This is my 100th blog post!! Wow! Time flies by when you are having fun researching and writing about American history - it's been three years since I started this blog! I have recently compiled a bunch of worksheets and activities that I have created for my on-level and AP U.S. history classes at Coppell High. I always enjoy sharing my classroom materials with other teachers and intend to do so in this blog and in the future. With each worksheet/activity, I provide a brief synopsis and teacher directions. If you are a new high school U.S. history teacher, you may use these worksheets with my permission. Enjoy!!
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| Mr. Chanin and his 2nd period APUSH students in May 2022. Author's collections. |
Great Depression/New Deal Worksheets
I place great attention on the 1930s in my on-level and AP history classes - this period, commonly known as the Great Depression, was dramatic and transformed the way citizens saw the responsibilities of their government. Government involvement steadily increased once Franklin Roosevelt was elected president in the early 1930s, yet many were still homeless and financially struggling until the end of the decade. Also, many minorities did not benefit greatly from FDR's New Deal programs, and I ensure my students understand this inequality in government service. The first worksheet is used as an introduction to the 1930s - students are tasked to identify what is happening in each picture and associate each image with a word from our Unit 5 word wall (which includes key terms, such as bank run, broker, malnutrition, living wage, and desertification, among others). A picture tells a story, and these images give students the chance to visualize what Americans saw and how Americans lived during the most disastrous economic recession the country has faced in history. The second worksheet is given to students after we discuss the decline of Herbert Hoover and the rise of FDR. One of FDR's first presidential actions was reopening the banks after a "bank holiday". In a soothing and confident tone, FDR talked directly to the American people via radio shortly after he was sworn in - the first "Fireside Chat" reassured Americans that their money would be safe if they were to redeposit notes in the bank. The scheme worked and Americans deposited their money in the banks, once again stimulating the economy. Students will analyze FDR's fireside chat and examine various letters citizens wrote to the president in response to the chat - this activity gives students various perspectives on how ordinary citizens responded to the new government approach (later called the New Deal) to the terrible depression. Both activities take about 30 minutes to complete.
Great Depression Images Worksheet (created by Mr. Chanin, 2022)
Fireside Chat Activity: Letters from Listeners (created by Mr. Chanin, 2022)
Sam Rayburn Graphic Organizer
In Texas, the state requires students to learn the significance of important Texans who had a positive and profound impact on the people of the United States. One of these individuals is Sam Rayburn, the East Texas politician who represented TX-4 in Congress for over 48 years and holds the record for the longest non-consecutive tenure as speaker of the House of Representatives, serving for 17 years. Rayburn (who I have read a lot about owing to his schooling at William Mayo's East Texas Normal College in Commerce) played a notable role in passing much-needed legislation for Texas farmers, scientists, and working-class families during the Progressive Era, Great Depression, World War II, and early Cold War years. Since I had recently discussed the 1930s and 1940s with my standard U.S. History classes, I found it appropriate for my students to study Rayburn's noteworthy political contributions during the New Deal and World War II. In this assignment, students are tasked to read a biography on Rayburn and create a graphic organizer, showcasing the Texas congressman's impressive legislative record. The completed graphic organizer is on paper or iPad (using Notability, Canva, Keynote, Pages, etc.) and should include illustrations, color and a bold title. My students appeared to really enjoy this small activity I fabricated one day when I was bored - this engaging experience allows students an opportunity to demonstrate their research skills and artistic abilities to their peers and teacher. I have attached instructions and screenshots of students' example (link is below for teachers to access). The activity takes about 45 minutes to complete.
Rayburn Graphic Organizer Instructions & Examples (created by Mr. Chanin, 2023)
America In Color Videos
I am a visual learner and appreciate the opportunity to watch a video about a topic to fully comprehend that topic - I have found out that a majority of my students are also visual learners. Thus, whenever I have a chance to supplement my content-heavy lectures and student-led class activities with an entertaining yet informative video, I take it! This past year, I discovered the fascinating and eye-opening U.S. Smithsonian documentary series America In Color on Amazon Video. The series surveys a history of the United States between 1920 and 1969 using restored video highlights and newsreels - but, instead of original black-and-white footage, the moving pictures are in COLOR! The narration is flawless, the music for each episode is memorable, and I admire the wide range of topics in each episode - the documentary series makes a point to show the accomplishments of and challenges minority groups have faced in the history of the United States. I show these episodes at the start or end of each unit in my AP and on-level U.S. History classes - in my opinion, the videos give students a solid introduction or conclusion to each decade. I have created worksheets for each episode (links are below for teachers to access) - these worksheets are not your basic fill-in-the-blank nor short-answer-questions templates; instead, students are given the freedom to jot down their own notes about each historical person/event/place that is listed on the worksheet (note the worksheet box template). In my classes, students are tasked to handwrite their answers (using Notability on the iPads, which further develops their core writing skills), complete the worksheet during the video, and engage in a fruitful teacher-led class discussion on what they learned/any answered questions from the video. Each episode is roughly 48 minutes in length (half of the 90 minute class block that Coppell High uses).
1920s in Color Worksheet (created by Mr. Chanin, 2022)
1930s in Color Worksheet (created by Mr. Chanin, 2022)
1940s in Color Worksheet (created by Mr. Chanin, 2022)
1950s in Color Worksheet (created by Mr. Chanin, 2022)
1960s in Color Worksheet (created by Mr. Chanin, 2022)
