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The Dust Bowl
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8
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ROLE P
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fter school one day, Chris’s great-grandfather asked him what he
was studying in his science class. Chris began to tell him about the
garden. When he described the problems they were having, Chris’s mother,
a soil scientist, became interested. Then his great-grandfather told them all
a story about when he was growing up on a farm in Oklahoma.
CHALLENGE
What happened in the Dust Bowl in the 1930s?
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Activity 8 • The Dust Bowl
MATERIALS
For each student
1
Student Sheet 8.1, “Intra-act Discussion: The Dust Bowl”
PROCEDURE
1. Assign one of the following roles to each person in your group.
•
•
•
•
Chris, a middle school student
Jennifer, his older sister
Mother
Great-grandfather
2. In your group, read the role-play aloud. As you read, think about
what each character is saying.
3. Discuss whether you think a disaster like the Dust Bowl could happen again.
4. Mark whether you agree or disagree with the statements on Student Sheet 8.1, “Intra-act Discussion: The Dust Bowl.” Predict what
you think other members of your group will say.
5. Discuss the statements with your group. Have a person share his or
her opinion about each statement and explain why he or she
agreed or disagreed.
THE DUST BOWL
Great-grandfather:
Jennifer:
Great-grandfather:
Chris:
We know that, Grandpa.
But do you know why my family left Oklahoma?
No, why?
Great-grandfather:
Dust.
Jennifer:
Dust?
Great-grandfather:
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You know, I can tell you something about growing things. I was raised
on a farm.
Yep, dust.
The Dust Bowl • Activity 8
Workers harvest peas on a farm in 1929.
Chris:
Mother:
Great-grandfather:
Jennifer:
Why did dust make you leave?
Well, really, it was more like dirt.
Our family had a farm in Oklahoma for almost 100 years. When
they started the farm, they took out the native prairie grasses and
planted vegetable crops. It was a productive farm and a good living
for many years.
So what does that have to do with dust?
Great-grandfather:
In the 1930s, there were several years with very little rain. The topsoil
dried out and the crops died, leaving the soil bare.
Mother:
The native grasses of Oklahoma could adapt and survive with hardly
any rain, but the vegetable crops planted by farmers could not. The
way the plants were watered wasn’t very good either, so the crops
dried out.
Jennifer:
So once the crops died, you had to move?
Great-grandfather:
Chris:
No, not yet. It got worse.
Worse? How can it get worse than having all your crops die?
Mother:
The farmed soil didn’t have much moisture or organic matter in it.
The soil was dry because there wasn’t any rain, but the lack of moist
organic matter was due to the way they were farming.
Chris:
I read about this somewhere. When land is farmed, the natural recycling process of organic matter is broken. When crops are harvested
and removed, the topsoil is left with fewer nutrients.
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Activity 8 • The Dust Bowl
Mother:
These days some farmers try to return nutrients to the soil with fertilizers. Or they try not to remove all the nutrients in the first place. But
in the past, it was common for farmers to abandon the land that
lacked organic material and grow the next crop in a new place.
Jennifer:
So what you’re saying is that the land would be farmed until there
was nothing organic left in it?
Mother:
That’s right. Often the abandoned soil created an area where it was
difficult, even impossible, for plants to grow again. Near Grandpa’s
farm, there was a lot of dry nutrient-poor soil that could be picked up
by the wind.
Farming Techniques to Save Soil
a. Contour plowing on hills slows down water flow so that less
soil is washed away.
b. When trees are used as windbreaks, they slow down the wind
so it cannot easily lift soil up and move it.
c. Crop rotation, or changing crops yearly, reduces the loss of
nutrients in the soil.
d. Native plants hold soil together and are well equipped to
thrive in local conditions.
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The Dust Bowl • Activity 8
Great-grandfather:
And that is what happened. There was a lot of wind and it picked up
the soil and created huge dust storms. Probably it would be better to
call them “dirt” storms.
Jennifer:
I think I remember hearing about this in history class. They called it the
“Dust Bowl” because all the dirt that was blown in the air was as fine as
dust.
Great-grandfather:
Yes, and all of that dust was one of the most incredible things I have
seen in my whole life! The windstorms were so fierce that they were
called “black blizzards.”
These historical photographs show a “black blizzard” in the Dust Bowl. The picture at the top
shows a car trying to escape the dark clouds of dust, and the one at the bottom shows how the
dirt from the storm has almost buried buildings on a farm.
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Activity 8 • The Dust Bowl
VERMONT
NEW YORK
Chicago
COLORADO
NEW
MEXICO
Atlantic
Ocean
KANSAS
OKLAHOMA
TEXAS
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl in the United States
2562 LabAids SEPUP Issues Earth Sci SB
Figure: EaSB A 08.04 (light green)
Mother:
The dust mainly blew east, from Oklahoma to Vermont and New
LegacySansMedium 10/11.5
York. Some of it was lifted high into the air and was carried over the
Atlantic Ocean.
Chris:
Great-grandfather:
Chris:
Yes. The dead crops were covered, the farm equipment, and even the
house. We sealed up the house, but the dust was so fine it got inside
and covered the furniture. It was everywhere. I remember that the
dust storms made it so dark outside that the streetlights were left on
during the day!
That explains why you left the farm.
Mother:
Grandpa was only one of the millions of people affected by the Dust
Bowl. It covered more than 100 million acres of land in Oklahoma,
Kansas, Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico.
Great-grandfather:
We packed up the whole family and moved to Chicago. It was hard
for a while, but eventually my father got a job in a factory.
Jennifer:
Chris:
Mother:
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So everything got covered in dirt?
Wow, Grandpa, that’s an amazing story. Dust!
Is Oklahoma still covered in dirt?
The winds died down and farmers improved how they farmed, so the
crisis is over. But dust storms haven’t disappeared. They are an
ongoing natural hazard in the world.
The Dust Bowl • Activity 8
ANALYSIS
1. Describe what it was like to be in the Dust Bowl.
2. A combination of conditions caused the Dust Bowl. What were
three things that contributed to the Dust Bowl?
3. The photographs on page A-36 show how modern farmers use a
variety of techniques to prevent soil loss. How could the following
actions help prevent another Dust Bowl? Explain how each single
action could help.
a. Keep soils wet.
b. Listen to weather reports.
c. Plant tall trees along the edges of fields.
d. Plant more native plants.
4. Reflection: Do you know of anyone whose life has been affected
by farms or farming? Describe his or her experience.
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