Lesson Planning Template
Lesson Title: Insta History: On the Great Depression
Learning Target: The students will be able to analyze a photograph to gain visual and contextual clues
in order to transcribe their findings based on the photograph, which is the premise for the upcoming
unit on the Great Depression.
Grade Level Guide: Content Standards Grade 9 Ohio Standards: Social Studies
Content Curriculum Focal Points
(ie: NCTM, IRA,…)
Ohio High School Content
Standards
Historical Thinking Skills:
Students apply skills by utilizing
a variety of resources to
construct theses and support or
refute contentions made by
others. Alternative explanations
of historical events are analyzed
and questions of historical
inevitability are explored.
Founding Documents: Some
documents in American history
have considerable importance
for the development of the
nation. Students use historical
thinking to examine key
documents which form the basis
for the United States of America.
Prosperity, Depression and the
New Deal (1919-1941): The
post-World War I period was
characterized by economic,
social and political turmoil. Post-
war prosperity brought about
changes to American popular
culture. However, economic
disruptions growing out the war
years led to worldwide
depression. The United States
attempted to deal with the Great
Depression through economic
programs created by the federal
government
Common Core State
Standards
CCSS.ELA-
LITERACY.RH.9-10.1
Cite specific textual evidence
to support analysis of
primary and secondary
sources, attending to such
features as the date and
origin of the information.
CCSS.ELA-
LITERACY.W.9-10.3
Write narratives to develop
real or imagined experiences
or events using effective
technique, well-chosen
details, and well-structured
event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-
LITERACY.W.9-10.9
Draw evidence from literary
or informational texts to
support analysis, reflection,
and research.
Grade: 9
Interdisciplinary Connections
Time, Continuity, and Change
Human beings seek to understand
their historical roots and to locate
themselves in time. Knowing how
to read and reconstruct the past
allows one to develop a historical
perspective and to answer questions
such as: Who am I? What happened
in the past? How am I connected to
those in the past? How has the
world changed and how might it
change in the future? Why does our
personal sense of relatedness to the
past change? This theme typically
appears in courses in history and
others that draw upon historical
knowledge and habits.
 Academic Language: The students will use descriptive language in order to discuss the
photograph. They will also use the visual clues in an attempt to predict what the picture is portraying.
The students will then use their previous knowledge of the historical context as well as the photograph
in order to write an entry in a double entry journal. The students will be encouraged to utilize the
information they have learned previously in American History in order to have a better understanding of
what they are looking at in the photograph. After the photograph is explained and the students are
allowed to use their text book to read more on the topic, they will be asked to use dates, people and
terms in their second journal entry. The will be required to use terms such as, prosperity, recession
and depression in their second journal entry.

Students’ Needs: The students have been learning about American History and throughout this course
they have been exposed to primary and secondary sources in their research. They have been encouraged
to use different Internet resources in order to gain more information on certain subject matters that have
been discussed in the history class as well. The students will be asked to “think like a historian,” and use
their critical thinking skills in order to draw inferences from a single picture with no caption or
explanation.

English Language Learners Special Needs (can be a group such as

“struggling readers” or individuals)

 The student will be paired with a student
who is proficient in the English language in
order to be able to ask questions in the group
work activity.
 The student will be given one on one time
with the teacher to review their journal
entries so that he or she is able to inquire
about spelling or meaning of words.
 The student will be given a vocabulary list or
terms that could be used in the description,
these terms will be terms that the class has
already learned and will serve as a refresher
or reminder of what has already learned.
 A student with a vision impairment
will be able to bring the book to
their desk so they are able to see the
picture and the text up close.
 Students with reading and or writing
difficulties will have the
opportunity to earn participation
points through their discussion with
the group and with the class.
 Students who struggle with dyslexia
and other reading complexities will
have the prompts and captions read
to them. The instructor will read all
of the prompts and captions out
loud to the whole class and the
students can speak out loud in their
groups in order to work through
problems.

Materials:
Teacher Needs: The teacher made big book Insta History, copies of the photograph and captions to pass
out to the tables if needed, double entry journal worksheet, small dry erase bubbles for the big book,
expo markers, American History textbook

Student Needs: Pen or pencil, history textbook

 Language Function: The students will be given the visual tool of the photograph and the
instructor has asked them to research and investigate the picture in order to decide what time period it is
from and what the people in the picture are doing or going through. The students will be encouraged to
use their creative thinking skills in order to describe what they believe the picture is displaying. Through
their inferences as they are asked to transcribe these ideas into a journal they will be given prompts to
keep in mind. This exercise is an introduction to a longer lesson on the Great Depression Era in the
United States. They will be encouraged to “think like a historian” which is a great motivator especially
when using primary sources. As the students become familiar with terms such as, prosperity, recession
and depression they will be required to use these terms in their second journal entry.

Analyze, Argue, Describe, Evaluate, Explain, Interpret, Justify, Synthesize

Lesson Plan (step by step sequence of the lesson)

Before: To preface the American History class the teacher will ask the class the question, “how many of
you use social media?” or “how many of you are interested photography or consider it a hobby?” By
posing these questions the students interest will be peaked, as this is not a typical history lesson subject.
The teacher will then explain how in the modern age we use social media platforms such as Instagram to
portray important moments in our lives and that this lesson will use this same idea in order to explain a
certain topic that will be discussed. The teacher will use the Big Book, “Insta History” to introduce the
lesson on the Great Depression. Prior to the students observing the picture they will not know the
context of the photograph. The teacher will then explain the importance of using visual aids and
photographs, which are considered a primary source, in order to understand history in a more in depth
and well-rounded manner.

During: The only page of the “Big Book,” that will be used in this lesson is the first page which is a
photograph taken from the Great Depression. The teacher will break the students into small groups in
order to conduct the lesson. Upon opening the book the teacher will draw the student’s attention to the
three prompts that are on the first page of the book. The prompts state the following three things, “I
see… The photo suggests to me that… and I wonder if.” The teacher will encourage the students to keep
these three prompted statements in mind in order to develop insightful comments regarding the
photograph being studied.
Once the students have been shown the picture they will each be given one of the dry erase
bubbles from the Big Book. After the dry erase bubbles have been given to each of the groups the
students will be asked to collaborate with their groups in order to describe what they think the picture is
depicting. The students will also be asked to write in a double entry journal form. Their first entry will
be their thoughts on the photograph prior to them reading the caption and understanding what it is
depicting. As the students are discussing the photo the teacher will be walking around the classroom in
order to ensure that they are staying on task and keeping the prompts in mind regarding the photo. Once
the teacher has determined if the students have had enough time to discuss in their groups and write
down their inferences on both their double entry journal and the dry erase bubbles, which should take
about fifteen minutes, the teacher will open up the classroom to a class wide discussion on their
findings. Each student will share his or her discoveries and from there the teacher will generate a
discussion. After each group has presented their finds they will place their dry erase bubbles with their
findings on the Big Book. The teacher will remove the paper, which was covering up the caption of the
photograph, and also includes two quotes from individuals of that time period regarding the Civil War.
The class wide discussion will then continue as the instructor will relate their findings and will explain
 where their inferences connected to the photo and where they did not.
After: After the students have read the caption and the time period of the photo has been discussed they
will be prompted to open their textbooks to read the first few pages to pull out the key terms which are
listed on the side of the pages. The students now have a general idea of what life during the Great
Depression looks like and will be instructed to write their second entry into their double entry journal.
They will be answering the same questions from the first entry but now they have been given
background information and will be required to use five of the vocabulary terms from the first section of
the chapter in the textbook. This second journal entry does not require a class wide discussion but if
time permits this may be implemented. As the students wrap up their journal entries they will then turn
them in to the teacher. This will be graded on a completion-based basis. If the students answered both
prompts in their entirety they will receive full credit. After the journals have been turned in the
introduction to the unit on the Great Depression has begun and the students will have a more visual idea
of what the time period truly entailed.

Assessment:

Type of Description of Modifications to Evaluation Criteria- How good is

assessment assessment the assessment so good enough to meet standards?
(formal or informal; What will students do that all students (related to the learning objectives)
formative or to show what they may demonstrate Include scoring guide, rubric or other
summative) have learned? learning criteria
Students will Students who The teacher will ask the students to
An informal, participate in small have difficulty meet a certain criteria in their journal
summative group and class wide writing are able to submission, which includes answering
assessment will be discussions and write explain their the prompts to the best of their ability.
given. entries to be included findings verbally This is solely a participation grade
on the big book as to their teacher therefore if both prompts are answered
well as into a double and then write it to their fullest the student will receive
entry journal in order with the aid of credit. The second prompt must include
to receive a their teacher or a at least 5 terms that had been discussed
participation grade. peer. with the explanation of the photograph.

Resources:
The resource in which the photograph was found with an explanation:
http://www.historyplace.com/weeklyphoto/best/migrants-at-campsite.htm

The American Pageant, Kennedy, Cohan & Bailey

http://history1900s.about.com/od/1930s/p/greatdepression.htm
Name:
Subject:
Date:
Double Entry Journal
Photo observation WITHOUT textual context Photo observation WITH textual context
I see… I see…

The photograph suggests that… The photograph suggests that…

I wonder if… I wonder if…