For many farmers displaced by the Great Depression and the droughts of the 1930s, California represented the American Dream: a place to find work, to establish a new life, and to provide for their families. The reality they found, as...

The Grapes of Wrath may be the most famous novel set during the Dust Bowl, but what other stories cover the same time? The unit focuses on the Karen Hesse novel Out of the Dust. Learners keep a timeline of the Dust Bowl, maintain a...

Teach young scholars how to, in the words of Dorothea Lange, see life without a camera by looking at her life through the lens of a short video. Viewers are introduced to Lange's life, her work, and some of her famous photographs.

Cesar Chavez, the United Farmworker's Movement, and the struggle for Chicano Civil Rights are the focus of a Day of Service and Learning curriculum guide that asks participants to investigate the conditions, events, and...

Paul Taylor's interviews and Dorothea Lange's photographs bring to life the unimaginable devastation of the Dust Bowl. After watching a short video from PBS, viewers are asked to imagine how they would react, whether they would stay or...

John Steinbeck, called the voice of working-class Americans, is the subject of this mini-biography that includes interviews and images to provide an overview of his life and works.

The American Dream is a goal that many pursue, but is it truly attainable for all people? An in-depth lesson explores the plight of migrants in twentieth-century America. The resource includes a video and author biographies and...

In this video [3:06] from the American Masters film Novel Reflections on the American Dream, see the quest for the American dream as depicted in John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath." Follow the Joad family as they search for work and...

This is an online study guide for the novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck including author information, literary elements, chapter-by-chapter summaries/notes, study questions, and analysis.

The Joad family leaves Oklahoma in search of work after their farm is destroyed by the Dust Bowl. They arrive in California only to find that fair jobs, food, and sympathy are scarce. Selected (9) reading passages (grades 8-11) to pair...

A short video [2:52] about where the title for John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath came from.

Delve into the classic Grapes of Wrath in this Shmoop video. [3:27]

A brief summary of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Does not include an on-line text of the work but does provide links to informational websites.

Chapter by chapter study questions, reflection and discussion questions, and ideas for further exploration are the heart of this 6 page .pdf teacher guide.

C-SPAN offers a biography on John Steinback (1902-1968 CE) which focuses primarily on his writings. A complete bibliography of his works accompanies the biography.