Dusty Days Slides 🌫️
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Hard Times
Life in the Great Depression & Dust Bowl
A 5th Grade Social Studies Journey
The Great Slump
Beginning in 1929 , the United States entered the worst economic downturn in its history.
Banks closed and people lost their savings.
Factories shut down.
Millions of people lost their jobs.
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Breadline - 1931
Struggle in the Streets
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"Hooverville" Shanty
Hoovervilles
Families who lost their homes built shacks out of cardboard, scrap metal, and wood . They named these towns after President Hoover.
"We lived in a tent. My father looked for work every single day, but there was nothing."
Think About It...
If you had to build a shelter for your family using only things you found in a trash heap, what materials would you look for? How would you stay warm?
Turn and Talk to your neighbor
The Black Blizzards
In the Great Plains, a massive drought (lack of rain) and poor farming habits turned the soil into powder.
Huge dust storms called "Black Blizzards" covered everything.
Dust got into houses, food, and even people's lungs.
Crops died and cattle starved.
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A dust storm approaching a farm in Kansas.
Battling the Dust
Daily Chores:
🧤 Hang wet sheets over windows to catch dust.
🥣 Cover the table with plates face-down until dinner.
🧼 Scrape dust out of every corner of the house.
Children often wore masks made of gauze to avoid "Dust Pneumonia."
"We ate dust, we slept in dust, we breathed dust."
Leaving It All Behind
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Heading West to California
Unable to pay for their land, thousands of families (often called Okies ) packed their few belongings into old cars and drove West.
They hoped to find work picking fruit in California, but often found more "Hoovervilles" and very low pay.
Picture This
If you had to pack your entire life into one small car, what 3 items would you bring? Remember: you need space for your family, clothes, and food!
1. ____________
2. ____________
3. ____________
Resilience & Hope
Despite the "Hard Times," people found ways to help each other. They shared what little food they had, played music to stay cheerful, and worked together to rebuild the nation.
End of Presentation
Survival Stories Worksheet Survival Stories
Voices from the Great Depression & Dust Bowl
Name:
Date:
Source A: A Letter from the Dust
April 1935
"Dear Grandma, it's getting worse here in Oklahoma. The dust is everywhere. Yesterday, a 'black blizzard' hit while we were at school. The teacher made us all huddle under our desks because it was so dark we couldn't see our own hands. We had to wear wet rags over our faces just to breathe. When I got home, Mama had to shovel the dust out of the kitchen before she could cook the beans. We are so tired of the dirt, but Papa says we have to stay and wait for the rain."
— Based on actual accounts of children in the Dust Bowl
1. List two ways the "black blizzard" affected the child at school or home:
2. Based on the letter, how does the child's family feel about their situation? What words give you that clue?
Source B: The Migrant Mother
Primary Source: Photograph
"A mother sits in a tent with her children. She looks worried and tired. Her hands are near her face, and her children lean on her shoulders to hide their faces."
— Dorothea Lange, 1936
3. Observe: What details do you notice about the mother's expression?
4. Infer: Why do you think the children are hiding their faces?
The Human Connection
5. Both Source A and Source B show different parts of the same era. What is one thing that both the child in the letter and the family in the photo have in common?
Depression Dictionary Handout Depression Dictionary
Key Terms of the 1930s
Name:
1
Great Depression
A long period of very low economic activity and high unemployment in the 1930s.
2
Dust Bowl
The area in the Great Plains that suffered from severe drought and soil erosion.
3
Hooverville
Shantytowns built by homeless people during the Great Depression.
4
Migrant Worker
A person who moves from place to place to find seasonal work, often in farming.
5
Unemployment
When people who are able to work are unable to find a job.
6
Breadline
A line of people waiting for free food, often provided by charities or the government.
Word Web Focus
Choose ONE word from above and complete the organizer below.
My Word:
Definition in my own words
Use it in a sentence
Draw a symbol for this word
Facts or Examples Survival Stories Answer Key Teacher Answer Key
Survival Stories Worksheet Analysis
Source A: A Letter from the Dust
1. List two ways the "black blizzard" affected the child at school or home:
Answers may include:
It was so dark at school they had to huddle under desks.
They had to wear wet rags over their faces to breathe.
Dust filled the kitchen so much that it had to be shoveled out before cooking.
2. Based on the letter, how does the child's family feel about their situation? What words give you that clue?
The family feels tired, weary, or persistent/resilient. Clue words: "tired of the dirt," "getting worse," "have to stay and wait." Students should recognize the feeling of exhaustion combined with the determination to stay.
Source B: The Migrant Mother
3. Observe: What details do you notice about the mother's expression?
Worried, anxious, thoughtful, or tired. She is staring off into the distance, perhaps wondering where their next meal will come from. Her hand on her face suggests stress.
4. Infer: Why do you think the children are hiding their faces?
Answers may vary but should be logical: They might be shy, scared, ashamed of their living conditions, or simply seeking comfort and protection from their mother.
The Human Connection
5. What is one thing that both the child in the letter and the family in the photo have in common?
Both families are facing extreme hardship and poverty. Both are struggling with basic needs (breathing clean air in the letter, finding food/shelter in the photo). Both show a sense of waiting or looking for a better future (waiting for rain vs. moving for work).
