The Great Dust Storm – A Musical Introduction to the Dust Bowl
4th or 5th Grade (but great for big kids too!)
Lesson Objective:
Students will be introduced to the Great American Dust Bowl of the 1930s first by
viewing and discussing photographs of the era and then by listening to and
analyzing Woody Guthrie’s The Great Dust Storm. Working with a partner, as
well as independently, students will be able to tell when the Dust Bowl occurred,
locate affected areas on a map, and discuss the basic short-term and long-term
ramifications of this event on the environment, the economy, and mass migration
to California.
Guiding Question:
What can be learned from photographs and songs from the Dust Bowl and Great
Depression era?
Estimated Lesson Timeframe:
55 minutes
Materials List:
1930s imagery PowerPoint, Woody Guthrie CD (Dust Bowl Ballads), CD player,
partially-labeled maps of the United States, Woody Guthrie lyrics handouts, Dust
Bowl vocabulary matching handouts, markers, pencils, paper.
Standards:
California Content Standards for History/Social Science 4.4:
Students explain how California became an agricultural and industrial power, tracing the trans-formation of
the California economy and its political and cultural development since the 1850s.
4. Describe rapid American immigration, internal migration, settlement, and the growth of towns and
cities (e.g., Los Angeles).
5. Discuss the effects of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and World War II on California.
6. Describe the development and locations of new industries since the nineteenth century, such as
the aerospace industry, electronics industry, large-scale commercial agriculture and irrigation
projects, the oil and automobile industries, communications and defense industries, and important
trade links with the Pacific Basin.
National Center for History in the Schools: Standards in History for Grades K-4
Standard 5: The causes and nature of various movements of large groups of people into and within the
United States, now, and long ago.
Sub-standard 5-A: Identify reasons why groups such as freed African Americans,
Mexican and Puerto Rican migrant workers, and Dust Bowl farm families migrated to various parts
of the country. [Consider multiple perspectives ]
National Council for Social Studies Curriculum and Content Area Standards
Thematic Strand III. People, Places, and Environments (Early Grades):
Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of people, places and
environments, so that the learner can:

examine the interaction of human beings and their physical environment, the use of land, building
of cities, and ecosystem changes in selected locales and regions;
 observe and speculate about social and economic effects of environmental changes and crises
resulting from phenomena such as floods, storms, and drought
The Anticipatory Set (5-8 Minutes):
The teacher will engage students by inviting them to comment on a prearranged
PowerPoint montage of photographs from the Depression/Dust Bowl Era
(1930s). The photographs will include a combination of rural and urban images
(including long unemployment and relief lines, soup kitchens, family life, dust
covered farm equipment, etc.) with a primary emphasis on children’s experiences
and perceptions during the era. The teacher will ask students to describe various
elements in each photograph, during which time she/he will direct students’
attention to the dress, facial expressions, and socio-economic, social and cultural
status indicators of photo subjects. The teacher will call on students randomly
encouraging comments on and/or suppositions regarding what she/he thinks is
occurring in each photograph. If need be, the teacher will hint at what is
happening in the picture, and incorrect guesses will be carefully redirected to an
accurate description.
Instruction (50 Minutes):
The teacher will begin by briefly discussing, in a more pointed manner, the
impact of the great dust storm of 1935 and the consequences such an
environmentally detrimental phenomenon had on the land and the people of the
affected region. She/he will have the following vocabulary lists on the board:
 Lesson Vocabulary: alarm, comrade, doom, dreadful, drought, dust
storm, foreclosure, Great Depression, huddle, jalopy, knell, migrant
farmer, mysterious, nation, oil boom shacks, relief, rippling, sundown,
tractor, wheat-fields
 Geography Vocabulary: Albuquerque, Arizona line, Boot Hill, Clovis,
Colorado, Dakota, Denver, Dodge City, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico,
Oklahoma City, Rio Grande (Each location is mentioned in the song.)
After a cursory discussion about the lesson vocabulary terms listed above, the
teacher will number students off (1,2,1,2) and place them in pairs. She/he will
explain that each student is to complete a two-sided Dust Bowl handout during
the lesson, and one culminating Dust Bowl handout at the end. The two-sided
handout is to be done in pairs, while the culminating handout will be done
individually.
The teacher will then pass out the two-sided worksheet (each student will receive
a copy of this handout), which has a partially-labeled map of the U.S. on one side
and a fill-in-the-blank lyrics sheet of Woody Guthrie’s The Great Dust Storm on
the other. Students will be informed that the lyrics the Guthrie’s song detail the
events of the 1935 dust storm. The teacher will explain that students will be
hearing the folk song twice in its entirety. During the first playing, all 1s will work
on the map side of the handout. All 2s will work on the lyrics sheet. During the
second playing, these assignments will be reversed. After both assignments
have been completed students will be allowed to compare notes and collaborate
on both sides of the handout.
During each playing of the Guthrie song, the teacher will stop periodically to
discuss vocabulary as it is used, address students’ understandings of the lyrics,
and answer relevant questions. Students will be encouraged to “think out loud”
about the lyrics. During each segment of the lesson, the teacher will move
around the room, pausing periodically to randomly check for understanding. To
accomplish this, she/he will ask a series of affirming questions around the room.
By way of these random questions, the teacher will verify that each student
comprehends the material on an adequate level.
Once students complete the collaboration activity and have worked together to
verify answers on the two-sided handout, the teacher will give them the
vocabulary matching handout. Students will work on this activity independently,
without help from partners or the teacher. Here, each student will be able to
demonstrate her/his comprehension of the Dust Bowl by way of identifying new
vocabulary and drawing a scene from the 1930s based on her/his perceptions of
the time. The teacher will move around the room monitoring progress at this
time, but the activity will be completed by students independently. About ten
minutes of the instruction time will be reserved for independent practice.
Assessment:
The teacher will check for understanding throughout the lesson by randomly
asking affirming questions while moving around the room. This will be her/his
special focus during the independent practice segment of the lesson. The
teacher will informally assess the progress of each student during this time, and
at the end of the lesson, vocabulary matching worksheets will be collected.
Students who match 90%+ of their Dust Bowl vocabulary terms (that is to say
nine out of ten) with correct definitions will have demonstrated mastery of the
objective of this lesson. This activity will be formally graded as a daily
assignment.
Differentiations:
These differentiations will take place during the lesson.
 For English Language Learners: During the collaborative segment of
this lesson, the teacher will accommodate for English Language Learners
by selectively placing them in pairings with proficient English speakers.
The teacher will also spend a substantial amount of one-on-one time with
each ELL in order to scaffold the activities, first modeling the activity, and
gradually leading each student to independent work.
 For Vision-challenged Students: Vision-impaired students will be
presented with handouts of all lesson material covered in class. These
personal packets of materials will be assembled by the teacher in advance
and will include sizeable copies of each PowerPoint slide, as well as large
print song lyrics and handouts.
 For Deaf or Hearing-impaired Students:
Students in need of
accommodation for deafness or other hearing impairments will be
presented with PowerPoint packets with labeled images. The lyric sheet
handout will also be more detailed with vocabulary neatly identified.
Worksheets will be labeled and instructions will be clearly outlined. The
teacher will also spend substantial one-on-one time with each student to
ensure comprehension.
Extension/Enrichment Activities:
If students finish early or if the teacher feels one or more students would benefit
from deeper investigation into this subject matter, extension and/or enrichment
activities may be employed. Students may research important people from the
Great Depression era, such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt,
Dorthea Lange, John Steinbeck, Woody Guthrie, and others. This may be
done on the classroom computer or in various books provided by the teacher.
Students who perform learning activities over and above what is expected for this
lesson will receive extra credit for their efforts. Students may also investigate the
impact of the Duct Bowl on Native American populations (such as the Cherokee
in Oklahoma and Sioux in South Dakota).
By way of the computer, students could also perform independent research from
home by accessing any of the following approved websites:
America (From the Great
Depression to WWII)
American Experience
American Memory
lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/fsahtml/fahome.html
www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/index.html
memory.loc.gov
American President
www.americanpresident.org/
American Studies at the
University of Virginia
Center for the Liberal Arts
xroads.virginia.edu
The Digital Classroom
(Archives & Records)
The Drought
www.archives.gov/education/
An Eyewitness Account
www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/dustbowl/sfeature/eyewitness.html
FDR Presidential Library
www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu
The Forgotten People
www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm016.html
History Matters
historymatters.gmu.edu/
Internet Public Library
www.virginia.edu/cla/
www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/dustbowl/peopleevents/pandeAMEX06.html
www.ipl.org
Library of Congress
lcweb.loc.gov
The Migrant Experience
memory.loc.gov/ammem/afctshtml/tsme.html
The New Deal Network
newdeal.feri.org/
New Deal Photo Gallery
newdeal.feri.org/library/5_1g_4r.htm
River of Song
www.pbs.org/riverofsong/
Surviving the Dust Bowl
www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/dustbowl/tguide/index.html
Voices from the Dust
Bowl
memory.loc.gov/ammem/afctshtml/tshome.html
Reteaching Provisions:
For students who do not demonstrate mastery of the lesson objective, the
teacher will re-cover the material by sitting with them in small groups and
engaging them in one-on-one question and answer sessions about the Great
American Dust Bowl. During this time, students in need of re-teaching will be
able to demonstrate the degree to which they understand connections between
Guthrie’s lyrics and plight of migrant farmers during the Dust Bowl. During this
exchange, the teacher will then be able to discern what lesson element(s) is/are
giving students difficulty. Once the teacher identifies the area(s) of difficulty, he
will coach students through the vocabulary handout. Finally, the teacher will
collect the handouts and verify students’ understanding by asking review
questions. Once students have demonstrated comprehension in these areas,
the teacher may proceed with the understanding that subject matter has been
successfully re-taught.
The Great Dust Storm (Dust Storm Disaster)
Woody Guthrie (1912-1967)
On the fourteenth day of April of 1935,
there struck the worst of dust storms that ever filled the sky.
You could see that dust storm comin’, the cloud looked death-like black.
And through our mighty nation, it left a dreadful track.
From Oklahoma City, to the Arizona line,
Dakota and Nebraska to the lazy Rio Grande.
It fell across our cities, like a curtain of black rolled down.
We thought it was our judgment, we thought it was our doom!
The radio reported, we listened with alarm,
The wild and windy actions of this great mysterious storm.
From Albuquerque and Clovis, and all New Mexico,
they said it was the blackest, that ever they had saw.
From ol’ Dodge City, Kansas, the dust had rung their knell,
and a few more comrades sleeping, on top of ol’ Boot Hill.
From Denver, Colorado, they said it blew so strong,
they thought that they could hold out, but they didn’t know how long!
Our relatives were huddled into their oil boom shacks,
and the children they was cryin’ as it whistled through the cracks!
And the family it was crowded, into their little room,
they thought the world had ended, and they thought it was their doom.
The storm took place at sundown, it lasted through the night.
When we looked out next morning, we saw a terrible sight!
We saw outside our window, where wheat-fields they had grown,
was now a rippling ocean of dust the wind had blown.
It covered up our fences, it covered up our barns.
It covered up our tractors in this wild and dusty storm!
We loaded our jalopies and piled our families in.
We rattled down that highway to never come back again.
The Great Dust Storm (Dust Storm Disaster)
We will listen to this song twice. Listen carefully and fill in the blanks using terms from the word
bank at the bottom of the page. When we get to the word (STOP!), we will pause for you to ask
questions and complete your answers. Have fun! I hope you like the song!
On the fourteenth day of April of 19____, there struck the worst of
dust storms that ever filled the sky. You could see that dust storm
coming, the cloud looked death-like black. And through our mighty
____________, it left a dreadful track. (STOP!)
From Oklahoma City, to the Arizona line, Dakota and Nebraska to the
lazy Rio Grande. It fell across our cities, like a curtain of black rolled
down. We thought it was our judgment, we thought it was our
_________! The radio reported, we listened with alarm to the wild
and windy actions of this great, ____________ storm. (STOP!)
From Albuquerque and Clovis and all New Mexico, they said it was
the blackest, that ever they had saw. From ol’ Dodge City, Kansas,
the dust had rung their ____________, and a few more
____________ sleeping, on top of ol’ Boot Hill. (STOP!)
From Denver, Colorado, they said it blew so strong, they thought that
they could hold out, but they didn’t know how long! Our relatives
were huddled into their _________ ____________ shacks. And the
children, they were crying as it whistled through the cracks! And the
family, it was crowded, into their little rooms. They thought the world
had ended, and they thought it was their doom. (STOP!)
The storm took place at ____________, it lasted through the night.
When we looked out next morning, we saw a terrible sight! We saw
outside our window, where ____________ they had grown, was now
a ____________ ocean of dust the wind had blown. It covered up
our fences, it covered up our barns. It covered up our ____________
in this wild and dusty storm! (STOP!)
We loaded our ____________ and piled our families in. We rattled
down that highway to never come back again. (STOP!)
Word Bank
alarm
huddle
rippling
comrades
jalopies
oil boom shacks
doom
knell
sundown
dreadful
mysterious
tractors
dust storm
nation
wheat fields
Name: _______________________
The Great American Dust Bowl
We will listen to this song twice. Listen carefully and mark each of the cities and states mentioned in the song.
We will stop several times so you can ask questions and complete your answers. When you are finished marking
the cities and states, connect the outer marks and shade in the space in the middle. You will have a map of the
Great American Dust Bowl of 1935!
Places affected by The Great Dust Storm
Cities:
Oklahoma City, OK
Albuquerque, NM
Clovis, NM
Dodge City, KS
Denver, CO
States:
Arizona
Colorado
Dakota (South Dakota)
Kansas
Nebraska
New Mexico
Texas
Other Places:
Rio Grande (River)
Boot Hill (Cemetery)
The Dust Bowl
Name: __________________
Match the terms you have just learned with their correct definitions or descriptions. When you
finish with the matching section, draw your own Dust Bowl scene in the box below.
_____ 1. Comrade
A. River between Texas & Mexico
_____ 2. Jalopy
B. Unknown, confusing
_____ 3. Boot Hill
C. Small, wooden house
_____ 4. Tractors
D. Grain crop used to make bread
_____ 5. Oil Boom Shack
E. Close friend
_____ 6. Knell
F. Old, clunky car
_____ 7. Rio Grande
G. Country (The United States)
_____ 8. Nation
H. Funeral bell
_____ 9. Mysterious
I. Old cemetery
_____ 10. Wheat
J. Farm machine
Now draw your own Dust Bowl picture here: