Distribute copies (electronically or on paper) of Dorothy Shifflet’s interview about life in Floyd County, Virginia.  Individually, or in pairs, students will read and write about three challenges that people in Floyd experienced.

Examples:  

• She blames her parents separation on the economic strain of the Depression
• Both of her parents leaving the area for work opportunities
• People passing through her grandparents’ farm seeking a place to stay
• Enough food for people to eat “in town”
• People only had “relationships.”  Implying material wealth was nonexistent. 

Discuss what students share in a group format.  Begin a conversation concerning whether the statement Mrs. Shifflet gives supports or contradicts students’ understanding of the Great Depression.  Create a T chart on the board, and with the help of student recorders, identify those ideas that support or contradict and why. 

Post or distribute paper copies of the interviews of Mrs. Shifflet and Rakes.  Students will read in pairs looking for items that stand out as real challenges for these women.  They should be prepared to point out differences that they see compared to how they live today. Compare and contrast their accounts and look for common themes.  Students will report their findings which can be written on the board. 

After discussing with students the difficulties these women faced, lead a conversation about how these stories are representative of the whole time period.  

Direct students to the link for the proposed route of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The construction of the scenic road gives a glimpse at work projects created to stimulate the economy during the New Deal by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Congress.  Discuss how this route could serve as a boon for the local economy.

Having discussed the interviews and Blue Ridge Parkway, students will then write a letter from the perspective of a teenager living in the region of Virginia’s Lost AT.  If students need to be familiarized with the area, use the maps below to help them locate communities like Floyd, Galax, and Hillsville in Virginia.

Virginia’s Lost Appalachian Trail:  http://appalachiantrailhistory.org/items/show/1110

Southwestern Virginia:  http://appalachiantrailhistory.org/items/show/915

Writing Prompt and/or Warm-up Activity

Warm-Up Activity:  Based on your understanding of the Great Depression, what was life like for people living in cities during the time period?  What challenges did they face? What types of challenges would people in rural communities have faced during the Great Depression? 

Assignment:  Students will write a one page letter from the perspective of a teenager living in rural Virginia about the hardships people faced during the Great Depression to someone living in a city.  Their letter should include challenges addressing but not limited to the following ideas:

• Food for meals
• The strain of additional friends, family, or strangers in need
• Money to purchase necessary goods (clothes, etc)
• Ways to help your family survive
• Any forms of entertainment 

Students should draw from the interviews as well as their understanding of the Depression on a broader level.