Students search the Web for a photograph from the Dust Bowl. Then they learn about the causes of the Dust Bowl and categorize them as natural or man-made. Next they learn about a New Deal program for soil conservation. Finally they learn about another catastrophic event, Hurricane Harvey, and they write a diary entry of someone living through either event.
Students read an introduction explaining how drought and economic hardship contributed to the Dust Bowl and review the lesson objectives. They then search the web for a historical photograph from the Dust Bowl period, upload it to a shared canvas, view classmates’ images, and post a prediction on a class wall about why this period was called the Dust Bowl based on visual evidence.
Teacher MovesIntroduce the experience, highlight key vocabulary (severe, erosion, conservation, technique, drainage), and review the objectives. Guide students in examining the uploaded photographs to notice details about drought, dust, and farmland conditions, and prompt them to connect these observations to their predictions about the name “Dust Bowl.”
Students examine a historical photograph of a dust storm near Stratford, Texas, and read explanatory text describing the impacts of the Dust Bowl on people, farms, and migration from the Texas Plains. They read additional text explaining how drought, removal of natural grasses, wheat farming, overgrazing, and high winds led to severe soil erosion and massive dust storms. Using this information, they complete a two-column graphic organizer categorizing natural and human causes of the Dust Bowl.
Teacher MovesClarify the causes and effects described in the texts, emphasizing the difference between natural factors (such as drought and high winds) and human actions (such as plowing grasslands and overgrazing cattle). If needed, model how to fill in the graphic organizer by providing one example in each column, then monitor student work and support accurate categorization of causes.
Students view a photograph of an abandoned farm near Dalhart, Texas, and read about what life was like in the Dust Bowl, including health problems, damage to homes and machinery, loss of crops and livestock, and large-scale migration out of the region. They also learn how the federal government responded through New Deal soil conservation programs. Students then post an explanation on a class wall describing how the Dust Bowl illustrates human modification of the environment.
Teacher MovesDiscuss the reading with students to connect the environmental damage to its social and economic impacts on Texans. Highlight the role of the Soil Conservation Service and its conservation programs. Share strong student responses from the wall and use them to reinforce the idea that human changes to the land—especially soil mismanagement—intensified the effects of the drought and contributed directly to the Dust Bowl.
Students view an image of Texas National Guard soldiers helping people during Hurricane Harvey and read about how Houston’s location in wetlands, urban development patterns, and severe storms have contributed to repeated flooding. They then read Flooded from the beginning to explore the history and timeline of flooding in Harris County. Drawing on what they have learned about both the Dust Bowl and Hurricane Harvey, students choose one of the events and write a diary entry from the perspective of someone living through it, optionally incorporating personal experiences with Hurricane Harvey. Finally, they read classmates’ diary entries and respond to at least two with a question or positive comment.
Teacher MovesGuide students in comparing the Dust Bowl and Hurricane Harvey as examples of how climate conditions and human modification of the environment interact. Point out key contributing factors to Houston’s flooding, such as building in floodplains and more severe storms linked to climate change. Remind students that human changes to the environment can have both positive and negative consequences, and encourage them to reflect this nuance in their diary entries and peer feedback.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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