Corina Carmona
EDTC 6341.62
Fall 2011 Butler
Cycle C: Teacher as Designer
Climate Change Lesson Plane
Targeted grade level: Secondary
Topic: Another Dust Bowl?
Your scientific team has been assigned the task to inform the general public of ways to prevent another dust bowl from forming in the United States. Your team will look at ways the dust bowl effects the four major spheres of the earth: Biosphere (life), Atmosphere (Air), Hydrosphere (Water), and the
Lithosphere (land). After your team has analyzed the effects with your own background knowledge of the dust bowl on each sphere, you will then research to support your theories and to inform people of ways they can help prevent another dust bowl disaster.
Step 1: Understand the scenario and write a purpose statement .
As a class we will first discuss how the dust bowl affected farmers in the 1930’s.
The website for article is: http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/water_02.html
We will break out into teams and briefly give your team a name.
Your first task is to write your purpose statement:
Read the task at hand and the scenario, your purpose statement will generally state what your team is set out to find.
Step 2: Analyze the scenario
Reread the article as a group. As a group or individually listen to the farmers accounts of the dust bowl.
There are six farmers, and the transcripts of their interviews are available if the you cannot access the videos.
Your team create a list of ways the dust bowl has impacted the lives of farmers.
Step 3: From the list created your team must attribute them per sphere. Brainstorm other impacts of the earth’s spheres using your background knowledge and explain your reasoning.

Atmosphere
Air
Hydrosphere
Water
Event:
Dust Bowl
Biosphere
Life
Lithosphere
Land
Step 4: The task of your team now is to find ways to prevent another dust storm.
Restate your purpose and what you will be researching.
Step 5: Research some ways to prevent another dust storm.
Here are a list of websites that may prove useful:
 http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/index.html
: Video clips, graphs, articles, photos, and much more farming history by era. For the dust bowl era, select era of “Farming in the 1930’s.”
 http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/drought/drght_history.html
Paleoclimatology and Drought.
 http://www.h2ouse.net/ : Learn ways to conserve water, room by room in your home.
Step 6: Create a poster that depicts each of your solutions with a brief explanation and an illustration.

Name: _________________________________________ Period:______________ Date:_________
Team Name: _____________________________________________________________________
Team Members: _________________________________________________________________
Step 1: Understand the scenario and write a purpose statement .
Purpose Statement:_______________________________________________________________
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Step 2: Analyze the scenario
List the impact the dust bowl has had on life according to farmers.
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Ex: It was so dry that grasshoppers would eat the wood from the carriage tongue because it had moisture from horse sweat.
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Step 3: Brainstorm other impacts of the earth’s spheres using your background knowledge and explain.
Interactions
Atmosphere
Hydrosphere
Lithosphere
Effects of dust bowl Source
Atmosphere to Hydrosphere
Atmosphere to Lithospehre
Atmosphere to Biosphere
Hydrosphere to Biosphere
Hydrosphere to Lithosphere
Lithosphere
To Biosphere
Step 4: The task of your team now is to find ways to prevent another dust storm.
Restate your purpose and what you will be researching.
Explanation
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Step 5: Add a column to the right of your chart in step 3 and have your team come up with solutions based on individual research and record your source. (website, book, article, etc. )
Interactions
Atmosphere
Hydrosphere
Lithosphere
Effects of dust bowl
Source Explanation Solutions Source
Atmosphere to Hydrosphere
Atmosphere to Lithospehre
Atmosphere to Biosphere
Hydrosphere to Biosphere
Hydrosphere to Lithosphere
Lithosphere
To Biosphere
Step 6: Create a poster that depicts each of your solutions with a brief explanation and an illustration.
Personal Comparison from completing Cycle A to completing Cycle C
It was my personal experience that in working through cycle’s A and B, I had to use charts to organize my thoughts. It helped me source my knowledge and not leave any loopholes in the ESS analysis. I think the appeal of this lesson is mostly based on the website that has actual interviews with Dust Bowl farmers. The students get to hear their stories first hand and all their experiences. That is very engaging to the learner.