A winner of the Newberry Medal Out of the Dust A winner of the Newberry Medal By karen hesse

Mr. Kelley’s Test Rules Take all backpacks and personal belongings to the designated area against the wall. Have nothing at or on your desk except for a pencil. I will hand out the tests. Do not pick them up until I say it is OK. Raise your hand if you have a question. Read every question closely. Follow directions exactly as written, especially when they say “complete sentences.” No communication whatsoever with classmates!! When you finish, bring it to the tray on my desk (the desk next to the screen). You do not need permission to turn in your test. When you return to your seat, begin reading OUT OF THE DUST, from pages 37 through 51.

Yesterday, we… . Discussed the history of Caroline Henderson who wrote a series of articles in the 1930’s entitled “Letters from the Dust Bowl.” … Looked briefly at a list of unfamiliar vocabulary terms. . Read and summarized the first “Letter from the Dust Bowl.”

Review… . Caroline Henderson talked in detail about the hardships of living in the Dust Bowl region. Overall, she was: optimistic or pessimistic ? OPTIMISTIC! TRUE or FALSE? She was concerned because many people were leaving the business of agriculture. TRUE 3

Review… . She wrote about what many of the remaining farmers were experiencing. TRUE or FALSE ? : The federal government refused to provide money to help farmers with gas for tractors and feed for horses. FALSE 3

Review… . TRUE or FALSE ? : The writer strongly encouraged the residents to leave the Dust Bowl region and go to California. FALSE She also wrote about how the dust was affecting the ________ of her husband Will with bronchitis. 3 health

Today, we will… Define several unfamiliar vocabulary words. Read the letter (non honors). Discuss and analyze the letter. 3

Book definition vs. Mr. Kelley’s definition (in class) 3 Book definition vs. Mr. Kelley’s definition (in class)

Let’s define these words. Honors Class – Group Project in Class Other Classes – Guided Notes with Mr. Kelley 3

Let’s Read the Text (Letter from the Dust Bowl) Honors Class- read at home if you have not already done so. It was Wednesday night’s assignment Other Classes – 15 minutes of silent reading in class 3

Let’s Discuss: Honors class – come to class with a one-sentence answer for each. What hardships does the author describe that we may not have encountered before? Find one piece of textual evidence to back up this claim. 3

What are the two types of land tracts the author saw on her drive? Let’s Discuss: Honors class – come to class with a one-sentence answer for each. . What are the two types of land tracts the author saw on her drive? The author describes two different types of Dust Bowl residents. Describe them briefly. What does the author mean when she says “remote control stands in the way of constructive efforts toward recovery” in paragraph 7? List two signs of hope the author mentions. What is the author’s point of view toward the erosion control experiments? 3

Honors Class: . Be prepared to debate, in the same manner as on Wednesday… SIDE 1: People should abandon their farms and move to better areas of the USA. The cities offer opportunities to work in factories. The land is hopeless at this point. The government is wasting money by trying to revive it. SIDE 2: People should stay on their farms and try to make it work, even though they are losing money and working non-stop. There is hope. The government is providing loans to help. They are also doing projects to bring water back to the land. We have to save it. REMEMBER: You may not agree with the side to which you are assigned. It’s OK. Please go with it. I am not asking you to change your true feelings. We are just learning how to debate. Later, we will have opportunities to debate based on our true beliefs. 3