Digital Lesson Plan

Step-by-step, whiteboard ready

March 12, 2012, Issue
The Dust Bowl: The Land, the People

Explore our essential question using a Scope article, a new Scope video, worksheets, and more. Great for meeting Common Core State Standards.

Essential Question: What is the relationship between human beings and the Earth?

Approximate time to complete lesson: three to four class periods

Summary:
Students will watch and discuss a Scope video that introduces them to the Dust Bowl. They will then read an article and a poem about that terrible environmental disaster. After answering critical-thinking questions and completing a graphic organizer, students will write a reflective essay about the relationship between land and people.

Main objectives:
• to learn about the Dust Bowl, one of America’s worst environmental disasters
• to think critically about the connection between land and humans
• to gather information and ideas from multiple texts and media types
• to participate in class discussion
• to write a reflective essay

Note: This step-by-step lesson plan is an interactive PDF that includes embedded links to everything you will need. To use these embedded links, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader software. Download it free here. If you can’t use the embedded links, click the links below instead.

This digital lesson includes:
• digital version of “The Dust Bowl: A True Teen Story From History” to project
• Scope video “Life in the Dust Bowl”
• Dust Bowl maps
• homesteader poster
• complete text of “Hope” by Karen Hesse (optional)
• Scope worksheet “Critical-Thinking Questions”
• Scope worksheet “The Land, the People”
• contest-entry form (optional)

Did you like this activity? Visit our Whiteboard Center for more great digital lessons.