The following is a week-long project using resources such as the library, the internet, the textbook, etc. As an opening activity, students can surf the internet and find answers to basic questions using the following website:

http://www.caledonia.k12.mi.us/middleschool/gradelevels/dustbowl.html

Monday: WHO (Level of Bloom's Taxonomy: Comprehension; TEKS 7.10A, 7.9C)

Activity: Students will write a one-page newspaper article describing the people who lived in the Dust Bowl. They will include where the residents migrated from (Eastern parts of the United States), what their personality traits were (determined, strong, etc.), and the impact the dust storms of the '30's had on them (negative - caused them stress and killed some of them; positive - made them stronger). Students should make sure they include the economic, physical and emotional effects on the people of the Dust Bowl.

Also, students should pretend to interview one person involved in the Dust Bowl and include quotes of things that person might have said at the time. Examples: President Theodore Roosevelt, who used government efforts to help farmers, Journalist Robert Geiger, who coined the phrase "Dust Bowl," or Conservationist Hugh Bennett, who helped re-plant and conserve much of the Dust Bowl.

Useful Website:
www.ptsi.net/user/museum/dustbowl.html

Tuesday: WHEN (Level of Bloom's: Application; TEKS 7.1B)

Activity: Create a classroom timeline of the events that occurred in the Dust Bowl from 1930-1939. Create a giant line using masking tape across one wall of the classroom. Write each year of the ‘30's spaced out along the line. Pass out 5 index cards per student. Students will write events that occurred during the ‘30's on each card. Students will post their card using masking tape on or around the year their event occurred. Discuss in class how certain events in the early ‘30's led to other events in the later ‘30's (cause and effect). Have students predict what will happen to farming in the Dust Bowl in the late ‘40's based on what they know of conservation efforts in the late ‘30's. Have them write their predictions on index cards and place on the line after 1939.

Useful Website:
www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/depression/dustbowl.html

Wednesday: Field trip to the Discovery Center (TEKS 7.21A)

Thursday: WHERE (Level of Bloom's: Application; TEKS 7.9A)

Activity: Using a blank map of the United States (available from the website below), have students draw in the 5 Dust Bowl states. Then have them locate the area that was considered the Dust Bowl. Using sand and glue, have them make a topographical map of the Dust Bowl, with the sand representing the area affected by dust storms. Have them make a corresponding key to go with their map.

Useful websites:
www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/depression/dustbowl.html
http://geography.about.com/library/blank/blxusa.htm for maps.

Friday: WHY (Level of Bloom's: Knowledge and Evaluation; TEKS 7.9C)

Activity: Students will make a TV report to present to the class. Remind students a TV report needs to be clear, so everyone can understand. Students will compose their report to be taped by another student on video camera, or for pretend. The student will include in their TV report the reasons they consider the dust storms of the '30's to have occurred, such as drought, poor agricultural practices, depression, lack of knowledge, etc. They also need to predict whether the events of the '30's could happen again and give reasons for their ideas.
OR
Have a Dust Bowl Survivor (click here for list of names) come to your class and speak. Have students interview the person on his or her experiences. These interviews could also be taped on video camera to be used in a classroom TV show on the Dust Bowl.

Useful website:
http://geography.about.com/library/blank/blxusa.htm