The Dust Bowl – Grade 10
Ohio Standards
Connection:
History
Benchmark F
Identify major historical
patterns in the domestic
affairs of the United States
during the 20th century and
explain their significance.
Indicator 10
Analyze the causes and
consequences of major
political, economic and
social developments of the
1930s with emphasis on:
a. The Great Depression;
b. The Dust Bowl;
c. The New Deal.
Geography
Benchmark A
Analyze the cultural,
physical, economic and
political characteristics that
define regions and describe
reasons that regions change
over time.
Indicator 1
Explain how perceptions
and characteristics of
geographic regions in the
United States have changed
over time including:
a. Urban areas;
b. Wilderness;
c. Farmland;
d. Centers of industry
and technology.
Lesson Summary:
This lesson defines for students what the Dust Bowl was and
explains the causes and consequences for the American
people and the landscape. It also helps give students an
understanding of what the Dust Bowl farmers endured.
Estimated Duration: Three hours and 20 minutes
Commentary:
The Dust Bowl was a unique phenomenon in the last
century. It led to massive migrations, farm foreclosures and
decreased crop production. It also worsened the effects of
the Great Depression. This lesson helps students understand
its causes and impact.
Pre-Assessment:
Distribute Attachment A. Have students take out a piece of
notebook paper. On the chalkboard or overhead projector
transparency, draw a graphic organizer like the one on
Attachment A, Pre-Assessment Web. Tell students to consider
what they already know about the Dust Bowl and to enter on
their web words or short phrases indicating their prior
understanding of it. Give students five minutes to complete
this task. Call on several students to share their prior
knowledge. Record their responses on the chalkboard. Collect
student papers and use the information to guide instruction.
Scoring Guidelines:
Note any variety in the responses. Use this observation to
determine what to emphasize in the lesson.
Post-Assessment:
Have students complete a one- to two-page essay that
responds to the prompt on Attachment E, Post-Assessment
Prompt and Rubric.
Scoring Guidelines: Use Attachment E, Post-Assessment
Prompt and Rubric, to score the assessment.
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The Dust Bowl – Grade 10
Instructional Procedures:
Day One
1. Hand out Attachment A, Pre-Assessment Web. Conduct the pre-assessment activity and
discuss.
2. Distribute Attachment B, Photograph Captions.
3. Display five photos from the Dust Bowl era.
4. Instruct students to write a descriptive caption for each photo as it is displayed. Give
them several minutes to create each caption. Then, have several students share their
captions with the class. Have the class decide which one is the most appropriate for the
photo. Repeat this for each of the five pictures.
5. At the end of the activity, have students write a one- or two-paragraph response to the
photos. What feelings do the photos elicit?
Day Two
6. Assign students to work in pairs.
7. Distribute Attachment C, Dust Bowl Diagram.
8. Have students use their textbooks and/or the Internet to complete the diagram. Students
should pay special attention to relationships they see between the causes and
consequences of the Dust Bowl.
9. Toward the end of the period, have each set of students report back to the class.
10. On a transparency copy of Attachment C, record student answers for causes,
consequences and conclusions. Tell students to add to their diagrams any correct answers
that they did not already have recorded.
11. Be sure to focus on the relationships between the causes and consequences of the Dust
Bowl. Students may have a hard time with this section.
Day Three
12. Lead a formal discussion or lecture that emphasizes the causes, consequences and
conclusions regarding the Dust Bowl. Be sure to point out how the perception and
characteristics of the region changed over time. Use Attachment F, Sample Answers, and
any other resources available to inform the discussion or lecture.
Day Four
13. Distribute Attachment E, Post-Assessment Prompt and Rubric.
14. Provide time in class for students to complete the post-assessment.
Differentiated Instructional Support:
Instruction is differentiated according to learner needs, to help all learners either meet the
intent of the specified indicator(s) or, if the indicator is already met, to advance beyond the
specified indicator(s).
 Provide peer note-takers for the student.
 Provide extended time to students working toward the standard.
 Allow students to use their notes as they write the post-assessment essay.
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The Dust Bowl – Grade 10
Extensions:
 Have students write a letter from the perspective of a Dust Bowl survivor who lives in
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The letter should be dated January 1, 1935.
 Divide the class into groups of three or four. Using photographs of the Dust Bowl region,
assign each group one photograph. Have students evaluate the photo based on the
following criteria: layout; point of view; intended audience; intended message; overall
impact.
 Have students explore political, economic and social issues and trends regarding poverty
in America today. Have students research this topic in the learning resource center,
library or computer lab.
 Have students write journal entries comparing conditions of poverty in America today
with conditions of poverty during the Great Depression.
Homework Options and Home Connections:
Have students interview any friends of the family who lived during the time of the Dust Bowl
and ask about their most vivid memories of that period.
Interdisciplinary Connections:
 Fine Arts: Music
Have students listen to a song about the Dust Bowl and write their own lyrics to the song,
based on their understanding of changes to the perception of the region during the 1930s.
Materials and Resources:
The inclusion of a specific resource in any lesson formulated by the Ohio Department of
Education should not be interpreted as an endorsement of that particular resource, or any of
its contents, by the Ohio Department of Education. The Ohio Department of Education does
not endorse any particular resource. The Web addresses listed are for a given site’s main
page, therefore, it may be necessary to search within that site to find the specific information
required for a given lesson. Please note that information published on the Internet changes
over time, therefore the links provided may no longer contain the specific information related
to a given lesson. Teachers are advised to preview all sites before using them with students.
For the teacher: Chalkboard, overhead projector and transparencies, Dust Bowl
photographs.
For the students: Writing supplies.
Vocabulary:
 migrant workers
 Dust Bowl
 black blizzards
 Okies
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The Dust Bowl – Grade 10
Technology Connections:
Photographs and music of this era may be obtained from the Library of Congress American
Memory Web site: http://memory.loc.gov.
Research Connections:
Marzano, R. et al. Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-Based Strategies for
Increasing Student Achievement, Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development, 2001.
Note taking is a powerful skill that helps students identify important aspects of what
they are learning.
General Tips:
This lesson can be used to emphasize points made about the effects of the Great Depression
from the previous lesson. This lesson covers a particularly noteworthy set of circumstances
illustrating the difficult times experienced across the country.
Attachments:
Attachment A, Pre-Assessment Web
Attachment B, Photograph Captions
Attachment C, Dust Bowl Diagram
Attachment D, Dust Bowl Diagram Key
Attachment E, Post-Assessment Prompt and Rubric
Attachment F, Sample Answers
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The Dust Bowl – Grade 10
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The Dust Bowl – Grade 10
Attachment B
Photograph Captions
Photograph caption #1:
Photograph caption #2:
Photograph caption #3:
Photograph caption #4:
Photograph caption #5:
Student reaction to photos:
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The Dust Bowl – Grade 10
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The Dust Bowl – Grade 10
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The Dust Bowl – Grade 10
Attachment E
Post-Assessment Prompt and Rubric
Directions: In a one- to two-page essay, analyze three causes and three consequences of the
Dust Bowl. Be sure to mention three conclusions that can be drawn from your analysis. Also,
explain how perceptions and characteristics of this geographic region changed over time.
3
Student
provides
Causes
accurate
analysis of at
least three
causes of the
Dust Bowl.
Student
Consequences provides
accurate
analysis of at
least three
consequences
of the Dust
Bowl.
Student draws
at least three
Conclusions
accurate
conclusions
about the
Dust Bowl.
2
Student
provides
accurate
analysis of at
least two
causes of the
Dust Bowl.
Student
provides
accurate
analysis of at
least two
consequences
of the Dust
Bowl.
Student draws
at least two
accurate
conclusions
about the
Dust Bowl.
1
Student
provides
accurate
analysis of at
least one
cause of the
Dust Bowl.
Student
provides
accurate
analysis of at
least one
consequence
of the Dust
Bowl.
Student draws
at least one
accurate
conclusion
about the
Dust Bowl.
0
Student
provides
inaccurate or
no analysis of
the causes of
the Dust
Bowl.
Student
provides
inaccurate or
no analysis of
the
consequences
of the Dust
Bowl.
Student draws
inaccurate or
no
conclusions
about the
Dust Bowl.
Student
provides
accurate
explanations
of both the
changes in
perception
and
characteristics
of the Dust
Bowl.
Student
provides an
accurate
explanation
of either the
changes in
perception or
characteristics
of the Dust
Bowl.
Student
provides
somewhat
accurate
explanations
of both the
changes in
perception
and
characteristics
of the Dust
Bowl.
Student
provides
inaccurate or
no
explanation
of the
changes in
perception
and
characteristics
of the Dust
Bowl.
Explanation
of changes
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The Dust Bowl – Grade 10
Attachment F
Sample Answers
The Dust Bowl was the region of land in the Great Plains extending from Texas to North
Dakota. By the early 1930s, drought combined with millions of grassless acres of prairie land
created an environment in the Great Plains where the soil was dry. The Dust Bowl got its
name because the land had few trees or plants to hold down the soil; therefore, dust from
wind storms traveled hundreds of miles.
Four causes of the Dust Bowl were:
 The land was unsuitable for farming because it had been exhausted from the
overproduction of crops;
 Weather pattern changes caused this region to have severe droughts;
 There were harsh windstorms. The drought and the windstorms caused the characteristics
of this region to change;
 There was little ground cover to hold the soil during windstorms.
Five consequences of the Dust Bowl were:
 The drought caused crop losses. Wheat production was down;
 Due to crop losses, many farmers could not pay their debts and lost their farms due to
foreclosure. Nearly 60 percent of Dust Bowl families lost their farms;
 Dust storms led to massive cleanups;
 People migrated to other regions because the land was unsuitable for farming;
 The migration from this region caused the population of other states to expand.
Possible conclusions that might be drawn from the analysis include:
 1930’s weather patterns over the Great Plains caused significant disruptions in economic
activity.
 Farming practices during the 1920’s prompted the development of the Dust Bowl.
 The conditions of the Dust Bowl changed the popular perception of the area centered on
the Oklahoma panhandle from a major wheat-growing area to an area of desolation.
 Geographic and economic conditions impact migration and population patterns.
 The challenges resulting from the Dust Bowl contributed to the growth of the federal
government as it created programs to address agricultural distress.
The perception of this region changed from a valuable farming area to an area of desolation.
Formerly a major wheat-producing area, the area of the Dust Bowl became barren. The
farmers of the Dust Bowl struggled to survive like many other Americans during the Great
Depression due to the changing geographic factors.
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