Monday – 802, 804

Thursday – 806 

In case you misplaced your assessment sheet, here are the guidelines:

Roaring 20s, Great Depression, and the New Deal 

The 1920s and 1930s were decades of great change in America.  In this unit you will create characters all belonging to the same family from the time period.  The characters in your family will write letters to family, to friends, to important people, and even to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt! Your family will experience the crazy swingin’ times of the ‘20s, the Stock Market crash lows, the depression that followed, and the opportunity to rebuild…once again. This is a familiar pattern in history! 

YOUR ASSIGNMENT: You will create a book of letters and portraits. Each night your HW will be to write one letter.  At the end of the unit, you will choose 3 of the letters and create final drafts of them.  You will also draw at least 2 detailed portraits of the characters in your family.  You must bind the 3 letters and the 2 portraits, and have it look like it was created in the 1920s and ‘30s.  

CHECKLIST:     

Choose 3 letters from your homework assignments that show the real highs and lows of this entire time period. You will need to rewrite them, add details, make ideas clearer, and fix grammar if necessary.  Choose letters that show the changing times (i.e. 1 from the Roaring ‘20s, 1 from the Great Depression, 1 from the New Deal). 

EXTRA CREDIT: If you include more than 3 letters, you will get more credit.  However, they must be final drafts (revised and neatly presented). 

Draw colored portraits of 2 members of your family. 

EXTRA CREDIT: Draw an additional colored portrait of 1 PERSON A MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY WROTE TO and label who it is (i.e. Eleanor Roosevelt, etc.) 

You will need to present your letters and portraits in a BOOK. The book needs to look authentic, like it came from the 1920s and ‘30s.

TIPS:

You can stain your papers with tea, lemon juice, watercolor paint, etc.

Use brown toned paper that looks old

Don’t use lined-paper

Punch holes in the side of the papers and tie them together with string 

Other parts of your grade are: if the information is historically correct, if you gave enough details, and your effort and participation in class. 

Have fun with this project. A lot of your grade is presentation (what the book looks like)! Choose a good variety of letters to different people about different subjects. Make sure we get to know the family that you created and their experiences through the letters!

Remember, in this unit, we’re focusing on SOCIAL HISTORY, which is what life was like for average citizens.