The Great Depression Relived

by James Mitchell and Serena Pariser

Overview | Instructional Objective | Learners | Context | Motivation
Avatars & Roles | Objects & Locations | Game Goal | Play by Play| References

Overview

This simulation will recreate the Great Depression in Second Life, an online simulation program. Students, with a partner, will enter Second Life and become dressed as a person during the great depression. The instructional goal of this simulation is for students to understand the time period from different points of view while reading the novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. This simulation can also accompany any other piece of literature from the same time period. This lesson is executed in sync with an 8th grade technology course. 

Instructional Objective

This simulation addresses the following grade 8 California English standards:

Grade 8 English standard addressed:

3.0 Literary Response and Analysis

Students read and respond to historically or culturally significant works of literature that reflect and enhance their studies of history and social science. They clarify the ideas and connect them to other literary works. The selections in Recommended Literature, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve illustrate the quality and complexity of the materials to be read by students.

3.4 Analyze the relevance of the setting (e.g., place, time, customs) to the mood, tone, and meaning of the text.

Research and Technology
1.4 Plan and conduct multiple-step information searches by using computer networks and modems.
1.5 Achieve an effective balance between researched information and original ideas.

While participating in the simulation, students will demonstrate understanding of The Great Depression Era by writing skits that simulate real life situations during the 1930's. The skits will have to incorporate research the students gather from the Internet prior to participating in the simulation. The students will also incorporate their original ideas with researched facts to demonstrate a dynamic understanding of the era.

Learners

This Second Life simulation is designed for an English class paired with their technology class. The learners are between the ages of thirteen and fourteen, so we'll be using teen Second Life, which is student friendly. The students have access to a computer lab so each can have a access a computer, although they will be completing the project in pairs. The class will be meeting with other classmates to perform the skits together on Second Life.  The students in the English class also are in a technology class. The students have background knowledge of the Great Depression era from the The Grapes of Wrath as well as internet research that they have already performed in their English and Technology classes. 

Context of Use

Our simulation will be used at school and the skits can be performed many times. Prior to participating in the skits, the participants will have read The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, which takes place during The Great Depression.  They have already researched the Great Depression in both their English and Technology class. This simulation is an  extension on their prior learning.  Students will record their skits using the Second Life recording feature and the class would watch all of the simulations during a later class period to further solidify their understanding of The Great Depression Era.  A single skit would take five to ten minutes in Second Life.

Motivation

The students will be motivated to learn about The Great Depression Era and the lives of the people during that time period because they are able to direct their learning toward that which interests them about that time. The students will be learning hands on and interacting in the environment with live dynamic characters. This personal interaction increases student motivation. There is additional value and motivation in that students are bringing history to life and can start to see how the people of the Great Depression Era lived.

The student confidence is also high in that the students can revisit second life many times over and take the simulation a step farther. Instead of just changing their outfit to resemble a person from the 1930's the students can change their facial appearance and body structure. The students can also decide the level of comfort they have in delving into this environment.

Avatars and Roles

The students will enter teen Second Life and change their clothing to resemble characters from The Grapes of Wrath or members of a 1930's Great Depression society. Depending on the skit, students would be able to choose from a selection of pre-made 1930's style clothing.   The different 1930's  avatars' clothing, apparel, and scenes,  are pre-made by students in their technology class.  

Skit #1 A father in the Great Depression goes to the bank and tries to get the family's money out.

Avatars needed for this skit: Papa Joad, bank teller,

Setting: Bank

Skit #2 A mother in the Great Depression goes to the market and get enough food for the family.

Avatars needed for this skit: Mama Joad, grocer

Setting: Grocery Store

Skit #3 A man trying to get a job.

Avatars needed for this skit:  Pa Joad, or one of the Joad boys, office worker

Setting: the unemployment office

Objects and Locations

Virtual locations will be needed to perform each skit (see settings above). The setting will be pre-designed by the teachers and will look like actual locations from the 1930's. The scripts will not be pre-written by the students, since the simulation will test their knowledge of the time period.

The learners are developing knowledge of Second Life in their technology class simultaneously in this project.  In technology class, students will have the time and opportunity to develop a class " bank" of 1930's type outfits, in which they will later dress their avatars.

The learners are also creating 1930's type environments for extra credit in their technology class.  The locations groups of students are building are a bank, grocery store, a typical  home, unemployment office, and a shack.  These locations will set the stage for their skits. 

Game Goal

The simulation will be recorded in teen Second Life, and emailed to the teacher. The teacher will grade the simulation based on a pre-made rubric that evaluates how well the students demonstrated understanding of the Great Depression Era. The simulation goal is that students can demonstrate their understanding of the Great Depression by acting out skits of different personas of people reliving The Great Depression. Recorded simulations will also be played for the entire class at a later time so students will be able to see each skit reenacted during the Second Life Great Depression.

 

Play by Play

1. Students read The Grapes of Wrath, and conduct internet research in their English and Technology class to understand the time period of The Great Depression.


2. Students will research the setting and clothing of The Great Depression Era using the following links to guide their learning:
Great Depression Photos
Pictures of life during The Great Depression


3. In technology class, students will create a class clothing bank of 1930's shirts, pants, hats, jackets, shoes, uniforms that will be needed for the following avatars. More than one student can create a piece of clothing for the avatars, as part of understanding the time period is choosing from the class bank and properly dressing their avatar to fit the role. Students will also learn how to change the appearance of their avatars an needed to fit the roles in the skits.

  • an unemployed  poor male adult
  • a poor mother
  • grocery store worker
  • unemployment office worker
  • bank teller

Some of the items may look like this:

man


4.  In technology class, students will also create the following settings to stage the skits. The setting coordinates will be saved for the class to choose from.

  • a grocery store
  • a shack
  • a bank

Here is an example of a shack setting:

shack

Or another view of the shack:

shack


5. Students are assigned to pairs for the simulation (each skit only requires two avatars). Students pairs also choose which of the three skits they are going to perform in Second Life.

6. Students will write for script for their 5-10 minutes skit.

7. In the computer lab during English class, after assigned partnerships are created and the skits are selected, pairs of students will select a setting and clothing for their skit using already made locations and clothing from the class bank. Students will have one English class to get staged and dressed for their skit. Students may also transform their avatar's appearance to fit the role if needed. Additionally, students may create or find additional virtual props if needed during this time.

8. In the computer lab, students will practice their skit in Second Life. Each student will be on his or her own computer and interact in Second Life. Students may have to wait their turn in Second Life, if more than one pair is using the same location (just as it would work as waiting for your turn in a stage in real life).

9. Students will reserve a skit location for their recording. Each group will have a 15 minute block of time for set up and clean up in Second Life.

10. In the computer lab, pairs of students, will record their skit during selected times. Recordings will be emailed to teacher. While pairs of students are recording, other pairs are still practicing, which may have to take place at an alternate location if their location is booked.

11. After teacher has collected an archive of all class skits, skits will be played for class back to back during one class period with class feedback, questions, and comments.

References

Electronic

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Last updated November 05, 2007