Exploros | The Dust Bowl

The Dust Bowl

Students describe what they see in the photograph “Migrant Mother.” Then they watch a video about the Dust Bowl and summarize its natural and human causes. Next they compare two maps—one of dust storm damage and one of U.S. population distribution changes during the 1930s—and explain the relation between them. Finally they research a contemporary natural disaster, evaluate options for solving the problem, and propose a solution.

This learning experience is designed for device-enabled classrooms. The teacher guides the lesson, and students use embedded resources, social media skills, and critical thinking skills to actively participate. To get access to a free version of the complete lesson, sign up for an exploros account.

Overview

In this experience, students describe what they see in the photograph “Migrant Mother.” Then they watch a video about the Dust Bowl and summarize its natural and human causes. Next they compare two maps—one of dust storm damage and one of U.S. population distribution changes during the 1930s—and explain the relation between them. Finally they research a contemporary natural disaster, evaluate options for solving the problem, and propose a solution.

Decide how much time you want to allow students for the research project in scene 4 and assign the experience with a relevant end date.

Objectives

Identify the causes of the Great Depression.
Explain the stock market crash of 1929.

Engage

The stock market crash of 1929 was not the only cause of the economic problems during the Great Depression. A natural event also contributed to the economic crisis. There was a severe drought throughout the Plains in the Midwest and Southwest, especially across Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. The soil became so dry that it turned to dust, leading to the nickname Dust Bowl. In this lesson you will learn about the natural and human causes of the Dust Bowl.

Objectives

Describe the environmental and human factors that led to the Dust Bowl.
Explain the impact of the Dust Bowl on American population distribution.

photograph of a worried mother and two children burying their heads against her shoulder, as if in despair

“Migrant Mother”

The photo shown above is one of the most famous photographs of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. The woman shown is a migrant farm worker, which means that she and her family moved from one farm to the next throughout the harvest season. They had no permanent home and just a string of short jobs. Employers could offer very low wages and poor working conditions, because there was always someone desperate for any work to feed the family.

The photographer, Dorothea Lange, wrote:

“I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet… She told me her age, that she was thirty-two. She said that they had been living on frozen vegetables from the surrounding fields, and birds that the children killed. She had just sold the tires from her car to buy food. There she sat in that lean-to tent with her children huddled around her, and seemed to know that my pictures might help her.”

Describe what you see in the photograph. What does it tell you about life during the Great Depression?

Post your answer

The Student Pack contains a link to additional photographs of the Dust Bowl.

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