History Honchos - Roosevelt's New Deal

As the country struggled in the midst of the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt moved to create a number of new programs and policies to offer relief to people across the country. These policies and programs were called the New Deal. These programs created jobs, insured bank deposits, brought electricity to the whole of the Tennessee Valley, and provided the last push to create the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The legacy of these programs continues to shape our state and country, and their long-term benefits are still discussed and debated. 

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives: 

Students will:

  • analyze a primary source image as a group.
  • research, discuss, and present information about the policies of President Roosevelt’s New Deal, including the following: Social Security, Civilian Conservation Corps, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Tennessee Valley Authority, Cumberland Homesteads, Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
  • work collaboratively in groups to discover if these policies and or programs were effective and still in use today.
  • create a collaborative presentation of their findings.
Essential and guiding questions: 

How do the policies and programs of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal affect Americans today?

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level: 
Applying
Extension suggestions: 
  • Have students create presentation posters for a gallery walk.
  • Have students create a digital presentation of their group findings.
  • Have students write an expository paper on their findings.

Helpful Hints

MATERIALS:

  • Computer(s) with Internet access
  • Numbered cards in different colors for grouping students
  • Quizlet: New Deal
  • Informational text job cards (pp. 5-9)
  • Job card rubrics (pp. 10-14)
  • Pre/Post Summative assessment on the New Deal policies