1. Fall 2009 The goal of this presentation is to help students learn key concepts related to unemployment through the use of video and audio that highlights our current economic situation in relation to the Great Depression. The use of pictures is meant to help students develop empathy; considering the effects of unemployment on diverse groups of people in our society. This presentation is to be used as a learning center. Students should work in cooperative groups to evaluate the content of this presentation, and then individually reflect on the importance of being an informed citizen and understanding economic indicators.

2. PA Academic Standards Language Arts  Read Critically in All Content Areas  1.2 A – Read and understand essential content of informational texts and documents in all academic areas.  Research  1.8 B – Locate information using appropriate sources and strategies.  1.8 C – Organize, summarize, and present the main ideas from research. History  Historical Analysis and Skills Development  8.1.12 B – Evaluate historical interpretation of events. Economics  Economic Systems  6.1.12 C – Assess the strength of the regional, national and/or international economy and compare it to another time period based upon economic indicators.  6.1.12 D – Describe historical examples of expansion, recession, and depression internationally.

3. Imagine being unemployed… Click Here… Unemployment during the Great Depression

4. Will this be Depression 2.0? Click the video recorder on the right to view a video clip about life during the Great Depression. At that time, American faced incredibly high unemployment. Many people were homeless, jobless, and hungry. As you view the video, record 3 instances from personal experience that parallel the situations highlighted in the video. Share your list with your group. Activity Click on the paintbrush to the right to view some historical pictures from the Great Depression. Question: Do you think people today are facing similar hardship? Picture Analysis

5. How many Americans is unemployment a reality for today? Faces of the uncounted unemployed Geographical disparities in the unemployment rate Click here to view the evolution of the unemployment rate at the local, national and global level…

6. Podcast 3-2-1 3 Things you learned 2 Things you want to know more about 1 Thing that worries you transcript

7. Review of basic concepts… Step 1 Click on the recorder on the right to view a video about how we measure unemployment, and the limitations of the rate. Step 2 Review the following slides to reinforce how we measure unemployment, who is considered “unemployed” and the limitations of the rate.

8. Measuring Unemployment Unemployment Rate  Represents the number unemployed (jobless) as a percent of the labor force.  Calculated by a monthly survey of 50,000 households. Number of persons unemployed Civilian Labor Force

9. Full Employment versus Unemployment Full Employment  “jobs for all that want them”  Not “zero” unemployment…why?  Some people are always between jobs  Some people just do not want to work! Are available for work Have made a specific effort to find a job in the last 4 weeks Have worked <1 hour for pay in the past week People 16 or older who… OR someone who just got laid off / lost their job.

10. Limitations of the Rate  Underestimates employment conditions  Does not count ‘discouraged’ workers  Includes those with part-time jobs who could be “ Underemployed ” Someone who graduates from MIT with an engineering degree, but can only find a job as a shelf-stocker at WALMART would be considered “underemployed.”

11. Gaps in the Unemployment Rate With your group, hypothesize 3 groups of people who may be misrepresented in the overall unemployment statistics. Group Think Example 1 Wall Street Journal - Video Example 2 New York Times – News Article Exploring Gaps in the Unemployment Rate Was your group perception of gaps in unemployment accurate?

12. Reflective Activity  f Will the economy stimulate employment?  Click here to view the reaction from the White House to the August unemployment data. Click here  When you are finished, discuss the essential question with your group members and then click here to complete a personal reflection on today’s activities. click here

13. Current Employment Situation Bureau of Labor Statistics Month Year Unemployment Rate Civilian Labor Force Employed Not Employed Not in the Labor Force Aug 2009 9.7 154,577139,64914,72981,509 Jul 2009 9.4 154,504140,04114,462 81,366 Jun 2009 9.5 154,926140,19614,72980,729 6.26.66.87.27.68.18.58.9 9.4 Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Delaware County, June 2009 7.8% Delaware County, June 2008 5.1% Austria 4.5% Belgium 7.3% Spain 17.4% Finland 7.4% Ireland 10.6%

14. Unemployment during the Great Depression… Across the U.S., the unemployed stood in the streets; unable to find jobs and wondering how they could feed their families. Large population of unemployed, in desperate need of work and looking for jobs.

15. Will This Be Depression 2.0? Christmas Dinner during the Great Depression… Economic distress affects people of all ages, including people like you… Homeless family during the Great Depression…

16. Write a 3-5 sentence summary detailing what you learned during today’s activity. – Why is an understanding of the health of our nation’s economy important to you? – After viewing the multimedia today, what questions or concerns do you have about the current economic situation?

17. Citations Adams, N (Producer). (2009, September 4). August Unemployment At 26-Year High [Audio Podcast]. All Things Considered. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyI d=112566449&ft=1&f=1006 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyI d=112566449&ft=1&f=1006 Benincasa, R, & Hsu N (2009). Interactive Map: The Economy Where You Live. NPR, Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyI d=111494514 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyI d=111494514 Bureau of Labor Statistics (2009). Employment Situation Summary. United States Department of Labor, Retrieved September 10, 2009 from http://bls.gov. http://bls.gov Bureau of Labor Statistics (2009). Frequently Asked Questions. United States Department of Labor, Retrieved September 10, 2009 from http://bls.gov.http://bls.gov

18. Citations Bureau of Labor Statistics (2009). Glossary. United States Department of Labor, Retrieved September 10, 2009 from http://bls.gov.http://bls.gov Example 2: Percents -- Unemployment Rates. Discovery Education. (2007). Retrieved September 10, 2009, from Discovery Education: http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/ http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/ Hilsenrath, Jon (2009, September 4). Men Suffer in Jobless Figures [Video]. Video posted to http://online.wsj.com/video/men-suffer-in-jobless- figures/5DE39062-C744-4C37-9993- 13F4CA37187F.html. http://online.wsj.com/video/men-suffer-in-jobless- figures/5DE39062-C744-4C37-9993- 13F4CA37187F.html Luo, M (2009, September 7). Faces of the Uncounted Unemployed [Multimedia Slideshow] from Out of Work and Too Down to Search On. NYTimes.com, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/09/07/us/ 0907WORKERS_index.html

19. Citations Quality of Life Deteriorates Across the Country While Families Fall Apart. Aims Multimedia. (1984). Retrieved September 10, 2009, from Discovery Education: http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/ http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/ Rampell, C (2009, September 4). Teenage Unemployment Reaches Record High. NYtimes.com, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/05/business/econ omy/05teen.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=unemployment%2 0rate&st=cse http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/05/business/econ omy/05teen.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=unemployment%2 0rate&st=cse Romer, C (2009, September). White House Reacts to Jobs Report (CNBC) [Video]. Video posted to http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/09/04/busines s/1247464397527/white-house-reacts-to-jobs-report- cnbc.html. http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/09/04/busines s/1247464397527/white-house-reacts-to-jobs-report- cnbc.html All images retrieved from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration, http://www.archives.gov/.http://www.archives.gov/