Students look carefully at and analyze a Dorothea Lange photograph and compare it with the migrant experience described in John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath.

Fifth graders explore U.S. history by viewing video clips in class. In this dust bowl era lesson, 5th graders identify the impact of giant dust storms on the U.S. agriculture systems and the U.S. economy in the 20th century. Students...

Did you know that California produces two thirds of the fruits and nuts consumed in the United States? That it produces almost one third of the vegetables? Did you know that scientists warn that California is facing the onset of a...

Students research and learn about the Underground Railroad. In this Underground Railroad lesson plan, students take 2 weeks to research an individual, complete journal writings, read passages in small groups, list major events, and more.

Eight slides of information related to shifts in the climate make up this presentation. The vocabulary and concepts displayed are geared toward high school meteorology learners. Content is not cohesive from slide to slide, but the...

Students study economics and timelines of events to understand changes in America.  In this Twenties and Thirties lesson, students navigate Internet sites to research famous reformers.  Students recognize the economic changes...

Students examine soil conservation. In this agricultural management lesson, students study how to use good practices for soil conservation. They discuss the Dust Bowl and poor land management from the 1940's to infer how we can be better...

Eighth graders, after assuming identities of prominent figures from the 1920's and looking at slides and data from the era, relate, in diary form, the cultural, economic and political changes that happened in America between 1920 and 1939.

Students examine theme in the photography of Dorothea Lange. In this photography lesson, students analyze photography taken by Dorothea Lange and identify themes that run through each. They design an exhibition that shows how the theme...

Young scholars cognitively connect what would be important to a family that was enduring the Depression. They illustrate what would have been present in someone's home during the late 1920's and early 1930's. Students provide rationale...

Young scholars create a scrapbook based on their research of the lives of migrants in California during the Great Depression.

Students identify the different components that make up soil. In this earth science lesson plan, students create a pamphlet for next year's class. They analyze how erosion and weathering shape the Earth.

Students investigate the inception of Social Security benefits provided by the Government.  In this Social Security instructional activity, students debate whether or not people should be entitled to receive money from the...

Fourth graders observe various photographs by Dorothea Lange and write reflections in a journal. In this photography lesson plan, 4th graders interpret photographs and do a variety of writing responses to the photographs they observe.

Pupils read about America's participation in World War II. They study images, timelines, and other primary source documents.

Seven-lesson collection of lessons and suggested activities for instructing early learners about the Dust Bowl using a variety of primary sources (songs, letters, photos, etc.).

Excellent resource for finding PowerPoint presentations on the Great Depression, New Deal, and FDR to use in your classroom. Also, provides games for students and teacher lesson plans.

One of the first laws passed in Franklin Roosevelt's first hundred days was the Agricultural Adjustment Act. Read about how it helped farmers in crisis. and how it was the forerunner of the federal farm program in existence today. [pdf]

Read about the plight of American farmers in the Great Depression. Franklin Roosevelt instituted several programs to help the rural population, the most important of which was the Agricultural Adjustment Act. Find out whom this act...