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For the Teacher
Learning Objectives -
Unit
• Develop a clear and accurate mental image of the geography of the Great Plains.
• Understand the historical, geographical, and cultural factors that led to the Dust Bowl.
• Understand personal experiences of participants in the Dust Bowl and the ensuing migration west by analyzing related primary documents.
• Use GIS software to explore connections between place, weather and culture as they relate to the Dust Bowl.
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Related National Standards
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GIS Activities -
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GIS assignments are an integrated part of the materials in this collection. Students will need access to either My World GIS, a software package designed for middle and secondary student use, or ArcGIS, a professional GIS software package.
The GIS files for this unit are available to download:
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The data and images in the various map layers are from a variety of sources:
Layer
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Source
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| Great Plains States |
Minnesota Population Center. National Historical Geographic Information System: Pre-release Version 0.1. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota 2004. |
| Dust Bowl Environmental Data - 1935 |
Gutmann, Myron P. GREAT PLAINS POPULATION AND ENVIRONMENT DATA: ENVIRONMENTAL DATA [Computer file]. ICPSR version. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan [producers], 2005. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2005. |
| Dust Bowl Counties Census Data - 1930 |
Gutmann, Myron P. GREAT PLAINS POPULATION AND ENVIRONMENT DATA: DEMOGRAPHIC, SOCIAL, AND AGRICULTURAL DATA [Computer file]. ICPSR version. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan [producers], 2005. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2005. |
| Dust Bowl Counties Census Data - 1940 |
Gutmann, Myron P. GREAT PLAINS POPULATION AND ENVIRONMENT DATA: DEMOGRAPHIC, SOCIAL, AND AGRICULTURAL DATA [Computer file]. ICPSR version. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan [producers], 2005. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2005. |
| 1935-36 Dust Region |
derived from a map in Donald Worster, The Dust Bowl: The Southern Plains in the 1930s, 25th Anniversary Edition, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), p 31. |
| % Sandy Soil |
from Sand, Silt, Clay Fraction at the Soil Information for Environmental Modeling and Ecosystem Management site, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Pennsylvania State University . |
| Rainfall 1895-1950 |
Gutmann, Myron P. GREAT PLAINS POPULATION AND ENVIRONMENT DATA: DEMOGRAPHIC, SOCIAL, AND AGRICULTURAL DATA [Computer file]. ICPSR version. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan [producers], 2005. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2005. |
| North America Relief Map |
Tom Patterson, “Physical Map of the Coterminous United States”, available at Shaded Relief. |
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Additional Resources -
| Geoff Cunfer, “Causes of the Dust Bowl,” in Anne Kelly Knowles, editor, Past Time, Past Place: GIS for History, (Redlands, California: ESRI Press, 2002), pp. 93-103. |
| Donald Worster, Dust Bowl: Southern Plains in the 1930s, New York: Oxford University Press, 1979. |
| American Experience: Surviving the Dust Bowl, PBS, 1998. |
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Contact -
Your comments and suggestion about these materials are more than welcome.
If you have ideas for additional topics that would lend themselves to the approach taken here, please pass them along. I'd enjoy collaborating with you.
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