Objectives:

• Students will examine source material from the State Relief Administration to gather pertinent data to make a presentation.
• Students will prepare a report on the conditions faced by migrants and transients.

Students will be placed in the position of administrative assistant to the director of the State Relief Administration. They will be preparing a report, summarizing material from reports generated by the agency. They will have a large number of resources to choose from and will prepare a report using various materials. They will support their conclusions with source material from the collections.

Time Required: Three 50-minute class periods

Grade Level: 11, 12

Lesson Connections and Standards References:
California Department of Education

• History—Social Science Standards:

  Principles of American Democracy
  11.6.2
  11.6.3
  11.6.4
  12.2.2
  Principles of Economics
  12.2.10
  12.4.1

• Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills
  Grades Nine through Twelve

  Chronological and Spatial Thinking: 3

  Historical Research, Evidence, and Point of View:

  2, 3, 4

  Historical Interpretation:

  2, 3, 4, 6

Subject Areas: Economics, Language Arts, Technology, United States History

Resources Used:

Records of the State Relief Administration of California, Newspaper clippings, California State Archives

Materials and Preparation: Before class begins, download and print the following materials:

Student Instructions
Student Background information

Procedure:

1. Discuss with students the use of source documents. Emphasize that the emphasis of the documents selected will determine the final tone of the report.
2. Discuss the elements of a report written for the director to present to the governor. This is the report the student will create, using source material from the California State Archives. Emphasize that this report will show the governor what the problems migratory laborers and transients face in California during the depression.
3. Distribute the Student Instructions. Allow them time to go online with LearnCalifornia.org to gather the documents they think would accurately portray the situation in California at that time. Caution them that the documents give varying information, some of which might not be useful for their report.
4. While reports are being done, hold a class session to discuss documents they have found which they feel are helpful to them.
5. When all reports are completed, conduct a class discussion about conditions during the depression, having students share information they have found which supports their view of the times.

Evaluation:

1. Written report
2. Participation in class discussions

Extensions:

1. Have students watch the movie "Grapes of Wrath" (Video rental stores often allow teachers to borrow a movie for free for use in class). Compare the movie with the information gathered by students.
2. Use this lesson as an extension of a reading of the book "Grapes of Wrath," by John Steinbeck, or have students read the book as an extension.
3. Have students interview grandparents or others who lived during the depression. Ask them if their experience supports the information they gathered.
4. Invite a person who was part of the migration to California during the Dust Bowl to come to class and discuss their experiences.
5. Migratory workers are still coming to California. Research the current status of migratory worker housing in California.
6. The problems of homelessness were recurrent through the depression. Compare the problems shown by the research with current problems of the homeless in your community.
7. Have students explore related questions by using the Additional Resources.