Procedures

• SET UP

  This lesson offers several options for you to use with your students whether you are teaching in class, using a hybrid model, or engaging through distance learning. It can be completed in steps as a class or students can move at their own pace and complete the activities independently.

  You can post links to the videos in the lesson along with the related handouts and engage in discussion to share responses on a discussion board or learning management system.

  You can also save and share the following Google resources for students to use with this lesson.

  Handout: Graphic Organizer (Google Doc).

  Handout: Choice Board (Google Slides).

  In Google, choose "File" then "Make a Copy" to get your own copy. You can make any needed adjustments in the instructions such as which activities students need to complete, when it is due, etc. and then make it available to them via Google.

• WARM UP

  Pose the following brainstorming question to your students, directing them to record their responses in their graphic organizer, share with a partner, and then with the class if they choose.

  • In what ways does the federal government support people in need?

• INTRODUCTION

  Play the two following introductory video clips for your students. Direct your students to answer the following questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished. Note: each clip features Saint Vincent College professor Timothy Kelly. Saint Vincent College is located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

• Clip #1: The Great Depression (2:41).

  • According to Timothy Kelly, what happened to economic opportunity during the Great Depression?
  • What happened to the Gross Domestic Product during this era?
  • Based on the clip, how did the Great Depression impact “ordinary people?”

• Clip #2: The Human Experience (2:19).

  • According to Timothy Kelly, what happened to the people of Scott’s Run, WV during the Great Depression?
  • Based on the clip, how was the Hoover Administration going to respond to this situation?
  • What did Quakers and the American Friends Service Committee “recommend?”

• VOCABULARY

  Direct your students to their graphic organizers to view and define the vocabulary terms that will appear in the lesson in the chart in their graphic organizer handout. The vocabulary words are also listed to the right on this webpage. We recommend having your students define and present the terms in a jigsaw activity to save time.

  Depending on time and resources, you may consider having your students define and present the terms in a Frayer's Model activity, where each student takes one or two items. Students can then post their models around the room for reference throughout the lesson. Note: This is not an all-encompassing list of terms included in each video. We recommend you previewing the video clips to determine any necessary additions/subtractions to this list for your specific students.

• ENGAGEMENT

  Direct students to the engagement section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the four video clips, take notes, and answer the related questions in their graphic organizers. Direct your students to share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

• Clip #3: The Subsistence Homestead Program (3:13).

  • How did the Hoover Administration view the proposed “comprehensive transformation?” Why?
  • According to Timothy Kelly, what program did Franklin D. Roosevelt propose and how was his wife Eleanor involved?
  • Based on the clip, summarize the impact of the Subsistence Homestead Program. Why were the efforts focused on the “hinterland?”

• Clip #4: The Communities (5:52).

  • What was the first subsistence homestead community? Describe the home depicted in the first image.
  • According to Timothy Kelly, what “problems” were discovered in the first community?
  • How large were the subsistence homestead homes, and how did they “reflect” the local community?
  • Describe what you see in the photograph of the Westmoreland Homesteads. What amenities existed in the community?

• Clip #5: A Cooperative Ethos (1:49).

  • What was Eleanor Roosevelt “invested” in?
  • How was Roosevelt involved with and a “strong advocate” for the subsistence home movement?
  • What was the role of Clarence Pickett, according to Timothy Kelly?

• Clip #6: Why Westmoreland County? (6:29).

  • Why was there a “great need” in western Pennsylvania (PA) during the Great Depression?
  • Describe the employment status of people in Westmoreland County during this time period, based on the clip.
  • What is a “coal patch community?” Describe what you see in the photo of the home in Calumet.
  • How did coke ovens work, according to Timothy Kelly? What other purpose did they serve during this era?
  • Based on the clip, what housing was typical for a western PA coal mining family?

• CHOICE-BOARD APPLICATION

  The Westmoreland subsistence homestead community (later known as Norvelt) is located five miles from Saint Vincent College. In the clips of this section of the lesson, Saint Vincent College professor Timothy Kelly describes life for individuals living in the community during the Great Depression.

  Have your students access the Choice Board (Google Slides) and preview the directions. Direct your students to choose two of the seven topics (or you can assign the topics) listed on the choice board to complete, view the videos, and answer the related questions.

  Then, have your students complete the writing exercise on the last slide and prepare to share their findings with the class. Students should respond to the following questions: 1.) Which topics did you study?, 2.) Why did you choose these topics?, 3.) What did you learn?, 4.) What impact did your topics have on the lives of individuals in the community?, and 5.) What questions do you have?

  Finally, lead the class in a jigsawed share-out, so that each student can record the answers to the questions in all seven sections.

• Clip #7: Mapping the Area (2:54).

  • What do you notice in the street map that is displayed in the clip?
  • How large was each “plot” of land in the subsistence homestead community?
  • According to Timothy Kelly and his students, how does the subsistence homestead community map compare to the map of the coal patch community?
  • Why did the subsistence homestead community have curved streets?

• Clip #8: Yards and Property (4:11).

  • What did each subsistence homestead “plot” contain? Why?
  • Compare the purpose of the two gardens.
  • According to Timothy Kelly, what was the disposal field?
  • Based on the clip, what part of the original planned plots did families in the Westmoreland community not receive?

• Clip #9: House Models (5:13).

  • According to Timothy Kelly, how large was the 601 home model?
  • Based on the clip, what purposes did the garage and grape arbor serve?
  • Describe what you see in the kitchen that is displayed in the clip.
  • What “modern conveniences” are present in the kitchen?

• Clip #10: The Town (3:22).

  • Describe what you see in the town plan displayed at the beginning of the clip.
  • Based on the clip, where were the houses located on each plot? Why?
  • According to Timothy Kelly, what was the requirement to move into the subsistence homestead community?
  • Why were most doors on the side of the house, according to Kelly?

• Clip #11: Community and Government (4:06).

  • According to Timothy Kelly, why were clubs and study groups formed? What was the “most popular” club?
  • Based on the clip, what role did the Works Progress Administration (WPA) play in the community?
  • Which sport was popular in the community? Why?
  • Describe the community’s system of government.

• Clip #12: Agriculture (3:19).

  • How was the construction of the community’s homes “communal?”
  • According to Timothy Kelly, how large was each garden? Why?
  • Describe how the “cooperative poultry industry” operated. Who was the largest consumer of the eggs that were produced?
  • Based on the clip, what other animals were included in the agriculture efforts of the community?

• Clip #13: Employment (3:05).

  • What was the co-op store? How was it a “great leap forward?”
  • According to Timothy Kelly, was the co-op store successful? Why or why not?
  • Based on the clip, why did the community want to have a factory built in the town?
  • How many people from the community were employed in the garment factory?

• REFLECTION

  Allow time for your students to prepare and share their findings from the application section of the lesson with the class. Then, direct your students to view the following four clips that offer reflective thoughts.

  Have your students record their notes and answers to the questions in their graphic organizers and share with a partner, small group, or the class.

• Clip #14: Compared to Coal Patch Homes (5:47).

  • Compare the floorplans of the homes in the coal patch community and in the subsistence homestead community.
  • Based on the clip, what did the subsistence homestead homes offer that the “company homes” for coal miners did not?

• Clip #15: Strict Rules (1:58).

  • How many families tried to obtain one of the 250 homes in the Westmoreland subsistence community?
  • Describe the interview and application process. According to Timothy Kelly, how many families were ultimately evicted?
  • Based on the clip, why were residents not able to change their homes?

• Clip #16: A New Name (1:28).

  • What event resulted in a name change for the Westmoreland subsistence homestead community?
  • According to Timothy Kelly, which new name did they choose and why?

• Clip #17: Was Norvelt Successful? (6:49).

  • According to Timothy Kelly, did Norvelt “succeed?” Why or why not?
  • Based on the clip, what “limitations and concerns” existed?
  • What was the “most important drawback” of Norvelt?
  • What “spirit” survives?

• CLOSURE

  After your students are finished with the reflective clips, direct them to complete the final culminating writing prompt in their graphic organizers, and have students share their responses, comparing their perspectives with their classmates' perspectives: Having now learned about the Great Depression-era Subsistence Homestead Program, describe its impact and legacy. Be sure to include evidence from the video clips in the lesson to support your argument.