Great Depression Budget Plan Simulation
This lesson helped students better understand the economic hardship and difficult decisions families had to make during the Great Depression by requiring students to create family budgets using depression era price lists. Students enjoyed this lesson, although some of them spent too long on a very detailed budget and didn't have enough time to get through the simulation. The second time I taught this lesson, I made it clear that the budget didn't need to be too detailed and exact (they just needed to list 3 or 4 items) and this allowed students to finish the simulation in one class.
Lesson Plan
1) Students are divided into groups. At the beginning of the lesson, each group is given a family card that lists the family members and employment (including the yearly wage). Please see the last pages of the lesson plan for the family cards.
2)Each group has to create a family budget. Groups are then presented with changes in the economy and they have to vary their budgets accordingly.
3) Groups are given different scenarios (such as unemployment) and are required to figure out what sacrifices need to be made (if any) to withstand such unforeseen events.
4) At the end of the lesson, students answer questions and reflect about the simulation.
Please see the simulation below:
This lesson helped students better understand the economic hardship and difficult decisions families had to make during the Great Depression by requiring students to create family budgets using depression era price lists. Students enjoyed this lesson, although some of them spent too long on a very detailed budget and didn't have enough time to get through the simulation. The second time I taught this lesson, I made it clear that the budget didn't need to be too detailed and exact (they just needed to list 3 or 4 items) and this allowed students to finish the simulation in one class.
Lesson Plan
- Objective: Students will understand the economic challenges individuals faced during the Great Depression and will evaluate the behaviors of individuals in response to these challenges.
- Procedure:
1) Students are divided into groups. At the beginning of the lesson, each group is given a family card that lists the family members and employment (including the yearly wage). Please see the last pages of the lesson plan for the family cards.
2)Each group has to create a family budget. Groups are then presented with changes in the economy and they have to vary their budgets accordingly.
3) Groups are given different scenarios (such as unemployment) and are required to figure out what sacrifices need to be made (if any) to withstand such unforeseen events.
4) At the end of the lesson, students answer questions and reflect about the simulation.
Please see the simulation below:
Below are the Great Depression price lists:
