History · Year 9

Active learning ideas

The Great Depression: Causes and Impact

This topic benefits from active learning because students need to grasp complex systems—how economic policies, global trade, and social conditions interacted to create a crisis. Simulations and collaborative tasks help students move beyond memorizing dates to understanding cause and effect relationships.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS3: History - Challenges for Britain, Europe and the Wider World: 1901-Present
• KS3: History - The Great Depression

• 30–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Simulation Game
• 45 min · Whole Class

Simulation Game: The Great Depression Game

Students start with 'jobs' and 'savings'. As the 'crash' happens, they must make difficult choices about spending and debt. This helps them understand the 'multiplier effect' of an economic downturn.

Analyze the underlying causes of the 1929 Wall Street Crash and its global ripple effects.

Facilitation Tip

During the Great Depression Game, circulate and listen for students making connections between their 'investment choices' and the spread of economic collapse across countries.

What to look for

Provide students with a map of Britain. Ask them to label three regions heavily impacted by unemployment and write one sentence for each explaining why that region suffered disproportionately. Then, ask them to identify one government policy enacted during the Depression and its intended effect.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Inquiry Circle
• 40 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Jarrow Crusade

Groups are given primary sources about the 1936 march from Jarrow to London. They must create a 'petition' and a series of placards that explain the marchers' demands to the government.

Explain the social and economic consequences of mass unemployment in Britain during the 1930s.

Facilitation Tip

For the Jarrow Crusade investigation, assign small groups specific roles (e.g., historian, economist, local resident) to ensure all voices contribute to the analysis.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Was the Great Depression primarily an economic event or a social catastrophe?' Facilitate a class discussion where students use evidence from the lesson to support their arguments, referencing specific examples of economic policies and social impacts.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 30 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: The Two Faces of the 20s

Stations feature the 'Flappers' and jazz clubs alongside the struggling coal mines and slums. Students must explain why the 1920s were 'roaring' for some but 'boring' (or worse) for others.

Compare the responses of different governments to the economic crisis of the Great Depression.

Facilitation Tip

During the Gallery Walk, ask students to jot down one surprising fact from each image station to build their understanding of the decade’s complexities.

What to look for

Present students with a short primary source quote from a person experiencing unemployment in the 1930s. Ask them to identify the key vocabulary term that best describes the situation in the quote and explain their choice in one sentence.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by grounding discussions in local and personal narratives to counter abstract economic theories. Avoid overloading students with too many policies; focus on a few key examples (e.g., the Gold Standard, Jarrow March) to build depth. Research shows that using primary sources and role-play helps students empathize with historical figures and grasp the human impact of economic decisions.

By the end of these activities, students should be able to explain how the 1929 crash led to mass unemployment in Britain, connect regional suffering to global economic ties, and analyze how economic despair influenced political extremism. Success looks like students using historical evidence to support their arguments.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Great Depression Game, some students may assume the crisis only affected America.

  During the Great Depression Game, point students to the 'global trade web' map included in the simulation. Have them trace how a crash in New York leads to bank failures in London, reduced demand for British coal, and job losses in Jarrow.

• During the Gallery Walk activity, students may believe the 1920s were a time of carefree prosperity for everyone in Britain.

  During the Gallery Walk, direct students to the '1926 General Strike' station. Provide prompts asking them to compare images of striking workers with those of wealthy socialites, and discuss how these images challenge the myth of 1920s prosperity.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Simulation Game
• Inquiry Circle
• Gallery Walk