Great Depression Causes

Grade: 11

Duration: 60 minutes

Class Size: 22 students

Subject: U.S. History

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Common Core Standards Addressed

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.6: Evaluate authors’ differing points of view on the same topic in order to understand multiple perspectives.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.9: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Analyze the multiple and interconnected causes of the Great Depression, with specific examples (e.g., bank failures, laissez-faire politics, buying on margin).
2. Explain how economic factors like overproduction, excess consumerism, and high tariffs contributed to the economic collapse.
3. Evaluate perspectives on the causes through primary and secondary sources and draw evidence-based conclusions.
4. Collaborate in small groups to synthesize information and create a critical summary connecting economic concepts to historical outcomes.

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Materials Needed

• Copies of primary source excerpts: bank failure notices, excerpts from speeches on laissez-faire policy, stock market news clippings, agricultural production charts.
• Primary vs. Secondary source comparison worksheet.
• Large chart paper and markers for group activity.
• Projector for brief multimedia clips of the 1929 stock market crash footage.
• Exit tickets for formative assessment.

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Detailed Lesson Timeline

1. Hook & Engagement (10 minutes)

• Begin with a 3-minute archival black-and-white video showing the chaos after the stock market crash of 1929 (silent with subtitles).
• Ask students to jot down one immediate question or thought that comes to mind after seeing the video.
• Brief facilitated discussion: "What do you think caused this moment to happen? What would prompt such a widespread panic?"

Teaching Tip: This visual and emotional hook taps into students’ curiosity and empathy, setting the stage for inquiry.

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2. Direct Instruction & Presentation (15 minutes)

• Use a multimedia slide presentation structured as "The Domino Effect of the Great Depression Causes."
• Focus on the following causes with examples and definitions:
  • Bank Failures
  • Laissez-faire Politics
  • Buying on Margin
  • Overextension of Credit
  • Crash of the Stock Market
  • Overproduction in Agriculture and Manufacturing
  • Excess Consumerism
  • High Tariffs
  • Rising Unemployment
• Include primary source excerpts (e.g., a bank failure notice or politician’s laissez-faire defense) read aloud or displayed for annotation.
• Pause after each cause to ask a reflective question, encouraging students to connect causes to effects.

Common Core Focus: Students analyze primary sources and integrate informational text evidence in real time.

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3. Collaborative Group Synthesis Activity (20 minutes)

• Divide students into five groups of 4-5 students each. Assign each group 2 of the causes to explore in depth.
• Provide each group with source packets (primary excerpts, statistics, and secondary summaries relevant to their assigned causes).
• Groups create a two-column chart on chart paper: Cause | Impact on Economy & Society.
• Encourage drawing brief diagrams or timelines on the charts to illustrate cause-effect relationships.
• After 15 minutes, each group presents a 2-minute summary of their causes and explains how they contributed to the Great Depression.
• Teacher facilitates cross-group questions emphasizing cause-and-effect chains and possible overlaps.

Common Core Focus: Group discussion for diverse viewpoints and presentation skills (RH.11-12.6, SL.11-12.1).

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4. Individual Reflection & Formative Assessment (10 minutes)

• Hand out an exit ticket asking students to write a brief response:
  "Choose one cause of the Great Depression and explain how it specifically triggered or worsened the economic crisis. Use evidence from today’s lesson."
• Collect exit tickets to informally assess understanding and ability to link evidence to historical analysis.

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5. Wrap-up (5 minutes)

• Summarize the critical interconnectedness of causes—remind students that no single cause explains the Great Depression fully, but a complex web did.
• Assign a preview reading on the New Deal’s initial responses for the next class to build continuous learning flow.

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Differentiation Strategies

• Provide graphic organizers for students needing visual supports.
• Offer advanced learners an extension task: analyze conflicting viewpoints on laissez-faire government policies using supplied source excerpts.
• Allow oral responses for exit tickets if students struggle with writing.

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Reflection & Teacher Notes

• This lesson leverages a multi-modal approach—visual, textual, collaborative—to engage 11th graders in critical thinking aligned with Common Core standards.
• The integration of primary sources ensures authentic historical inquiry, which is key to standards for literacy in social studies.
• Anticipate student struggles with connecting abstract economic causes; pairing visuals with real-life impacts helps concretize understanding.
• Consider follow-up activities such as a debate on government economic responsibility for deeper standards engagement.

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This lesson plan aims to be both rigorous and accessible, preparing students to deepen their historical reasoning and textual analysis skills while understanding one of America’s most significant economic crises.