Heather Brackett and Scott Hall
Multi Text Study
Out of the Dust
By Karen Hesse
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall
Why we chose Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
We chose this novel, Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, for our multi text unit
when we were looking through the list of award winning books. We both saw this
book and knew we wanted to shape our multi text unit to it. We had read this book
in elementary school and absolutely loved it. Upon finding this book, we looked at
the different objectives and goals it hit in each grade. The grade level for Out of
the Dust was early fifth grade which was one of the reasons we chose this unit to
be for fifth grade. It would be a great book to coincide with the social studies
standard course of study for this level. The dust bowl was a very important time in
American history; this was during the great depression and was also a time of
great uncertainty. The economic hardships of that time were similar to those our
nation is facing now. This book is told through the perspective of a fourteen year
old girl named Billie Jo. Billie Jo has to face not only the effects that the dust has
on her family farm, but also a horrible accident that changes her life and the life
of her family forever.
Throughout the study of this book we hope the students will gain an
understanding for the dust bowl and the people that it affected. By reading this
book through a child’s eyes we hope they will be able to sympathize with the
situation. Through reading this book and the accompanying texts, the students will
be able to further understand what the dust bowl actually was, and the effects it
had on people of that time. The students will keep their own journal, devoted and
made for the study of this book, to record their thoughts, reactions, and even
drawings of the pictures they see in their minds as they read. They will also add
the double entry diaries that they will complete, and a KWL chart that they will fill
in before and after they read. The students will also hear the thoughts and
reactions of their peers through a mini literacy circle, which will have the two
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roles; character sketcher, and discussion director. Throughout the unit the
students will learn new vocabulary, and even get to take a walk through history
with the interactive history book The Dust Bowl by David Booth. We are excited
about this book and unit. We are sure that the students will learn so much from
their reading and want to learn more about this era on their own.
Other Books and Sources Used
Main Novel (reference information—title, author, year, publisher, reading
level):
Hesse, Karen Out of the Dust
Scholastic, 1997 ISBN 0590360809.
Level 5.1
Companion Informational Text (reference information—title, author, year,
publisher):
Stanley, Jerry
Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp
Crown Books for Young Readers, 1993 ISBN 0517880946
Other Books to Use (reference information—title, author, year, publisher):
Turner, Ann Dust for Dinner Illustrated by Robert Barrett
HarperCollins, 1995 ISBN 0060233761.
Grades 3 – 6
Coombs, Karen M. Children of the Dust Days
Lerner Publishing, 2000 ISBN 1575053608
Grades 2-5
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall
Lassieur, Allison The Dust Bowl: An Interactive History Adventure
Capstone Publishing, 2009 ISBN 1429623438
Grades 4-6
Web Sites to Use (list site address and what the site is about)
http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/lange/index.html

Photos of the Dust Bowl
http://www.ccccok.org/museum/dustbowl.html

Scholarly information on the dust bowl
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall
Other Texts
Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at
Weedpatch Camp
This book is about a group of children that are from Oklahoma and have
migrated to California in the 30’s and 40’s. This is a great account of how rough
life was and how the children of Weedpatch Camp overcame their struggles,
disease, hunger, and judgement. The photos in this book are true life photos and
accounts of the children at the school at Weedpatch Camp.
Dust for Dinner
Jake and Maggy live with their parents on an Oklahoma farm. They love to
help raise the animals, and to sing with the music on the radio. Suddenly a drought
comes and brings a cloud of dust that wipes all their hopes of surviving. The family
finds themselves in dire need of food and money so they auction off their
belongings and move to California. Their parents are able to find odd jobs and
work their way to California where they find a better life.
Children of the Dust Days
This book tells the story of the dust bowl through the photos of the people
who lived through it. The story is told through these pictures with some facts
about what is going on in the photos and how this relates to history. This is a great
book for children to see first hand what the dust bowl truly was like and how
families survived and lived through this disaster.
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall
The Dust Bowl: An Interactive History Adventure
This book is an amazing way to get children involved with history.
Throughout this book you get to choose what road the characters take and thus
determining the outcome of the
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall
NC-Standard Course of Study Goals and
Objectives
English and Language Arts
Objective 2.02
Interact with the text before, during, and after reading, listening, and
viewing by:
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making predictions.
formulating questions.
supporting answers from textual information, previous experience,
and/or other sources.
drawing on personal, literary, and cultural understandings.
seeking additional information.
making connections with previous experiences, information, and ideas.
Objective 2.03
Read a variety of texts, such as:


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fiction (tall tales, myths).
nonfiction (books of true experience, newspaper and magazine
articles, schedules).
poetry (narrative, lyric, and cinquains).
drama (plays and skits).
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall
Social Studies
Objective 6.02
Relate how certain technological discoveries have changed the course of
history and reflect on the broader social and environmental changes that can
occur from the discovery of such technologies.
Science
Objective 2.04
Describe the deposition of eroded material and its importance in
establishing landforms including:
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
Deltas.
Flood Plains.
How We Met Each Objective
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English and Language Arts
Objective 2.02
We met this objective by using a KWL for the before, during, and after. We
also used journals to fulfill this objective also. By using additional text we
met the seeking additional information, and by connecting the vocabulary and
previous experiences in the student’s real life we met the making
connections goal. We support many journals from the ext, and make
predictions with one of our connecting text called The Dust Bowl: An
Interactive History Adventure.
Objective 2.03
We met this objective by connecting many texts for informational use, as
well as connecting the internet work shop. The book we have chosen as our
focus text is a diary of poems.
Social Studies
Objective 6.02
In this unit we will be studying The Dust Bowl. This is a perfect example of
technology in farming. As a whole, farmers did not understand that they
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall



needed to rotate crops to keep the soil healthy and strong. Before The
Dust Bowl we developed tractors and plows to go behind those plows that
hastened the erosion of the Great Plains. The more we planed and cleared
the plants off of the top soil the more unstable the top soil became.
Eventually the top soil was so sandy that the wind could pick it up and blow it
away. The Dust Bowl.
Science
Objective 2.04
This unit meets Objective 2.04 for Science by not water erosion, but the
study of wind erosion and the formation of dust funnels, and sand dunes.
The Dust Bowl is the prime example of this wind erosion.
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall
Outline Multi-Text: “Out of the Dust”
Students will be able to explore the supplemental books provided at any
time during the unit.
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
Day 1: Winter 1934 pg. 1-34 (34)
o Make Journals (Putting folded notebook paper inside a sheet of folded
construction paper)
o Journal Entry #1- What do you know about the Dust Bowl and what do you
think the title of this book means? (Individual)
o Fill out the K and the W on the KWL Chart(Individual)
o Class Discussion on what the Dust Bowl was and different types of journal
entries.(Class)
 Different Types of Journal Entries are: Letter Form, Poems, Brain
Storm, Drawing, etc. Any way to get your thoughts on paper.
o Read these pages with the class. (Class read aloud)
 Do a double entry diary (Individual)
Day 2: Spring 1934 pg. 35-52 (17)
o Have students read pages and then write in their journals.
 Journal Entry #2- Billie Jo was good are playing the piano. What is
something you are good at and write about a time when you used this
talent? You can draw a picture as well. (Individual)
o Introduce Vocabulary- Have the students find definitions for words by using
class dictionaries. (Groups of 2-4)
o Do a double entry diary (Individual)
o Read Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp and
write how you would have felt to be a student at the school (Individual).
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
Day 3: Summer 1934 pg. 53-84 (31)
o Read these pages with the class. (Class read aloud)
o Vocabulary- have students write a sentence with each vocabulary word.
o Do a double entry diary (Individual)
Day 4: Autumn 1934 pg. 85-95 (10)
o Groups
 Reading their pages, then writing their Journal for the day
 Journal Entry #3- When Billie Jo went to the Art Exhibit she
was amazed, have you ever been on a field trip or to a place
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall




that has amazed you? Describe the situation. You can also
draw this amazing place or object. (Individual)
 Teacher with group working through “The Dust Bowl: An Interactive
History Adventure”
 Vocabulary- Think of a synonym for each of the vocabulary words and
wrote a sentence with each of these synonyms.
 When finished do a double entry diary (Individual)
o Class discussion on the different paths that were taken by the groups and
what happened in each group.
Day 5: Winter 1935 pg. 97-118 (21)
o Read the pages as a class.
o Respond with a double entry diary
Day 6: Winter 1935 pg. 119-149 (30)
o Group work
 Group one- Teacher with group working through The Dust Bowl: An
Interactive History Adventure
 Group two- Reading their pages. What they do not finish is
homework.
 Group three- Journal Entry #4- When Billie Jo was walking in the dust
storm it was like she was walking in the dark. She could not see
where she was going and she had to feel where she was going with
her feet. Write about a time when you were walking in the dark or
had to use another one of five senses other than sight to get from one
place to another. (Individual)
 Introduction to vocabulary set two and have students look up
definitions in dictionary.
o The class will conclude with a flow chart on The Dust Bowl: An Interactive
History Adventure (Class)
 Do a double entry diary (Individual)
Day 7: Spring 1935 pg. 151-189 (38)
o The teacher will start class with a class discussion on exploring the land we
live on and what we have found when we explore.
 Rocks, arrowhead, sticks, old pieces of plates, old silverware, etc.
o Journal Entry #5- Write a story that describes the day that your went
exploring and found a great treasure. You can also draw what you found too.
o The students will then start to read the assigned pages.
o Double Entry Diary (Individual)
Day 8: Summer 1935 pg. 191-206 (15)
o Read Pages (Individual)
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
o Internet Work Shop
o Double Entry Diary (Individual)
Day 9: Autumn 1935 pg. 207-227 (20)
o Read Pages (Class)
o Journal Entry #6- Write a story using ten of the twenty vocabulary words on
our unit list.
o Double Entry Diary
Day 10: Assessment
o We will do an “I Poem” for an assessment of Out of the Dust.
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Out of the Dust
By Karen Hesse
“And I know now that all the time I was trying to get
out of the dust, the fact is, what I am, I am because of
the dust. And what I am is good enough. Even for me”
-Billie Jo, November 1935
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall
Journal Entries Multi-Text- “Out of the Dust”
**These entries will be completed and written in the journal that we have made
for this book
Journal Entry #1- What do you know about the Dust Bowl and what do you think the title of this
book means?
Journal Entry #2- Billie Jo was good are playing the piano. What is something you are good at
and write about a time when you used this talent? You can draw a picture as well.
o *Also read Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp
and write how you would have felt to be a student at the school.
Journal Entry #3- When Billie Jo went to the Art Exhibit she was amazed, have you ever been on
a field trip or to a place that has amazed you? Describe the situation. You can also draw this
amazing place or object.
Journal Entry #4- When Billie Jo was walking in the dust storm it was like she was walking in the
dark. She could not see where she was going and she had to feel where she was going with her
feet. Write about a time when you were walking in the dark or had to use another one of five
senses other than sight to get from one place to another.
Journal Entry #5- Write a story that describes the day that your went exploring and found a
great treasure. You can also draw what you found too.
Journal Entry #6- Write a story using ten of the twenty vocabulary words on our unit list.
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall
K-W-L
You will be doing a K-W-L chart on the dust bowl. You need to complete this
to the best of your knowledge so that you can see what you have learned
throughout the course of this book. You need to complete the K and W section of
the chart before you begin reading the book. We will be able to go back to the L
section of the chart after we have read the book and you will be able to compare
the sections to see how much you have learned.
REMEMBER TO THINK: WHO, WHAT,
WHERE, WHEN, WHY, & HOW
K
W
L
What I KNOW…
What I WANT To
Know…
What I have
LEARNED…
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall
Character Sketcher
Name:___________________________
Date:____________________________
Find character traits in the book that describe your character. They need to be good
descriptive words, not Bad, Good, Fun, and Mean. Use words like raggedy old overalls,
and descriptive words, or phrases like this. You need to pick character traits you can
draw later. Sometimes this will be things that you infer from the reading, or learn from
the reading. Use the set up below to make sure you include the trait, page number, and
paragraph. Then give a brief explanation.
Character Traits (3)
1. (trait)_________ p. __ par. ___
(explanation or proof of trait)
2. (trait)__________p. __par.____
(explanation or proof of trait)
3. (trait)_________p. ___par._____
(explanation or proof of trait)
Use the traits you have listed to help you draw your character. Your sketch of the
character can go anywhere!
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall
Discussion Director
Name:
Date:
Book Title:
Assigned Reading:
“Right There” Questions: (Literal Questions)
These answers can easily be found right in the printed text. (Examples: Where
was…? What was…? Name as many... What happened when…? What is the meaning
of…?)
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“Think and Search” Questions (Inferential Questions)
You must combine different pieces of information from within the text to come up
with your answer-think and search (Examples: What is the difference between…?
How could …? How would you compare…?)
“Author and Me” Questions (Interpretive Questions)
Think about what you know and what you have learned from the author in the text.
You will infer meaning from what you have read and formulate your answer that
way.
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall
Your Own Thoughts:
There is no right or wrong to this type of question, but you need to be able to
support your answer by the text and with your personal beliefs. Create your own
questions and/or give the group something to think about. (Examples: How did you
feel when…? Why do you think…? How can you relate this to your own life?)
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Vocabulary Activity 1
Name:______________________________________
Date:_______________________________________
Word
Wagering
Excavating
Grime
Divining
Knoll
Maggoty
Festered
Hoarding
Infantile Paralysis
Gaunt
Meaning
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall
Vocabulary Activity 2
Name:______________________________________
Date:_______________________________________
Word
Sorghum
Antiseptic
Stupor
Sod
Scowl
Loitering
Lurking
Succulent
Conjure
Enticed
Meaning
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Interactive History
Chart
As a group we will fill out a chart that will track the route that we took as
we read the book The Dust Bowl: An Interactive History Adventure. Below you
will copy the flow chart we make and add your thoughts to how you liked the book
at the end.
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Internet Workshop:
The Dust Bowl
*Go to http://www.ccccok.org/museum/dustbowl.html
Find four reasons for the cause of the dust bowl:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Find two effects that the dust bowl had:
1.
2.
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*Now go to http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/lange/index.html
Find 4 pictures that you found that you saw the most in, and describe them below:
(if you can include the picture too)
1.
2.
3.
4.
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall
Double Entry Diary
Throughout reading this book we will take time out each day (or after each section
of reading) and write our reactions in a Double Entry Diary. In the first column
you write down a word, quote, or passage of the book along with the page number.
In the next section, react to this, you may also write questions you may have. This
should be cut out and put in your Out of the Dust writing journal. You should have
one for each section of readings we do (a total of 9 everyday except for the last
day).
Entry 1
From the book (words, quotes, passages)
Please include the page.
What it means to me.
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall
Entry 2
From the book (words, quotes, passages)
Please include the page.
What it means to me.
Entry 3
From the book (words, quotes, passages)
Please include the page.
What it means to me.
Entry 4
From the book (words, quotes, passages)
Please include the page.
What it means to me.
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall
Entry 5
From the book (words, quotes, passages)
Please include the page.
What it means to me.
Entry 6
From the book (words, quotes, passages)
Please include the page.
What it means to me.
Entry 7
From the book (words, quotes, passages)
Please include the page.
What it means to me.
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall
Entry 8
From the book (words, quotes, passages)
Please include the page.
What it means to me.
Entry 9
From the book (words, quotes, passages)
Please include the page.
What it means to me.
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall
“I Poem”
Write an “I Poem” in your journals from the point of view of Billie Jo in Out of
the Dust. You need to add as many details as you can from the book to prove
that you understood and read it, as this is your test for this unit. Below is the
format to use to do your poem, but add as much detail as you can.
FIRST STANZA
I am (two special characteristics you have)
I wonder (something you are actually curious about)
I hear (an imaginary sound)
I see (an imaginary sight)
I want (an actual desire)
I am (the first line of the poem repeated)
SECOND STANZA
I pretend (something you actually pretend to do)
I feel (a feeling about something imaginary)
I touch (an imaginary touch)
I worry (something that really bothers you)
I cry (something that makes you very sad)
I am (the first line of the poem repeated)
THIRD STANZA
I understand (something you know is true)
I say (something you believe in)
I dream (something you actually dream about)
I try (something you really make an effort to do)
I hope (something you actually hope for)
I am (the first line of the poem repeated)
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall
Rubric:Out of the Dust
Activity
Points given/Total
possible points
KWL
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
Has all components completed.
They have honestly put thought into what they wrote
Wrote relevant content
/5
Journal Activities
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All are journals are complete.
Thought is apparent in their writing and shows completeness
/15
Discussion Director


Questions show thought and are able to lead an ongoing discussion
Contributes in the discussion.
/10
Character Sketcher
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3 solid character traits
Well explained reasoning for character trait
/10
Vocabulary Activities 1,2

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
Definitions are “easily read”
Shows that they have worded the definitions in their own words.
Activities are correct and complete
/20
(10pts. each)
Internet Workshop


Responses to questions are accurate
All parts of workshop are thoroughly completed
/10
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I-poem

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Written from Billie Jo’s point of view.
Follows the given format of an I-poem.
Includes many facts from the book to support knowledge.
/15
Historical Flow Chart


Fully copied off of board
Actively involved in group creation of chart
/5
Total
/90
Rationale for Multi-Text Study
Context:
I created this multi-text study in RE 4030 under the advisement of Dr. Schlagal in the Fall of 2009 as a
Block II requirement. The study is geared toward the fifth grade and was created around the fiction and
non-fiction books entitled Out of the Dust and Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at
Weedpatch Camp. In addition, an Internet Workshop focusing on the dust bowl was created to promote
historical awareness. This unit is a language arts unit which integrates history through the research and
readings about the dust bowl and its affects.
The references for my unit are as follows:
*Smart Note 10 Gallery
*I poem format from Dr. Schlagal
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*The Following books and internet sites:
Main Novel (reference information—title, author, year, publisher, reading level):
Hesse, Karen Out of the Dust
Scholastic, 1997 ISBN 0590360809.
Level 5.1
Companion Informational Text (reference information—title, author, year, publisher):
Stanley, Jerry
Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp
Crown Books for Young Readers, 1993 ISBN 0517880946
Other Books to Use (reference information—title, author, year, publisher):
Turner, Ann Dust for Dinner Illustrated by Robert Barrett
HarperCollins, 1995 ISBN 0060233761.
Grades 3 – 6
Coombs, Karen M. Children of the Dust Days
Lerner Publishing, 2000 ISBN 1575053608
Grades 2-5
Lassieur, Allison The Dust Bowl: An Interactive History Adventure
Capstone Publishing, 2009 ISBN 1429623438
Grades 4-6
Web Sites to Use (list site address and what the site is about)
http://www.milforded.org/schools/foran/acesare/wq/index.html

Great Webquest and information on the Dust Bowl that is geared for elementary aged
children
http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/lange/index.html
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Heather Brackett and Scott Hall

Photos of the Dust Bowl
http://www.ccccok.org/museum/dustbowl.html

Scholarly information on the dust bowl
Impact:
This multi-text study is a great way to integrate both fiction and non-fiction texts through
very creative and engaging formats. Through reading Out of the Dust and Children of the Dust
Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp text, students are given the opportunity
to think critically about what they read while completing a variety of engaging language arts
activities that connect to the multi-texts. I chose to develop this unit because of the historical
significance the book has. Since I did not have a chance to implement my multi-text study this
semester, I hope to put the unit to use in my student teaching and future classroom in order to
engage the interests and intellects of my students.
Alignment: Explain how the Multi-Text Study meets the DPI/NCATE standards
(listed below). Justify how components of this study address specific standards.
Use specific indicators to explain how the components are aligned with the
standards.
This multi-text study unit aligns with the Department of Public Instruction standard 1,
indicator 3. In this study, I have included not only a fictional text, but I have also included nonfictional texts which addresses diversity through introducing students to the experiences and
historical value of the dust bowl. This unit also aligns with the Department of Public Instruction
standard 1, indicator 4. This indicator is met through addressing the needs of students by
providing a variety of instructional activities in which students are able to exercise their
communication skills through a multitude of reading, writing, listening, and speaking activities
that cater to a multitude of learning styles. This study aligns with standard 1, indicator 5.
Throughout the multi-text study, I ask students questions in order to activate prior knowledge
that they have about the books they are reading. Students are provided with individual and
small group activities in which they are able to interact with the text in order to increase their
reading and comprehension skills. This lesson also meets standard 1, indicator 6. As a teacher, it
is my job to encourage the development of literacy in each of my students. It is also my job to
cater to the individual needs of the students in my class by providing developmentally
appropriate activities that will help and not hinder the development of literacy. Standard 7,
indicator 2 is met through integrating language arts, social studies and technology into this unit.
Students are reading, writing, learning about the dust bowl, and participating in an internet
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workshop. Standard 7, indicator 3 is met by activating the prior knowledge of students through
having them make predictions about their reading. Standard 7, indicator 5 is met by providing
the students with activities that cater to a variety of different learning styles. As a part of this
study, students will be journaling about their reactions to the readings, making a KWL chart,
learning vocabulary that pertains to this area, helping to make history, Standard 7, indicator 7
is met by assessing students both informally and formally through observations and a written
vocabulary assessment at the end of the vocabulary activities section of the multi-text study.
Standard 8, indicator 3 is met by encouraging students to use critical thinking skills when
reading or writing through the use of positive feedback and guidance. Standard 8, indicator 4 is
met through providing students with exciting and interesting literature such as the novel Out of
the Dust and the non-fiction text Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at
Weedpatch Camp. Standard 8, indicator 5 is met by providing students with a variety of
different writing activities such as writing an writing entries in a double-entry diary, literacy
circles, and independent journal entries. Students are encouraged to share their products in
both small and large group settings. Standard 8, indicator 6 is met by making sure that I, as the
teacher, use proper English when working with students so that I will serve as a good model for
them as they continue to develop their use of the English language.
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