Team SISD Remote Learning Academy Remote Learning Lesson Plan Template Online Content: Unit 10 Texas in the Great Depression and WWII
Teacher: Duran 7th Social Studies Dates: March 24-27, 2020
TEKS: 7.1A identify the major eras in Texas history including: Great Depression World War II ; 7.1B apply chronology of significant individuals, events, and time periods; 7.7E analyze the political, economic, and social impact of the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression and WWII on Texas ; 7.8A create a map showing the Dust Bowl, internment camps, and military installations in Texas; 7.9C analyze the effects physical-human factors such as climate, weather, landforms, irrigation, transportation, and communication on major events in Texas; 7.13B analyze the impact of economic concepts within the free enterprise system such TEKS/ELPS as supply and demand, profit, government regulation, and world competition on the economy of Texas Addressed ELPS: 1E: internalize new basic and academic language by using and reusing it in meaningful ways in speaking and writing activities that build concept and language attainment; 5B: write using newly acquired basic vocabulary and content-based grade-level vocabulary; 5F: write using a variety of grade-appropriate sentence lengths, patterns, and connecting words to combine phrases, clauses, and sentences in increasingly accurate ways
Students will Read the article from the History Channel and answer related questions. be able to…
The Dust Bowl-The History Channel by Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen:
The Dust Bowl was the name given to the drought-stricken Southern Plains region of the United States, which suffered severe dust storms during a dry period in the 1930s. As high winds and choking dust swept the region from Texas to Nebraska, people and livestock were killed and crops failed across the entire region. The Dust Bowl intensified the crushing economic impacts of the Great Depression and drove many farming families on a desperate migration in search of work and better living conditions. Oklahoma migrants and others left for California to get away. These Dust Bowl refugees named “Okies” were discriminated against and looked down Online upon in California. Learning Plan What Caused the Dust Bowl? The Dust Bowl was caused by several economic and agricultural factors, including federal land policies, changes in regional weather, farm economics and other cultural factors. Lands policies like the Kinkaid Act of 1904 and the Homestead Act of 1909 attracted a large number of new and inexperienced farmers across the Great Plains.
Rising wheat prices in the 1910s and 1920s and increased demand for wheat from Europe during World War I encouraged farmers to plow up millions of acres of native grassland to plant wheat, corn and other row crops. But as the United States entered the Great Depression, wheat prices dropped. Farmers tore up even more Page 1 of 3
grassland in an attempt to harvest a bumper (larger) crop and break even. Crops began to fail as the droughts came in 1931, exposing the bare, over-plowed top soil. Without deep-rooted prairie grasses to hold the soil in place, it began to blow away. Eroding soil led to massive dust storms and economic devastation—especially in the Southern Plains.
When Was The Dust Bowl? The Dust Bowl, also known as “the Dirty Thirties,” started in 1930 and lasted for about a decade, but the economic impact on the region remained much longer. Severe drought hit the Midwest and Southern Great Plains in 1930. Massive dust storms began in 1931. A series of drought years followed, further increasing the environmental disaster. By 1934, an estimated 35 million acres of cultivated land had been rendered useless for farming, while another 125 million acres—an area roughly three-quarters the size of Texas—was rapidly losing its topsoil.
During the Dust Bowl period, severe dust storms, often called “black blizzards” swept the Great Plains. Some of these carried Great Plains topsoil as far east as Washington, D.C. and New York City. Billowing clouds of dust would darken the sky, sometimes for days at a time. Dust worked its way through every crack in homes, leaving a coating on food, skin and furniture. Some people developed “dust pneumonia” and experienced chest pain and difficulty breathing. It’s unclear exactly how many people may have died from the condition. Estimates range from hundreds to several thousand people.
First, let me just wish every single one of you good blessings in these challenging times. I can only wonder how worried and puzzled you must be but, keep in mind through what we have learned in the history of man and society; the answers are just around the corner. We will get through this one way or another; we’re in this together. Please, continue to do your school work through remote learning for all your classes, it will keep your mind free of negative thoughts and worry. You mean a lot to us no matter what, God bless, and stay safe. Optional Students: Read the above article on the Dust Bowl and answer the following questions in complete sentences: Extension Note: "Students, create a word document in (Word) and type in your responses for each question. DON’T Activities forget your first and last names!!! Please send your responses to my email address [email protected] by Thursday March 26. 1. In what U.S. and Texas region was did the Dust Bowl mostly affect? 2. List the two land policies that led new and inexperienced farmers to flood the Great Plains. 3. What health condition did the Dust Bowl cause? Please explain what this condition did. How many died? 4. Please explain in a paragraph how the production of wheat and farming contributed to the Dust Bowl. Page 2 of 3
5. What did the Dust Bowl cause families in the impacted areas like Oklahoma to do? What were they called and how were they treated? Why do you think this happened? 6. List at least six factors blamed for the Dust Bowl. 7. How long did the Dust Bowl last and what was this period known as? 8. Describe the devastation of the Dust Bowl starting in 1931.
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