Photo of Hugh Edward & Eva Caroline Kelso and their children, Charles Ray and Wayne Hugh Kelso,

Tulia, Texas circa 1935

Permission to use given by Cindy Kelso Wihebrink, daughter of Wayne Hugh Kelso

A MOMENT IN TIME: THE DIRTY THIRTIES

Lesson Title: A Moment in Time: The Dirty Thirties

Subject/Grade: U.S. History and World Geography/10th and 11th grade

Lesson Synopsis:

This lesson will examine the causes of the Dust Bowl, both human and nature’s roles. Students will begin by brainstorming what they already know about this period in time as to the causes. Students will then watch a documentary and evaluate it. They will then move on to rotating through learning folders activities where they will gather information about individuals, events, and the type of American people who experienced the “dirty thirties.” All students will also listen to the KACV oral histories that have been recorded and placed online.

TEKS:

WORLD GEOGRAPHY STUDIES

(1) History. The student understands how geography and processes of spatial exchange (diffusion) influenced events in the past and helped to shape the present. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze the effects of physical and human geographic patterns and processes on the past and describe their impact on the present, including significant physical features and environmental conditions that influenced migration patterns and shaped the distribution of culture groups today

(3) Geography. The student understands how physical processes shape patterns in the physical environment. The student is expected to:

(A) explain weather conditions and climate in relation to annual changes in Earth-Sun relationships;

(B) describe the physical processes that affect the environments of regions, including weather, tectonic forces, erosion, and soil-building processes;

(7) Geography. The student understands the growth, distribution, movement, and characteristics of world population. The student is expected to:

(B) explain how political, economic, social, and environmental push and pull factors and physical geography affect the routes and flows of human migration;

(11) Economics. The student understands how geography influences economic activities. The student is expected to:

(C) assess how changes in climate, resources, and infrastructure (technology, transportation, and communication) affect the location and patterns of economic activities.

(12) Economics. The student understands the economic importance of, and issues related to, the location and management of resources. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze how the creation, distribution, and management of key natural resources affects the location an patterns of movement of products, money, and people; and

(B) evaluate the geographic and economic impact of policies related to the development, use, and scarcity of natural resources such as regulations of water.

(16) Culture. The student understands how the components of culture affect the way people live and shape the characteristics of regions. The student is expected to:

(A) describe distinctive cultural patterns and landscapes associated with different places in Texas, the United States, and other regions of the world of innovation and diffusion;

UNITED STATES HISTORY 1877 – PRESENT

(12) Geography. The student understands the impact of geographic factors on major events. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze the impact of physical and human geographic factors on the settlement of the Great Plains, the Klondike Gold Rush, the Panama Canal, the Dust Bowl, and the levee failure in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina; and

(25) Culture. The student understands the relationship between the arts and the times during which they were created. The student is expected to:

(A) describe how the characteristics and issues in U.S. history have been reflected in various genres of art, music, film, and literature;

(B) describe both the positive and negative impacts of significant examples of cultural movements in art, music, and literature such as Tin Pan Alley, the Harlem Renaissance, the Beat Generation, rock and roll, the Chicano Mural Movement, and country and western music on American society;

Duration: 3 – 5 days

Performance Indicator: (Choose 1)

Create a lapbook or trifold using foldables or any other creative approach to tell about the Dust Bowl period.

Write a children’s book to explain what Americans endured during the “Dirty Thirties”.

Create a movie using PhotoStory3 or Moviemaker about the Dust Bowl.

Key Understandings and Guiding Questions: Scarcity causes conflict between individuals, groups and institutions as people

compete for resources to meet their needs and wants in order to survive.1. How does the scarcity of resources affect people?2. How did the Dust Bowl impact America’s physical and social character?3. Who suffered the most from the devastation of the Dust Bowl?

Vocabulary of Instruction:

Erosion : the process by which the surface of the earth is worn away by the action of water, glaciers, winds, waves, and other natural forces.

Black Blizzard: the term for dust storms during the time period of the Great Depression.

Topsoil: the fertile, upper part of the soil. Bushel : a unit of dry measure containing 62 pounds of a commodity Drought: an extended period of dry weather, especially a long one that is injurious

to crops.

Materials:

documentaries

Internet

paper, glue, & map pencils for lapbook project

PhotoStory3 or Movie Maker

Resources:

Instructions and 5-10 copies of the handouts for each of the learning folder activities

Web Resources:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM3ZHMBhP2k&feature=youtu.be (1950s "Newsreel" like documentary chronicles the Dustbowl with interviews from people (primary sources) who lived through the "Dirty Thirties."

KACV Oral Histories

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2CB9A0583C22EA8E&feature=view_all

Additional Website Resources provided as a separate attachment

Background Information:

"Reproduced with the permission of Utah Agriculture in the Classroom, Utah State University, [online] www.agclassroom.org/ut."

World War I pumped new life into the United States economy as the war required the ramping up of agricultural production and manufacturing in the United States. Unemployment numbers fell greatly between 1920 and 1929. The U.S. replaced Russia as a global agricultural supplier and the prices for grain rose to an all-time high. Agricultural workers on the Great Plains, specifically in south eastern Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, and Oklahoma, began taking out loans to buy more land and the latest farming equipment. Farmers, using tractors, could plant and harvest an acre in three hours instead of the three days it took by hand with manual labor, converting millions of acres of native grassland, previously used for grazing, into wheat fields to keep up with the rising demand. Following WWI, there was a steep decline in demand for goods. Industries struggled and the price of crops dropped by as much as 40%. To compensate for the price drop, farmers grew more crops—but instead of bringing in revenue, it further depressed the market, lowering the price of grain in 1929 from $3.00 to $0.40 per bushel. Farmers who had taken out loans faced foreclosure. In fact, from 1929-1932, four million farms were lost to foreclosure. When Black Tuesday hit on October 29, 1929, the United States experienced a financial collapse that ushered in the Great Depression. During the Great Depression, life in rural areas was not as difficult as urban areas because rural people could produce their own food. When the Great Plains drought struck in the 1930s, rural areas where people had plowed up the drought-resistant native grasses to grow grain were the next to suffer. The grain withered and died from lack of rain and the ground lay barren exposing 2-3 inches of nutrient rich topsoil to the elements. The depletion of vegetation meant that no roots were left to stabilize the soil and resulted in the Dust Bowl. The topsoil was carried by the wind in dust storms that were deemed black blizzards because the dust was so thick it would blot out the sun. The wind carried off an estimated total of 350 million tons of soil (enough top soil to fill enough dump trucks to circle the earth twice). When the worst black blizzard on record hit in 1934, towers of dust 10,000 feet high moved soil from Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, and Oklahoma 1,500 miles east to the Atlantic Ocean. An estimated twelve million pounds of soil or “dust” hit Chicago (four pounds of soil per citizen) during this one storm. Some ships out at sea in the Atlantic Ocean were left with a quarter inch of dust on their decks. Topsoil was not the only thing leaving the Dust Bowl. Continual black blizzards contributed to the poverty of the people in the affected states and more than 2.5 million people fled the region—most taking Route 66 west. Nearly 10% of people fleeing the Dust Bowl relocated to California. Franklin D. Roosevelt, (FDR) was aware of farmers suffering (30% of the population at that time were farmers) and the country’s struggle. When he took office in 1933 FDR had already assembled the “brain trust” responsible for formulating the new policies that became known as the New Deal. New Deal programs included the AAA, CCC, PWA, and the SCS. The goal of these New Deal programs was to ensure that the country recovered economically as well as environmentally. The Soil Conservation Service (SCS) was specifically implemented to reduce soil erosion and promote soil conservation to prevent another Dust Bowl. In 1994 the SCS was renamed the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) whose goal is to

protect a sustainable, nutritious, abundant food supply, and a thriving ecosystems that supports a diversity of life. They continue to work to ensure clean water and healthy soil, along with tackling rising issues, such as promoting clean air and clean energy, protecting against climate change, and exploring new conservation technology.

Instructional Procedures

ENGAGE

(Adapted from Desiree Gray – Teaching American History Project Lesson – The Dirty Thirties: Life in the Dust Bowl,

http://www.washoe.k12.nv.us/americanhistory/secondary/lessons/lessons_std08/gray_d15.html

“Brown earth rained down from sky. I could not catch my breath the way the dust pressed on my chest and wouldn’t stop. The dirt blew down so thick it scratched my eyes and stung my tender skin; it plugged my nose and filled inside my mouth. No matter how I pressed my lips together, the dust made muddy tracks across my tongue.” - character Billie Jo from Karen Hesse’s, Out of the Dust.

“The Dirty Thirties” takes place within the context of the Great Depression. During the 1930s, winds stripped the soil from the dry drought-stricken fields of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico. This area was called, “The Dust Bowl.” 

(Show students map of Dust Bowl area)

"Reproduced with the permission of Utah Agriculture in the Classroom, Utah State University, [online] www.agclassroom.org/ut."

The causes of the Dust Bowl were many, the composition of the soil, the climate, and the tough prairie sod combined with poor farming techniques, wind erosion and drought all creating a stage for disaster. Technological advances, while at first seemed wonderful, contributed to the destruction of the land and a rapid breakdown of the area. Economical factors such as the decrease of demand for wheat caused farmers to abandon proper conservation practices.

Americans living in the Dust Bowl faced more than bad weather. It was about hardship, perseverance, and strength of spirit. Thousands lost everything but still hung on to what little dignity life offered them. 

Activity 1: Students will brainstorm with teacher about the causes of the Dust Bowl from their prior knowledge. Teacher will create a T-Chart on the board and record student answers.

WHAT CAUSED THE DUST BOWL?

Humans _Nature

1. Unsound agricultural practices Lack of rain2. Overgrazing Drought3. Overplowing and removal of native grasses Winds4. Constant planting of the same crops which

depleted the soil5. Tractors which removed topsoil6. Destruction of the natural prairie7. Dependence on cotton or wheat year after year8. Lack of technological advances9. Reduced diversity of the ecosystem

Activity 2:

Students will watch the introduction and Episode 1 of Ken Burns’ “Dust Bowl” documentary. (approximately 10 minutes) Afterwards teacher will lead a discussion on students’ impression of it.

Activity 3:

Student will watch the documentary “The Plow That Broke the Plains”, a 1936 Dust Bowl documentary (25 minutes ) Afterwards, students will use the Library of Congress

Analyzing Motion Pictures form to observe, reflect and ask questions about the documentary.

After completing the form, have students speculate about the purpose of the motion picture and what its creators expected to accomplish. ASK: Do you think the motion picture achieved their goals? Explain why you think so.

Think about what you already know about this period in history. How does this motion picture support or contradict your current understanding of this period?

Optional: Read the newspaper article, “Plainsmen Receive Spirit of Dust Bowl Picture With Enthusiasm at Premiere.”

“The Plow That Broke the Plains”

This is a short documentary film which shows what happened to the Great Plains region of the United States and Canada when uncontrolled agricultural farming led to the Dust Bowl. It was written and directed by Pare Lorentz.

Lorentz worked on the film with composer Virgil Thomson, who shared Lorentz’s enthusiasm for folk music and incorporated many folk melodies by the American baritone, Thomas Hardie Chalmers.

The film was sponsored by the United States government (resettlement Administration) to raise awareness about the New Deal and was intended to cost $6,000 or less; it eventually cost over $19,000 and Lorentz, turning in many receipts written on various scraps of paper, had many of his reimbursements denied and paid for much of the film himself. Lorentz later faced criticism for appearing to blame westward bound settlers for the ecological crisis by having eroded the soil of the Plains with unrestrained farming (and one of his photographers, Arthur Rothstein, was criticized for moving a skull from one location to another in the Dust Bowl to shoot it and for other stagings in the film), but the film nonetheless succeeded in driving home the message of the severity of the problem caused by the misuse of land.

Virgil Thomson compiled a concert suite from his original score, which has been performed and recorded. One of the earliest recordings was for Vanguard Records with Leopold Stokowski conducting the Symphony of the Air; the original stereo LP also included a suite from Thomson’s score for another Lorentz documentary, The River.

In 1999, The Plow That Broke the Plains was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being, “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

(Date entered public domain: June 16, 1964)

EXPLORE

Students will rotate through learning folders and do an assigned task for each. The teacher may decide, if time is an issue, to pair students up or assign specific folders to groups.

All students should listen and summarize the KACV Panhandle Oral Histories at

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2CB9A0583C22EA8E&feature=view_all

Learning Folders

1. The Dust Bowl Years2. Black Sunday Newspaper accounts3. Death Squads for Cattle (blog posting)4. Rabbit Roundups (blog posting)5. Immigrants, Cattle, Wheat and Dust (blog posting)6. Photographic Analysis7. Dust Bowl Newspaper Clippings8. Dust Bowl Art9. Dust Bowl Music and Poetry10. Hugh Bennett11. John McCarty & The Last Man Standing Club12. Letters from Caroline Henderson13. Attitudes of Mind, Great Plains Committee report14. Panhandle Oral Histories15. Living Newspaper

EXPLAIN

Students will be given two different colored sets of paper which contain questions and answers relating to the Black Blizzards and Surviving the Dust Bowl. Students will cut them out and match them up or create flashcards with the question on the front and answer on the back.

*Questions and answers adapted and modified from

https://utah.agclassroom.org/teachercenter/index.cfm?controller=main&action=lpsearch&lpID=684&searchGrade.gradeID=12&searchSub.subjectID=

ELABORATE

Students will write a letter to FDR explaining the plight of the farmers and families living in the Dust Bowl area. Be sure to include why it is crucial the government provide emergency relief.

EVAULATE

Students will choose one of the following projects:

Create a lapbook using foldables or any other creative approach to tell about the Dust Bowl period.

o This is just mini-books and/or foldables that cover details the student has studies. After making a variety of the foldable about the topic, all the foldables are put together in a large folder or trifold. The finished product is called a lapbook because it’s large and covers your lap.

Write a children’s book to explain what Americans endured during the “Dirty Thirties”.

o Can create this in Microsoft Word or Powerpoint and then print it out, assemble it and bind it.

Create a movie using PhotoStory3 or Moviemaker about the Dust Bowl.o This project requires you to find basic information on your topic, write a

narration to go along with at least 10-15 relevant pictures and choose background music that will enhance your story.