US History · 11th Grade

Active learning ideas

Causes of the Great Depression: Systemic Issues

This topic asks students to confront uncomfortable truths about wartime America, where systemic failures collided with patriotic narratives. Active learning helps students move from passive absorption of facts to critical analysis by engaging with primary sources, role-playing legal arguments, and examining human stories behind policy decisions.

• Common Core State Standards
• C3: D2.Eco.1.9-12
• C3: D2.His.16.9-12

• 40–60 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Case Study Analysis
• 60 min · Whole Class

Mock Supreme Court: Korematsu v. United States

Students take on the roles of lawyers for Fred Korematsu and the U.S. government. They argue whether 'military necessity' justifies the mass incarceration of a specific racial group, followed by a discussion of the Court's controversial ruling.

Analyze the systemic economic problems, such as overproduction and unequal wealth distribution, that preceded the crash.

Facilitation Tip

For the Mock Supreme Court, assign roles in advance and provide students with excerpts from the majority and dissenting opinions to ensure they grapple with legal reasoning rather than improvising.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Which systemic issue, overproduction or unequal wealth distribution, do you believe was the more significant contributor to the Great Depression, and why?' Allow students to share their reasoning and engage in respectful debate.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Inquiry Circle
• 50 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The 'Double V' Campaign

Small groups research the efforts of Black Americans to fight for victory over fascism abroad and victory over racism at home. They create a 'front page' for a Black newspaper of the era, highlighting their contributions and their demands.

Explain how the Federal Reserve's policies contributed to the economic collapse.

Facilitation Tip

During the Collaborative Investigation, assign small groups specific aspects of the Double V Campaign to research, such as the Pittsburgh Courier’s role or African American women’s contributions, to avoid overlapping findings.

What to look for

Provide students with a short reading on the Smoot-Hawley Tariff. Ask them to identify two specific negative consequences of this policy on international trade and the US economy in 3-4 sentences.

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

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 40 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Life in the Camps

Display photos (including those by Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange) and letters from Japanese American internment camps. Students move in pairs to identify the daily hardships and the ways people maintained their dignity and community.

Evaluate the role of international economic factors, like war debts and tariffs, in globalizing the crisis.

Facilitation Tip

For the Gallery Walk, display photographs and personal accounts at eye level and provide sticky notes for students to record questions or reactions, ensuring quiet reflection space amid the activity.

What to look for

Students write a one-sentence explanation for how the Federal Reserve's actions (or inactions) contributed to the Great Depression, and one sentence explaining how a tariff policy could worsen an economic crisis.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should frame this topic as a study of systemic failure, emphasizing how policies and attitudes compounded each other. Avoid oversimplifying the internment as a wartime necessity; instead, focus on the intersection of racism, economic anxiety, and wartime hysteria. Research shows that students retain complex historical lessons best when they grapple with primary sources and legal arguments rather than lectures.

Students will demonstrate understanding by identifying systemic causes of the Great Depression, analyzing primary documents for bias and evidence, and connecting historical events to legal and ethical consequences. Success looks like students questioning government actions, distinguishing fact from fiction, and articulating the human impact of economic policies.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Mock Supreme Court activity, watch for students repeating the misconception that Japanese Americans were interned because there was evidence of spying.

  Use the 'fact-check' portion of the Mock Supreme Court to have students examine Executive Order 9066 and Korematsu v. U.S. for evidence of spying. Provide excerpts from intelligence reports and military statements to highlight the lack of corroborating evidence, reinforcing the correction through primary source analysis.

• During the Collaborative Investigation on the Double V Campaign, watch for students assuming the campaign only involved African American men.

  Direct students to the Pittsburgh Courier’s archives and personal testimonies to uncover the roles of women, youth, and other marginalized groups. Ask groups to present on these overlooked voices to challenge the assumption that the campaign was limited to one demographic.

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Methods used in this brief

• Case Study Analysis
• Inquiry Circle
• Gallery Walk