A Webquest about the Great Depression

by Linda D. Babb

Introduction

A Frantic Email to My Class
Why did you and your classmates get close to the Delorean?  Haven't the experiences of Marty McFly and Doc Brown taught you anything?  You activated the time machine, and now you are in the world of the Great Depression.  How will I ever explain this trip to your parents.  We didn't get any permission slips filled out!  What will my principal say? 

We will work on getting you Back to the Future, but in the meantime you must work for your living.  You have become a member of Roosevelt's New Deal.  (At least you have a job.)  You work for the WPA as a writer.  Now you need to publish a work on your own to supplement your WPA wages.  You must write a short story; you don't have time to write a novel.  I will work on getting you back.  (I need my job!) 

I will search the Internet for Doc Brown.  He will help us.  At least we have our computers to communicate.  Remember there were no computers in the 1930s, so keep your computer out of sight.  I will send more information later.  Get settled.  You are on the payroll already, and you can get your advance paycheck at the government office on Main Street.  Get a room in a boarding house, get a meal and a night's rest.  I will contact you in the morning.                                                                

Your distressed teacher,
Mrs. Babb

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 Task

Email # 2
I have been working on this computer all night.  Things are getting difficult here.  Everyone seems to think you are runaway teenagers since you seemed to disappear in a group.  No one talks to me because I seem to be crying all the time. 

Now, however, you need to know your task.  You must each write a short story to supplement your income.  Your story should contain elements of fiction.  It should be based on WPA interviews, reflect the time period of the interviews, meet the requirements of good writing, and entertain or enlighten your audience.  You may work together to get ideas, but each of you must write a story. 

I will write tomorrow to guide you through this process.  Your faded and holey jeans will help you disappear in the crowd now, but you will need to get some clothing to go out to interview people.  Remember the movies Annie, The Journey of Natty Gann, or The Grapes of Wrath.  Did you ever see reruns of The Little Rascals on television?  If you have seen any of these shows, you may understand a little about the age you are living in.  Take care.  Shop wisely. 
                                                                                               

Your still distressed teacher,
Mrs. Babb

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Process

Email # 3
Today is work day.  You must get ready for your task.  Begin with an introduction to the WPA histories.  Your co-workers are in the process of writing the oral histories now.  In your future (my present) the histories will be (are) on the internet site for the Library of Congress. Luckily, your computer is still connecting you to the internet.

1.  Read the introduction to one of the American Memory collections from the Library of Congress called:  American Life Histories:  Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project 1936 - 1940      http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wpaintro/exhome.html

Notice all the interviewers who were able to use their observations and information to later create work of fiction.  Perhaps you will meet Ralph Ellison, Saul Bellow, May Swenson, Margaret Walker, John Cheever or Zora Neale Hurston as you work for the WPA.  If you do, get their autographs, and ask them for writing tips.

2.  Read some of the excerpts from the histories: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wpaintro/exinterv.html

3.  Choose one of the life histories to read an entire article.  Here are some possibilities:

4.  Begin thinking about the short story that you will write.  Review the elements of a short story with a few games:  http://www.quia.com/jg/347816.html  and test your ability to analyze short story elements:   http://www.quia.com/jg/347823.html

5.  Choose a photo for a character or scene that you could include in your story from these links to the American Memory collection called America from the Great Depression to World War II: Photographs from the FSA and OWI, ca. 1935-1945.

6.  Complete a writing guide to get started, make a bubble map of your main character, and then write your story.  Include a copy of the picture you chose. 

Your hopeful teacher,
Mrs. Babb

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Evaluation

Email # 4

I have good news.  I have located Doc Brown on the internet.  He will bring you back to the future!  He was so impressed that you were working for the WPA and writing stories to supplement your income that he wants to make your story a condition for your return.  I told him that would be no problem.  He became so enthusiastic about your stories that I thought he would never stop talking so I could send you this email.  He designed a rubric to judge the quality of your work.  Here is the link:  Doc Brown's Calculations for the Perfect Short Story.  Be sure your story meets the criteria he set.

Good luck!
Mrs. Babb

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Conclusion

Email # 5

You should be home soon.  Now that the experience is almost over, I am glad you had the opportunity to live and work during the Great Depression.  You saw people who found the strength to cope through hardships that we never imagined.  You were able to work with some WPA writers who would become famous, and you were able to make a connection between a time and place and your own work of fiction.  This experience has been tremendous.  I am proud of you.  (I wonder if I could write a grant to do this project another year?)  You will certainly be the class that I will never forget.  Let me get started on your Welcome Home party.                  

Your much calmer,    
Mrs. Babb

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Teacher's Page

This Web Quest was designed for a ninth grade English class, but it should work well with other grade levels in English or social studies classes.  If a background source for the Depression Era is needed, a PowerPoint presentation in ppt or html is available.

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