Teaching Out of the Dust

Instructions for You

Objective: Out of the Dust is haunting and super-sad for most of the book, which really helps us understand how depressing life was like for tons of people during the aptly named Great Depression.

To really get into the head space of someone living during that time—you know, walk a mile in their shoes—students are going to study letters, pictures, and audio recordings (get a little research in there, hmm). Then they'll add that to what they've picked up from the book to create an artistic interpretation (think song, dance, diorama, painting) and descriptive essay about life in the Dust Bowl.

Expect all this to take one and a half days in class (Steps 1 through 6 and starting Step 7), about a week of working at home (Step 7), and another two days on the back end for the writing portion (Step 8) and to showcase their work (Step 9). Alternately, you could decide to jettison the creative part and simply have this be a lesson on the value of using primary source material to better understand a particular time in history. If this works better for you in terms of time spent and the abilities or needs of your students, you'll end the lesson after Step 7.

Materials Needed: Pen and paper, computers and internet, miscellaneous supplies for the creative portion (procured by student), access to this primary source letter about life during the Dust Bowl

Step 1: We say: "Dust bowl, life in 1935" and you say: ______. Have students write down the first ten words or phrases that come to mind.

Step 2: On the same page, have students briefly write responses to these questions:

• What were the main problems for Billie Jo?
• Are any of her problems ones you have?
• How is her life compared to yours?
• What three words would describe Billie Jo at the beginning of the story?
• What two words would describe her in the middle of the story?
• What single word would best describe her at the end of the story?

Step 3: Have the class read "The Path of Our Sorrow" (Summer 1934) and discuss: What caused the Dust Bowl?

Step 4: Assign students to small groups and have them read Caroline Henderson's letter. (It's on the long side, but it's full of totally interesting details about what life was really like. Tell them to skip the intro and start with the letter at the bottom of Page 1.) Then they'll answer these (in writing):

• What do you find in the letter that was described in Out of the Dust?
• What did you learn that's new?
• Write four things to describe Caroline's life.
• Is the tone of her letter the same or different from Billie Jo's poems? Why do you think that is?

Step 5: Eleanor Roosevelt (the First Lady during this time) received tons of letters from people of all ages asking for help with the economic hardships caused by the Depression. Students should take a look at several of these requests (in general) to analyze. As they read, they'll answer these questions in writing:

• What do a lot of the kids want?
• Are the requests for things they need or want?
• How is their life compared to yours?

Step 6: Students will next take a look at this photograph. Then they'll read this Time article (it's only five paragraphs) and look through the 20 pictures that accompany it. Again, they'll write about the following questions:

• What does all this add to what you already know from the novel and the letters?
• How do the photographs compare to what you'll see outside wherever it is that you are right now?
• In the Time pictures, what do you notice about the house, both inside and out? How would you feel about living there?

Step 7: This video provides a mix of pictures, music, and old folks remembering how it used to be. Pay attention to the voice-overs of the guys sharing their memories. Have students:

• Take notes on at least two new things they've learned.
• Write a paragraph explaining how Out of the Dust, the letter from Caroline, the letter to Mrs. Roosevelt, the pictures, and these memories all compare. They should include at least one thing they all share and one thing that's different.

Step 8: This is where they'll take everything they've learned and create their own interpretive piece, the main idea being: life in the Dust Bowl.

• It can be a song, dance, painting, collage, diorama, or story. Show them these real works by artists responding to the Dust Bowl for inspiration:
  • this song
  • this example of an interpretive dance
  • this collage
  • this diorama
• If they choose to write a story, it should be four to eight pages long.
• Whatever they create, it should include a title, they should make it neat, and they should show what they've learned (meaning that it needs to show some deep thinking and the knowledge they've gained about this time period).
• Give them a timeline on this: how much time for working in class, how much time out of class, the due date, and how/where they'll showcase their projects.
• In the next couple of days, get a count on how many will be displaying things and how many will be presenting/performing live so you can plan how much time you'll need for the showcase and how much space you'll need for displays.

Step 9: After they've finished (or nearly finished) their creative pieces, have students write descriptive essays of about 250 words to go with them. They need to include these four points (at least one paragraph for each, plus an intro paragraph):

• Briefly describe your creative piece, including the mood or tone.
• What does it show about life in the Dust Bowl?
• How does it relate to the book?
• What do you hope someone else will get out of your piece?

Step 10: Enjoy the showcase.

Instructions for Your Students

Out of the Dust is kinda haunting and super sad for most of the book, which really helps us understand how depressing life was like for tons of people during the aptly named Great Depression.

To really get into the head space of someone living during that time—you know, walk a mile in their shoes—you're going to study letters, pictures, and audio recordings (get a little research in there, hmm). Then you'll add that to what you've picked up from the book to create an artistic interpretation (think song, dance, diorama, painting) and descriptive essay of life in the Dust Bowl.

Step 1: We say: "Dust bowl, life in 1935" and you say: ______. Write down the first ten words or phrases that come to mind.

Step 2: On the same page, jot down some brief responses to these questions:

• What were the main problems for Billie Jo?
• Are any of her problems ones you have?
• How is her life compared to yours?
• What three words would you use to describe Billie Jo at the beginning of the story?
• What two words would best describe her in the middle?
• What one word would you choose to describe her at the end of the story?

Step 3: Read "The Path of Our Sorrow" (Summer 1934). Be ready to discuss this question: What caused the Dust Bowl?

Step 4: Working in a small group, read Caroline Henderson's letter. (It's on the long side, but it's full of totally interesting details about what life was really like. Skip the intro and start with the letter at the bottom of Page 1.) Then answer these with your partners, in writing:

• What do you find in the letter that was described in Out of the Dust?
• What did you learn that's new?
• What four facts best describe Caroline's life.
• Is the tone of her letter the same or different from Billie Jo's poems? Why do you think that is?

Step 5: Eleanor Roosevelt (the First Lady during this time) received tons of letters from people of all ages asking for help with the economic hardships caused by the Depression. Working still with your partners, take a look at several of these requests (in general). As you read, answer these questions in writing:

• What do a lot of the kids want?
• Are the requests for things they need or want?
• How is their life compared to yours?

Step 6: Take a look at this photograph. Then read this Time article (it's only five paragraphs) and look through the 20 pictures that accompany it. Write about the following questions:

• What does all this add to what you already know from the novel and the letters?
• How do the photographs compare to what you'll see outside wherever it is that you are right now?
• In the Time pictures, what do you notice about the house, both inside and out? How would you feel about living there?

Step 7: This video provides a mix of pictures, music, and old folks remembering how it used to be. Pay attention to the voice-overs of the guys sharing their memories and then:

• Take notes on at least two new things you've learned.
• Write a paragraph explaining how Out of the Dust, the letter from Caroline, the letter to Mrs. Roosevelt, the pictures, and these memories all compare. Include at least one thing they all share and one thing that's different.

Step 8: This is where you take everything you've learned and create your own interpretive piece. The main idea is: life in the Dust Bowl

• It can be a song, dance, painting, collage, diorama, or story. These real works by artists responding to the Dust Bowl should inspire some ideas:
  • this song
  • this example of an interpretive dance
  • this collage
  • this diorama
• If you choose to write a story, it should be four to eight pages long.
• Whatever you create, it should include a title, you should make it neat, and you should show what you've learned (meaning that it needs to show some deep thinking and the knowledge you've gained about this time period).
• Follow the timeline your teacher gives you for finishing this great creation of yours.

Step 9: After you've finished (or nearly finished) your creative piece, write a descriptive essay to go with it. Include these four points (at least one paragraph for each, plus an intro paragraph):

• Briefly describe your creative piece, including the mood or tone.
• What does it show about life in the Dust Bowl?
• How does it relate to the book?
• What do you hope someone else will get out of your piece?

Step 10: Enjoy the showcase.