This Lesson:

The Dust
Bowl Blues

creating a "found poem" of words, phrases, and ideas from literature about the 1930's

This lesson was created by NNWP Consultant Caroline Hatcher during the NNWP's
I-Pods Across the Curriculum Workshop
for teachers.

This writing prompt is inspired by

"Dust Bowl Ballads" sung by Woody Guthrie

Click here to do a Google search for the lyrics.

Overview of this Lesson:

The 1930’s Dust Bowl era was about the grueling times of people suffering in the drought-stricken region of the Oklahoma pan handle. Though students may not always empathize with the hardships of the time, this lesson will help them to gain an understanding of the plights of the people. Using Woody Guthrie's Dust Bowl Ballads, students will combine the song lyrics with essential quotes from Out of the Dust/Grapes of Wrath to create their own "woven lyrical poetry" about the time period. Teachers: Click here to see the entire lesson plan.

Writing Skills Focused on in this Lesson:

The focus trait for this writing assignment is idea development; students will consider the idea of becoming famous and making the cover of an infamous magazine, People. Moving from the mundane to inspirational, attention to detail and showing versus telling will be critical. The support trait is organization; students will carefully consider the direction of their piece as they integrate details that support the main idea.