Activity
1. The first day of this lesson will be spent viewing photographs
from the Great Depression and reading/listening to
the song “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” Begin
lesson by having students look at the pictures
from the powerpoint provided. On paper have each
student write down a brief description of
the picture and adjectives to describe the state of
mind of the people depicted. Give students a minute
or two for each image. Then go through the pictures
again and have each student select a picture that
touches them directly or is especially poignant.
2. Have
a brief class discussion in which students share their
thoughts on seeing actual images (often heart-rending
ones) from the Great Depression. What adjectives did they
use to describe the photographs? Did any of the pictures
make them think of any of the characters from The Grapes
of Wrath?
3. In
the second half of class have students read the lyrics
from “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” If
you have the capacity to listen to the song, the web site http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/parton/2/brother.html contains
a recording of it and it would be beneficial for the students
to listen also. Discuss with them the sense
of despair found in the song. Then go deeperand
discuss the theme of the betrayal of the American Dream.
It has always been a tenet of American life that if you worked
hard and lived responsibly you would have a successful life.
How does the song explore the dark side of this ideal?
BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?
(E. Y. HARBURG/JAY GORNEY) (1932)
They used to tell me I was building a dream
And so I followed the mob.
When there was earth to plow or guns to bear,
I was always there, right on the job.
They used to tell me I was building a dream
With peace and glory ahead --
Why should I be standing in line, just waiting for bread?
Once I built a railroad, I made it run,
Made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad, now it's done --
Brother, can you spare a dime?
Once I built a tower, up to the sun,
brick and rivet and lime.
Once I built a tower, now it's done --
Brother, can you spare a dime?
Once in khaki suits, gee, we looked swell
Full of that Yankee Doodle-de-dum.
Half a million boots went slogging through hell,
And I was the kid with the drum.
Say, don't you remember they called me Al,
It was Al all the time.
Why don't you remember, I'm your pal --
Say, buddy, can you spare a dime?
Once in khaki suits, ah, gee, we looked swell
Full of that Yankee Doodle-de-dum.
Half a million boots went slogging through hell,
And I was the kid with the drum.
Say, don't you remember they called me Al,
It was Al all the time.
Why don't you remember, I'm your pal --
Buddy, can you spare a dime?
4. In the second and third day of the lesson the students will move to contemporary
times to examine the experiences of present day migrant workers from the perspective
of the youngest workers. Inform the students they will now read about life
experiences of migrant children similar to those depicted in The Grapes of
Wrath. 5. Distribute
the stories found on the provided web sites to each of
the students.
6. Take
volunteers or read the material to students. The students
may write on their copies to underline sections that they
find particularly compelling.
7. Read
through the selections taking time for student reflections.
8. After
the reading, lead a class discussion on the stories, focusing
on similarities between the children and elements which
make each narrative unique. How
are their lives different from those of your students?
Are there any ways in
which they are the same?
9. The
teacher should create a graphic organizer on the board
to organize ideas emerging from the discussion. Students
should
keep a similar graphic organizer
in their notes. A Venn diagram would be appropriate to allow for
tracing differences and similarities.
10. The
teacher should create a Venn diagram for compare and contrast
of the life experience of the migrant children depicted
in The Grapes of Wrath.
11. The
fourth and fifth days of this lesson will be spent looking
at the
poetry of migrant children.
12. Pass
out copies of each poem to students. They can take notes
and write on their copies.
13. Have
students silently read only the poem titles without reading
the rest. Clarify the meaning of any confusing words, such
as mockers.
14.
Ask students their initial responses to the titles. What
are the poems about? What is the connecting idea?
Write
responses
on the board.
15. Read
each poem in any order to the class. Ask for volunteers
to read out loud.
16. Conduct
a class discussion on initial responses to the poems. Allow
the students to share their visual
perceptions,
lines with a strong impact, and
their emotional reactions to the poems. What stays
with each student afterwards? Allow for a free flowing
discussion
with
topics changing as ideas are shared.
However, ask questions, directing students to basic
poem comprehension. For example, who is the speaker of
the
poem?
What happens in this poem? Take
time in class to explore connections
with the topics in these poems to those factors
that affect modern day workers.
Closure
The
conditions in which migrant workers live and toil have
always been difficult. Ask the students if they think
that life has improved or become more dangerous for
those working in the fields. Have changes in farming
practices made life any better or added to the problems
encountered?
Homework
None assigned |
