The great drought that was affecting people in the Dust Bowl in the 1930s was widespread, and affected most of the U.S. This, coupled with the great stock market crash and economic hardships caused the widespread depression. As we were seeing, people in the “Dust Bowl” area were hardest hit, and had their entire livelihood destroyed by the environmental conditions and those who did have crops, had nobody to sell them to.

But there was one area of the country that seemed to be booming for farmers. In fact, they needed more farm help to pick and process the crops that were already growing, as well as grow new crops, and that was the Southern California area. Farmers were encouraged to move to the area to start new lives. There were rumours and even promises of great opportunities and great riches to be had for people who moved to the area, so a great exodus began.

Unfortunately, not everyone who made the move was successful. The government set up camps to house people who came flocking to the area, but they filled up quickly. Those who didn’t get in to the camps were left homeless and desperate. Even inside of the camps, people were crowded in and not always treated well.

Today we’ll look at some of the lives of people who came to this area and became migrant farm workers.

Youtube video:

You’ll need to analyze some sources of information, using this document (or a similar format): Primary Source Analysis

The U.S. Library of Congress has a great collection of photographs from the era. You’ll need to choose a few photographs, and analyze at least one.

Photos by Dorothea Lange – Imperial Valley, California, February and March 1937

Voices from the Dust Bowl photographs (or go to: project home page and click on Photographs)

Collection of audio recordings from the time or of people recalling the time. You will want to skip a few pages, until you’re at items 172-204.

You’ll also need to SUMMARIZE:

Interview about life in Oklahoma and how and why Tom Higginbotham came to California (part 1 of 2)

Interview about life in Oklahoma and how and why Tom Higginbotham came to California (part 2 of 2)

Last week we were watching a movie about the great dust bowl in the Oklahoma area in the 1930s. Where we left off, things were still promising and hopeful. You should have your letter done by now – it should be from the perspective of someone who’s moved to the area in the summer of 1929, when things were looking good, but some people had concerns.

You can access the previous section of the movie here (see instructions below about downloading the file first!)

Today, I want you to see how things went terribly wrong. There is another portion of the video for you to watch at this link. Please DOWNLOAD the video to your computer and open the file from your Downloads folder or Desktop or wherever you save it.

Questions for today: The Dust Bowl – Nature Strikes Back

The good news: February is over, March is here, and we’re well on our way to spring and Spring Break!

The bad news (for me), I’m sick! The flu has been going through my house this weekend. I thought I was safe. Apparently not.

Continuing on with our discussion of life during/after a natural disaster, I want you to have a look at what happened in Johnstown, PA in 1889. Below is a document with information and pictures, as well as some exercises that I want you to complete.

Complete these on your computer (Google Doc or Word) OR loose leaf (not on the question sheet). As usual, complete sentences are expected.

JohnstownFloodInfo

JohnstownFloodExercises

I hope to be alive tomorrow…

Every once in a while on a Friday, I like to take it a bit easy, by pausing the regular work we’re doing, and engage in something a little light-hearted and fun.

The olympics are winding down, and Canada has been doing great. These games are about the great athletes, and are there to celebrate their talents and achievements, but most of us aren’t athletes and will never compete. The athletes are, however, representing their home country, so they are there to represent us and make us proud. And we are!

This is a great time to stop and think about what we have to be proud of about our country, and there are a lot of things. Today I’d like you to be creative and somehow really represent the spirit of this country. Think about the things that we’re most proud of and that most define us and represent us as Canadians. In short, show off your Canadian pride.

Create or write something that really shows off what we’re proud of and shows how proud you are. Think about people, resources, places, ideas, ways of doing things, and whatever else makes us unique and special. Try to tie in a lot of ideas without being too random or confusing, and really makes us feel the essence of your pride.

Suggestions:

• make a beautiful poster in Photoshop
• make a movie in iMovie
• write an essay
• create a comic book
• brochure
• magazine
• etc.

Whatever you use, be creative and original (don’t copy ideas/text.) Use HIGH QUALITY images/videos. TAKE YOUR TIME. DO A GOOD JOB!

Today’s information (check for updates)

Introductory information

Course outline