Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Losing Ground

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students examine the Dust Bowl and the effects of farming practices in the early 20th century. They read a handout, and conduct and discuss two experiments simulating soil erosion.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Migrant Workers Through the Lens of Dorothea Lange

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students explore the lives of migrant workers during the Great Depression. In this Great Depression lesson, students examine photographs and song lyrics to gain an understanding of the conditions for people living in the era. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Depression: Eating on a Shoestring

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the realities of feeding a family on a very limited budget by comparing the cost of living in the 1930s to the cost of living today. Using primary documents and technology to make the comparison, they identify the impact...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dust Bowl Exodus: How Drought and the Depression Took Their Toll

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the migration of refugees. In this California history lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture regarding the details of how the Dust Bowl and Great Depression led to a California population...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dirty Thirties: The Dust Bowl

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explore the events and reactions surrounding the Dust Bowl crisis during the 1930's. They discuss how the events of the Great Depression affected America's democracy and how it transformed America.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Out of the Dust

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders read a book of poems called "Out of the Dust". In groups, they research the Dust Bowl and how it affected people living through the Great Depression. Using the text, they identify the theme and key turning points and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dorothea Lange

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Learners explain that a person's experiences influence their life, write a time line of their life, and analyze Dorothea's photographs and list descriptive words.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Out of the Dust -- Part II

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders discover that literature can be a great way to gather information about the past. Using various types of text, they research its historical data and determine if it is correct. They write two papers to respond to the...