 percent, and cut the top income tax rate to 86 percent. In 1948 Congress
sliced the top marginal rate further, to 82 percent.
Those rates were still high, but they were the first cuts since the 1920s and sent the
message that businesses could keep much of what they earned. The year 1946 was not
without ups and downs in employment, occasional strikes, and rising prices. But the
regime certainty of the 1920s had largely returned, and entrepreneurs believed they
could invest again and be allowed to make money.
As Sears, Roebuck and Company Chairman Robert E. Wood observed, after the war we
were warned by private sources that a serious recession was impending…. I have never
believed that any depression was in store for us.
With freer markets, balanced budgets, and lower taxes, Wood was right.
Unemployment was only 3.9 percent in 1946, and it remained at roughly that level
during most of the next decade. The Great Depression was over.
3.7 Similarities and differences between The Great Depression and the current
economic crisis:
Many are the similarities and differences between the two crises. The Great
Depression lasted over 15 years, with very high rates of poverty (unemployment,
deflation...), while the duration of the current crisis is yet to be discovered and poverty
rates are not as high: Nowadays, 9% unemployment... Possibly, the Great Depression
was a much more global crisis accentuated by the radical capitalism that was practiced
at the time, without social or medical coverage and with very weakened unions. At
present, we cannot say that the American system has improved radically on issues of
social and medical coverage, but there are many more social measures than before
and the capitalist system has evolved to better defend the rights of workers.
In both situations, the causes of the crisis have been similar: The absolute freedom
that has been under the market and malpractice of some speculators. Both in 1929
and 2008, it created a speculative bubble that inevitably ends up exploding. Although
the main cause of the Great Depression was not just the stock market crash, this was
another element that joined the mismanagement of monetary policy with his radically
liberal policies led the US into a recession unprecedented in its history. Although
globalization in the 20s did not reach the levels of today, the crisis also affected the
world globally, being one of the first major economic recessions worldwide. The
current crisis is much more linked to the world market, because through real estate
24
speculation and a series of financial magic tricks, companies worldwide were infected
with a range of toxic assets that inevitably would plummet. In the globalized world we
live in, not only the economic recession in the US focused but spread throughout the
world. In September 2008, we see unmistakable signs of economic stagnation in
disparate parts of the world: The Bank of England is rescuing banks to the brink of
bankruptcy; Iceland is close to bankruptcy after the bankruptcy of three of its biggest
banks.
During the crack of 29, the competent authorities avoided this problem. From the
private sector, which attempted to stabilize the market through capital injections at
critical times, but still the Republican Laissez faire mentality prevailed in the early years
of recession. It is true that President Hoover tried to revive the economy by creating a
series of interventionist measures and unbalancing the budget balance, but their
attempts were shy and in 1932 broke his steps to get to the elections with a balanced
budget balance. It was not until the Democratic administration of Roosevelt took over
the Capitol there was a clear change in this regard. In the present case, also this is a
republican government with a president of the Republican Federal Reserve and a
deeply liberal treasury secretary. While the idea of not intervening was the first to be
considered when problems appeared at Bear Stearns, the ultraconservative Republican
decision-makers are quickly given how much they had to act.
We can say that we have learned from our mistakes and the Republican administration
of George W. Bush, very reluctantly did what his colleague Hoover was unable to do:
take action on the matter and forget their economic principles.
The measures that were taken from the congress with the support of the Republican
administration (Emergency Economic Stabilization Act and the Economic Stimulus Act)
connected to the series of measures that would be taken then under the Democratic
administration of Barack Obamaare the closest things to the New Deal.
In both cases, it is the executive who heads this package and covers skills that
theoretically would not own him. In 1932, the executive enhances its role in the
internal politics of the country and start a trend that will be the norm until today: The
crucial role of the post of President of the United States. Until then, with some
exceptions, most US presidents had a very minor role in political matters, since the
great majority of them were taken from the congress. From the Great Depression,
presidents will be more powerful figures and eager to use it. In the current crisis, we
can also see how the legislation came to stop the crisis was suggested by the secretary
of the treasury, which was harshly criticized by hardliners of republicanism expand
unacceptably executive powers. Although there is a clear dividing line between the
executive and legislative powers, in the decisive moments with this separation fades
In order to act quickly and effectively, because the Congress is slow and full of
obstacles while not tuned can take years to approve a decree.
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4. Teaching Approach
4.1 Justification
I chose this topic due to the big impact that occurred in world history when the
collapse of one of the most important countries, United States of America,which also
influenced the global economy on a large scale, so, I particularly think that is an
interesting topic for a short survey for a teaching unit.
4.2 Stage, cycle and educational level
The whole didactic unit is oriented to a 2º Bach of a bilingual class, this is due to the
CLIL level, it includes new vocabulary to be learned by students in class about
economics, politics and historical facts; sometimes it will be quite difficult to acquire
these new words or expressions so students must have a high level for this unit.
Literature also has a great importance here, names of authors and works, especially in
extracts to be analysed in class.
4.3 Didactic Unit
4.3.1 Learning objectives
Didactic Objetives
Stage Objetives
Area Objectives Basic
competences
- To acquire more
vocabulary,
promoting a lexical-
semantically
enrichment.
- To have a fluid
communication in
class, both, with
teacher and
partners
a, b, c, d, e, f, g,
i, l, j
a, b, c, d, e, f, g,
i, j
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
8, 9
1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8,
9
1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
1, 4, 5, 6, 7,
26
- To improve the
pronunciation level,
the importance of
phonology.
- To understand and
extract the main
ideas and topics
from the texts to be
analyzed.
- The development
of full essays by
taking the main
topics from texts
- Historical study:
Acquire knowledge
about this period,
economical,
political and social
situation
- Enjoy reading
literature,
transmitted orally
and written
a, b, c, d, e, f, g,
i, j
a, b, e, f, g, i, j, l
a, b, e, f, g, i, j, l
a, b, c, d, e, g, i,
j, l
a, b, e, f, g, i, j, l
1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8,
9
1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8,
9
1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8,
9
1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8,
9
1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
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To conclude:
Taking a view at the didactic objectives established in our didactic unit, the main
competences that will be developed during the development of this lesson will the
following ones in this table:
Tick where competences can be found, cross where can’t be found in the following
table:
4.3.3 Basic competences
BASIC COMPETENCES
Linguistic competence (1)
We look for the successful development of the four basic skills in
understanding texts and analyze the information: reading,
speaking, writing and listening.
X Mathematical competence (2)
Briefly developed during the lesson, just to know several
percentages and stadistics of the period
X Knowledge and interaction
with the physical world (3)
A comparison between the society of The Great Depression and
modern society, especially when talking about economical crisis.
Very short development.
Treatment of information
and digital competence (4)
It requires gathering information for the development of this work,
so, ICTs will be essential for this work.
Social competence and
citizenship (5)
The expression of all kinds of feelings: love, hate, rage, revenge,
lust, poverty, struggle, desperation, etc. Different kinds of
sensations people experienced during this time.
Spirit of teamwork, collaboration among students is required, it
does not have to be an individual task but that collective work can
lead to better stories.
Cultural and artistic
competence (6):
The study of the situation of the period, cultural references, the
development of society after the ’29 Market Crash. Historical
knowledge will be acquired.
28
Learning to learn (7) The use of ICTs for acquiring more information, documentaries,
films or extracts of them will be visualized to fit into the context of
the Great Depression.
Autonomy and personal
initiative (8)
Personal distribution of students according to the type of activity
to be carried: individual, workingin pairs, in groups, chat-
discussion.
Development of activities orally, written, visual information, etc.
Relevance of Stage Objectives
The aim of foreign language education at the Bachillerato stage is to develop the
following skills:
1. To develop personal expression and oral collaboration with other being always
comprehensive and showing respect and precision, use also the correspondent
strategies for each situation.
2. To understand the essence and specific information presented in an oral way and
following the line of argument in oral texts according to real-life communicative
contexts and by mass media.
3. The writing of different kinds of texts with a clear and well-organised structure, using
the most appropriated registers adapted to the audience to which is addressed and
paying attention to the communicative intention.
4. To understand varied types of written texts of general and specific interest allowing
a critical interpretation, improving strategies of comprehension according to the
required activities, the identification of the key elements of the text and to capture
their function and organization of discourse.
5. To read texts with different purposes according to the level of the students, their
needs and interests, to evaluate reading as a source of information, pleasure and
leisure.
29
6. The application of linguistic knowledge and a clear use of norms both, in speaking
and writing doing it appropriately, with coherence and correctly in order to understand
oral and written texts and reflect upon the function of the foreign language in
communicative situations.
7. The acquisition and development of learning strategies, making use of all means
available to them, including the use of ITC’s, aiming to the use of the foreign language
autonomously and to further their learning.
8. Knowledge of the main socio-cultural features of the foreign language allowing a
better understanding and interpretation among cultures that are different to our own
and the foreign language itself.
9. Valuation of foreign language as means of accessing other knowledge and cultures,
and recognising the importance of the target language as a way of international
communication, fomenting the understanding in a multi-cultural world; similarities and
differences amid different cultures must be appreciated.
10. The reinforcement of self-assessment strategies to acquire the communicative
competence in the foreign languages; initiative, confidence and responsible attitudes
during the process shall be developed.
4.3.4 Contents
A) Communicative Skills
B) Language Awareness
D) Sociocultural Aspects
Due to the reviewing nature of this didactic unit, students will deal with many
contents.
Those have been explained before, during the development of the second term.
30
However, the main contents that will be practiced during this lesson plan are now
presented, emphasizing Communicative Skills, Language Awareness and Sociocultural
Aspects:
1º Communicative Skills:
LISTENING, SPEAKING AND
INTERACTION
READING AND WRITING
-Exchanging information with their
partners in class, discussion forum
-Producing oral messages related to
texts analyzed
-Present their own speaking production
about any topic given, fresh ideas and
personal points of view
-Watching documentaries and films
related with “The Great Depression”
-Study of social classes from society of
the period, why did they suffer poverty?
-Analyzing causes and the context of the
Great Depression
-Skimming and scanning a text in order to
extract important information and give
your personal message
-Recognizing and understanding topics,
extracting its main ideas, the importance
of these topics to analyze society of the
period
-Learn new vocabulary related to jobs of
the period, some of them do not exist
nowadays
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2º Language Awareness:
GRAMMAR VOCABULARY REFLECTION UPONS ONE´S
OWN LEARNING
-Basic Modal Verbs
(Should/Shall/Must/Can)
-Countable vs.
Uncountable nouns.
(a/an/some/any/There
is/There are)
-Vocabulary related to
politics, economics,
history, etc.
-Basical grammatical
knowledge to avoid simple
mistakes
-Participating individually,
working in pairs and
teamwork, small groups;
students propose ideas,
those to be found in the
text or their own ones
4.3.4.1 Interdisciplinary and cross curricular issues
Thanks to the content of the unit CLIL, students will be able to practice the second
language, English, at the same time they study an important historical lesson, so, we
have here:
CROSS- CURRICULAR ISSUES
Universal Literature
History
Economy and politics
INTERDISCIPLINARY ASPECTS
Subjects that could be also included here in this didactic unit are:
History;the depth study of a black period in the history, not only of the EE.UU, due that
it also affected to several countries in the world, The Great Depression was spreaded
all over the world.
Language and Literature: works from several authors: John Steinbeck, Ernest
Hemingway, John Dos Passos, etc. They all dedicated a part of their literature to talk
about The Great Depression. Some extracts of specific works from them will be
analyzed.
32
Finally, Economy &Politicsbriefly, studying the causes of the ’29 bursatile crack.
Some numbers, statics and actions that some politicians took in order to solve the
situation.
4.3.5 Timing
Timing will be held in eight different sessions, analyzing both, extracts from literature
of the period and articles.
The duration of each session will be estimated in about an hour per class, just for
reading and analyzing texts, there will be a debate about topics and the final deduction
and conclusions of the Great Depression causes.
Songs and videos will be analyzed too
4.3.6 Methodology
- Language is a tool to use when talking and writing to and about others
(communicative approach).
- Students should learn the language autonomously from their teacher and from
the teacher’s resources at their disposal.
- A foreign language is best learnt if used in class and in the largest variety of
circumstances, situations and contexts possible.
- All four skills require the same attention and should be granted the same
importance.
- New technologies, if available, should form part of our curriculum.
- Task-basedapproach.
- Cooperativelearning.
- Content and language integrated learning.
Grammar learning carries out a very inductive personal process.
33
4.3.7 Attention to diversity and specific needs
We will pay special attention to those students who have special needs, so we
will focus on:
• Oral expression
• Listening comprehension
• Written expression
• Basic reading skill
• Reading comprehension
4.3.8 Activities
Students with difficulties or less advanced level will be provided with other
types of activities, for example:
--Description of characters in stories analysed.
- Description of photographies, pictures or even paintings from this period.
- Use of dictionary for acquisition of necessary vocabulary.
- Online resources for searching information.
- Reading: find the main ideas, but in a more brief way than the rest of the
class.
- Pronunciation improvement of difficulty words.
- Some quotations from different personalities of the period will be proposed
by the teacher: student’s main function will be to interpretate the meaning of
these quotes and propose their own beliefs about them.
4.3.9 Materials and Resources:
When carrying out the development of the teaching unit, students and the
teacher will have a plenty disposition of materials to help the normal
development of classes, always trying to make them interesting, avoiding falling
in boredom, in which students actively collaborate with each other or with the
teacher, contributing their ideas and views, exercises and any kind of doubt
that they could have while studying The Great Depression.
34
To analyze the stories we will be guided by the use of ICT:
We will use the computer with free Internet access to all kind of information
just to facilitate the development of the topic. Sometimes it will be necessary to
make photocopies of some extracts from texts to help to their analysis, due to
sometimes will be able to make certain written records to help capturing
certain ideas or resolutions of exercises, but generally, the rhythm of the
classes will be marked by reading and analyzing using the projector, links
through the web, visible to the students in the classroom.
An electronic blackboard will be used by both, students and teachers to extract
main ideas and topics from these texts.
So, finally, to sum up, we will use this elements:
- Projector
- Blackboard
- Language assistant
- Computers with internet connection (informatic room)
- Photocopies
- Mobile phones (students)
- Laptops
-
35
4.3.10 Evaluation tools
WORK AND
PARTICIPATION
Attitude in class (20%) Participation(30%)
Pay attention to teacher, respect
the teacher and partners.
Active collaboration,
resolution of exercises, etc.
STUDENTS DAILY
WORK IN CLASS
Exercises, topics, ideas, etc.
(40%)
Ideas and doubts(10%)
Working with essays, exercises,
searching the web, etc.
Percenteage for those
students who ask for
doubts and collaborate with
fresh ideas
4.3.11 Evaluation criteria
LISTENING, SPEAKING AND INTERACTING
Concepts Procedures Attitudes
-The understanding of the
material given, the
addition of fresh ideas,
free opinions, criteria, etc.
-Listening to the audio
from videos and songs
-Ideas transmitted orally
-Working both, individually
or in pairs or small groups
-Communication
preferably in English, to
improve level
36
READING AND WRITING
Concepts Procedures Attitudes
-Ideas to be summarised
-To extract the main topic
of texts and ideas
-Writing essays
-Be the writer: Invent
different stories in the
context of the topic
-Don’t forget the context
in which we are working
-Be brief and orderly
USE OF LANGUAGE
Concepts Procedures Attitudes
-Right use of verbal times
(present, past, future,
conditional, etc).
-Vocabulary: Acquisition
-You can search online, use
of dictionaries, translators,
etc for the understanding
of the texts and ideas.
-Be positive when
acquiring new vocabulary:
it could be useful for
further activities.
SOCIO-CULTURAL ASPECTS AND INTERCULTURALITY
Concepts Procedures Atttitudes
-Learn a part of the history
of one of the biggest
countries of all times.
-Pay attention to teacher’s
explanations and don’t
forget to ask him for
doubts or ideas.
-Multiculturality: pay
respect to other cultures
and national identities.
37
Students will evaluate teacher with this test:
38
1st Session: (55 minutes)
TASK 1: (20 minutes) BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE GREAT DEPRESSION BY MEANS
OF A POWER POINT EXPLAINED BY THE TEACHER.
39
40
TASK 2: (15 minutes) QUESTIONS:
1º What were the main characteristics of the culture in the ‘20s?
2º What was The Great Depression?
3º Can you explain the phenomenon of the Dust Bowls?
4º Explain the consequences of the unequal distribution of wealth
5ºEnumerate the consequences of the Stock Market Crash
TASK 2: (10 minutes) TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY FALSE SENTENCES.
1º During the 1920,s, woman had long hairs
2º The Great Depression was the worst economic crisis of the century
3º Many people lost their homes during The Great Depression
4º Stock prices rose during this period
5º Bankruptcy was a consequence of the Stock Crash
6º Dust Bowls were as a consequence of strong rains
7º There were people living in “hoovervilles”
8ºFarmers had their crops saved
9ºThere was a middle class
10º President Roosevelt created The New Deal
TASK 4: (10 minutes) WORD SEARCH, FIND THE FOLLOWING WORDS:
BANKRUPT DEPRESSION DISASTER
DUSTBOWL ECONOMIC FARMERS
MARKETCRASH NEWDEAL ROOSEVELT
STOCKS SUICIDE UNEMPLOYMENT
41
The Great Depression
U J T Z N K J C V D S M Z F L
L N O P L D I F E W L A B A C
J S E A U M W P I S W R O R Q
Z N J M O R R K U H O K O M J
M A E N P E K I S Y B E V E G
Q Q O W S L C N J P T T P R T
H C I S D I O K A Y S C J S M
E Z I J D E X Y V B U R J B P
U O T E L X A M M Y D A H O J
N X O H W V Z L U E G S B L E
Y Q Y H Z V Q N P E N H C X J
T L E V E S O O R L Z T I D E
U B D I S A S T E R T G A K R
S K C O T S S L A T C Q U S P
X P M Y J B U B D N H J D F Q
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2nd Session: SONGS&READING AND COMPLETE
TASK 1: (30 minutes) TEACHER WILL PLAY EACH SONG TWICE, THEN, COMPLETE THE
LYRICS WITH THE WORDS GIVEN ABOVE EACH PARAGRAPH.
BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE ME A DIME? BY AL JONSON
(JOB, DREAM, EARTH, JOB)
They used to tell me I was building a ________
And so I followed the mob
When there was ______ to plow or ____ to bear
I was always there, right on the _____
(BREAD, GLORY, PEACE)
They used to tell me I was building a dream
With ______ and ______ ahead
Why should I be standing in line
Just waiting for _____?
(TIME, DIME, RAILROAD)
Once I built a ______, I made it run
Made it race against _____
Once I built a railroad, now it's done
Brother, can you spare a _____?
(BRICK, TOWER, SUN)
Once I built a ______up to the _____
______ and rivet and lime
Once I built a tower, now it's done
Brother, can you spare a dime?
(HELL, KID, BOOTS, DRUM)
Once in khaki suits, gee, we looked swell
Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum
Half a million ______ went slogging through _____
And I was the _____ with the ______
(REMEMBER, PAL, DIME, TIME)
Say, don't you__________? They called me 'Al'
It was 'Al' all the _____
Why don't you remember? I'm your _____
Say buddy, can you spare a _____?
ACROSS THE BORDER BY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
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(BAG, TONIGHT, BORDER, TRACKS)
______my____ is packed
Tomorrow I'll walk these ______
That will lead me 'cross the ______
(SKIES, SOMEWHERE, LOVE, SLEEP)
Tomorrow my ____ and I
Will _____ 'neath auburn _____
________ across the border
(SADNESS, PAIN, BEHIND, DEAR, DRINK)
We'll leave _____ my ____
The ______ and ______ we found here
And we'll _____ from the Bravo's muddy water
(SIDE, SKY, GROWS,WIDE)
Where the____ ______gray and _____
We'll meet on the other _____
There across the border
(HILL, HOUSE, BORDER, BUILD)
For you I'll _____ a _____
High upon a grassy _____
Somewhere across the ________
(PAIN, MEMORY, BORDER)
Where _____ and _______
Pain and memory have been stilled
There across the______
(GOLD, AIR, WATER, BLOSSOMS)
And sweet _______ fill the ____
Pastures of _____ and green
Roll down into cool clear ______
(EYES, SORROW, ARMS)
And in your ______ 'neath open skies
I'll kiss the ______ from your _____
There across the border
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(STRONG, TOMORROW, DREAM, SING)
Tonight we'll ______ the songs
I'll _______ of you my corazón
And_______ my heart will be ______
(ARMS, SAINT, SAFELY)
And may the _____' blessing and grace
Carry me ______ into your _____
There across the border
(BLESSED, HOPE, HEARTS)
For what are we
Without____ in our _____
That someday we'll drink from God's ____ waters
(FORTUNE, SOMEWHERE, VINE, FRUIT)
And eat the _____ from the _____
I know love and _______ will be mine
______ across the border
TASK 1: (25 minutes) READING AND COMPLETE
(The use of computers or mobile phones is totally allowed during this second task)
During the Great Depression many families had radios and would listen to the news
and weather reports. It was very important for our farmers to know about weather
conditions. Families also used Mother Nature in forecasting weather conditions.
Explain how the following would help predict the weather: (Search the web if
necessary)
1º Awooly worm:
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
2º Animal fur:
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
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3º Rain on Easter Sunday:
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
4º The groundhog:
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Name three weather instruments that we use nowadays to predict the weather and
explain how they work briefly:
A.
________________________________________________________
B.
________________________________________________________
C.
________________________________________________________
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3rd Session: LITERATURE
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird
We will study a brief introduction of the plot of the work by Harper Lee and the
historical background with The Great Depression period:
To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the 1930s in Maycomb, a fictional, rural town in
Alabama, in the United States. Things were quite different then to the way they are
now. Apart from the obvious, like the fact that there were no mobile phones, TV, the
Internet, sushi or McDonalds, there were some major social and economic differences.
Maycomb County, as the author describes it, is in a state of economic decline.
Communication with outlying houses depend on dirt roads, and all the county
inhabitants, whether professional people or farmers, are poor.
In late 1929 the economic prosperity of the 1920s came to an end with the Wall Street
Crash followed by the Great Depression. The economic boom of the 1920s rested on a
fragile foundation; there was such an unequal distribution of income between the rich
and the poor that when things started to falter, there were not enough people to buy
goods and services to keep the economy in a healthy state.
Rural, southern towns in the United States were hit hard because they were largely
reliant on agriculture. Problems with the economy had a flow-on effect to all parts of
society. People lost jobs, marriages broke down, banks failed, people became
homeless, businesses folded, birth rates fell, people got depressed and many people
went hungry. This explains the situation of poor farmers like the Cunninghams in To Kill
a Mockingbird who have no money to pay a lawyer but pay instead with produce like
hickory nuts and turnip greens. As Atticus says, 'The Cunninghams are country folks,
farmers, and the crash hit them hardest'
TASK FOR THE FULL CLASS:
Imagine that you are a White teenager living in Alabama in the 1930s. Write a letter to
a friend living in the North describing your life as the son of a cotton plantation owner.
(150-180 words) Best redactions will be read aloud for the whole class and will obtain
the highest marks.
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4thSession: COMPUTER CLASS SESSION
TASK 1 (30 minutes) SEARCH IN THE WEB INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING
TOPICS BELOW:
-Explain what the Dust Bowl was.
-What were the two main causes of the Dust Bowl.
-Explain what the Dust Bowl caused people in that region to do.
-What does “buying on margin” mean?
-Name something the stock market crash led to.
-What programs, started by Roosevelt, aimed to bring the country out of the
Depression?
-How many Americans were unemployed during the worst part of the Depression?
-What was the name given to FDR’s presidency?
-Explain one effect of the Depression in other parts of the world.
-What superhero appeared in a comic for the first time in the 1930s?
TASK 2 (25 minutes) METAPHORS:
A metaphor is a figure of speech. A metaphor compares two things with something in
common but does not use the word like or as. Below are some common metaphors
that were used during the Depression years. Choose at least four of the metaphors and
write in your own words how it applies to the Great Depression.
1. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I
t is better to try to avoid problems rather than trying to fix them once they arise
2. A stitch in time saves nine.
A little timely effort will prevent work later.
3. Beggars can’t be choosers.
If you beg (or ask) for athing or favor, then you shouldn’t complain about what you get
4. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
It’s better to have a small advantage than the chance of a great one
5. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
Don’t be ungrateful or turn against a benefactor.
6. Half a loaf is better than none.
Something is better than nothing
7. Here today, gone tomorrow.
You say this when something disappears very quickly or suddenly
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5th Session: SHORT DOCUMENTARY:
TASK 1 (20 minutes) VIEW:
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCQfMWAikyU
*During the view of the video, we will stop it every time it would be necessary just to
discuss about ideas the video focuses in, to annotate something or just to answer any
kind of questions.
TASK 2 (20 minutes): ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: (VIDEO WILL BE PLAYED
AGAIN WHILE STUDENTS DO THIS EXERCISE)
-According to the narrator, is there a unique cause for The Great Depression?
-What was the most affected sectorin the Depression? Why?
-Why many farmers did to close their farms?
-What was the position for commercial bankers in 1929?
-Which percenteage of Americans were owners of the stock?
-According to the narrator, what does he think was the cause of the Depreesion?
-What is a frozen credit system?
.What was the function of the Versailles Treatment?
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TASK 3: (15 minutes) MATCH AND DISCUSS:
What is a Hobo?
A hobo is a homeless man or woman who travels from town to town, often in empty
train cars, looking for work, money, and shelter. He sometimes lives in hobo camps
hidden from towns with others who also have the same problems. Hobos have a code
of good behavior with rules such as: 1. Stay Clean 2. Help children if they are in need 3.
Do not cause problems in a train yard 4. Always try to find work Hobos have a coded
sign language. Can you match thecodewiththesign?
_______________________________________________________________________
WORK IN PAIRS OR IN GROUPS AND DICUSE WHY YOU HAVE CHOSEN THESE SYMBOLS
FOR EACH SITUATION, TRY TO JUSTIFY IT WITH CLEVER ARGUMENTS.
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6th Session: SHORT STORY
TASK 1: (10 minutes) READING
The Great Depression
I never see daddy anymore, not since two months ago. Mommy says he’s trying to get
a work so we can have enough food to survive, but I don’t know what survive means,
but I pretend I do. I pretend that I understand why daddy can’t just keep working here
too. I miss him so much when he’s gone.
Most of my friends’ daddies had had to go to the country to get work too. Most of
them travelled to California, all the way from Manhattan. Iknow my legs couldn’t walk
me that far before I fell down.
My little sister Annabelle doesn’t stop crying except when she sleeps, I think it’s cause
she missed daddy too, but mommy says it’s because she’s hungry. I’m hungry too but
mommy says I have to be a big girl and be strong for Annabelle so I don’t cry, I don’t
complain when my stomach won’t stop rumbling. Mommy cries tough, she cries when
she thinks I’m not looking, but I see. I see her sobs at night too, as she lies next to me.
We used to have a big house where I had my own bedroom and a lot of pretty dresses.
But mommy had to sell the house and all those pretty dresses, so instead we have a
small house with just only one bedroom. I sleep in the big bed with mommy and
Annabelle sleeps in her cot.
When she cries, I reach for her and bury my head against her chest. She says the baby
inside her is dying and I can’t do anything, but I want to meet my little brother or
sister. So, every night, I kiss mommy’s tummy and I say: Goodnight baby; and every
night I pray that I’ll get to kiss its head for real.
Mommy says that it’s important to pray every night before I get into bed especially
now that the Great Depression is here.Mommy says that if I pray hard enough and be a
good Christian then maybe God will answers all my prayers and bring daddy home. I
hope so.
There’s a girl who lives a few streets away from us, she’s black and I used to play with
her. But we’re not allowed to go to the same school or take the same buses. The Ku
Klux Klan killed her mommy and brother a month ago, but she still has her daddy. She
and her daddy go to marches where they try and get equal rights among the races.
I don’t get why mommy doesn’t let me speak to her a lot, she doesn’t seem to like her
and her daddy very much. In fact, mommy doesn’t like black people at all, so I asked
her about it last week.
“Mommy, why don’t you like black people?” She frowned at me and took a drag on her
cigarette before answering; it was the last one she’d had enough money to buy.
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“It’s not that I like them, baby, it’s just that blacks are inferior to white people but they
don’t act like it. It’s the way God made them, to be slaves of the whites.”
TASK 2: (15 minutes) During the development of the short story, we can notice about
topics of desperation and frustration in some of the paragraphs. Write about this idea
and about the suffering that the protagonist of this storyfeels.Racism topic is also
present too in several aspects, explain it briefly too.
TASK 3: (30 minutes) Now, imagine you are the girl who wrote this letter and try to
convince your mother on your own words, giving her hope and wishes for a better
future.
(100- 120 words).
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7th Session: SHORT STORIES
John Glenn’s Boyhood during the Depression
John was 11 years old in 1932. To help the family he worked the three gardens, which
the family owned. John’s job was to hoe and weed the _______. When the crops were
ready, he loaded his _______ and went throughout the village selling the food to those
people who could afford to buy it.
During _______ ________, John would take his two beagle dogs ____ ___ ___, hunting
for rabbits. Two rabbits would make a _______ for the family of four.
John also washed cars for 50 cents and saved the money to buy a _______. With the
new bike John could have a _______ _______ to earn money.
In 1932, John and his friends formed a club similar to the Boy Scouts and named it the
_______. Club meetings were held above a chicken hatchery until the members built a
campsite near the creek. There, on hot summer days after they finished their chores,
they could swim, cook over the campfire, and sleep in _______. They built a flagpole
from a tree and raised and lowered the flag each time they were there. John played his
_______ for the ceremony.
There was little money during this time but families found ways to help each other and
themselves through _______ ________ and ______ what they had. John’s father, a
______, was fortunate to have enough work to care for his family.
TASK 1: (20 minutes)
Put these answers on the lines in the story:
1. paper route 7. gardens
2. bugle8. hard work and sharing
3. wagon9. dinner
4. Rangers 10. hunting season
5. tents11. bicycle
6.Mikeand Ike 12. plumber
Then, we will correct and read out loud.
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TASK 2: (20 minutes) READING AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS
Feeding the Family
Many people during The Great Depression had a garden to “make ends meet”. They
would grow a variety of vegetables, have fruit from an orchard, pick berries and nuts
provided by “Mother Nature”. Those families with small farms would also raise animals
such as chickens, hogs, cows, etc. In order to have food during the winter months,
their harvest needed to be preserved. Common methods were canning, drying, and
curing.
A. Why would canning fruits and vegetables keep them from spoiling?
Name some fruits and vegetables which can be canned.
B. Why would drying fruits and vegetables keep them from spoiling?
Name some fruits and vegetables which can be dried.
C.Meat can also be canned and cured.
What mineral was used for curing meat?
D.Today people still preserve food for later use.
What methods can be used today which were not used then?
*You can search the internet anytime to find information that could help you while
doing this activity.
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TASK 3: (15 minutes) DEPRESSION ERA SCIENCE:
Depression Era Science Tuberculosis and Polio were two of the terrible diseases which
affected people living in 1937. Other diseases which were common at one time in our
history are measles, mumps, and scarlet fever. Medical science has developed cures
for these diseases and almost totally eradicated them in the United States. 1. What are
some diseases which currently affect people in our country?
(Search the web for answer these questions)
1. What are some diseases which currently affect people in our country?
2. How are these diseases treated?
3. What research is being done to eliminate these diseases?
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8th Session:
DOCUMENTARY: TASK 1 + TASK 2 = THE WHOLE HOUR
TASK 1: WATCH THE VIDEO
TASK 2: ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS:
Watch 11:20 to 12:30 of the video:
What happened to the narrator’s father’s job? How does he describe people’s clothing?
Watch 5:36-6:11
Describe the houses that some families lived in. What were the homeless called? What were these families and homeless people looking for?
Watch 10:21 – 11:00
What did children do if they wanted to play a game like baseball? Why?
Instead of buying food, what did the children in this particular story do? Why?
56
5. Appendix
5.1. Legislation
This didactic unit is faithful to the spirit and the contents for the English syllabus of the
official curricula in a Spanish Secondary School in Andalusia.
- Order of December 15th 2008 for the assessment of Bachillerato in Andalusia.
- Ministry of Education’s Ley Orgánica de Educación 2/2006, 3 de mayo 2006.
- Andalusia government’s Orden de 10 de agosto de 2007, in which the
curriculum corresponding to Secondary Compulsory Education in Andalusia
developed.
- Orden de 5 de agosto de 2008, in which the curriculum corresponding to
Bachillerato is developed.
- Orden de 15 de diciembre de 2008, fortheassessment of Bachillerato in
Andalusia.
- Ministry of Education’s Real Decreto 1631/2006 de 29 de diciembre, in which
the curriculum corresponding to Compulsory Secondary Education is
developed.
- Ministry of Education’s Real Decreto 1467/2007 de 2 de noviembre, in which
the curriculum corresponding to Bachillerato in Spain is developed as well as its
minimum levels of requirements established.
- Andalusia Government’s Decreto416/2008 for the Implementation of
Bachillerato in Andalusia.
- Ministry of Education’s Ley Orgánicafor the Improvement of Quality in
Education 8/2013, 9 de noviembre 2013. Plan de Lectura y de Bibliotecas
Escolares promoted by the Junta de Andalucía (23/1/2007)
Moreover, this project is in agreement with the Common European Framework of
Reference for Languages (CEFRL) defends the idea that national and regional
literatures contribute to the European cultural heritage, which the Council of Europe
regards as ”a valuable common resource to be protected and developed” (2009:2)
57
6. Bibliography
6.1 For the epistemological framework
[1.] Ball, Phil. (2009). What is CLIL?
http://www.onestopenglish.com/clil/methodology/articles/article-what-is-
clil/500453.article
[2.] Coyle, Do. (2001). Content and Language Integrated Learning Motivating
Learners and Teachers. University of
Notthingam.http://www.unifg.it/sites/default/files/allegatiparagrafo/20-01-
2014/coyle_clil_motivating_learners_and_teachers.pdf
[3.] W. Folsom, Burton. (2010). What ended the Great Depression?
http://fee.org/freeman/what-ended-the-great-depression/
[4.] Helbling, Thomas. (2009). How similar is the current crisis to the Great
Depression?
http://www.voxeu.org/article/how-similar-current-crisis-great-depression
[5.] Anónimo. (2010). El crack del 29. La Gran depresión.
http://www.finanzasparatodos.es/gepeese/es/inicio/laEconomiaEn/laHistoria/
momento_historico_economia_historia_crisis_29.html
[6.] Arango, Diana. (2015). La Gran Depresión como generador de expresiones
artísticas paradigmáticas.
http://intrahistoria.com/la-gran-depresion-como-generador-de-expresiones-
artisticas-paradigmaticas
[7.] Matellanes, Iván. (2013). El Crack del 29 y la crisis finaciera de 2008. Similitudes
y diferencias.
http://www.sarasuati.com/el-crack-del-29-y-la-crisis-financiera-de-2008-
similitudes-y-diferencias/
[8.] SARRIUGARTE GÓMEZ. Íñigo (2010). La Gran Depresión Americana y su
influencia en el desarrollo de la fotografía social.
http://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/3341914.pdf
[9.] KELLEY, Mark (2009). The Golden Age of Comic Books: Representations of
American Culture from the Great Depression to the Cold War.
http://epublications.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context
=dittman
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[10.] PRIBITKIN, Tesa (2001). Superman, The New Deal Symbol of the American Way.
http://www.supermanhomepage.com/comics/comics.php?topic=articles/new-
deal-symbol
[11.] PACKER, George (2013). Don’t look down.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/04/29/dont-look-down
[12.] WIONCZEK, Miguel S (1956). La gran quiebra de la bolsa de valores de N.Y. en
1929.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/42776414?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
[13.] Conn, PETER: LiteraturaNorteamericana, Madrid, Cambridge University Press,
1998.
[14.] Eldridge, DAVID: American Culture in the 1930s, Edinburgo, Edinburgh
University Press, 2008.
[15.] Guardia Herrero, CARMEN de la: Historia de Estados Unidos, Madrid, Sílex,
2009.
[16.] Lange, DOROTHEA: Los años decisivos 1930-1946, Madrid, La fábrica, 2009.
[17.] Sanders, ANDREW: The Short Oxford History of English Literature, Oxford
University Press, 2000.
[18.] Tindall, GEORGE: America a Narrative History. New York, W.W. Norton &
Company, 1992.
[19.] O'Callaghan, DENNIS BRYNLEY: An illustrated history of the USA
Pearson Education, 2012, 1st ed., 24th impr.
[20.] Zinn, HOWARD: A People’s History of the USA
Routledge, New York.2003.
[21.] Clark, GREGORY: Research in Economic History.
Recurso Electrónico.
[22.] Rohbard, MURRAY: America’s Great Depression
Mises Institute: Alabama. 2008.
59
[23.] Lenthal, BRUCE: Radio’s America
Chicago University Press. 2007.
[24.] Byam, Nina (Ed.) The Norton Anthology of American Literatue, vol. 2.
Norton Company. 1989.
6.2 For the Didactic unit
.
- Power Point based on The Great Depression
http://static.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/gems/hhiggins/GreatDepression.ppt
-Songs:
Brother, can you spare a dime? by Al Jonson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F4yT0KAMyo
Across theBorder by Bruce Springsteen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMkAP9xnLJI
Lyrics:
http://www.metrolyrics.com/brother-can-you-spare-a-dime-lyrics-bing-crosby.html
http://www.metrolyrics.com/across-the-border-lyrics-bruce-springsteen.html
The John and Annie Historic Site: The Depression Era
http://johnglennhome.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/depression.pdf
To Kill a Mockingbird
http://resources.mhs.vic.edu.au/mockingbird/depression.htm
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The Great Depression Crash Course US #33
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCQfMWAikyU
The Great Depression
https://www.wattpad.com/7213824-a-collection-of-very-short-stories-the-great
The Great Depression Web Quest
http://www.springvillegi.org/webpages/abeiter/whats_going_on.cfm?subpage=14808
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Stories from Great Depression
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpfY8kh5lUw&feature=related
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