Document Based Questions The Dust Bowl Document Based Questions

What was the Dust bowl? A period, essentially from 1934-1936, during The Great Depression, when severe dust storms caused major ecological and agricultural damage to the mid-western United States. Over-farming the land had worn away the natural grasses that kept the soil in place. When a drought hit the region, the dried-up, loose soil was easily picked up by the wind and swept across the open plains.

What were some of the major causes and effects of the dust bowl? Drought Starvation Famine Foreclosure Exile Doom Bankruptcy Dust Storms

The Dust Bowl Drought Exile Foreclosure Now let’s organize these words into categories to help understand how they are related to one another. Drought The Dust Bowl Exile Foreclosure

Document A This map depicts the areas affected by drought during the Dust Bowl.   Which states were directly affected by the Dust Bowl? Which states were also affected by dust storms?

Document B This Picture depicts a giant dust cloud engulfing a small mid-western farm during the Dust Bowl. 3. Why were mid-western farms vulnerable to dust storms?

Article questions April 14, 1935: Black Sunday The Grapes of Wrath Near Dodge City, Kansas Harley Holladay The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck Who is the speaker in this article? Where is the speaker’s farm located? In which ways did the family take precautions against the dust storms? What is the setting of this passage from The Grapes of Wrath? Who are the main characters? What is their relationship? What is the cause of the farmers’ anger?

Vocabulary Reinforcement   Drought Famine Dust Storm Poverty Bankruptcy Low Wages Exile Over-Farming Foreclosure Rural Small Farmers Rural Large Farmers Urban Factory Workers Bankers and Businessmen