Natural disasters and economic collapse forced roughly 2.5 million people from their homes during the Dust Bowl. Refugees often lived in migrant labor camps created by the Farm Security Administration. This inquiry asks students to humanize the history of the Dust Bowl by exploring the songs that were popular in the FSA camps alongside moments captured by photojournalists, Dorothea Lange and Robert Hemmig.
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About the inquiry
Compelling Question
What can we learn from Dust Bowl migrants?
Standards
C3 Framework: D2.His.6.9-12. Analyze the ways in which the perspectives of those writing history shaped the history that they produced.
Instructional Snapshot
Class begins with students exploring a set of song recordings with lyrics from Farm Security Administration migrant labor camps. Students then create a list of prevalent themes and characteristics about Dust Bowl migrants and the lives they led.
Next, students work in small groups to discuss which photograph would pair best with each song, physically moving the printed photos side by side with the printed lyrics pages. Students may consider the stories, characters, or themes to connect to the human experiences of this time.
Finally, students design an album cover, titled with a word or phrase that addresses the compelling question. They can also choose which songs and pictures best support their album title.
Formative Tasks
COLLABORATE: Read and listen to recordings of songs from migrant camps to identify themes about life during the Dust Bowl.
DELIBERATE: Pair each song with a photograph that could represent the theme or characters in the song.
PRODUCE: Design an album cover and title the album in response to the compelling question.
Sources
Source B: Dust Bowl Songs, Library of Congress
Source B: Dust Bowl Photos, Library of Congress
Summative Performance Task
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Taking Informed Action
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